Bible Society shares gospel with thousands at World Cup
As 600,000 football fans from around the world join three million local fans attending the World Cup in Brazil, the Bible Society of Brazil (BSB) and partners are running a massive Scripture distribution.
Dr Rudi Zimmer of BSB says, “It’s an unprecedented opportunity for churches and Christians here to share God’s Word with local and foreign fans, and we want to equip and encourage them to do that.”
BSB has provided four million Scripture booklets and 20,000 copies of the John’s Gospel in Portuguese and eight other languages for free distribution. They also published World Cup editions of Portuguese Bibles and New Testaments at subsidised prices for evangelism.
BSB has brought 1,600 churches and ministries together through its ‘Fair Play Brazil’ movement. “Fair Play Brazil was inspired by the vision that led the Apostle Paul to travel to Corinth in Acts 18,” explains Dr Zimmer. “Corinth was one of the largest and busiest cities of the Roman Empire and hosted one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar… Paul found the opportunity to preach the Gospel to people from all over the world. We and our partners share that same vision now.”
Hundreds of volunteers are helping fans find their way around, talking about Jesus and offering them Scriptures.
“We want as many people as possible to get the chance to hear about God’s love for them, so please pray for this outreach at the World Cup,” says Dr Zimmer. “Pray for God’s blessing and guidance for the volunteers and pray that the football fans will have open hearts to hear and welcome the message of God’s Word.”
Pictured above right: World Cup Bibles for each of the host cities.