All posts tagged Discipleship

Matthew 16:13-24

by Ryan Marcum on May 23, 2010 in Blog, Ministry Helps, Sermon Outline with No comments

Hey everyone! This is a short outline for a recent message I taught to a local Youth Ministry’s DNOW.

What is the most important question in the world? For me, when in school, it was something like: What am I going to wear today? What am I going to do after school? Who’s going to the game tonight? When I got older it was, what am I going to do after HS? (Play soccer for UofL or join the Army) I joined the Army. Then what college will I go to? Who will I marry?

These are all important questions in life, but none of them compare to the question we will look at this morning. Everyone will answer this question, either on earth or find out the answer in death.

We are going to pick up the story at the peak of Jesus’ ministry. For 2 ½ years Jesus had been moving toward this moment. He was going to give the ultimate lesson of who He was to His disciples. Let’s read.

Read, Matthew 16:13-24

vv 13-20
I. When Following Jesus, we must know whom we’re following.

  1. Jesus is the Messiah! The Savior of the World.
  2. The Confession: The Christ, or Messiah. Through Jesus is salvation alone
  3. The Result: blessed. Those who confess Jesus as Lord are divinely & eternally blessed.
  4. The Source: God. It’s not about knowledge alone God reveals Himself to those who seek Him.

vv 21-23
II. When Following Jesus, we must submit to the plan of the Father.
Jesus was plan “A”! He had to go to Jerusalem, in order to save that which was lost.
He was going to the cross to redeem sinners. There was no other option. Peter didn’t understand what Jesus, the Messiah, was talking about!! The minds of men are not the mind of God. God has a plan and purpose.


Vv 24
III. When Following Jesus, we must understand the road that is chosen.
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34
And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27

Come after Me: Salvation

Deny himself: disown, completely leave the sinful desires to chase after Christ. It’s not about me anymore it’s about Jesus and His will for my life. (John 3:30 – He must become greater, I must become less.)

Take up his cross: The cross is an instrument of death! Those who wish to follow Christ die to self and live for Christ. Check out: Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 1:21

Follow me: obedience,  1 John 2:6; Matt. 7:21

Youth Ministry & Family Discipleship

by Ryan Marcum on May 12, 2010 in Blog, Family with 3 Comments

Dear Youth Pastor,

I have been impressed with your ability to keep my child busy while I do “adult” church. Thank you for teaching my child how play messy games and to pull random things out of his pockets for a prize. I appreciate all you do.

Yours Truly,
Mrs. Church Parent

Obviously this is a “make-believe” letter. However, the church has somehow found itself in a strange place. This generation of youth parents has been programmed to rely on programs. The issue of who disciples my child is at the forefront of youth ministry today.

So this post is for youth pastors, who are seeking to change the culture of their perspective faith community.

Let’s look at some ways to get the “Family Discipleship” ball rolling in your church community.

Prayer
Pray for your church leadership
This includes but not limited to: Pastor, Worship Leader and Children’s Director
Pray that the leadership of the church catch the vision of family ministry
Pray for the families represented in your faith community
Pray for parents to receive the direction you are trying to lead them in
Pray for the students to be bold when asking parents to lead
Pray for wisdom
Wisdom is much more than having knowledge about family ministry.
Wisdom is putting that knowledge into practice through picking the right leaders, presenting the right material and equipping families.

Get the Pastor on Board
The first person to have on your support team is the Pastor.
Youth Pastor it is time to leave your preconceived notions at the door, your pastor must be the first person on your team. Without the pastors support there is no balance for your ministry.

Model it
If your family is not involved in a family discipleship plan(FDP), forget about getting others on board.
FDP involves the following:
Prioritize it
Schedule it
Apply it
Encouragement
Involve other families
Seize it

Plan for it
When recruiting your team of youth volunteers, recruit the parents!
Parents need to see the value of being present
Plan your yearly activities with the family in mind
Keep your ministry Family friendly

Small Group
Start a small group of parents/families
Teach the principles of family discipleship from Scripture
Once you begin to change the mindset of parent, and they have ownership in family discipleship, the will begin to tell other parents about the vision of family ministry.

This post has been a collaboration of Ryan Marcum and Brian Smith. We are Youth Pastors exploring Family Discipleship in the local church. This is an on-going list and would love to hear from you! Leave a comment.

Family Discipleship: Do you have a plan?

by Ryan Marcum on May 11, 2010 in Blog, Family with 1 Comment

Family Discipleship – Do you have a plan?

This post is a collection of thoughts that have been rattling around in my head. Disclaimer: This is in no way a final product! This is merely me typing out loud about the things to come. The next post will be a simplified version of this post and an outline for future writings on the subject.

Like me, there are many Pastors, Youth Pastors and ministers starting the conversation of family ministry. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a new topic; however it is a growing subject in the church today! Family ministry is, I believe, the next step for those who train future pastors and ministers. Please leave comments and thoughts. Again, the following are thoughts that have been jumbled around in my head and in no way a final product.

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First, there must be a plan for your family’s spiritual growth. Without a plan, you are planning to fail. Secondly, there are “must-have” elements that should be integrated into your plan. Lastly, there are some obstacles to address with family discipleship.

Discipleship Plan:

Everyone needs a plan, however, we must be careful to understand God’s plan for our family. This plan is Biblically based and Parent driven with a Great Commission focus.

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

I believe the basic plan for family discipleship comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and the Great Commission –Matthew 28:18-20. Families are called to teach the way of God to their children and make disciples who reach others for the sake of the Gospel.

Your family plan is also determined by your family make-up. For instance, single-parent homes will look different in the way discipleship is done. The content is not different, but the context might be different. Here are some elements to build into your family discipleship plan:

The Elements:

First, Discipleship must be modeled to your children. This means that the parent/parents must lead your family in discipleship. Some reading this will say, I have never been discipled, so how am I going to disciple my family? The easiest way to fix this is to find and learn from a mature believer, who has discipled others, and then teach your family what you learn. In order to lead your family, you must be lead.

Second, when it comes to discipling your family, you must teach Scripture. Most parents would say, I want my children to grow up to be good Christians, responsible people, and contributors to society. Most parents should want this for our children. However, just to have children who are good Christians is not enough. We must base our discipleship on the Word of God. As we become doers of the Word, so will our children.

Here are some ideas for more elements to include in your family discipleship plan: (not exhaustive) Scripture Memorization, Prayer, Journaling, family devotions, family mission trips, home church in your neighborhood for the whole family, etc.

Common Obstacles:

The idea of discipling my family sounds great! But how do I disciple my family when my schedule is so busy?

The first step to discipling your family will be to understand the obstacles that will come up throughout the process. Let’s look at a few:

Time. Families today are more strained when it comes to time than any generation before. Parents who are committed to discipling their children will prioritize their family’s time in order to accomplish the goal of discipleship. Remember: you can’t make time, you can only take time from other “things” in your life and re-prioritize for discipleship.

Satan. Families must understand that as soon as you attempt to re-focus your family’s priorities, Satan will do everything he can to dismantle your family. Saturate your family in prayer every minute of every day. Put on the Armor of God – Ephesians 6:10-18. Satan tempted Adam and Eve, Jesus, and he will tempt you.

Rebellion. If you have children who are self-determined or who are going through the teenage phase, you may experience rebellion. NEVER give up. Parents should continue to disciple their children, even if it means your children sit and watch you lead. As parents, we plant the seed. The church does the watering, and God does the rest. Be ready and have an idea of how you will handle each situation as it arises.

There are many elements and obstacles to be written about, so leave a comment and keep the conversation going!

Next Post:

Family Discipleship plan – Biblically Based, Parent Driven, with a Great Commission Focus

Parenting 101 – Discipleship part 2

by Ryan Marcum on April 25, 2010 in Blog, Family with 1 Comment

We all know that parenting is a huge responsibility and at times overwhelming. This is the second post in the series, “parenting 101 – Discipleship”. If you haven’t read the first post, you may want to catch up before reading this one. here’s the link: Parenting 101 – Discipleship

For this post, I will post some simple ideas for parents seeking creative ways to disciple their children. My wife and I have tried and are trying some of these simple practices in teaching our daughter Emma (4 yrs old). The only  failure in discipling your children is failure to try. Before I post some ideas, there are some ideas to bring to the table of discipleship.

1. You will never teach your children to become disciples of Christ unless you are a disciple.
- Leaders point others to the source of their conviction. Parents, whether you like it or not you are a leader to your children. What are you leading them to? Are you living out a devotion to Christ or a devotion to retirement?

2. Scripture is Key.
-  2 Timothy 3:14-17 says, But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

- Timothy had the privileged of being taught by his mother, grandmother and Paul. Who will will your children be taught by?

- Scripture when passed down, has the power to bring its readers/hearers to faith! Teach your children Scripture not super nanny-ism!

3. Discipleship takes time.
- Discipleship is a process not a one-time deal. We have been placed in our children’s lives by God Himself, so keep a level head. Our children will mess up, as did the disciples, but Jesus will never give up on them.

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Some Ideas: (This is an on-going list, if you would like to share some of your ideas post a comment.)

1. Family Devotions (LINK)

2. Teach your children in the little moments (LINK)

3. Scripture memory. Our daughter is involved in Awana’s and learns a verse each week, and one of the best ways she learns is through music! (LINK)

4. Family and Personal Prayer activities (LINK)

5. Constructive Discipline God doesn’t discipline us for no reason, He disciplines us to benefit our relationship to Him. Be constructive when disciplining your children, teach them the “why” of discipline. (LINK)

6. Displaying your Spiritual Gifts (LINK)

7. Displaying Spiritual Disciplines. (READ THIS BOOK!)

Parenting 101 – Discipleship

by Ryan Marcum on April 23, 2010 in Blog, Family with 2 Comments

I have heard it said by a parent, If my kids wait on me to disciple them, they are in trouble!, and I became very concerned. What’s more is that this parent was a minister of the Gospel. However, I am not pointing this one individual parent out for what was said. No, the fact of the matter is that many parents have said or lived out a lot worse! In this post I will pose the questions, Who is to disciple my children and How should I disciple my Children?

For this post we will look at the question of Who is to disciple my children?

For some reading this post you are already on edge because of the statement made by a minister or pastor of the Gospel. And some of you might have said the same thing simply because your schedule demands it and others “more qualified” than yourself should do the discipling. Let’s forget for the moment about the minister who made the statement and focus on the fact, that ALL parents need help in discipling their children. What type of help are we talking about? For this post assume there are two kinds of help, substitutional and directional. (These two terms are not exhaustive of types of help. I am simply using the two in order to keep the discussion manageable.)

Let’s define the two:

Substitutional Help: means that there is a substitute accomplishing a task instead of a subject. Simply put, think of an elementary school teacher. When he/she needs to take time off, what happens? The school system supplies a substitute in order to accomplish the learning objectives of the teacher’s individual classroom. When talking about substitutional discipleship I am saying that parents take time off and appoint someone else to carry the responsibility.

Directional Help: means guiding an object to a specific destination or outcome. Simply put, when we want the family dog to obey we sign it up for obedience training. The trainer then assists the family in teaching the dog to sit, heel and follow directions.

With these definitions in mind, now we can answer the question of who will disciple my children?. There are some who have been trained by society and or church tradition to allow the so called experts to do the discipling. From our programs to curriculum we, as the church, have let go of the reins so to speak of the discipling process. We as parents have become used to the “drop-off” mentality! We drop off our kids at their perspective classrooms and gone to our grown up bible study and think nothing about it (substitutionary). We have confused the originality of the discipleship process. For some, asking the question, what did you learn tonight? has taken the place of real discipleship. Don’t get me wrong, it is a start when trying to begin a dialogue about spiritual things but that alone in no way takes the place of actually teaching your children to walk in the way of The Lord. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a proponent of parents discipling their children. So, where do we begin to understand the parents role in discipling their children.

The Bible: The Bible alone is the Word of God without error and useful for teaching and directing the lives of those who call themselves followers of God. In the Bible we see that There is One God, who commands us to Love Him with our entire being! And we are called to love others (Great Commandment) with a self-sacrificing servanthood as the example of Christ laying down His life so that we could walk with Him into eternity. The Bible also calls us to make disciples of all nations (Great Commission). Let’s look at the Great Commission:

And Jesus came and said to them,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

GO and make disciples! This term could be interpreted, as you go or wherever you go make disciples. But this concept of going wasn’t new to the disciples, no the concept of going throughout everyday life teaching others originates in the Old Testament. God commanded His chosen people to pass down the commands, the He gave them, to the next generation so they would not forget. Sadly, parents today have forgotten. The contemporary generation is more technologically advanced than any of its predecessors. With this technical age comes the ability to pass along the Word of God to the nations. However, in order to reach the nations we must be sending each generation out with the Gospel! If we forget to pass down (disciple) our own children who will be sent and what will their message be? World peace, loving the earth, social gospel, self religion, atheistic education, the list goes on and on.. The point is we as parents are to teach our children the Word of God, discipling them and teaching them to live by the Word sending them out with the one true Gospel. Are we raising up the next generation to fear the Lord or to be the next constructors of Babel?

Check this passage out: Deuteronomy 6:4-7

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Parents! YOU shall teach them diligently to your children and as YOU go throughout your everyday life continue to teach your children. There is no way around this! God has laid out the plan for parents and children! Deuteronomy 11:18-20, repeats this same thought of teaching the next generation the things of God.

Now, I am a vocational minister by calling. I believe that God calls the pastor/minister to equip the church to do the works of God. The pastor/minister even leads programs so that discipleship happens, however the pastor should not be the main discipler of your children! WE the parents are to teach our children so that the pastor/minister can equip and build upon that which we have taught them. Side note: Your students should not hear about spiritual gifts or spiritual disciplines for the first time in a youth ministry! You should teach your children about the spiritual gifts by demonstrating them to your children. Pastor if you are pretending to preach by telling feel good stories instead of the Word of God your children and your congregation will never grow past the spiritual infancy stage. I have hammered this point into the ground but please hear this as an emphatic call. Parents, take up the banner of parenthood, realizing the gift and GREAT responsibility you have of leading your children in the way of the Lord.