Student Ministry - December 2019
Dear Church Family,
Recently the Student Ministry had its annual Disciple Now (DNow) weekend. Thirty-Eight students and around fifteen adult leaders came together to learn more about how to answer Jesus’ call to “Follow Me.” It was an absolute blast! The kids had so much fun playing games like “Gotcha” (a version of hide ’n’ seek), glow in the dark dodgeball, and even broom ball (hockey on ice, but without the skates). There were four main teaching sessions, one on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday before church. Each night the different groups of students stayed up late at host homes and played games and ate snacks. But most importantly we talked about what we were learning during our main sessions. I was with the Middle School guys, and we had some of the deepest and most relevant conversations (seriously, I was super proud of them). I know the other groups had great conversations too. If you know someone who attended Disciple Now, you should ask them about it!
We learned that God has made everyone to be a follower… but followers of who or what? Followers of God of course. But the problem is that mankind, starting with Adam and Eve, decided to follow other things instead of God, which separates us from our loving creator. So God sent His son Jesus to come and restore us as followers of God. All we have to do is put our trust in His salvation. But we found out that Jesus has a “terms of service” for following Him (Luke 14:25-33, Mark 10:17-22). We have to let go of our life as He gives us His life. If we accept Jesus but have never let go of our life, then we are not truly restored back to God. This does not mean we have let go perfectly, but it does mean that we let go in the major ways and we continue to grow in letting go of the control in our lives and continue to give our lives to Jesus.
Our last session on Sunday morning was all about how to start following Jesus, and, once you’ve started, what it looks like to keep following Jesus. Romans 10 tells us that if we simply confess Jesus as Lord (meaning we proclaim that Jesus is in charge of our lives now) and believe that God raised Him from the dead (meaning that we really believe that Jesus is alive in heaven and that we have an eternal home with Him) then we are saved. Continuing to follow Jesus looks like Ephesians 4:1-3. We must practice humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, love, and unity. Do you ever struggle to practice these things? Why is that? I guarantee that it has something to do with not letting go of something in your life and giving it to Jesus. Many times we struggle with these things because we haven’t fully let go of control in a certain area of our life. When you feel prideful, or when you are angry, or when you feel alone, or when someone annoys you… think about what it is that you need to give to Jesus so that He can help you be humble, or gentle, or patient, or united in love. Are you practicing the art of letting go of control in your life and giving it to Jesus?
But here’s the point: Parents and grandparents, you must practice this yourself. We have taught these things to your students, but you must show them how to do it. Students need to hear God’s word at church regularly, and also at home. But if they don’t see you attempting to live it out at home, then spiritual growth will be constantly impeded. Take heart! If you are struggling to follow Jesus in your life and home, remember that I am here to help and struggle with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am here to help you as we follow Jesus and lead our students to Christ together. You can do this through the power of Christ who strengthens you!
In Christ,
Brian Van Doren
