November Newsletter

I hope that this November newsletter finds you well. Six months ago I left the game of tennis to focus more of my efforts on declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to young adults. I thank God for how He has answered my prayer. 

One of the ways the LORD has transformed my time has been through mentoring individuals. I am having 4-5 of these meetings/week. In this time, we read Scripture and/or talk about the Bible. 

Another opportunity has been having more group Bible studies. Some of these studies are based on apologetics. Others are focused on general topics Christians deal with in the world they live in. I have also been working with students developing a ‘one year Bible reading plan.’

In one of these Bible studies we read the same chapter every day for 1-2 weeks. We then meet and discuss the chapter. My favorite moment in our meetings is when the Holy Spirit teaches a student something new about Christ. Their ‘eyes light up’ and they get a big smile on their face. The expression on their face is priceless.

The key in all of this is God’s Word. The LORD has impressed upon my heart the daily reading of His Scriptures. However, the main problem for many young adults is understanding His Word. There are many difficult concepts to comprehend. 

To remedy this problem Discipleship Inc has purchased 12 ESV Study Bibles to give out to these students. I am currently handing them out and spending time explaining the benefits of this Book. My hope in the next year is to equip these students “to give the reason for the hope they have in Christ.” 

Finally, as the holidays approach, I would like to ask if you would consider giving a financial gift to Discipleship Inc. Our ministry is fully funded by the monetary gifts from our supporters. Without the generous gifts from those of you getting this newsletter, this ministry would not be possible. 

The youth of today are being assaulted with lies, indoctrination and immorality at every turn. Would you help us strengthen the youth of tomorrow, to stand firm in their Christian faith, by making a donation to our ministry. 

You can make a one-time gift, or be a monthly supporter, by using PayPal on our website. Our address is www.discipleshipinc.org You can also write a check to Discipleship Inc and mail it to the following address.

Discipleship Inc

P.O. Box 68

Roanoke, IN 46783

May God bless you and your family this Thanksgiving Holiday.

Steve 

PS I have posted a picture on the website from one of our recent studies at PFW. 

I hope that this October newsletter finds you well. Recently I was discussing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a friend of mine. Our conversation began as we looked at the simplicity of God’s Law in the Ten Commandments. 

When we looked at the moral standards of His Commandments, they were pretty straight forward. God tells us in Exodus 20, ‘DO NOT: murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, or covet your neighbor’s property.’ Why are those simple commands so hard for us to follow?!  

The Lord Jesus Christ gives us the answer in John 3:19. “And this is the judgment: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19)

Those words, “people loved darkness rather than Light” tells the heart of the matter. It is for this reason that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world. The angel of the Lord told Joseph, “… that which is conceived in her (Mary) is from the Holy Spirit … and He will save His People from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)  

Herein lies the problem of mankind, we are born of Adam’s stock. In other words, we don’t sin and are therefore we are sinners. No, the problem is we are sinners and therefore we sin. This is the sickness we all have. “We must be born again.” Only then can we enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). 

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only gospel that saves to the uttermost. My calling at Discipleship Inc is to preach this gospel. Unless those “dead in trespasses and sins” hear it, they will not seek out a Savior. This is ‘The Old Rugged Cross’; it saves souls today just as much as it did 2,000 years ago.  

I started an apologetics study this week with some of the Intervarsity students at PFW. We are focusing on the reality of truth, in a world of lies. We have the Book of Truth, the Word of God, we can rely on and turn to. My plan is to equip these students with Biblical knowledge so they can define, defend, and declare their faith.  

Finally, let me close with an email that I got a couple weeks ago. It came from a struggling student that I had written to weeks prior.

Here is what she wrote back to me. 

‘You have made such a big impression on me with how you have built up my faith life. Recently we did a Mount Rushmore assignment where the four faces on our personal Mount Rushmore were the four most influential people in our life, you were the first name that came to mind. You have built up my faith in every way and inspired me to show Christ, so thank you for helping me with that every day!!’

This email made my day. What a blessing it is to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the young people living in our world today.

May the Lord bless you and your family.

Steve 

PS The video that I posted for this week has to do with humor in sermons. It is a short video. The pastor speaking will challenge your thinking on this topic.