Why I won’t get Olympic Games fever

A sculpture signifying the torch run at the beijing olympic complex

The world is crazy with Olympic fever. This olympics makes it the most expensive ever. The opening ceremony was among the most elaborate and grandest ever had.

Many countries in the world will be keeping their eyes peeled on the medal tallies. Huge rewards are being offered to sportsmen and sportswomen who excel and bring home honour to the country.

So what’s the hype?

I’m just listing here some reasons why I don’t think much of the Olympics…

The ‘ancient’ Olympics

Though unconfirmed, the Olympic games was started with some roots in Greek mythology. Heracles started it in tribute to his father Zeus, king of the gods, god of thunder and sky. I don’t believe in Greek gods because my bible tells me

And this is the eternal life, that they should know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
(John 17:3)

Jesus prayed to Father saying He’s the ONLY – the exclusive and only one rightful to be called, TRUE – the ‘real’ and true God. All other ‘gods’ are counterfeits and have no truth in them. They are given the position of god, but they have no divine nature. No divine power. No divine glory.

So to take a keen interest in an event that was established with the purpose to glorify a man (though the Greeks consider him a god), is pointless to me. The time I spend, I’d rather use to the glory of the true and living God.

And everything, whatever ye may do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him.
(Colossians 3:17)

The ‘revived’ Olympics

When Pierre de Courbertin wanted to revive the Olympics in 19th century, his motivation was to

1. Help the French become more athletic

2. Get young men from all over the world to unite in sport, rather than clash in war.

Noble reasons. But what has been achieved in the past 2 centuries?

Have there been less wars? No. In fact the 2 world wars still happened after the Olympics was revived.

Has there been more unity? No. Countries have learn to be more diplomatic, but in reality, none trust their own neighbor. I can’t remember the year, but there was one Olympics where a bomb blew in one of the complexes and 100+ people got injured. It was a terrorist attack. This year, there was huge Tibet-China skirmishes in the wake of the Olympics and jeopardized the torch run in several stages.

Someone has defined madness as “doing the same thing repeatedly, but expecting different results”. In the same vein, so many Olympics have been held with the hope of the holy grail of peace and unity in the world. The Olympics has clearly not acheived its purposes. So why do it? I suggest some reasons:

1. Financial gain.

With the huge investment countries in hosting such games, come also huge sponsorship and stake holder investment deals. For 2008 Beijing Olympics, more than 2billion is expected to come back to the government in just investors coming to take stakes in the infrastructure build. How that’s going to make up for the 43billion spent since 2001, i don’t know.

2. Human pride

In the ancient Olympics, only men (the stronger sex) were allowed to participate, and they had to compete completely nude. The reason was to celebrate the strength and ability of the human body. Nothing has changed much since then. In over 2 centuries, the only improvement was instead of being nude, they wear tight fitting lycra bodysuits which cleave to every curve and crease. All in the name of aerodynamics. Rubbish.

My bible tells me

And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.
(Genesis 6:12)

…It is sown in corruption…it is sown dishonour…it is sown a natural body…(1Cor15:42-43)

The human body has a problem. It has a nature that has the propensity and ability to dishonour, disregard and disobey God. Why celebrate it? The fastest athlete and the crippled man end in the same place, the grave. The strongest human and the weakest beggar end in the same place, the grave.

Men like to boast. Among the driving factors of the Olympics, is competition, success, name, fame and glory.

Should I glory then in men?

But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
(James 4:16)
…so as to be a boast for me in Christ’s day, that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain.
(Philippians 2:16)
But he that boasts, let him boast in the Lord.
(II Corinthians 10:17)

When I consider the glory of the One who died and gave Himself for me, and today expects that I give my all to him, I have no interest in partaking in the glorification of man.

Yup, this Olympics, I’ll be the party pooper.

nothing but the blood

But i want to ask myself, am I really seeking the way into the presence of God by the Blood or by something else? What do I mean when I say, “by the blood”? I mean simply that I recognize my sins, that i confess that i have need of cleansing sins, that i confess that i have need of cleansing and of atonement, and that I come to God on the basis of the finished work of the Lord Jesus. I approach God through His merit alone, and never on the basis of my attainment; never, for example, on the ground that I have been extrac kind or patient today, or that I have done something for the Lord this morning. I have to come by way of the Blood every time. the temptation to so many of us when we try to approach God si to think that because God has been dealing with us — because He has been taking steps to bring us into something more of Himself, and has been teaching us deeper lessons of the Cross — He has thereby set ebfore us newer standards, and that only by attaining to these we can have a clear conscience before Him. No! A clear conscience is never based on our attainment; it can only be based on the work of the Lord Jesus in shedding of His Blood.

Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life

So true, and so relevant. How many times we unconsciousy think we that can be saved by faith, but live by works. 

Mr. Watchman Nee later says… “But for the present, let us be satisfied with the Blood, that it is there, and that it is enough”

Show and tell

Read  Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:27-39 as background to what I’m going to share.

Most Christians are familiar with this passage where Jesus heals a demon possessed man. The people of the man’s town then asked Jesus to leave, which He did. The healed man desired to follow Jesus, but take note of what the Lord Jesus said in response:

 Luke 8:39 “Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee”. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

Mark 5:19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

(emphasis mine)

It struck me that in these two accounts, there is a slight difference in what the Holy Spirit records through the gospel writers.

In Mark’s gospel, the healed man is to go to his friends, and tell them of what God has done to him. Yes, we who have received salvation from God, and have peace with Him through Jesus Christ, are to go to our friends, telling them of the good news we have heard and received. We may not meet our friends very often, and we may find it easier to make a verbal pronounciation of our faith. The word ‘tell’ that’s used in the verse, carries the meaning to rehearse, or report. This is what we should, no, must do.

In Luke’s gospel, the healed man is asked to return to ‘his own house’ or family, and the word ’shew’ or show is used (at least in the Authorised version) to communicate what God has done for him. Here the word ’show’ carries the meaning to display or relate fully. This is more than just a verbal statement, but an actual showing of the reality and difference God has made in our lives. Indeed, its much harder to open up to family, and because they see us more often than our friends, the living testimony of our lives play a greater role in convincing our family than just telling them that we’re Christian.

Of course, I’m not suggesting that with friends, we don’t need to be careful with our conduct and speech. Anything we say, has to be on the foundation of what we do. True is the saying “what you do is so loud, I can’t hear what you’re saying” (or something like that, lah).

In working with some young people in our assembly, I’ve come to realize that this lesson is something that’s not been drilled in enough. Some young christians put on their ’saintly garments’ and come to church, and are very kind and loving to one another, but are quite the opposite at home: quick to anger, easily frustrated, drawn into arguments, rebellious, uncooperative, disobedient.

If we truly want our friends and families to be saved (more so our families), we must, more than anything, show Christ in our lives. They can’t see our resurrected Christ, except through us.

We are called ambassadors of Christ. This is a high calling, and means that to our non-believing friends “what-you-see-is-what-Christ-is”. If were to take an honest look at our own lives at home, in school, or at work, we may realize, how far short we fall of displaying our Lord in our lives.

Heb 13:20  But the God of peace, who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, in the power of the blood of the eternal covenant,
Heb 13:21  perfect you in every good work to the doing of his will, doing in you what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for the ages of ages. Amen