Session 1: Commitment
Introduction
*Colossians 1:28-29, “28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
Why is it hard to talk to other people about Jesus? We get embarrassed, we don’t know what to say, maybe we don’t fee qualified to talk about Him. Maybe you haven’t been living in a way that honors Christ so it talking about Him would mean that you would have to change.
God has really laid this verse on my heart this week. He wants us as a youth group to start putting what we know into practice. Do you remember when I challenged you to pick one person and pray for them, witness to them, and claim them for Christ? We talked about how if you could reach one person in a year that God’s kingdom would grow exponentially!
How has that been going? Who have you told about Christ recently?
This will be the third time we have discussed this since I have been at this church. We can’t just look at this command that God gives us, feel good about it here at youth group, and then forget about it when you get home tonight. So how do we get started? How do we plan our follow through? It is going to take commitment and it is going to take a life change.
The Commitment
*Matthew 28:16-20, “16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
To have a life change we really need to understand God’s call. He is not asking us to go out and take on the entire world. You against 6,993,087,574 people are not the best odds! But how did Jesus go about reaching the world? He focused on 12 people for 3 years. 1 of them didn’t even repent and follow God. Even after 3 years of spending time with Jesus! But the other 11 changed and then they changed the world.
It can be overwhelming to try and take on the world. Don’t. God wants us to focus on one person at a time. I am asking for you to commit to one person this year.
*Matthew 28:18 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Why do you think this would be important for us to know? Our confidence should be found in the fact that God has all authority in everything. It’s really important for us to understand that God is completely in charge of every aspect of life, even our interactions with others. When we witness to others God’s spirit can move and draw people close to Himself.
We have God’s authority living within us through Jesus Christ. Because of that we should be able to take more confidence in approaching others with the gospel. We will talk more about this in another lesson.
*Matthew 28:19 “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
What does this verse say about us? Do we have a choice in the matter? No telling people about God is not an option, God is looking for people to commit to doing this. But do you catch the main idea of that verse? We are to “go and make disciples”. What does that look like? It encompasses much more than just telling people about Christ doesn’t it?
How do you make a disciple? Let’s take a look:
*Matthew 20:20, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
To make a disciple you need to spend time with newborn Christians. You point them the right direction. You help them to understand the basics of the faith so they can grow in their relationship with God. Making a disciple takes time and effort.
This command is not just a command to tell people about Christ, but to walk with them and help them grow and be discipled.
Taking Action
Like I started saying at the beginning of this lesson, we have studied this several times now. We have to take action. Not only because God is waiting to work amongst our friends, but so that we can receive the blessing of seeing lives changed!
It is time to stop listening to this stuff here at church and avoiding putting it into practice outside of these walls. We need to be vigilant to know God’s commands and carry them out.
There is something else I want you to understand. It is found in verse 16:
*Matthew 28:16-20, “16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
Like we saw earlier, not everyone will believe. How many years did Jesus spend one on one with His 12 disciples? 3! And still there was one that didn’t come to salvation. Judas not only avoided seriously following God, but he betrayed Him. If you get disappointed because people are not turning to Christ every time you witness to them, don’t. Everyone that Jesus witnessed to didn’t repent and turn to God.
Not everyone will make a change and follow Christ. There are people who will hear the gospel and decide that they are not going to choose Christ. We need to understand that fact. It is hard to not get discouraged when people shut you down, but when we return to the idea that God has all authority over our interactions with others, that takes the pressure off.
If people would get saved because of our eloquence or word choice, that would change the dynamic of who God saves based off of our human ability. We would earn the honor and glory for leading people to Christ instead of God.
God can use a crooked stick to draw a straight line. God can use you and your incomplete knowledge of scripture to bring people to Himself. You don’t need a specific method or word choice to “impress” people to accept the Gospel.
God’s Word is sufficient, and ultimately that is what brings people to repentance. Not you.
There is another thing to understand as well. Not every one of you will take this command to heart. Some of you will. You will go home and start praying for a friend and even start to reach out to them. You will experience leading someone to Christ and see their lives radically changed. You will be a part of the greatest blessing possible on earth! And you won’t be able to get enough of it.
But others of you will not feel the need to pursue God’s command like that. You will decide that it doesn’t apply to you and you will miss out. God will hold you accountable for knowing Him and not telling others.
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