The 64 page full colour insert

FOOTBALL
NOT JUST A
GAME!
As you stand with a lu
mp in your throat
singing the National Anthem with
your team
As you sit on the edge of your seat
as your striker takes a penalty
As you shout Olé, spurring your team on
As you are overcome by emotion
e cup
as your team lifts up th
You will agree with Bill Shankly that there
is nothing more important...
‘Some people believe football is a matter
of life and death ...
It is much, much more important than that.’
- Bill Shankly
This Bible that you are holding was
borne out of our passion for the game
of football. Its aim is to build a bridge
between your love for the game and
God’s love for you. God loves us and
our world much more passionately
than fans can ever love football.
Fans paint their faces in their team
colours and proudly wear their team
kit to show their commitment.
In the same way God has given us
a concrete sign of His love for us.
In Jesus, God showed His love and
commitment to us and the world we
live in.
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FOOTBALL
NOT JUST A
GAME!
Today God uses Christian footballers
to touch the lives of millions of people
around the world who watch and play
the beautiful game.
As Lúcio says: ‘Anyone who thinks that
he has everything, but doesn’t have
Jesus, doesn’t have anything. I think the
person who has everything is the one
who has Jesus. He has happiness and
peace. With Jesus in your heart you need
have no fear.’
Kaká testifies with the same passion
and grace that he displays on the
football field:
‘Nothing compares with the peace of
knowing and serving Christ. I have been
named best football player in the world.
This was a great honour for me. But the
greatest honour is serving Jesus Christ,
because He gives me hope.’
This Bible acknowledges and celebrates
our love and passion for football.
It hopes to show that the 90 minutes
on the pitch are about more than just
football.
This Bible draws on the many lessons the
game offers for life and faith. It shares
the passion God has for our lives so that
you, the player and fan, may experience
the same peace and joy that Lúcio and
Kaká have experienced.
CONTENTS
1
The hand of God
3
2
Players on God’s team
5
3
Jesus, the Player with
the ‘X-Factor’
10
4
How to join God’s
winning team
14
5
Game plan for life!
20
6
Playing as a team
31
7
The Manager says ...
Motivational talk
35
8
Part of God’s winning
team: Our new kit
39
9
Dealing with our fouls
and misconduct
41
10
Green cards: How to
get back into the game
44
11
Playing God’s winning
game: Soul training
47
12
Living our commitment
to God’s winning team
51
13
Everyone makes mistakes
and experiences failure
53
14
Is winning everything?
56
15
Goal!
58
16
30 day training
programme with Jesus
59
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1
Gallo
G
ll Images
Images/Getty IImag
IImages/Ge
Images
One of the most (in)famous
moments in World Cup football
history changed the outcome of
the 1986 quarter-final between
Argentina and England.
Six minutes into the second half,
Peter Stilton, the English goalkeeper,
came out of his goal to clear the ball.
At 1.85 metres, Stilton was the
favourite to beat Diego Maradona
(1.65 metres) to the ball. Unexpectedly,
the Argentine captain reached the ball
first, and scored with the outside of his
left fist. The referee did not see the foul
and allowed the goal.
A PHRASE WAS
COINED:
At the press conference after the
game, Maradona claimed that the goal
was scored ‘un poco con la cabeza de
Maradona y otropoco con la mano de
Dios’.
‘A little with the head
of Maradona and a little
with the hand of God.’
The hand of God
Today, years after Maradonna’s famous World Cup winning goal, people still say it
was unfair that one team won and the other lost because of that incident.
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When the Bible speaks of God’s hand it
conveys something of His caring and gracious
nature. God extends His hand to include
everyone, unlike Maradonna’s action that only
favoured his own team.
The Bible teaches the following about God’s
gracious and compassionate hand:
Humble yourselves, therefore,
under God’s mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due
time.
- 1 Peter 5:6
‘My Father, who has given them
to me, is greater than all; and no
one can snatch them out of my
Father’s hand.’
The apostle Peter was
overwhelmed by how powerful
God is. He knew we can only
accomplish great things through
God. Our response should be to
humble ourselves under God’s
mighty hand.
Jesus teaches us that we are
safe because we are held in the
Father’s hand.
- John 10:29
For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.
God’s hand is soft, gentle and
gracious. He always looks at us
with soft, kind eyes filled with
grace.
- Ephesians 2:10
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2
Players on
NWANKO CHRISTIAN KANU
Born 1 August 1976
Nwanko Christian Kanu a striker for
the Nigerian national team and more
recently the English club Portsmouth,
is the most highly-decorated African
footballer.
He has won more than ten awards,
including an Olympic Gold medal,
a UEFA Champions League medal,
a UEFA Cup medal and two African
Player of the Year awards.
Soon after returning from the 1996
Olympics, a medical examination
revealed a serious heart defect.
In November 1996 he underwent
heart surgery, only returning to his
club in April 1997.
Kanu frequently mentions his
Christian faith in interviews.
He has often spoken about this
difficult period in his career as a
time when he prayed to God.
AKA PAPILLO
THE KING
Kanu’s experience led to the founding
of the Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000,
an organisation that helps African
children and young adults living with
heart disease. Kanu is known
throughout Africa for his humanitarian
work. He is also a UNICEF ambassador.
The most goals scored
by one player in a single
football match was 16.
Nwanko Christian Kanu
Stefan ‘Stanis’ Dembicki
French played for RC Lens
December 1942.
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Players on
RICARDO IZECSON DOS SANTOS LEITE
Born 22 April 1982
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite,
known worldwide as Kaká, is a
Brazilian midfielder who currently
plays for the Brazilian national team
and Real Madrid. Many consider him
one of the best footballers of his
generation. In 2007 he won both the
Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player
of the Year awards.
in 2003, he wore a T-shirt stating:
‘I belong to Jesus’
in English, a language he does not
speak.
KNOWN AS
KAKÁ
Kaká’s goal celebrations appear
simple: He raises both hands and lifts
his head to the sky as he runs away
from the goal. But the significance
of these gestures is far greater than
meets the eye. It tells the story of one
of the world’s most devoted Christian
footballers who openly testifies to his
faith in Christ.
Kaká actively uses his status as a
professional athlete to promote
his faith.
He has made a habit of wearing
T-shirts with a clear Christian message
under his kit. When he scores a goal,
he reveals the message to the crowd.
After winning the Champions League
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
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‘To those who already
have Jesus: You have
made the best choice and
are in the best team.
Go ahead. Do not give up.
The fight is great,
but we can only win
being on Jesus’ side.’
To those who have not yet surrendered
their lives to Jesus: ‘What are you doing being outside of this team? Come
to learn the Word of God, come to
know who God really is.’
Kaká thanks God for his
recovery from an almost
paralysing accident in 2001
when he was 18.
He is known for his humanitarian work
and campaign against poverty. In 2004
he became the youngest Ambassador
Against Hunger in the United Nations
World Food Programme.
WORLD CUP
WINNERS
lo Images/Getty Images
Kaká is open about his intentions.
He is a member of Atletas de Cristo
(Athletes of Christ). In his interview
with them, he mixed the language of
faith with the language of football:
BY COUNTRY
Brazil
Italy
Germany (West)
Uruguay
Argentina
England
France
Spain
5
4
3
2
2
1
1
1
Lionel Messi
(Argentina and Barcelona) became
the first player to score five goals in
a Champions League match in March
2012. A few weeks later, he broke
César Rodríguez Álvarez’s club record
of 232 goals to become Barcelona’s
all-time leading goal scorer. By the
end of 2012, Messi had achieved a
record 91 goals in club and
international games, breaking Gerd
Müller’s 1972 record of 85 goals in
a single calendar year. Messi’s final
record in this astounding season
came in January 2013, when he was
named the FIFA Ballon d’Or winner
for the fourth time.
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Players on
TIMOTHY MATTHEW HOWARD
Born 6 March 1979
Tim Howard, goalkeeper for the US
national team and the English club
Everton, has played football since he
was six. He told Athletes in Actiona his
remarkable story.
Tim uses his position as a professional
athlete to encourage others with
Tourette’s Syndrome. He is actively
involved with Athletes in Action.
At the age of ten, he was diagnosed
with Tourette’s Syndrome,
a neurological disorder characterised
by physical and verbal tics. In the midst
of a life that seemed chaotic,
he counted on the calm and stability
his grandmother provided.
GOALKEEPER
‘Nana’s sense of peace was so
powerful because it came from her
faith in the Lord. Through her,
God revealed His love for me.
It wasn’t long before I was following in
her footsteps. I wanted the same kind
of faith and peace she had.’
Today Tim says: ‘The most
important thing in my life is Christ.
He’s more important to me than
winning or losing or whether I’m
playing or not.
b
Everything else is just a bonus.’
Timothy Matthew Howard
a http://www.cru.org/ministries-and-locations/ministries/athletes-in-action/tim-howard-testimony.htm
b © 2013 Michigan Live LLC. All rights reserved.
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WAYNE SANDILANDS
Born 23 August 1983
Wayne Sandilands is a South African
footballer. He is goalkeeper for Bafana
Bafana, the South African national
team, and for Mamelodi Sundowns.
Wayne shared his story with
Moreletapark Media.c He achieved top
honours as a goalkeeper throughout
his childhood and teens. His parents
were very supportive, providing all the
GOALKEEPER
extra training and skills development
he needed.
But when Wayne turned professional,
he soon suffered disappointment.
He wasn’t used to not being selected
and being the best in his team.
Besides his struggles with
disappointment and fear, Wayne
realised that he did not share the joy
he saw in some of his Christian friends.
He realised that his motives were
wrong. He was playing for his own
glory, instead of giving the glory to God.
Wayne now lives to glorify God
in everything he does – on and
off the field. Whether he plays
or not, Wayne’s life is God’s to
use as He sees fit. God is his
audience of One.
c [stories] Wayne Sandilands,
http://vimeo.com/47516078.
You can watch his testimony on:
Wayne Sandilands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVI90nk_2Sc
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3
JESUS
Over the years, there have been
footballers with the ability to
change the direction of a game in
the blink of an eye.
Players such as Bobby Charlton, Pelé, Gerd Müller,
Éric Cantona, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and
Robin van Persie are all considered to have the
so-called ‘X-factor’.
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JESUS
Jesus Christ
is the ‘X-Factor’ on God’s team.
What makes Him such a special player on God’s team?
What are the qualities or skills that give Him the ‘X-Factor’?
This is the story of Jesus Christ
(the Player with the ‘X-Factor’)
A Child is born to a peasant woman in an obscure Middle Eastern
village. He grows up in another tiny village of no reputation.
He works as a carpenter until He is thirty. Then, for three years,
He is a travelling preacher with an inspired message of
unconditional love and grace.
He never owns a home. He never writes a book. He never holds
any office. He never marries or has any children. He never goes
to college. He never sets foot in a big city. He never travels two
hundred miles from the place where He was born.
All the credentials that usually accompany greatness are
missing from His life. But the news about this Man of love and
grace spreads like a raging fire across the land. People from all
walks of life crowd around Him, hanging on His lips.
While He is still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turns
against Him. His friends run away from Him.
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JESUS
This is the story of Jesus Christ
(the Player with the ‘X-Factor’)
continued ...
One of those closest to Him denies ever knowing Him. Another
betrays Him for a mere 30 pieces of silver.d
He is turned over to His enemies. He endures the mockery of a
trial. He is nailed to a cross between two thieves. As He is dying,
His executioners gamble for the only pieces of property He has
on earth - His clothes. When He is dead, He is laid in a borrowed
grave through the kindness of a friend.
Amazingly, this remarkable story does not stop here.
Three days after His gruesome death, this Man rises from the
dead. His resurrection is the living proof that He is, as He claimed,
the Saviour, the Son of God who became Man.
Twenty long centuries have passed. But this Man remains the
Prize of the human race. He has blazed a trail through the
centuries and continues to change lives today.e
d Worth almost nothing in any currency.
e Adapted from Dr James Allan Francis, ‘Arise Sir Knight!’, fromThe Real Jesus and Other
Sermons, Judson Press, Philadelphia,1926,http://www.holybible.com/resources/poems/
ps.php?sid=47
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This comment by James Allan
Francis could serve as an
introduction to Jesus’ Player
Profile:
‘All the armies that ever marched,
all the parliaments that ever sat and all
the kings that ever reigned, put together,
have not affected the life of man upon
this earth as powerfully as has that One
Solitary Life of Jesus Christ.’
Whatever you might believe, Jesus
significantly changed the course of
history. God’s Player with the ‘X-factor’
changed the lives of people more than
anyone else ever has or ever will.
He wants to do the same for you.
Someone once made the wise comment:
‘I have learned that life isn’t like a DVD
player - you can’t fast-forward the bad
parts. But I have also learned that Jesus
Christ is in every frame, and right now
that’s enough.’
s is in every frame of the past,
Jesufuture
of your life. No matter what the game
present and
of life throws at you, if you are on Jesus’ team He will
teach you to play using a different, winning strategy.
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4
GOD’S
TEAM
G
n
i
jo
H ow to
o
ning tea
n
i
m
w
s
’
d
In football, as in any other sport,
winning is the objective:
‘You can have the top stars
to attract the attention, you
can have the best stadium,
you can have the best
facilities, you can have the
most beautiful project in
terms of marketing and all
these kind of things.
But if you don’t win ... all
the work these people are
doing is forgotten.’
scoring the most goals or even being the
best team in the world. You are a winner
(or a conqueror) because no matter what
happens in your life you have the
assurance that God’s love and support will
help you to overcome any difficulty you
encounter.
- José Mourinho
- Romans 8:37
Being a part of God’s Kingdom team
makes you a different kind of winner.
It is not about being the best player,
No, in all these things we are more
than conquerors through him who
loved us.
Why, then, do people not
automatically experience this
abundant life?
nners.
are all si
The reason is that we
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You never forget the first time you pull your team’s
jersey over your head. Wearing the team colours
transforms you into a committed player or a loyal fan.
The following colours will help you to become a player
on God’s winning team.
Blue
God loves you and He has a
game plan for your life
Yet to all who did receive him,
to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children
of God.
- John 1:12
Nothing you can do can make God love
you more - or less! God is good and
beautiful: He wants everyone to share in
His goodness and beauty.
For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16
Jesus promised: “I have come that
they may have life, and have it to
the full.”
- John 10:10
a
God wants you to live
.
full and meaningful life
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GOD’S
TEAM
G
n
i
jo
H ow to
o
ning tea
n
i
m
w
s
’
d
In the Bible, red
is associated with sin. The Bible teaches:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (of God’s standard
of perfection) - Romans 3:23
Red
Jesus shed His blood for you
But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 5:8
The bad news is you are guilty and you
need to be saved because you cannot
save yourself.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
He rose again to prove that He had
triumphed over sin and death.
Christ died for our sins ... he was
buried ... he was raised on the
third day ...
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
- Romans 6:23
The good news is that Jesus died and paid
the penalty for your sins so that you can
be saved.
You are saved by
believing in Jesus and
accepting His free gift
of Salvation.
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White
is the colour of cleansing
and Salvation
If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all
unrighteousness.
In Christ you are completely forgiven and
He makes you a new creation.
‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’
says the LORD.
‘Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.’
- Isaiah 1:18
- 1 John 1:9
After you accept Christ, the Bible says:
The new creation has come:
the old is gone, the new is here!
He washes away all your sins,
so that you can stand before
Him, whiter than snow.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
es the stains
v
o
m
re
d
o
lo
b
’s
st
ri
h
C
Jesus
and clean.
re
u
p
e
ar
u
o
y
at
th
so
of sin
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GOD’S
TEAM
G
n
i
o
j
H ow to
Jesus is in heaven. He promised:
My Father’s house has many rooms
... I am going there to prepare a
place for you. I will come back and
take you to be with me ...
- John 14:1-3
His people will live with Him there forever.
God is waiting with open arms to accept
you onto His winning team.
If you declare with your mouth,
‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your
heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For it
is with your heart that you believe
and are justified, and it is with your
mouth that you profess your faith
and are saved. As the Scripture says,
‘Anyone who believes in him will
never be put to shame.’
- Romans 10:9-11
o
ning tea
n
i
m
w
s
’
d
Gold
Is the colour of heaven –
our home stadium
WHY NOT PRAY TO HIM:
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and
that I need You. Please forgive me.
I believe that You sent Jesus to die for
me, and that He rose again. I now ask
You, Jesus, to come into my life and
change me into the person You created
me to be. Please help me to live for You.
Thank You for saving me. Amen.
Is there anything
preventing you from
connecting with God
right now?
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Plants need light, water and good soil
in order to grow.
In the same way, Christians need Jesus, His Spirit
and His Word in order to grow spiritually.
Green
Is the colour of growth in
our new life of faith
in Christ
The Word of God feeds and nourishes us.
Man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from
the mouth of the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 8:3
Jesus says, ‘I am the light of the world.’
- John 8:12
‘Whoever believes in me, as the
Scripture has said, rivers of living
water will flow from within them.’
But grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both
now and for ever! Amen.
- 2 Peter 3:18
- John 7:37-39
are Never forget who you y!
pla
or on whose team you
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