A Call To Discipleship

Chapter 6
A Call to Discipleship

As a former Football player and Coach I know a little about what makes a good team. It may seem obvious that a good team needs good athletes, but that is not always the case. Those born with natural talent can easily become prideful and therefore not teachable. We all know the famous slogan there is no "i" in team, one of my sayings is I am only as strong as my team. You can only have a good team if the players are willing to be taught how to work together.

We see in the NBA finals the Dallas Mavericks were not as strong as the Miami Heat athletically but they worked together better as a team, so when the Miami Heat stars were held in check, the team crumbled, while the Mavericks excelled under pressure.

When Jesus was forming His team He did not choose His Disciples as the world would. His chose a tax collector, the lowest of the lows in society. It is like choosing the person who would be chosen last for a team, first. You see those who are looked down upon, treated poorly, ridiculed, are those who when shown worth, when given value, respond with total devotion. For they are ones looking for change, longing to feel important.

When Jesus chose Matthew he left everything and followed Him. Totally dedicated. That is why Islam is so strong. They focus on reaching the down cast, the poor, the needy. For they easily become extremist.

When the Pharisees who were wealthy and powerful witnessed Jesus at a banquet with Levi (Matthew) and his fellow tax collectors they were like how can you eat with such scum. Jesus responded I did not come to call on those who think they are righteous, but to those who know they are sinners and need to repent.

My High School football coach told me if there were twelve of me on the team we would have won the championship. I was known as a dedicated player, not the most talented, but one who gave it my all. As a coach I would rather have no naturally athletic players who were teachable than a team of great athletes who thought they knew it all and didn't need my assistance.

Islam is our major opponent, understand now we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age. Islam is the spirit of the anti-Christ. If this nation is going to continue to be the land of the free, we are going to have to match our opponent in the degree of devotion. If we are devoted to the one and only God as much as Muslims are devoted to a false God, then we will win, "For greater is He that is within us than He that is in the world." Our battle is fought differently, while they hate, we love, while they bring war, we bring peace, while they kill, we give life. Our battle is won in prayer and by acts of Faith.

So we cannot be like the many who followed Jesus in the crowd and just got their needs met. We must willing to be the few who give up everything and follow Him. True disciples who are devoted, disciplined, dedicated, who like Matthew and the other disciples leave everything and follow Him.

Practically this means we cannot just come to church, and go home, living predominantly for ourselves. We need to be following the Great Commission, discipling the nations, by joining a discipleship group first then taking what we are being taught and teaching someone else, multiplying ourselves. Most importantly we must be fully submitted to Christ.