Meredith Ludwig Curtis
  • Home
  • Jesus
    • Bible Studies >
      • God's Girls Friends to the End Bible Study
      • God's Girls Beauty Secrets
      • God's Girls Talk about Guys, Virtue, & Marriage Bible Study
      • The Making of Real Men
      • Real Men Talk about Freedom, GIrls, & Marriage
    • Worship
    • Testimony >
      • Family
      • Church Family
  • Books
    • Maggie King Mysteries
    • How -To-Homeschool
    • Teach History the Fun Way >
      • Ancient History Cookbook
      • Ancient History Timeline
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century
      • Let's Have Our Own Ancient Greek Olympic Games
      • Let's Have Our Own Archaeological Dig
      • Let's Have Our Own Medieval Banquet
    • Celebrate
  • Courses/ Units
    • Unit Studies
    • High School Courses >
      • Who Dun It
      • American Literature & Research Course by Meredith Curtis
      • Economics, Finances, & Business Course
      • Economics, Finances, & Business Answer Key by Meredith Curtis
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Schedule
    • Family & Ministry Workshops
    • Homeschool Workshops
    • Homeschool High School Workshops
    • Meredith's Financial Workshops
    • Worship Workshops
    • Pastor Mike"s Workshops
    • Family & Friend's Workshops
  • Blog

Guest Blogger, Shine Curtis: How a Teen Make Disciples

5/13/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
One of Jesus' last commands was to make disciples "of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey all I have commanded you." (Matthew 28) Everyone is called to make disciples. No one is exempt.

Which is all well and good and everything—like, kudos to all the missionaries out there that are living it out. But how am I supposed to do that? What does it even look like for an American teenager to walk out Jesus’ last command?

I Step Out to Mentor

The most obvious way is to get involved in a mentoring relationship. If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, or if the only picture that pops up in your head is some kind of Big Brother program, let me explain.
A mentoring relationship is where a more mature Christian takes a new Christian under their wing and teaches them the basics of the faith. It’s a relationship that models what Jesus had with his disciples—the discipler and disciple spend time with one another, becoming friends and confidantes, praying and fasting together, seeking the Lord together, and encouraging one another to keep fighting the good fight. It’s actually a pretty complex thing that varies from church to church and relationship to relationship, but the gist of it is that the mature Christian takes care of the baby Christian.

Since I was eleven, I had been on the disciple end of the mentoring relationship, but the late summer of 2013 marked a new chapter of my life: I became the mentor.

I've had the privilege of watching a beautiful young lady mature in the Lord for nearly two years now. We talk about anything going on in our lives that’s difficult, asking for prayer and advice from one another. We discuss how our quiet times are going, what God has been teaching us through them, and questions that have risen from studying the Bible.

But our relationship doesn't end in that hour-and-a-half window.

We’re friends. We spend time with one another at events and at church, we have sleepovers. We go to the mall, to the movies, or we sit lazily in the other’s room and chat about whatever comes to mind. We're in one another's lives, and we grow closer with passing time.

The way the discipleship relationship works is quite simple, yet it requires an investment of oneself. You have to be willing to devote your time, your energy, your love, and your persistence. But it's worth it.

And it's only one of the many ways to fulfill Jesus’ last command.

Ministry 

Moving in the more officially sanctioned vein is starting new ministries and involving ourselves in current ones.

My brother-in-law and another one of the young men from our church started a ministry where they play basketball in a nearby neighborhood, invite the residents, and use that opportunity to share the Gospel.

I help teach Sunday School to four- to eleven-year olds, sharing Bible stories and their practical application in the kids’ lives.

My church has both a teen and a young adult program, ministries that are geared toward bringing in and building up people in those age brackets.

There are so many ministries available to us, waiting to be employed in the pursuit of making disciples. All we have to do is look, and join in. Finding a nearby ministry—whether it’s an extension of your home church, or some kind of organization that takes care of the widows and orphans and allows you to share your faith—is never all that hard. 

And once you’ve found your ministry, you dive in. Start sowing into people’s lives, caring for the broken and the needy—making disciples.

Living as an Example

As a pastor's kid, as a Christian, and as a human being that breathes air and blinks, I am an example. Not the most exemplary example, but I am, by nature, someone that others will look to. Not everyone. Not everyone will look to me for how to live, but a few might—probably only for select reasons.

One little girl might look to how I dress, a peer may look to how I interact with my parents, and a nonbeliever might look to how my faith has changed my life. In whatever I do, I am an example. And I hope to that little girl I exemplify the radiant beauty of modesty and purity. I hope to that peer I model healthy family relationships and the importance of respecting and honoring authorities. I hope to that nonbeliever I show how incredible my God is, and walk out a genuine Christian life that stirs a desire in them to know more about Him.

By living I can make disciples; I choose a path, and others may choose to follow. The important thing is to choose the right path. If people are going to follow me as I follow Christ, I hope they’re made into people that wouldn't hinder God, but boldly do His will.

The only way this could ever be a reality is if I seek God with my whole heart. I have to let Him captivate me, and I must surrender every area of my life to His control. I must daily rely on His grace and rejoice in His might. I can’t be stressed or anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, present my requests to God.

It’s not about being perfect. Because, in all honesty, I’d never be able to do what I just outlined. My natural tendency is to be lazy, independent to a fault, and self-involved. But it’s about being honest and real—and used by Him.

The other day I was talking with a friend of mine that felt inadequate to lead a Bible study on the topic of insecurities, as she struggled with whatever truth she would be sharing with the group. But what she has to do, and what we have to do as we make disciples by living as an example, is remember one thing: It’s never about us.

If we fail at something, if we’re imperfect and mess up, that’s when God shines the most. I can’t help but laugh at myself sometimes, when I realize that I assume that God’s Name will be most glorified when I am perfect—aka, when I can prove that I don’t need Him.

This is not to excuse sin. Shall grace increase so that we may sin all the more? By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? Our imperfection should not be glorified and dressed up to seem beautiful, but it also should not be a hindrance to sharing the truth.

God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. And how much more beautiful are broken vessels, revealing their true state and in so doing, revealing the perfect state of our God? When we are incapable, we are only able to point to the One who is capable. When we misstep and fall, we are able to point to the One who is perfect and never fails.

In the end, making disciples is never about us. It’s never about what great mentors we are, or how much we sow into ministries, or how seemingly perfect our lives are. It’s always about Him. It’s about living, by His grace, the way Christ did. It’s about turning to those around us and beckoning them: “Follow me as I follow Him.”
-

Thank you, Sarah Joy Curtis for an excellent and inspiring word!




0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom & worship leader, is married to her college sweetheart. She is blessed with 5 amazing children, 3 adorable grandchildren, and an awesome church family!
    ​

    Picture

    Archives

    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    April 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

    Categories

    All
    Abiding
    Baking
    Beauty
    Bible
    Bible Study
    Birthdays
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Business
    Celebrate
    Charity
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Christmas Craft
    Christmas Homeschooling
    Church History
    College Prep
    Cooking
    Crafts
    Curriculum Reviews
    Devotions
    Doctrine
    Easter
    Economics
    Exercise
    Family
    Father's Day
    Field Trips
    Finances
    Finish Well
    Food
    Friendship
    Geography
    Gift Ideas
    Government
    Great Commission
    Health
    Heroes
    History
    Holiday Craft
    Holidays
    Home
    Homemaking
    Homeschool Conference
    Homeschooling
    Homeschooling Book Reviews
    Homeschooling Conference
    Homeschooling Curriculum
    Homeschooling Curriculum Reviews
    Homeschooling High School
    Homeschooling High School Reviews
    Homeschooling Reviews
    Hospitality
    Humor
    Lapbooks
    Learning
    Literature
    Living Books
    Logic
    Marriage
    Math
    Mentoring
    Ministry
    Money
    Motherhood
    Mothering
    Mothers Day
    Music
    New Years
    Nutrition
    Parenting
    Politics
    Prayer
    Reading
    Recipes
    Reformation Day
    Relationships
    Reviews
    Sales
    Science
    Sound Doctrine
    Spiritual Warfare
    Teaching
    Teens
    Testimony
    Thanksgiving
    Theology
    Time Management
    Traditions
    Traditions Devotions
    Travel
    Trials
    Unit Studies
    Wedding
    Worldviews
    Worship
    Worship Leading
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Anders Ruff Custom Designs, Sugar Daze, scrink, trekkyandy, H.C. Williams, whitneyinchicago, Elin B, Dottie Mae, Tony A., t i b i, the.laus, the.Firebottle, SebastianDooris, robinsan, wwarby, jimmiehomeschoolmom, Dougtone, williamcho, Randy OHC, littlemoresunshine, Alex E. Proimos, matsuyuki, ChR!s H@rR!0t, AMagill, Teddy Delivery, abcdz2000, UF Digital Collections, ElvertBarnes, auntjojo, BdwayDiva1, swanksalot, missycaulk, Lance Shields, Walter Saporiti, ComputerHotline, Sam Howzit, LeonArts.at, garlandcannon, midiman, kmezon, mickbarry, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, DC Central Kitchen, stu_spivack, aussiegall, saebaryo, Fairy Heart ♥, Damian Cugley, Vince Alongi, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, momentcaptured1, epSos.de, davedehetre, 96dpi, geraldbrazell, bterrycompton, Lauren Manning, THE Holy Hand Grenade!, eser.karadag, archer10 (Dennis), Catholic Westminster, SmithGreg, flypig, jelene, rust.bucket, Robert Scoble, Sterling College, SharonaGott, timparkinson, Fire At Will [Photography], KitAy, mareeshastar, Dougtone, Ed Yourdon, California Cthulhu (Will Hart), John-Morgan, Monica's Dad, ktylerconk, doegox, Khairil Zhafri, floodllama, mattjlc, bunnicula, smithfischer, Ahmed Rabea, The Consumerist, blmurch, Sh4rp_i, dwstucke, dtcchc, arjin j, damian m, Panegyrics of Granovetter, ewan traveler, young shanahan, Rennett Stowe, singingwitness, ronnie44052, Tim Green aka atoach, russell pix, missbrendatoyou, Ambernectar 13, LancerE, riptheskull, rs-foto, Max Braun, Yoshimai, dbgg1979, TheSeafarer, Old Sarge, Ewan-M, rictulio, Gwydion M. Williams, quinn.anya, abbybatchelder, katmeresin, Mr. T in DC, tuchodi, SLV's, mealmakeovermoms, Hollingsworth, hoyasmeg, Monica's Dad, Shane's Stuff, frotzed2, Matthew Juzenas, bunkejer4, weeklydig, St.John'sFlowerGuild, InAweofGod'sCreation, Doc Wert, Nomadic Lass, Samdogs, Rojer, MASB Desenvolvimento Imobiliário, Calsidyrose, wallygrom, Tiberiu Ana, ZeroOne, Randy OHC, Betsssssy, georgiapeachez, Lars Plougmann, dtcchc, antwerpenR, Wiros, myfuture.com, ewan traveler, cliff1066™, Peggy2012CREATIVELENZ, 401K 2012, mikemol, Aranami, Randy OHC, Joan Lesan, jm3, Stifts- och landsbiblioteket i Skara, Lunatic Asylum Photostudio, Michael 1952, Zyllan, Images_of_Money, striatic, riptheskull, sanchom, Nick Harris1, S. Reachers, Matt McGee, fdecomite, Wesley Fryer, yenna, Daniel Dale, michael_swan, Rodrigo_Soldon, Barefoot In Florida, Bright Meadow, turtlemom4bacon, Svadilfari, Rennett Stowe, juliejordanscott, Emilio del Prado, Marysol*, avlxyz, Näystin, Belzie, cliff1066™, EraPhernalia Vintage . . . (playin' hook-y ;o), Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Etereal9, loco's photos, BigSéance, bigal_60714