“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commended you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Making Disciples

Aside from being in charge of the team, coaches also serve as mentors for the coaches that work under them. Many times, these assistants that have been groomed by a more experienced coach will take what they have learned and move into head coaching roles themselves. It is incredibly rare that a head coaching job is given to someone who hasn’t been an assistant for at least a little while.

Practically every high-level coach will be able to point to at least one coach they were an assistant for that played a crucial role in their development and in getting them the job they have now. Sometimes, they will even replace their mentor, like Jimbo Fisher (Bobby Bowden) did at Florida State and Greg Gard (Bo Ryan) did at Wisconsin.

Part of being a Christian is passing along what we have learned in our faith walk and helping others grow their faith. Jesus makes it very clear that we are called to grow the Church and multiply. We need to teach others about who Jesus is and prepare the next generation of leaders in the Church.

Being a disciple doesn’t have to mean going to foreign countries to spread the Gospel. It can simply mean pouring into the people you interact with every day or guiding younger believers as they are coming to have a personal relationship with Christ. 

The Church can’t just stay the same; it needs to expand and grow!

– Josh Doering, Sports Spectrum Reader

If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@pao.org.