Hi, my name is Tyler and I have been asked by a good friend to dedicate a blog post to what discipleship looks like for young men in our culture. This is a really broad idea and honestly hard to describe. But I will do my best to narrow this idea of discipleship, specifically in the context of college aged guys, as well as give some background on myself, and why I value discipleship in my life and in the lives of young men around me.
Discipleship in the church is really interesting because it would seem that it is a term not used very often, and very rarely fully understood. For a long time I only thought of discipleship as this thing where an older guy held me accountable and gave me godly life advice. This honestly is a very small view of discipleship. Jesus’ example of discipleship is so much greater. He showed His disciples what a life dedicated to right worship of God is like and how it is so freeing.
Thus discipleship is the act of becoming more like Jesus. So what does this look like for young men? In my own life, discipleship started with others, who truly loved Christ and wanted to see me become more like Him, spending time with me and sharing with me the truth of the Gospel. Discipleship in my life began with my parents, carried on into high school with my youth pastor, and now in college with my small group leader. So my advice to older guys is to find young guys who love Christ and are looking for older men to help them become more godly men and fathers. My advice to young guys is to look for older men who exemplify the gospel with their lives, not just on Sundays or at small group. Look for men who will help to discipline you to become good men, and fathers, and leaders of the church for the honor and glory of Jesus.
Lastly, for young men, look to disciple guys younger than you now as well. Not just guys who are younger than you by age, but also younger than you spiritually. Discipleship is not just you meeting with someone once a week. It’s your lifestyle. We are always disciplining ourselves to become more godly every day. Part of helping yourself become more godly is by helping someone else become more godly. So look to disciple other younger guys not just for their sake but also for your own. You will begin to understand God and the power of Christ so much more when you apply what he’s doing in your heart to working with others hearts as well.
I will leave with this, “To the king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” – In Christ, Tyler.
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