Our Vision:
“During the forty years that I led you through the
desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals
on your feet.”
Deuteronomy 29:5
Why Sandals?
· Christ must be the foundation upon which our students walk.
Our students are walking in a world that is corrupted. The media lies to them everyday about how to find happiness and success. Discipleship Groups must teach them a biblical foundation so they can know the truth. We must give our students the tools needed to overcome the world and walk as Christ did.
· Students will only take their sandals off in a safe place.
Taking off your shoes can be a scary experience, especially if it’s a 6th grade boy. There’s no telling what smells might envelop the room. Our student’s lives are messy and smelly sometimes. They are struggling on a daily basis with issues and trials that many of us could never even imagine. Discipleship Groups must provide a safe haven where they know there is trust and care. Only then will they open their lives to share their most vulnerable needs.
· Sandals are what students really wear.
If you’ve walked in Old Navy or American Eagle lately, you’ve seen the sandal craze. There are so many different kinds of sandals and our teenagers are wearing all of them. Teenagers can relate to sandals because they’re everywhere. The teaching of Discipleship Groups must also relate to our students. It must be relevant to their culture and life. Read and learn about the culture of our teens so you can connect with them!
· Students that wear sandals get dirty feet. Discipleship Groups give them a place to clean their feet and life.
Discipleship Groups are more than just fun relationships. They are a place for students to be confronted with truth in a loving way. We must provide our teens with applicable ways to change their lives to look more like Christ. We must show them the forgiveness and redemption of Christ so they can be clean again.
· Discipleship Groups give students the opportunity to get their feet wet through mission projects and serving others.
Our teens are hungry to be challenged. They want more than just to hear the words; they love to experience what they hear. Help your students see that serving is calling by God, but also a very rewarding gift. Work alongside them in serving others and teach them to put others first.
Sandals Goals:
Sacrificing time, decisions and relationships for Christ
Accountability
Necessity of sharing Christ with others
Discovering God’s truth
Applying God’s truth to their lives
Leading out at school, home and church
Serving Christ and others
Sandals Curriculum:
It is our goal for each group to go through two weeks of Sandals Curriculum before starting a Discipleship Group (DG). You will find this curriculum over the next few pages. This will enable the students to understand what Discipleship is about and what part they can play in their DG. At the end of the Sandals curriculum, you will find a commitment page for each member of the group to sign as they pledge to do their part as a member of the DG. There are also commitment cards in the back pocket of your notebook for the students to sign and keep for themselves.
*For those groups that complete the Sandals curriculum, you can choose to either begin your new level or start with one of the optional curriculums.
Sandals Curriculum
Sacrificing time, decisions, and relationships for Christ
Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The passage above asks us to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. What exactly is a sacrifice? Part of the definition of sacrifice is to ‘forfeit something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.” God is asking you to give up (forfeit) something that we consider valuable for Him; realizing that He is the most valuable of anything we could ever have. The passage also says that we should sacrifice our bodies (our wants, desires, dreams) to God everyday. We should be living sacrifices, meaning we are constantly giving ourselves to Christ and His will for our lives.
Part of the cost of discipleship is sacrificing things that we think are valuable in exchange for the transformation that only God can bring. This might mean that there are friendships or relationships in your life that are not honoring to God. God might ask you to back away from those relationships so that He can mold your character to match his. You also might have some bad habits that are causing you to draw away from God. Those habits might be disobeying your parents, listening to worldly music, gossiping about your friends, etc. God might ask that you make changes throughout your life so that the things that you do and say will be honoring to Him.
Discipleship will also require you to sacrifice your time. You will be asked to give up an extra hour each week to meet with your group. The time you spend in discipleship will be well worth it because you will be learning more about God’s word and will for your life. As we spend more time with God our lives begin to reflect more of Him than the world. This change is exciting because it means that we are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and lives to transform us!
Are there relationships in your life right now that you might need to give up in order to draw closer to God? Explain.______
Are you ready to commit to give one hour a week to meet with your group? _____
Are you also willing to commit extra time to reading the Bible and working on the curriculum you will be studying? _____
How will the time you spend in discipleship help you to “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (Romans 12: 1-2)? ______
Sandals Curriculum
Accountability
Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
The Lord knows everything about us. He knows our thoughts, our desires, our actions, our dreams and goals. We can hide nothing from Him. Things are a little different when it comes to our friends and family though. It is sometimes very easy to hide things from those we are around. We can get into the habit of being “fake” in front of others so they will think the best of us.
The amazing thing about having a discipleship group is that we can be ourselves and share our struggles and sins in front of our trusted friends. When you are able to share the real you it takes a huge weight off your shoulders, especially when you know you won’t be condemned or looked down on for who you really are. Sharing your struggles brings a sense of accountability to your group. Your other DB members can pray for you and encourage you. They can be honest with you if you fall back into a sin you’ve been trying to overcome.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” It is a great gift in discipleship to help our fellow brothers and sisters live godly lives. We must always be careful to not point the finger at others. We never know when our friends are watching us, but in prayer knowing that God is the only answer we have to overcoming our sin. Our guide for life should be God’s word, the Bible. If we see His book as a reference for our lives then we can truly enjoy the blessings of following Him.
Why is it difficult to be honest about our struggles and sins, especially with our friends and family? ______
______
How can sharing our struggles with your discipleship group bring you closer together? ______
Each of you will receive an accountability card having questions you can ask at the beginning of each discipleship meeting. Don’t be afraid to answer these questions honestly. Accountability is an important part of discipleship and your walk with God.
Sandals Curriculum
Necessity of sharing Christ with others
The Great Commission is found in Mathew 28 and it says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We are commanded by God to share our faith with others in both our words and actions. Titus 2:7 says, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good.” It is important to build relationships with others so that when the time presents itself you can share about Christ. If a friend sees your devotion to Christ lived out everyday then he/she will be more likely to believe your word when you explain why you’re a Christian.
Sharing about Christ is not only important because God commands us to, it is also important because it is for eternity. I John 2:17 says, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” WE are sharing an eternal hope that will not pass away but live forever! Sharing Christ is a necessity because their acceptance or rejection of Christ will determine where they will spend eternity. Every person should be given the opportunity to receive the free gift of eternal life that Christ offers them.
Sharing your faith with others might seem overwhelming at first. It seems like such a huge responsibility! Don’t be anxious. Gods asks only that we do our best. He is the one with the power to change hearts and lives. It is His will in their lives that will save them. All we must do is be an available vessel ready to share whenever we feel the Holy Spirit leading us. There are several ways to share Christ with others. One way is to share your personal testimony of your walk with God. No one can argue with what God has done in your life! It is also important to know scripture. The book of Romans has many scriptures that are powerful in leading someone to a saving knowledge of Christ. Never be afraid to share your walk with God! His word and life are powerful. Remember John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Take a moment to read through the Romans Road: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 3:16, 5:8, 10:9 & 10. How do these scriptures explain fully the gift of salvation? ______
______
What are some highlights of your personal walk with God that you would definitely want to tell someone you were sharing Christ with? ______
______
Sandals Curriculum
Discovering God’s truth
Have you ever seen the movie Goonies? It’s a 1980’s movie about a group of teenage friends (called the “Goonies”) that come across a treasure map and set out to find gold and jewels. They have many adventures and hardships along the way, encountering booby traps, villains, and physical exhaustion, but they stay focused on their goal: finding treasure. In the end of the movie, they find the treasure on a pirate ship which they sail away on. Sounds like a cheesy 80’s movie, Right? Nevertheless, as a kid watching I wanted nothing more in life than to be a “goonie” and go in search of treasure with my friends. I never had that opportunity—but you do!
What you are about to embark on is an incredible adventure to discover with your friends the treasure of God’s truth in ways you have never understood it before. God’s word is like an endless cavern—the farther you dig into it the more you realize that you haven’t even scratched the surface of what there is to discover inside. The more you discover, the more you will realize how valuable it really is!
Read Proverbs 2:1-7: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
How is understanding God compared to hidden treasure in this passage?
You may have never thought of it this way, but God has made it pretty easy to understand a lot about Him by providing his word for us to read. I don’t know about you, but a treasure has never popped out of the ground and presented itself to me. God’s word is much the same way—unless we take time to search out God’s truth as we do treasure, we will never find the amazing truths that God’s word shares.