Super Bowl and Solid Faith

God has saved us through his son, Jesus Christ, and He calls us to regard Christ as our life and live in a manner that calls attention to His presence in our hearts.  In Colossians 1, we can read:
21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled22in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--23if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Romans 1:16 is a critical and inspiring verse as we evaluate the content of our testimony and the willingness we have to share it:
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

There is are so many angles to the Super Bowl that are related to the game in some way or the other...this year, the venue has been a particularly popular subject - outdoors in a Northern city, with no dome.   Of course, there have already been some commercials that have been previewed; Doritos is doing its contest inviting participants to produce a commercial; and there will more than likely be some commercials that we might not want our kids to see.   There's the spectacle of a halftime show, an elongated pre-game that includes Bill O'Reilly interviewing the President.   I would also rate the faith element as a highly important angle to the game as well - more about that later. And, don't forget that one of the greatest players to every play the game will be playing quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

When I was a student at the University of Tennessee, we weren't winning championships - in fact during my 4 seasons at Rocky Top, we were 6-5, 4-7, 5-5-1, and 7-4.    When Peyton Manning arrived in Knoxville, it set off an unprecedented run.  There were 3 seasons of 10 wins or greater beginning in 1995 and culminating with an SEC Championship in 1997.   He actually has a street on the campus named after him.

As columnist Jim Denison puts it, "This season, Manning scored more touchdowns and passed for more yards than any quarterback in history."

You don't hear a lot about Peyton Manning's faith.  Fortunately, some of his solid faith story has emerged in the run-up to the Super Bowl.  And Denison points out:

In his book Manning, co-authored with his father, Peyton tells the story of his conversion: "My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: 'If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you'd go to heaven?'

"It was a big church, and I felt very small, but my heart was pounding. The minister invited those who would like that assurance through Jesus Christ to raise their hands, and I did. Then he invited us to come forward, to take a stand, and my heart really started pounding and from where we sat, it looked like a mile to the front. But I got up and did it, and I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since."

Peyton says his four priorities, in order, are: faith, family, friends, and football. He testifies, "My faith doesn't make me perfect, it makes me forgiven." He describes his spiritual life: "I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don't talk about it or brag about it because that's between God and me, and I'm no better than anyone else in God's sight."

In the next-to-last paragraph, Denison writes, "The minister who led a 13-year-old boy to Christ had no idea the platform God would entrust to that young man."  He closes with the question, "What will you do for Jesus today?"

On the opposite sideline, one of the NFL's rising stars will be leading his team, the Seattle Seahawks.   And, Russell Wilson has gone public on how he came to Christ.  The Blaze reports on the video that was funded by Seahawks players called, "The Making of a Champion", in which Russell talks about how he came to Christ:

“I had a dream one night I was at … football camp … my parents were supposed to pick me up on Sunday to go to church,” he said. “I had a dream that my dad passed away and that Jesus came into the room and he was just knocking on my door saying, ‘Hey you need to find out more about me.’”

While Wilson’s parents regularly took him to church, it was this dream that truly moved him to change his ways.

The next day, Wilson said, he went to church with his parents and was “saved” — the popular terminology for when an individual formally accepts the Christian faith.

“I think that just that moment of when I realized that dreams are really real, because my dad ended up passing away six years later,” Wilson said. “I think that kind of got me through a lot of adversity.”

Denison points out that Wilson regularly posts Bible verses on his Twitter feed.   Regarding Wilson's story, he states: "You may not have met Jesus in a dream, but your salvation is no less miraculous and your influence no less eternal than Russell Wilson's. He has learned that 'no one can stop what God has for you.'"

So, the starting quarterbacks of the NFL's 2 best teams will suit it up on Sunday, and we know a little about their respective faith stories.   And, their salvation experiences are different, but their opportunities are very similar...God has granted Peyton and Russell a platform, and they are called to be ambassadors for Christ.  I think we can be reminded that no matter what the circumstances of our salvation experience, it is important that we know and declare that we are saved.  Some can trace it to an exact moment - Peyton walked the aisle in a church service, Russell came forward after a dream the night before.   But, the important thing is to know that you have been born again, that Jesus is your Savior, and that He is giving you the power each day to live your life for Him.  

And, keep in mind that an outward act, such as walking the aisle, does not determine whether or not you have been saved.  The Bible teaches that it is confessing with your mouth the lordship of Christ and believing in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead.  The inward act of a transformed heart is the indicator of true salvation - If we believe, then we will seek to live our lives to the glory of God.  If that desire and the subsequent fruit is missing, then it may be time to evaluate how it is that we can see the character of Christ displayed through us.

Finally, these 2 guys are on the national stage, but we have been placed on a stage, as well.  God has called us to a position of influence and gives us opportunities to testify to His name.  Just as Manning and Wilson will express their faith story differently, so you have a unique approach to sharing your faith.  You may even have a chance in a discussion about the Super Bowl to interject some of this information about these 2 players. There may be someone you encounter who has a need and you can help to share the love and wisdom of Christ in that situation - through meeting a physical need, or by being a listening ear, or by sensitively speaking God's truth.   God has saved you and is shaping you for His purpose, and He enables us to walk in His Spirit each day.