Tim Tebow tells Florida churchgoers: With God as teammate, miracles happen

Tim Tebow has the Bible verse John 3:16 inscribed on his eye black when he was still playing for the NFL.Reuters

If there is one person who understands the importance of having a good teammate, he's none other than former NFL star and now SEC analyst Tim Tebow.

The Christian athlete shared some inspiring words last Sunday at the Real Life Church in Clermont, Florida. He told the congregation there that "God can take the little things we do and make them big."

"It matters whose team you're on," he said, according to The Orlando Sentinel. "As a Christian, it's pretty awesome to have God as a teammate. With Jesus on your team, you have a lot to offer. When we bring what we have and match it with who He is, miracles happen."

Tebow then shared how God used his football prowess to spread His Word. When he was still playing for the Denver Broncos, Tebow was known for writing down Bible verses on his eye black. He used to carry Philippians 4:13, which reads: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

He later changed it to John 3:16, which reads: "For God so loved the world that He gave up His only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Tebow believes that it was not coincidence, and that God was working through him, when he managed to throw 316 yards during his 2012 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as averaging 31.6 yards per completion.

Fans who saw the game were so impressed by Tebow's performance that they sought to find out more about the verse on his eye black. Their search for God was evident because the top search item on Google the next morning was John 3:16, followed by Tebow and Tim Tebow.

The same thing happened when Tebow was playing for the Florida Gators during the BCS Championship game back in 2009. Tebow's team managed to beat the Oklahoma Sooners, and yet people were more curious about John 3:16, since 94 million people looked up the verse from Google while the game was progressing.