Each week, we attempt to help our brothers and sisters in Christ, and ourselves … “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15. (NIV)

With this in mind, we offer a light-hearted way to introduce non-believers or reintroduce struggling believers to Jesus. You might call it “the Gospel According to Yogi.”

Source: The Men’s Journal

Baseball legend Yogi Berra passed away at the age of 90. He was one of baseball’s most-endearing characters. His malapropisms, mangled metaphors, and crazy conclusions have provided laughs to millions. What follows is our representation of how Yogi Berra might have presented the Gospel … if had he been so inclined.

Since we depend so heavily on the Bible as our authority, Yogi Berra might have advised, “Never answer an anonymous letter.” The Bible is not anonymous, it is authored by God; it is His love letter to us.

Franklin Graham commented on another of Yogi’s other words of wisdom: “’If you don’t know where you’re going you might wind up someplace else.’  This is so true—and it’s true spiritually as well.  We’d better know where we’re going to spend eternity…” To which Yogi Berra might have added, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

And Yogi would be correct. That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts … Joel 2:12a (NLT)

… everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 (NLT)

But isn’t it too late for us? Will God forgive us after all we have done? Yogi might explain, “We made too many wrong mistakes.”

The Bible covers that concern in several places:
Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Joel 2:3a (NLT)

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)

We all must decide whether to follow Jesus or not. Yogi might have suggested, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  If you choose Jesus’s way, you will find, as Yogi might have put it, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

To some, the Gospel message may seem like what Yogi Berra called “Déjà Vu all over again” — they may have heard the Gospel over-and-over again, but still struggle with their faith. To others, it may be the Good News they have been desperately seeking.

Whether we speak with the eloquence of a Franklin Graham or use quirky language like Yogi Berra, we just need to spread the Word, and the Word is, 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

Blessings,
Don & Bonnie Sennott

List of Yogi Berra’s sayings is from September 23, 2015 article in the New York Post.