Video Transcript: Lesson 3 Section 5

The final stage of discipleship is another one that is a lifelong pursuit. It is to equip students  to serve God's Kingdom purposes. As teenagers grow in their faith, they should be  encouraged to reach their friends and family for Christ. The work of evangelism is something  every Christian is called to, no matter their age, or how long they've been following Jesus. In  fact, new believers often demonstrate great enthusiasm for sharing their faith. Even when  they don't know everything about it. They should never be discouraged. There are two ways  that you can specifically equip teens for the work of building God's kingdom. The first way is  through inviting youth to serve on a ministry team. ministry teams offer people the  opportunity to serve the church and community from their areas of spiritual gifting and  passion. It's even better if these teams include a mix of youth and adults who could serve  side by side. It might be tempting to build ministry teams from the standpoint of what the  church needs. Maybe you need extra help doing setup, childcare, or leading worship. But the  better approach is to start by teaching people to recognize their spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts  are best understood as God's empowerment for ministry tasks that an individual is uniquely  suited to accomplish. Look at the list of spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12, and  study these with your students. You can also find spiritual gifts tests online specifically for  teenagers. These questionnaires can help your students determine which gifts are their  strongest. Finally, it's always a good idea to pray for wisdom. encourage your students to pray that God would clearly reveal their gifts to them, and confirm them throughout their lives. As  teenagers learn about their spiritual gifts, they will better know how to direct their efforts in  serving the church and community. As they exercise their gifts. They will also grow in  confidence and knowledge of what God has uniquely created them to do. In addition to  learning about their spiritual gifts, teenagers should match their skills and abilities to the  ministry tasks they pursue. A student may have a desire to serve in a specific area, such as  the worship team, for example. But if they do not play an instrument or sing well, they will be  frustrated by their lack of skill. The worship team and congregation will also not benefit from  unskilled participants. ministry team involvement should integrate spiritual gifts with a  person's natural skills and abilities. Of course, it is possible to learn a skill, including playing  an instrument or a technical skill like computer design. One important way a youth leader can invest practically in their students is to help them recognize their natural talents and what  skills they should take time to learn. Youth will pay attention to the advice of adults they  respect. This is a critical opportunity to guide them not only to serve the church well, but to  uncover work they may enjoy for a future career. The second way that youth can be actively  engaged in using their gifts and sharing the gospel is by participating in a missions trip. a  missions trip offers a practical opportunity to build God's kingdom through evangelism and  service. There are many kinds of missions opportunities, ranging from preaching to  construction work, a missions trip could take you around the world, or to the needy in your  backyard. look first at the partnerships your church might already have in place. Is there a  local organization you support in the community or an international missionary who might  need help in their ministry. Develop a friendship with these partners and let them know you're interested in serving with them and want to get your youth involved. Then wait for them to  tell you the best way and time to help. Remember that when you go to serve a community  that is not your own, you're not the expert. Take your cues from the organization or individual  you're serving with. Ask them what they need and want and be sensitive to their cultural  values and expectations. missions trips are a wonderful opportunity for students to care about and serve people who are totally unlike themselves. They will have to be bold in their faith  and humble in their actions. The experiences they have on the mission field will not only build God's kingdom, but serve to deepen their spiritual maturity. Serving within the church and a  ministry team and in the community on a missions trip are two great ways to activate your  youth and show them how their gifts can be used to help others. serving God's Kingdom  purposes is an ongoing journey that may look different in different seasons of life. But as  youth leaders tests with discipling teenagers to spiritual maturity we can help them start  today