Top left to right – Andrew (UCSB), Matt (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), me. Bottom left to right – Elijah (Cal State Fullerton), Eric (Chico State).

Every summer, cities throughout the world come face to face with the reality of the Gospel because of the thousands of college students who go to dialogue with the people of the city about Jesus.  Some people come to believe in Christ, while others are still a long way away in their spiritual journey from trusting Jesus.  Nonetheless, the impact is powerful.  This summer, for eight straight weeks, the people of Santa Monica have been pushed to consider where they stand on life’s biggest issues, all because of 65 college students from around the country investing their summers to preach the Gospel to those who don’t know Jesus.

My favorite aspect of this time, however, has been discipling the four guys in the above picture who have come to Santa Monica.  By pouring into them, they not only are equipped to reach out to people in Santa Monica this summer, but also to those around them wherever God leads them in the next 60 or so years of their life.  On top of living life with them, I get two hours per week separately with each individual.  Below is what one week of those times looked like:

Andrew (UCSB) – Like I do, Andrew struggles with finding his identity in what he does.  In his eyes, what he does makes him significant, and can become a big motive behind ministry.  We discuss an article that shows how preaching the Gospel to ourselves speaks to our deepest needs and changes our motives.  Additionally, we also talk about how to use the circumstances in our days as opportunities to grow.  Since Andrew is somewhat interested in a girl on project, we also talk about what it might look like to evaluate if he wants to pursue her.

Elijah (Fullerton) – Elijah has never really had a consistent time in the Word on his own.  The previous week, I had challenged him to spend 15 minutes in the Word each day.  He chose to read Philippians every day, and I check in with him to see how it’s going.  Thankfully, he’s been faithful to read every day!  I challenge him to keep that going.  We discuss an article about having a daily time with the Lord.  We then discuss the article about using our circumstances as growth opportunities.  Elijah also has a big need to gain experience in evangelism.  He’s seen me model it many times, but needs experience himself and feedback from me.  So, I give him the reigns and let him initiate spiritual conversations with 4 or 5 people at Santa Monica College (SMC).  He is growing.

Eric (Chico State) – Eric and I start out by initiating spiritual conversations with students at SMC.  I have modeled this for him many times, so just like with Elijah, I ask him to take the lead so I can give feedback later.  One person we talk to is Dan.  Eric asks questions and listens for a good 20-30 minutes.  His questions are gentle, yet pointed and thought-provoking.  Dan, though not a Christian, feels very heard and understood and communicates his thanks for such a good conversation.  Eric boldly asks if he can give his opinion and proceeds to share the Gospel.  We ask if he believes this, and he says very thoughtfully and sincerely, “Yeah, I think I do.”  We spend a little more time discussing the distinction between knowing God by faith in Christ as opposed to good works.  By the end of our conversation, Dan realizes that a relationship with God is something that he wants to investigate further.  We help him think about his next steps with God and get his contact information.  It was so rewarding to see Eric’s growth in evangelism over the past few weeks!

After ending our conversation with Dan, Eric and I then talk about using our daily circumstances for growth.  We also discuss what it would look like to be a missionary in the marketplace, where Eric is planning to be an accountant.

Matt (Cal Poly SLO) – Matt (who is a far happier person than he seems in the above photo) wants to be someone who loves and helps restore the broken wherever he is.  He wants to be heavily involved in a church body and use his gifts there.  We talk about the importance of discipleship in the church, knowing that building into a concentrated group of people and teaching them how to reach others as well will produce the most long-term impact in the kingdom.

As with the other guys, Matt and I talk about using daily circumstances for growth.  I let him take the lead in evangelism, but the campus is fairly empty by the time we start.  He initiates a few conversations, but people seem busy and we don’t have much luck.  We leave campus, but on the way talk about being comfortable and confident when we approach people.

I enjoyed my time with these men so much!  I think about how much more equipped each of them are to bring the reality of the Gospel to those who don’t know Jesus wherever they are when they leave Santa Monica and I’m not there to coach them.  I think of the lives that will be impacted through them in the coming years.  So exciting!

Thank you so much for your partnership in investing in these four men this summer, as well as allowing the people of Santa Monica to come face to face with the reality of Jesus.  You make such an impact!