His story begins with an introduction to faith during childhood.
"When I was a boy, I had been going to church, and I (had) been hearing about Jesus and how He died on the cross for my sins," Tebow shared with an audience at the University of Florida in 2009, "but I had never put my trust in Him, I didn't know what that meant," Tebow continued.
"I had been... talking to my mom and dad and I wanted to trust Christ with my life. And I was thinking, 'you know, if I get in a car wreck (tomorrow)... and I die, I don't think I'm going to heaven,'" Tebow acknowledged in a 2010 interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
"And I was scared," Tebow told CBN. "And so the next morning I woke up, and I grabbed my mom, and I (kneeled by) the couch and I said, 'Mom, I want to ask Jesus to come into my heart, and forgive me of my sins, and make me a child of God,' Tebow recalled of his conversion to Christ in 1993. "And from that instant, I knew I went from darkness to Light."
Tim Tebow accepted Christ at the age of 6, according to his new book, "Through My Eyes."
Tebow's understanding of the gospel, and his desire to receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord at such a young age, further supports research released one year earlier.
In 1992, Dr. Bryant Myers, then Director of World Vision's MARC Ministries, (now with Fuller Theological Seminary in California), presented his research which showed that 85% of people in the United States who make a decision for Christ, do so between the ages of 4 to14. That new evidence confirmed that children and teens under age 15 were receptive to the gospel and "ripe for harvest."
Based on Dr. Myers' research, Dr. Dan Brewster, a missiologist and then Program Director with Compassion International, coined the phrase "4/14 Window" in 1995.
The 4/14 Window refers to all children between the ages of 4 to 14. During this decade or "window," most children in this demographic develop their moral and spiritual foundations, researchers have discovered.
Tim Tebow's childhood faith supports the 4/14 Window. There are 2.3 billion children on earth under age 15 and they represent the largest unreached people group in the world.
How will Christian parents and churches respond to the boys and girls within their reach who need Christ?
An international day of prayer and fasting for these children, known as Global 4/14 Day, will take place on Saturday, April 14. This worldwide event is open to all.
"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world..." This old song is still true today, just ask Tim Tebow.
Steve Karges is the Founder & President of Children's Ministries International, Inc. and Coordinator of Global 4/14 Day.
(reposted from ChristianNewsWire, Tebow's Childhood Faith Supports 4/14 Window, January 3, 2012)
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