My Purpose

I have been leading an Early Youth (7th-9th grade) discipleship group for a couple of weeks now. We are working our way through the book of John section by section and it has been going great.


One of the reasons for this group is to help these students start owning their faith for themselves. It provides a forum where they can more freely discuss their insights into the Word and questions concerning life, the universe, and everything. Thus far the conversation has been a little rough. It's hard to motivate this age group to take anything serious for more than a couple minutes, but we're making progress. As I allow for tangents, and even contribute to the tangents here and there, we are getting to the point where I would like them to be. They are extremely smart teens and I'm excited to see them continue growing. However, this is not the main reason for this post. I actually want to talk about a revelation I had while studying for this group.

As we contemplated John 1:35-51 I was struck by something I had overlooked. In verses 35 and 36 the goal of the pastoral ministry is given. Now, I know this cannot be a brand new thought, but nonetheless it stood up and smacked me in the face. In this passage John the Baptist points two of his disciple to look at Jesus. These two disciples immediately leave John and follow after Jesus. They leave one master and go to another.

As a youth pastor, and having served in this role in several churches, it's difficult to see one of my students leave my ministry and go elsewhere to find spiritual guidance. I want to be their go-to guy for all things biblical and and their authority for all things Christian. I mean, it feels really good when a student seeks you out with a question and you get to answer and lead them into deeper walks with Christ.

But that's the tear right there: lead them into deeper walks with CHRIST. If I continue to teach students to come to me with the questions and seek me out for answers I am teaching them to seek deeper walks with me, not deeper walks with Christ.

So my job, my purpose, is to lead them toward Christ, to teach them all I can about the Messiah, and than as they see Him to present Him to them so that they may leave me and follow Him.

So that's the what... now to consider the how...

Grace and peace.