dismantling discernment for better discipleship (part 1)

Discipleship begins with integrity. We lead teenagers from the overflow of God’s work in our own lives. We must be moving toward spiritual maturity in order to lead students into greater intimacy with Jesus. As caring leaders, we don’t need to be perfect (which is only possible if we pretend and or lie to ourselves), but we do need to be a step or two further down to road than those we lead.

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Change evangelism from being intimidating, to being natural.
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It’s safe to assume that you have learned and grown a ton over the years as a follower of Jesus. If that is a true statement, what is the best thing you have to offer students? Should you attempt to share your lessons in the order that you learned them? Should you relay your most current spiritual insights? Unfortunately, your faith journey can’t be exactly duplicated and imprinted from one to another. The best discipleship imparts the right lesson. But, what teaching is right? We believe that the best teaching is the one that meets a student’s real need.

We also believe that discipleship requires discernment, the ability to understand what each unique situation requires. The better you know your students, the greater your potential impact. We’re not talking about students in general, or even your specific community of students, we’re talking about knowing the few students right in front of you. If you can decode the undercurrents of their particular hearts, you’ll be positioned to have a lasting influence.

The words that come from your mouth represent your second language, your primary language originates in your heart. If that’s true, meaning is always lost in translation, which makes truly knowing a person and his/her thoughts a very difficult task. A task that demands discernment.

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Change evangelism from being intimidating, to being natural.
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Discernment isn’t a mystical action, we practice it daily. If a friend calls with an urgent tone, discernment kicks in and you listen intently. Discernment is a more active part of your life than you probably recognize. Our goal this week is to help you become more aware and practice it so that you can have a better impact in the lives of your students.