Seven Ways I Disciple My 7th Grader
Written by Mark Wickersham, ECS Director of Spiritual Formation
Over the years, I’ve had the honor to disciple men from different walks of life – pastors, masons, and salesmen. I disciple men because God expects Christians to disciple Christians (Matthew 28:19). I’m thankful for the men who have poured into my life, and I want to pray for my younger brothers and help them in this short life. Life can be beautiful, but it can also be downright mean. We need all the help we can get in our marriages, parenting, work, finances, and more. I love when men want to be discipled, and I love how men I disciple draw me closer to Christ and help me in my walk with God.
True disciples grow in Christlikeness by following Jesus’ teachings. Jesus is the key to life, and the key to understanding Him is found in the Scriptures. God’s Word tells us Jesus discipled ordinary men from diverse backgrounds – fishermen, a tax collector, and perhaps tradesmen. Jesus taught and trained these men to follow Him and live lives that would bring God glory. When I meet with men, it might be individually or in small groups. Sometimes I meet with men for years, and sometimes it’s for a shorter season of life. Although we may not have the same occupations and interests, Jesus brings us together. We’re adopted sons of God, united in Christ, and living in the Spirit.
As much as I enJOY meeting with different men and speaking truth into their lives, there is one guy I love to disciple more than anyone else – my seventh-grade boy, Josiah Lee. He’s my number one disciple. He’s my John, the disciple whom I’m closest to and spend the most time with. My greatest desire for Josiah Lee is that he loves Jesus more than anything and shares Jesus with others through his words AND actions. I love watching Josiah Lee drain a three on the court or when he brings home a report card with high marks, but what matters most to me is that he thinks, speaks, and acts like Christ.
I will stand before God on Judgment Day, and I need Him to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I need my Heavenly Father to say that I discipled my son well. I am Josiah Lee’s #1 teacher, so it’s crucial that I set a Christlike example for him in all that I think, say, and do. Josiah Lee is watching me, learning from me, and copying me. I must do all I can to point Josiah Lee to Jesus so he can live life in the right way and bring God the glory. Below are seven ways I disciple Josiah Lee that hopefully can help you in your walk and when you disciple others.
1. I’ve taught Josiah Lee to feed his soul before he feeds his face. When he hops in our family-friendly minivan with me for our five-minute drive to school, we typically talk about what we read in our Bibles that morning.
2. When I pick up Josiah Lee from school, I ask him about his school day. Was there anything eventful about the day? Who did you sit with at lunch, and what did you all talk about? I often ask Josiah Lee what he learned in Bible class and chapel.
3. Josiah Lee serves on the tech team and helps with the three-year-olds at our church. When he doesn’t have those responsibilities, he might answer sermon questions I provide him on paper during the service. We might also talk about the sermon after church and how we can apply the message in our lives.
4. Typically, Josiah Lee goes to youth group on Wednesdays and Sunday school before the Sunday morning service. He needs other people speaking truth into his life. I trust his teachers, but Josiah Lee and I must talk about the lessons he’s learning. Sometimes he teaches me a thing or two. 🙂
5. Before and during sporting events, I remind Josiah Lee that complaining is a sin and to be thankful that he gets to use his God-given body to compete and have fun. I remind Josiah Lee about the pain Jesus suffered on the cross and to give God the glory regardless of his playing time, the officiating, and what the opposition and crowd say and do.
6. I regularly talk with Josiah Lee about Jesus, and sometimes we have family devotions in the evenings. Two nights ago, we watched a four-minute video about family and ministry at dinnertime, talked about it, and then prayed.
7. Josiah Lee and I enJOY watching Instagram and TikTok videos on my iPhone. The social media videos we watch can be super serious (e.g., a Christian teacher answering questions on a college campus) or absolutely silly (e.g., a baby eating bacon for the first time), but whatever we watch, we do so from a biblical lens. We enJOY the life God has given us and talk and laugh in a way that honors Him.
So, how do you disciple your children and others? I would love to hear what has worked for you. And let me know if you have questions or if there is anything I can do to help you. To God be the glory!
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6