ReThink: Discipling Students vs Volunteering (Pt 2)

In my first post, I looked at Matthew 4 and how Jesus call to follow isn't dependent upon our qualifications but is often a "lack of" and doesn't make sense. Today I want to look at the aspect of success - as a volunteer, there is an expectation on me to do something and get a result. As a disciple the expectation is simple - love Jesus and follow Him.

Let me clarify a little - if I am teaching a class there is a lot of weight upon myself to be sure that those in the class walk out of there knowing something. To carry that weight in the church is unhealthy. Jesus taught with parables - which were not understood by most. This frustrated the disciples, who asked Jesus why he spoke in parables in Matthew 13.

Jesus response is one we may not like - it is the reality. There are those who will respond and understand and hunger for the truth and there are those who will continually hear and see and not understand or desire this truth. If we go back to the parable told directly before this - the parable of the soil, we understand our role better.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.” - Matthew 13

We must grasp that our role is to sow - plain and simple. We are not responsible for the results. Do we do all we can to help that seed grow? Yes. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 3 where Paul adresses this:

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  - 1 Corinthians 3

We cannot carry the weight of a person responding to the truth of the Gospel. We can plant seeds, water seeds - but it is not our responsibility for the growth. 

A teacher feels the weight if their class doesn't get it. They must have done something wrong. But in discipling and investing in others - there will be some who are just bad soil. The truth will be present but not seen or heard by them, they will lack understanding. And what a weight is lifted from us when we realize our role isn't to save people - for we cannot save people. Our goal isn't to make people understand - we can't make people understand. We can present the truth, love on them, and trust God.

ReThink: Discipling Students vs Volunteering (Pt 1)

"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." - Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV)

Just wanted to share a few brief thoughts on rethinking our roles in student ministry for those who would be lay-leaders. What would it look like if we shifted from volunteering to discipling? Today I am going to just look at the personal aspects - what it means for us.

1. It means we are drawn out of comfort, what we have known, and where we like to be into something we are not comfortable with, we don't know, and may not like to be.

The first disciples Jesus called were fishermen - they knew how to catch fish. They weren't scholars, they weren't orators, and they probably weren't good people persons. But what did Jesus do? He said come follow me.

Get up an leave your comfort, leave what you are good at, leave your family, and come follow me.

When we volunteer it is usually for something we know a little bit about, enjoy doing, and a cause we deem worthy of our time.

Jesus says follow me - not because we are somehow skilled in a way, not because we have certain qualifications - but in spite of all that. 

If we truly love Jesus we will follow Him and the call to make disciples. But we must understand that it is a call to discomfort, weakness, and at times frustration. It won't fit our schedule - it will at times be inconvenient. But it will be so worthwhile. To follow our Savior, abandoning all that the world would say is rational and living a life whole-heartedly for Him - can you imagine? Those actions alone - being able to with your life mirror to a student one who is simply following - who isn't here because they think are good with words, because they think they have a really good understanding of God, who is simply the most unlikely candidate. And yet says - because I am following Jesus, because of what He has done in my life - I will invest in yours. That is radical. To say - its not dependent on some guy who went to bible college and has a degree - but in the mom or grandpa or college student who is in no way "qualified" yet in every way called by Jesus to disciple and love on these students.

What I've Learned About Middle School Discipleship

"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." - Matthew 4:18-22

I've been reflecting on my past year in ministry, and I've taken a few thoughts I've learned on discipleship. I started with this passage because I think it highlights where it all begins: with the pursuit by God, and God calling out.

#1 - The Call Out

I look at a few of the guys in my connect group and reflect on the effort and pursuit I made to call them out from just "attending" church on Sunday to being a part of community, to being a part of living life together. This is where it must begin: you must continue to pursue, to press after, to say "follow me." In saying this, you reflect Christ in saying, "Hey, you're worth spending time with. You have value, I want to get to know you, so that you can get to know Christ."

#2 - The Long Haul

You have to be in it for the long haul. Which means long hours, many of which will have students being, as many of the disciples were, at times frustrating and dumb. These guys who spent a ton of time with Jesus often seemed to be more clueless than the crowds. In the same way, I have had numerous frustrations with students who seemed to get it and still do the same things and ask the same questions. And yet, in the long haul, that time and effort pay off.

#3 - Be Prepared


Don't let frustrations break you down. Know that God is working, that even if it seems all a student does is fart and poop for a whole year, the fact that you called them out, into relationship, reflecting Christ calling each of us out, the fact that you invested in them more than just a Sunday or Wednesday, God is working. I probably am at the extreme of spending time with the guys I am closest with, my little disciples. And yet, I have seen God's faithfulness and His work in their lives. When I pressed on and didn't give up, I saw a restored relationship with 3 of them, I saw submission of struggles in their lives, things I never would have known without pursuit and being in it for the long haul.

#4 - Don't Let Discouragement Let You Quit


I often hit this mark, but each time I thought of giving up, thinking I couldn't do it anymore, I pressed forward just a little longer. And in that, God would give me a small moment of joy, which overcame the greatest sense of discouragement. If we are willing to invest, to call out, to be in it for the long haul, God will work through us. I know there are some of my guys whom I will never have a deep conversation with. But I know that God is at work in their lives, even if I don't know it. And thus I refuse to let discouragement or feeling like I have no impact get the best of me. Because I know that God is at work, through me and through others, for His glory.

So continue to call out, be in it for the long haul. Past just the time you must spend with your students, its an all the time thing, reflecting Christ in their lives through all you do, not just in the Sunday or Wednesday moments. Do it for God's glory. Press forward. Don't give up.

- Brummy