“Rio 2016 – the biggest sporting event on the planet”

“Rio 2016 – the biggest sporting event on the planet”. That’s the strap line if you have a look at the Olympic Games website. It’s quite a claim, however the set up is impressive.

Over a 17-day period 306 medal events will take place in 32 different venues spread across the 4 regions of the city of Rio De Janeiro.

10,500 athletes from 206 different countries will participate in 42 different sports with 136 women’s events, 161 men’s events and 9 mixed.

 Every four years the Olympic Games takes place. The host nation has a platform from which to show to the world their organisational skills, their high levels of efficiency and their hospitality. It’s a matter of national pride to get it right! In Rio it will take 45,000 volunteers, 85,000 outsourced staff and 6,500 employees and a lot of money and management to get the desired result.

The Rio Olympics have to be right – the stakes are too high. Much will be done to ensure that everything goes smoothly.  

 Can I remind you of another event which was planned and organised for a long time before it took place. I am talking about the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have read this far and are about to bin this leaflet or file it please bear with me. Read a little more before you decide what you think!

The death of Jesus was to rid the universe of evil in every form. Jesus’ death was a full and final payment for evil to demonstrate that God is still holy and that we humans can be forgiven and be right before God. Are you still with me?

Evil is in the world in a general sense but evil is also in the heart of the individual. You might agree with the former comment and disagree with the latter! The Bible says ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it,’ Jeremiah 17:8. Please keep reading! You may be thinking – is it actually possible or realistic to rid the world of evil? This world has grappled with the problem of evil since the earliest days of planet earth.

Evil did not evolve! The question is where did it come from and why is it so normal? The bible explains! The reason why evil exists and has such a devastating effect on the world is given in Romans chapter five verse twelve -  ‘by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin so death has passed upon all men’. The first human being, Adam, was well warned! God had told him the rules and consequences of disobedience. ‘For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,’ Genesis 2:17. And so that's what happened.

Evil is so normal we use a variety of words to describe it. Sin, imperfection, failure or shortcomings. Evil exists in every department of life. It affects the environment, the financial world, relationships, health, education, politics indeed everything.

Preparation has been made to avoid the effect of evil at the Olympics. Athletes will take drug tests, volunteers will undertake security checks, police will be on standby to control the crowds, and paramedics will be ready to cope with illness, tragedy or any intentional campaign to infect the local population. In fact much will be going on behind the scenes to prevent disaster and tragedy because it's the only way to cope with the evil that is so normal in society. It has ever been so; this is not a modern phenomenon!

                           

God’s plan of salvation was triggered when Christ died for our sins. The effect of what Christ has done can only be felt personally at the moment. Individuals can benefit from the blessing of forgiveness and be saved when they repent (turn from) their sin and ‘believe the gospel’, Mark 1:15.

In the future (after the Lord Jesus returns to Earth as promised) God will deal with evil on a wider scale. God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, Acts 17:31 but for now he is holding back his judgment and offering salvation to anyone who calls upon his name, Romans 10:13.

In the Rio Olympics there will be a lot going on behind the scenes to ensure people’s safety and the success of the event. So God is working behind the scenes to bring eternal blessing into your life.

Will you entrust the salvation of your soul to Him?

For more information text the word INFO to 07747 101352 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

All posts have the aim of pointing people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or to aid Christian growth and development.

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