The Eagles Win the Super Bowl, Share Their Faith in Christ
The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl victory Sunday night, beating the favored New England Patriots 41-33. And a lot of those winning players? Solid Christians who want to share their faith with the world.
Using Their Platform for God
In an interview with Sports Spectrum before Super Bowl LII, Eagles teammates shared what their faith means to them.
Eagles’ tight end Zach Ertz said that the opportunity to use his platform to glorify God was “huge.” “Our number one goal on this earth is to make disciples,” said Ertz. “That’s the only job that we pretty much want to do. So faith and football this Sunday is huge. This is a platform to draw people to the Word, to Jesus. It’s something that we don’t take for granted by any means.”
“We want to draw people to Christ,” he added.
Safety Malcom Jenkins said that “God has given us a station in life, not to draw attention to ourselves, but to glorify Him. Whenever I get the opportunity, I want to tell people what God has done in my life. His grace has kind of placed me right here and now and I’m trying to walk in His will and purpose for me.”
Unifying Faith
For the Eagles, faith is an integral part of the team, from pre-game Baptisms to locker room Bible studies.
“I’ve seen like three guys get baptized at the team facility,” said Jenkins. “I don’t think that’s happened anywhere. It’s just one of those things that faith is a really important part of this team. And we commune with one another often times. We talk about it, and it’s been unique and special to watch that unfold in an NFL locker room.”
“My faith in the Lord has been my foundation,” said Eagles tackle Will Beatty. “It’s been as they say your rock, your strong point. He’s what I stand on. As a team, we’re strong in the faith. People say underdogs, and we’re like, we consider ourselves blessed.”
‘Glory to God’
After the game, Ertz’s first words on the podium were “Glory to God first and foremost, we wouldn’t be here without Him.”
Quarterback Nick Foles echoed Ertz’s sentiment. “Unbelieveable,” he said during a post-game interview. “All glory to God.”
Retired NFL coach Tony Dungy tweeted that Foles, Wentz, Sudfeld and Ertz were praying and thanking God after the game.
After all the celebrations and confetti Justin caught up with the 3 Eagles QBs Nick Foles, Carson Wentz & Nate Sudfeld along with Zach Ertz who scored the winning TD. They were in a room by themselves—praying and thanking God. It was great for him to see that. pic.twitter.com/wDWgg2u01X
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) February 5, 2018
“My faith in the Lord means everything,” said Foles in a separate interview. “I’m a believer in Jesus Christ and that’s first and foremost. That’s everything. I wouldn’t be able to do this game without Him because I don’t have the strength to go out and do this. This is supernatural.”
“It’s also an opportunity to go out there and share what’s He’s done in my life,” he said. “And it’s not about prospering at all. It’s about how He’s humbled me. In my weaknesses, He made me strong, 2 Corinthians 12:9. You know, whenever I was at my lowest, that’s where my relationship with Christ grew.”
The Eagles’ starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury a few months ago, said he couldn’t be happier for Foles. “I’m stoked for Nick,” he told reporters. “Given the career he’s had, the ups and downs. Given he was so close to retiring, it’s crazy how its all unfolded. God’s had a plan for him throughout this whole thing and he knows that. I couldn’t be more excited for him.”
My bro is gonna shine bright tonight! So excited to see him & this team go out and compete tonight. Been through it all this year as a team, & yet, here we are! WE ALL WE GOT. WE ALL WE NEED. God’s writing an unbelievable story and he’s getting all the glory! #AO1 #flyeaglesfly pic.twitter.com/eYu9aBwgCL
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) February 4, 2018
God is so good!!!! World Champions!!!! So proud of this team!!!! Told y’all my boy @NFoles_9 was gonna shine tonight! Well deserved my bro! #AO1 #flyeaglesfly
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) February 5, 2018