The second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes opened the football season this past Saturday with a thrashing of the University of Akron, beating them by a score of 52-6.
The team’s first win was preceded by a remarkable outpouring of Christian faith on the Columbus campus. Last week’s multi-church sponsored event included fifty baptisms. Organized and orchestrated by Kamryn Babb, a former wide receiver for the school, current Ohio State football players also participated in the gathering that attracted between 1,000 and 2,000 attendees.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka gave his testimony, as did fellow teammates TreVeyon Henderson, J.T. Tuimoloau and Gee Scott. Master Teague, a former standout star for the Buckeyes also spoke. Thousands of bibles were also distributed.
Reflecting on the campus event, Kamryn Babb, who captained the team in 2021 and 2022, didn’t hold back:
This encouragement that I’ll give the world is, and that we gave students on campus and from young to old is, to repent of your sins and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power to save men and women. He says that He gives those that believe in His name and believes in what He did on the cross the right to be children of God. And so the invitation to bring so many hurting souls and so many people that are looking for hope and love and all these different areas, it’s encouraging to say you’re looking at every single time you look in a place that’s not other, that nowhere other than God.
Put faith in Jesus…and you will find a love and a peace and joy that is unlike anything that this world, or any person or any touchdown or anything or anybody can give you.
Given the dysfunction and animus served up and fanned by agitators on numerous other college campuses of late, what happened in Columbus is no small thing. In fact, the outpouring of love and unity at a state sponsored university is encouraging and emblematic of what can happen when people of faith get involved.
As the old preacher once said, “We pray for rain – but then don’t bring our umbrella.” We pray for revival – but the Lord works through people. When His people pray and then act, incredible things are possible.
“God truly showed up,” Babb told reporters. “He delivered. He saved. And He healed a lot of great people that we’re in a hurting position, just like I was my whole life before I met Him,” he said.
Collaboration between various campus ministries and area churches helped make last week’s event a reality. There was no territorialism – just Christian believers committed to sharing the Gospel.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, talking about the Christian fellowship on his Buckeye squad, said:
“I think when you look at what they’ve done together as a group, they rub off on each other, and that part of it — that’s their own business that they handle,” he said. “But I think when you start to see and hear some of the messages that some of our team is giving, not only out in the community but to our own team on campus, those type of things, you just recognize what unbelievable guys we have in our locker room.”
Those “messages” may or may not lead to dominating wins on the field this season – but they do and will lead to a thriving and fulfilling time off of it, both in this life and in the life to come.
Image credit: The Courageous Athlete/Caden Watts/Fox & Friends
The post Jesus Boldly Proclaimed at Ohio State, 50 Baptized appeared first on Daily Citizen.
Daily Citizen