Vince Lombardi – the championship coach of the Green Bay Packers – used to start off his pre-season practices with five simple words: “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He would hold the ball high over his head and begin to go through the fundamentals of football. How to run, catch, throw, etc. The point was made that to be truly successful, you have to excel at the fundamentals.
I taught this weekend on that very concept at Center City Church (Click here to view this sermon online). The Gospel message that Jesus taught included a very simple command in Matthew 28:18-20: Go into the world. Make disciples. Such a simple command. So simple, in fact, that is it largely overlooked in our current Christian culture.
My charge to Center City Church is to excel at the fundamentals. If it’s so simple, then we all should do it. If it’s the last command that Jesus gave, then it should be on our mind daily. Discipleship is not a program of the church. It is the responsibility of every person that has felt the love and freedom found in relationship with Christ. This relationship is not our secret to keep.
If you have a relationship with Jesus, who is one person that you can intentionally share your faith and your story with today? After all, the call to make disciples is not an option to be weighed for followers of Jesus. It is a command to be obeyed.
Make disciples.