4. A Recipe for the Best Training Experience

Place yourself context where real life and ministry happen.

Ideal: Public University, Evangelistic Christian group.

Real world.

Living on mission

Learn and do, learn and do.

Say yes, to the opportunities to do training opportunities.

Much training comes from time spent with mentors and peers as you go through experiences.

Car rides

mission trips

evangelism

conferences

traveling

Real life situations come up, and you can process that with your mentors and peers.

Do not move to an area simply because you land a job there, thinking that you will find a good ministry to get trained in.

You will not end up getting the training you need, and likely fizzle out in your faith.

Good jobs are a dime a dozen.

Good training ministries are gems.

Rather, find a good training ministry where you can get trained, and move to that location.

San Diego Harvest Teams

Northstar

Interested in vocational ministry

Antioch

Staff + Semenary

Make sure your reference group is made up of those who have the same ultimate goal of living for God’s glory.

Your reference group is your close group of friends that you run with. It is your wolf pack.

Proverbs 13:20 ESV

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

We’ve created Challenge and Impact to be that reference group for those who want to live for the Lord.

Story: My brothers misconception

Your reference group needs to be those who are seeking after the Lord. (Matt. 6:33-34 living)

You are sharing life with.

You are going to for counsel.

You are allowing to influence you.

Proverbs 27:17 ESV

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Your non-believing friends should be those you are evangelizing to and influencing for Christ. 1 Cor. 15:33

1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Application: Think strategically about who you room with.

Move into a strategic discipleship house.

Team up with another Christian to move into the dorms with a goal to reach the other students who live there.

Commit to invest time and money in making someone else's ministry a success.

Luke 16:10–13 ESV

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Be faithul with the little.

Are you faithful with the assignments given to you by the person who is Discipling you?

Daily time with God?

Are you trying to apply what you are learning?

Later God will entrust you with more.

Take as many training opportunities there as you can.

You guys are here, so I’m preaching to the Choir in a lot of ways.

Summer? I encourage every summer for training during your college years.

Commit to be guided and corrected by a godly, wise coach. in the areas of…

Character

Behavior: words, actions, attitudes and responses

Competence: Skill in ministry and dealing with people

Commitment

Decisions/Judgment

Find additional mentors who are already successful in your key areas of responsibility.

They should be willing to be frank with you.

Ask them questions about your key areas of responsibility such as your job, ministry, money, single life, marriage, parenting, etc.

Remember, you are not going to do this perfectly.

We will all look back in some way and say...

“I wish I was more teachable.”

“I should have done that.”

“I didn’t ever learn to do that basic thing.”

I have things I wish I did better in terms of getting training.

I was proud in certain areas.

What Eric and I are trying to do is simply lay out what things you should be focusing on in this decade of your life.

Getting good training in your twenties will help you make a greater impact for the Kingdom in the long run, but it will not save you.

Only Jesus can do that.

Close with the Gospel

We have all fallen short. Rom. 3:23

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Out of love, God sent his son Jesus to die for us. Rom. 5:8

Romans 5:8 NKJV

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He took the payment for our sin. He died, was buried and rose agian. 1 Cor. 15:3-4

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 NIV

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

He offers us eternal life. 1 John 5:11-12

1 John 5:11–12 NIV

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Abundant life John 10:10

John 10:10 ESV

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

To make you a new creation 2 Cor. 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Invitation

Accept Christ and commit your life to him.

Devote your 20’s to be an intentional decade of training.