Last year, my favorite football team, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, fired their defensive coordinator in the middle of the season. An assistant defensive coach took over as interim DC. He was quoted at a press conference as saying, “Defense… It’s not complicated.”
I thought, “Not complicated? What is he talking about?” It seems incredibly complicated to me—between 3-4, 4-3, nickel and dime packages, cover one, cover two, zone blitzes. I don’t know what most of these things are—and an objective observer might conclude that the Yellow Jackets don’t know what these things are, either. That’s the problem!
Still, what this coach was getting at is that defense is pretty straightforward when you boil it down: either prevent the guy from getting the ball in the first place or tackle him when he does.
Think of how this relates to our church’s mission. While I know firsthand that our mission difficult, it’s not complicated. God has entrusted us with this amazing gift—the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s genuinely good news for the world because it communicates how we human beings can be in a saving relationship with God. It’s true that some people won’t recognize their need for this relationship at first. After all, sin makes us strangers to ourselves.
But remember: this is the relationship we are designed for. Many people, upon hearing the gospel, will respond to it. They are waiting to respond to it—if only someone will bring the message to them.
That’s the mission: People are waiting for us to bring this good news to them so that they can joyfully receive it. How will we bring it to them?
Again, it’s difficult but not complicated. To make matters easier, the Holy Spirit does all the heavy lifting for us. He has already prepared the hearts of people to receive the gospel.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”