Tebowing — What The Church Can Learn From Tim Tebow

Denver Broncos’ quarterback, Tim Tebow, has had a remarkable season in 2011, leading his team to the NFL Playoffs by spearheading several amazing comebacks.  Tim, a sincere follower of Jesus Christ, openly shares his faith in interviews about football.  He also kneels and prays on NFL sidelines.

Tim’s example has inspired world-wide imitation, even producing a new word — tebowing.  (The Global Language Monitor just announced that it acknowledges that the word tebowing has officially entered the English language.)

So what is tebowing?  Tebowing.com defines it this way:  “To get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.”  Tebowing.com founder,  Jared Kleinstein, says:  “Some see it as humor, but some see it as a way to inspire hope and say that it’s okay to pray in public.”

I would like to expand the definition of tebowing beyond kneeling in prayer to:  openly living and expressing sincere faith in Jesus Christ by following and obeying Jesus in everyday life.  Here are some things that the church and 21st Century believers can learn from Tim Tebow:

*  You don’t have to be a pastor/preacher/priest/minister to make a difference for God.  Any believer can have a profound impact, even if only among a few people, if he/she will begin to unashamedly live and express his/her faith.

*  Believers need to come out of their church buildings and find ways to openly follow and obey Jesus in the secular world.  A hurting world needs hope, and faith in Christ is one of the greatest hope producers in human history.

*  Churches should encourage and train people to live their faith, not just in religious gatherings, but also in everyday life.  Rather than making people passive listeners on Sunday mornings, perhaps churches should implement the Bible verse, I Corinthians 14:26, and allow believers to be active participants by letting them share testimonies, words of encouragement, Scriptures, prayers, prayer requests, etc. during church meetings.  This would help people develop the confidence to share their faith in secular environments and help spread tebowing even more.

(If you would like to experience a participatory church meeting and you live in the Nashville, Tennessee area; visit The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center, 225 Berry Street, 37207 on Sundays @ 10:45 am. and/or Thursdays at 6:30 pm.)

*  Praying is one of the most effective ways to impact people’s lives.  Sometimes it is difficult to talk openly about our faith, however, praying with people makes it easier.  I have found that if you ask someone:  “May I pray with you?” the majority of people will say, “Yes.”  Then, as you pray with them, the Holy Spirit moves upon them (often bringing tears to their eyes).

So come on church (and believers):  Let’s go tebow!