NBA rookie invites entire team to watch him preach at church, response 'blows minds'
Jonathan Isaac, the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic, took a huge leap of faith in January.
Isaac, 20, is the youngest player on the Magic, just trying to fit in with his teammates and make an impact on the court.
The former Florida State Seminole has played in 15 games this season, averaging 5.3 points per game. Isaac has not played since injuring his ankle against the Miami Heat on Dec. 26.
Despite facing an unfamiliar situation in the NBA, Isaac chose to step out of his comfort zone even further by preaching to his church in Orlando, the Joyously Unveiling the Master’s Plan — or JUMP — Ministries Global Church.
“I do not want to be up here right now, but I’m taking a step of faith. I’m doing something that I’ve never done before,” said Isaac.
Upon finding the church, Isaac was taken under the wing of its founder, Pastor Durone Hepburn, according to Sports Spectrum.
The 6-foot-10 forward had been encouraged by Hepburn’s preaching to take his faith to the next level.
So Isaac prayed, “God give me an opportunity to take my faith to the next level. And He said, ‘All right. I will give you an opportunity.’” Isaac and the audience laughed. “Lo and behold, here I am.”
Stepping out of your comfort zone is what faith is all about! He will give you the strength to do the things you can’t on your own. That way, it’s obvious it comes from Him and not yourself. Be blessed man! #GodisGood 🙌🏽
— Jerrell Conner (@theREDr) January 17, 2018
If speaking in front of a church for the first time wasn’t intimidating enough, Isaac was encouraged by Hepburn to invite his teammates.
“When [Pastor Hepburn] told me, ‘You should invite your teammates,’ I was frozen. I froze. I said, ‘What? I’m the rookie. I’m the youngest person on the team. I can’t tell them that I’m about to preach. What? They don’t serve the Lord. What are they going to think of me? What are they going to say about me? What are they going to say behind my back? I want to be a part of this team; I want them to love me — truly.’
“And I typed the message up and I deleted it. I typed it and I deleted it. I typed it and I deleted it. Finally I was like, ‘This isn’t about me. I’ve got to take myself out of the equation. I’ve got to do what God is telling me to do.’”
Unfortunately for Isaac, none of his teammates showed up to the event, but that didn’t stop the rookie from listening to God’s call.
This blows my mind. Magic rookie Jonathan Isaac (20 years old) invited his teammates to come watch him share at his church a few weeks ago and not one teammate showed up to support him.
Keep shining that light Jonathan! https://t.co/8fxlkBUzS9— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) February 7, 2018
Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
Despite none of Isaac’s teammates showing up, his church family was sure to give him lots of encouragement for his leap of faith.
Isaac doesn’t appear to be discouraged as his social media pages are filled with his positive message.
🗣 All I want! Is for you to be glorified.. For you to be lifted high!
— Jonathan Judah Isaac (@JJudahIsaac) February 7, 2018
🗣 Savior! He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save!
— Jonathan Judah Isaac (@JJudahIsaac) February 6, 2018
The Magic hope to have Isaac back soon; the young rookie returned to practice last week but has yet to be cleared for games.
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