The fifteenth chapter of John’s Gospel is all about love, the nitty-gritty of life, and faith. In this chapter Jesus teaches that He is the vine and that we, His people, are the branches, and that by being united to Him, we will bear fruit. Coaches are responsible for recruiting athletes; Christians are responsible to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. God delights to use Christian coaches to recruit players and then open to them the truths of Christianity. He often uses us to plant the seed of faith and to expose the lost to Christ.

Some people think they can’t recruit for Christ because they are imperfect, but Jesus never gave perfection as one of His conditions for sharing our faith. Only One is perfect—Jesus Christ. I’ve never coached a perfect player, but I’ve certainly watched many improve. The same is true of our Christian walk. We will mature as we spend time with God and His people, but we’re never going to be perfect in this life.

As we grow up in our faith, we will find that we have more confidence to live out our faith before others, both in word and deed. As we place our trust in Christ, we will continue to grow. Sometimes living the Christian life is difficult to understand. The disciples were perplexed at many points throughout their journey with Jesus, but they made a difference in the world and recruited many people. We are disciples today and are also called to lead people to Him.