Coaches say a lot without ever saying a word. A smile, frown, a look of disgust, or a head shake can communicate a lot. Some studies show between 65% and 93% of the meaning of a message is conveyed through nonverbal behaviors.

When Lou Holtz was coaching football at Notre Dame, he asked his recruiting coordinator to put together a video for recruits that showed him having positive interactions with his players. Unfortunately, the coordinator couldn’t find a single clip, which caused Holtz to realize much of his communication with players was not positive. He prided himself on being a positive coach but had been unaware that his nonverbal messages were not what he thought.

Acts 14 – Communicating the Gospel

In Acts 14, Paul’s missionary journey took him to several new regions. They continued to encounter much resistance to their message and fled from Iconium once they heard about a plot to kill them. Later, when they moved to Lystia, they were attacked and thrown out of the city after preaching their message.

Communication is a challenge when your audience fails to understand you. The people of Lystra were superstitious and lacked basic knowledge of the Hebrew God. The worldview they heard from Paul was new as they had not heard biblical truth before.

A worldview is how people understand the world—how it came into reality, how it works, and what purpose it holds. The primitive Greeks believed in old myths, so Paul’s God was hard to understand. The same is true today. Not all your athletes will know what you mean by the word “God.” It’s helpful to study other religions and worldviews so you can better communicate the truth of the gospel.

 The Kingdom Coach and Athlete study their own worldview and that of others to better share their faith. Their priority is to go and witness to others while being prepared to defend and explain their own beliefs.

Journaling helps you understand and respond to the Bible. As you journal, use the acronym HEAR to Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond to what you have read in the reading plan.

Bible Memory Verse – For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:47-48 (LSB)

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute on A Christian Worldview