VISION TO MISSION JANUARY 2013
VISION CHALLENGE STAND YOUR GROUND When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego courageously took their stand before Nebuchadnezzar, they didn't know with certainty that God would deliver them. They had no assurance they would survive the flames. But they boldly stood firm anyway. In the face of death could we boldly declare as these three young men did: "Whether God rescues me or not, I will stand for him. I will not compromise my faith, and I will not deny my Lord." However, before we try to answer the question of standing for Christ in the face of death - let’s ask ourselves how do we fare in every day situations? A problem that many us face today has to do with fear and indecisiveness when it comes to even minutely being expressive of our faith, in the settings
we are placed in - wether they be campuses, workplaces or the neighborhoods we live in. There can be many reasons for such a hesitation in being expressive of our relationship with Jesus Christ but it primarily surfaces because we haven't cherished or come to grips with the uniqueness of our relationship with Christ. Take for example our relationship with people in this world - If we truly loved, appreciated and adored our wife or husband or parents, we would never hide them from the people with whom we interact in the society. In fact, we would be only be too happy to tell the world about our loved ones. For many their relationship with Jesus is the same. They shout aloud, in every platform they get, their gratitude
to Jesus, because they are in a constant tryst with Christ. For this reason they cannot ignore Christ, both in the public and private. This month's Vision Challenge is based on the life of Tim Tebow. As you read on, you will see that Tim’s life is a challenge to all of us and an example of the kind of passion we should all have for Christ, and how we are to let Christ’s light so shine through us that others would want to know Christ too.
MISSION CHALLENGE BEING A TEBOW FOR GOD by media, banned messages on eye paint. Tebow is often seen praying on the sidelines of the games - the action is now widely known as ‘Tebowing’.
In an interview with ESPN, this is what Tim Tebow had to say about his Christian testimony: "My relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell Him that I love Him or get an opportunity to shout Him out on national TV I’m going to take that opportunity. So I look at it as a relationship that I have with Him, that I want to give Him the honor and glory any time I have the opportunity. And then, right after I give Him the honor and glory, I always try to give my teammates the honor and glory. And that’s how it works, because Christ comes first in my life, and then my family, and then my teammates." Tim Tebow has become one of the most influential athletes in college and professional sports. He is an American Football player who has also turned heads for his unwavering and bold Christian faith a faith that has been an integral part of Tim's life, even before he was born! Tim's parents Robert and Pamela Tebow are American Christian missionaries who moved to the Philippines in 1985. While pregnant with Tim, doctors expected a stillbirth and recommended an abortion. However, the Tebows decided against it citing their strong faith and on August 14, 1987, Tim was born in Manila. As a football player, he is unique for the fact that he rarely misses an opportunity to promote Jesus Christ. In 2009, Tebow wore John 3:16 on his eye paint and as a result 92 million people searched "John 3:16" on Google during or shortly after the game. Tebow attracted a lot of controversy for wearing Bible messages on his eye paint and in 2010, a new rule for the next football season, dubbed “The Tebow Rule”
impossible to keep silent about what he’s seen and heard. He is willing to be faithful in his witness despite the fact that this makes him a controversial figure. He is shrugging off the status quo that would
The technical definition for Tebowing is “to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.” The reason why Tim Tebow ‘tebows’ and why he breaks out into spontaneous prayers and Tim, thanksgiving is simple - that’s before a game is how closely he is linked “Tebowing” i.e. “to get his maker. His faith is not in down on a knee and start any religious establishment praying, even if everyone or a societal organisation but in a personal else around you is relationship with a loving, doing living and personal Lord Jesus. For Tebow, bringing Jesus to the field with him is similar to what it is like for other athletes to bring their girlfriends to the field. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in him being the subject of much controversy, but it hasn't hindered him. When people criticize this nature of Tebow’s game, they are intruding into his personal choice of what and who is the most important element in his life. Tebow knows that football is just a game and that being a chid of God doesn't mean that he is going to win every match. He however gives his best during every match and plays football in a manner that gives God all the glory and thats what counts. Tebow is an example of how faith in Jesus should affect every aspect of one’s life. He refuses to compartmentalize his life into neat categories such as “football” and “personal life” and “faith in Jesus.” Instead, Tebow shows that faith in Christ spills over into all aspects of life — including the football field. For Tebow, Christ is not to be kept in some secret closet, but rather, like the disciples in Acts, Tebow is finding it
have him be just another nice guy, or simply “religious.” Instead he is making it plain that Jesus is what he’s all about, and people do not like that. The mission challenge for this month is remind ourselves that the mission field isn't always a far away land in the middle of nowhere, but that every situation we are presented with is an opportunity to shine forth Christ. Tebow’s life and actions remind us that if we have a fear of standing up for our faith in the midst of our circumstances, then we really have to introspect our personal relationship with Christ. He is also a reminder that we should never "chicken out" when the world criticizes us for our faith or bail out because it isn’t opportunistic enough for us to be in love with Christ. Indeed, Tebow's life is an an encouragement to us to be willing to be faithful to Christ, despite the fact that it’ll arouse controversy.
Adapted from the article “Being a ‘Tebow’ for Christ” by Rijo Simon - The Christian Ledger, March 23 2012