If you have your Bibles, I want you to hold them up in the air and I want you to repeat this after me:
This is the Bible
It’s the Word of God
And it has the power
To change my life
God help me to understand it
And to live it out in my daily life
Students, I can remember when my dad was teaching me how to drive. I remember being excited about learning but at the same time I was scared. Scared that I might do something dumb and hurt someone or myself. It was an exciting time but yet scary!
Many of us look at discipleship the same way. It’s exciting when we first think about it because we know it’s going to help us know God and give us a better understanding of His Word.
But yet it’s scary too! Because for many they have never truly been discipled. They’ve never been a part of a Student Ministry that focuses on disciplining students. They have only known an activity-oriented ministry. Or for some discipleship is scary because it involves commitment. And nobody wants to be committed to something or someone.
Students for the last couple of months we have been talking about why we exist as a Student Ministry and why we do what we do. We’ve learned that we exist to:
1. Provide you with opportunities to Worship
2. Give you ministry opportunities
3. Equip you to be involved in evangelism
4. Offer you opportunities to be a part of fellowship with other Christians
Tonight, we’re going to wrap this series up and look at the final and one of the most important reasons why we exist as a Student Ministry and that is to Disciple you
Discipleship is the term we often use to describe the building up or strengthening of believers (Christians) in their quest to be like Christ.
The Word of God is filled with passages that encourage us to mature in our Christian faith. Hebrews 6:1 says, “Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.”
1 Peter 2:3 says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”
Simply put---Discipleship--- is a lifelong process that God uses to bring us to maturity in Christ.
Each week it is my goal to consistently plant Christ like seeds in your life and water your faith. And I do this in faith that God will do the impossible and bring spiritual growth in your life.
In 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 Paul said, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
In offering you discipleship opportunities, I am helping you to develop Godly HABITS. You see, one day I’m not going to be here. God is going to lead me to a new place of ministry. And you know something, one day you’re not going to be here either. You’ll be through with school, moved out of your parent’s house and living on your own.
And it’s only through God’s grace and the spiritual habits you’ve developed in middle school through college that you’ll continue to grow in your walk with Christ. Listen, it’s through the discipleship opportunities that we offer you that we are hoping to help you develop HABITS---Christ like habits that are going to help you grow in your walk with Christ.
I want us to look at the word HABITS. Did you know that you have to do something 21 consecutive days to develop it into a habit? That’s right 21 days!
Well, lets look at the discipleship habits that we need to develop in our lives.
H ang time with God
A ccountability with another believer
B ible memorization
I nvolvement within the church body
T ithing commitment
S tudy Scripture
Students with these habits in our lives we will grow in our relationship with Christ. That is why it’s important for you to take advantage of ever opportunity that God gives you here in this church because it’s through these opportunities that you’ll begin to develop these habits.
What Habits are you developing?
