LESSON 12
CALLED TO ONE LORD
Teacher Preparation + Resources
Please review all lesson materials before teaching. Familiarize yourself with the Scripture passages, discussion questions, and activities. Take time to prepare your heart and pray for your students.
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Lesson Summary
This final lesson invites students to reflect on their discipleship journey over the past twelve weeks and consider how it will continue. Students will explore what it means to "remain in" Christ and recognize that their ability to live out their purpose depends on their connection to him. They will also revisit the spiritual practices they have learned throughout the program and develop a plan to integrate them into their daily routines.
Main Point
You are called to cultivate your relationship with Jesus daily.
Lesson Objectives
- Students will recognize that discipleship is a continuous process that is led by God.
- Students will reflect on the spiritual disciplines discussed in the course and the impact of them in their lives.
Teaching Tips
Change takes time and commitment. Encourage the students to continue in the journey of discipleship even after they fail. They can always begin again and rely on support from you, a church body, and God.
Acknowledge fears of imperfection when it comes to being and making disciples. Growth takes time and can often be a painful process, but being a disciple does not require perfection. Rather, it requires remaining in a relationship with Jesus. In this journey, we pursue Jesus, not perfection.
Materials Needed
Whiteboard or large paper
Index cards/sticky notes, tape
Pens or pencils
Getting Started 15 minutes
Slide 2
Welcome Activity
Draw a timeline on a whiteboard or long sheet of paper, labeling it from "Week One" to "Week Twelve."
Hand out a sticky note/index card with a small piece of tape to each student.
Ask
Take out your journal and review your notes from the past twelve weeks. What moment, lesson, or discussion stands out to you?
Instruct the students to write down their responses and stick them on the timeline when they occurred.
Once everyone adds their reflections to the timeline, walk through it together. Read some of the responses aloud and invite the students to share more if they would like to.
Slide 3
Introduction
Say
When we look at this timeline, we are reminded that discipleship is not a one-time occurrence. It is a journey, and that journey does not end today.
Say
These moments you have remembered are all seeds God has planted in your life. And, like any seed, these experiences will only take root if we continually cultivate an environment where they can thrive and grow.
Say
Today, as we wrap up this program, we are going to discuss what it looks like to intentionally grow in our relationships with Jesus. After all, that is the ultimate goal of a disciple: to faithfully pursue the One we have chosen to follow.
Digging In 30 minutes
Slide 4
Say
In this section of Scripture, Jesus is teaching his followers what it truly means to be a disciple.
Slide 5
Slide 7
Observe
Ask
How would you describe the different parts of the illustration Jesus is using?
Answers should include the vine, the gardener, the branches, the fruit, pruning, and remaining.
Slide 8
Ask
Imagine a grapevine. What does a branch receive from the vine that allows fruit to grow?
Answers should include water, nutrients, and support.
Slide 9
Ask
Why do gardeners prune plants? What does cutting off old branches do?
Gardeners prune their plants when it has overgrown into a shape the gardener never intended or because a toxic branch is endangering the rest of the plant. Strategically cutting off branches allows the rest of the plant to gain more water and nutrients and stay healthy.
Slide 10
Interpret
Ask
What does the image of God as a gardener tell you about the way God works in your life?
Highlight a few key characteristics of gardeners and ask the students how they help us to better understand how God works in our lives.
- They give their plants daily attention and care.
- They get their hands dirty.
- Their goal is for the plant to flourish and bear fruit.
Slide 11
Ask
What does it mean to "remain in" Jesus throughout your life?
Answers may include staying in a close relationship with Jesus, relying on Jesus as your source of life and truth, etc.
Slide 12
Ask
What does it mean that disciples "can do nothing" apart from Jesus?
Slide 13
Apply
Have students form pairs or small groups to discuss the following questions.
Say
At its core, discipleship is about living in relationship with Jesus—remaining in him, like a branch on a vine. God has incredible plans for your lives, but they can only be accomplished if you remain in Jesus and allow yourself to be pruned according to God's will. This is why, in the life of a disciple, cultivating your connection to Christ must always come first.
Ask
How has your understanding of what it means to follow Jesus changed in the past twelve weeks?
Ask
What does the metaphor of pruning from John 15 tell us about the cost of being a disciple? What might God want to prune from your life?
Ask
How well do you do at remaining in Jesus on a daily basis? What helps you? What makes it difficult?
Bring students' attention back to the large group.
Practicing Life with Jesus 15 minutes
Slide 14
Say
Over the past twelve weeks, we have learned that following Jesus is so much more than a list of do's and don'ts. These practices—prayer, reading Scripture, serving others—are not just prescriptions for a healthy relationship with Jesus; they are ways we stay close to the One we love most. The goal is not to do more for Jesus, but to be with him. When we focus on being with him, everything we do naturally flows from that relationship.
Say
With this in mind, let's see how many practices we can remember that help us cultivate rich, lasting relationships with Jesus.
Invite students to share. Answers should include:
- Prayer journaling
- Praying Scripture
- Reading God's Word following the Observe, Interpret, Apply steps
- Going to and serving in church
- Doing good in the world
- Sharing Jesus with others
Say
Some of these practices are things we can do every day, like reading the Scriptures, journaling, praying, and doing good in the world. Others are things we might do once a week, like attending and serving in the church.
Slide 15
Response
Transition into a time of individual response.
Journal Prompt
Say
Take the next few minutes to respond in your journals using these prompts:
- What does your daily routine look like? Write down a schedule of your typical day, including what you do in the morning before school, how you spend your afternoons, and your routine before bed.
- How can you reshape your daily routine to draw you closer to Jesus?
- What is something in your current routine that you could cut back on to make more time for Jesus?
- What is something new you could add to your day that helps you stay connected to God?
If time allows, invite students to share their ideas for how they want to change their daily routines in order to foster a closer relationship with Jesus.
Closing
End by praying a blessing over your students as they move forward in their discipleship journeys.
