Patrick Mahomes, Jesus Christ, and My New Blog

What can late-game heroics of pro football star Patrick Mahomes teach us about the kingdom of Christ?

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I’ll never forget some years back going over to a friend’s house to watch an NFL playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs were trailing late in the fourth quarter. With under a minute left in regulation, the Chiefs were moving the chains downfield. Time was quickly expiring, and the Chiefs’ season seemed all but over. My friend was in full-panic mode. “Oh no, oh no,” he repeated.

Me, on the other hand—I felt calm, even confident, that our beloved team could pull off a come-from-behind victory. And sure enough, with a mere 13 seconds left on the game clock, #15 performed his usual magic, led his team to tie the game, and eventually Kansas City won in overtime.

Over the past half decade or so, Chiefs fans have come to expect late-game heroics from their MVP quarterback. No matter how close—or not close—the game is for three quarters, folks in Chiefs Kingdom all know they have one man, Patrick Mahomes, who ever stands ready to usher in a last-second victory.

I call this late-game optimism the “Mahomes Mentality.” In short, the Mahomes Mentality means no matter the present game conditions—regardless of how lopsided the score—Chiefs faithful will forever believe that their main man is poised to pull off a late-game comeback.

This we-will-win-in-the-final-seconds mindset of many Chiefs fans is actually not far removed from how many Christians think and believe about the end times.

Let me explain.

If you grew up, as I did, during the ‘90s heyday of Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series (or Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth in the ‘70s), you’ll recognize what I mean.

Both LaHaye and Lindsey in their popular writings (each’s published work has sold in the tens of millions of copies) taught that the world is going to hell in a hand basket and that Jesus’ followers should brace themselves for the worst outcome and simply hold on as hard as they can. Don’t worry, though, they say—your main man Jesus will pull his people to victory in the closing seconds of time and history. Until then, you can expect, for the better part of three quarters or more of play, a lousy performance on the part of Christians and the church.

Their motto: Anticipate a nail-biter.

But my question—and the inspiration behind this blog—is this:

Does the Bible present/promote a getting-our-butts-kicked-most-of-the-game theology? Asked another way: Does Scripture teach that losing is just our lot in life?

Or, per Jesus’ own words in Matthew 16:18, is the opposite true?—I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Paraphrase: Christ’s kingdom will prove to be a dominant force in the world.

My aim in this blog is to defend from Scripture the view held by more than a few Christians, particularly those in the era of the Puritans, that Christ’s kingdom will in fact advance here on earth. In other words, I want to show, as clearly as I can from God’s Word, that King Jesus intends to implement—and indeed is (present-active verb) implementing—his rule and reign right here, right now on Planet Earth.

Now lest you think I’m naive, I’m keenly aware that my position on this matter flies in the face of many modern theologians (including LaHaye and Lindsey). I recognize there are many biblical proofs—to say nothing of the endless piles of raw, anecdotal evidence—that seem to undermine my more optimistic outlook.

Here are just a few of the biblical texts and contemporary scenarios that appear to contradict my kingdom-is-currently-advancing claim.

Note first the biblical data:

• Jesus, in his Olivet discourse in Matthew 24 (cf. Mark 13), clearly details a forthcoming tribulation.

• Paul, in 2 Timothy 3, warns of future times of difficulty when things go from “bad to worse.”

• James and Peter both acknowledge future fiery trials.

• The Apostle John plainly speaks of hellish horror to come in his apocalyptic vision known as the Revelation.

• The gospel itself is a symbol of suffering. Paul himself says “all” who wish to live a godly life will suffer (2 Tim. 3:12).

Note then the contemporary evidence:

• News headlines speak for themselves. Gloom and doom is all around us. Darkness must be winning.

• Christians on all continents seem to have bullseyes on their backs. Cable news networks constantly tell us we’re on the “wrong side of history.” God is openly mocked. The Bible is blatantly rejected.

• Any hope of a “better world” disappeared long ago, sometime after World Wars I and II. The Bloodiest Century irrefutably denies kingdom progress.

• The only folks who still propagate a “better world” message are Marxist utopians or social gospel loving, left-leaning, liberal theologians—or worse, preachers of health, wealth, and prosperity (like Joel Osteen or Kenneth Copeland).

With seemingly so many predictions in Scripture and so much contemporary evidence in overwhelming support of a more pessimistic point of view—I realize all true Christians have their “hope” in Christ, regardless of their eschatological position—it’s no wonder why so many well-meaning Christians assume we are on the brink of rapture. Wars and rumors of wars abound. Evil oozes everywhere.

Lord, pluck us out of this place—and quickly. I mean, no sense in polishing brass on a sinking ship!

Yet I ask again: Are we thinking about these things in a truly biblical fashion?

That’s what I want to do with this blog. I want to help believers think—really think—about these issues. But more than that, I aim—rather ambitiously—to inspire an entire generation of Christians to take up the cause of Christ and his kingdom, right here, right now, in their homes, in their neighborhoods, in their workplaces, and in their communities, trusting, with all confidence and assurance, that our Lord Jesus is presently ruling and reigning in all the affairs of men and that Christ will successfully advance his kingdom through his people in real time and history.

Kansas City fans may be satisfied with late-game heroics by Patrick Mahomes. But Christians living out the gospel and shining as bright lights in a dark world need not be content with nail-biter victories. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Ascended on high, the Lord Jesus is triumphing with all authority in heaven and on earth. His kingdom is advancing. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Join me on my blog Victory, Not Defeat as we celebrate and participate in Christ’s glorious victory.