Yay, praise God 2025-2026 Teen Discipleship is here!! This year we will continue the pursuit of becoming disciples of Jesus Christ and growing in fellowship with one another.
This year we are enthusiastically asking our teens to devote daily time to prayer and to the reading of God’s Word. We will read through the book of Romans in our daily quiet time over the 2025-2026 school year, & break up into peer discussion groups to share all the amazing things God is teaching us from spending time with Him and studying His Word.
Our Goals:
- To have a daily abiding relationship with Jesus Christ.
- To grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ by seeking God and His Word. And also, encouraging one another to walk in a manner worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus.
- To grow in encouraging fellowship with one another.
Our Scripture Guides:
- John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
- John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
- Ephesians 4:1-3, 22-24, 29, 32 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace… 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness… 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear… 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
- Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
All you need for this study is your Bible, & a willingness to run after God with all your heart, soul & strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). But don’t fret. That’s why we need Jesus in the first place! Ask the Creator of the universe, the God of the Bible, Jesus, your Lord & Savior to help you do all things (Philippians 4:13). Ask Him to help you seek Him and His Word with His understanding (Psalm 119:34, Matthew 7:7), & He will come alongside you in this worthy goal of spending time with Him in prayer and the reading of His Word.
The theme for our year: The Year I Turned To Jesus. Abiding together through the book of Romans, Teen discipleship.
You may have noticed, The Year I Turned To Jesus, is a spoof on the show, The Summer I Turned Pretty. The thought behind the spoof is, wherever the summer took you, God wants to meet you where you are at RIGHT now, today! Maybe this summer was great, you went to camp, sought after God and grew deeply in your relationship with Jesus; or, maybe it was the opposite. You had a hard summer, relationship problems, made bad choices, had sickness, trauma; or, maybe it was a little mix of both! There were God high moments where you felt really on fire and close to God, but then life set in, bad habits came back, the world tempted you, time was wasted, and you focused on things of the world, rather than on the Holy things of God (like watching sketchy shows like TSITP 😅, see Philippians 4:8).
But we want to encourage you that wherever you are at, Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!
And, Romans 8:1 tells us: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So those in Christ Jesus, who have given their lives to Him, we don’t have to stay in the guilt and shame of the past. We can and should respond to the Lord’s calling on our life today. To grow in Him, to be transformed by Him, and to walk daily with Him!
As Paul shares in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” So let’s forget what is behind us & press on toward the goal to win the prize which God has called us heavenward!
Because, our end goal is to be more than just a Christian by name, but by God’s grace to be born again, transformed by the living God, and truly become disciples of Jesus Christ.
How this study will work:
We will break up the 16 chapters of Romans over the course of 8 months (the school year). We will read 2 chapters every month. In the schedule on the following pages, I have split up the 2 chapters over 4 weeks. For each week there is an ABIDE sheet for you, a total of 4 per month.
Use this ABIDE format as a tool to help you as you seek God & His word, but you aren’t bound by this format. The goal of this study is to help you have an intimate daily relationship with Jesus Christ, in the midst of your busy teen life! So make this study your own! Break up the verses daily, or however it will be the best way for you to establish a daily habit in seeking God through prayer and reading His Word.
Remember the Creator of the universe loves you and wants to know you! Use this study to chase after God the way He is chasing after you.
Also, we will continue in our pursuit of understanding the Gospel & what is a disciple of Jesus Christ. We will explore the Romans Road to Salvation, & 6 questions of discipleship over our 8 months together. In addition, we will discuss these questions in our peer groups, and share what God is teaching us through our ABIDE sheets. And, we will gather together for fellowship & prayer.
We are so excited for what God has in store for us as we sincerely seek Him together this year! Thank you for your willing heart to join us on this adventure!
“16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-21
RESOURCES:
Below I have listed the resources I am using for this study, & that are helpful to me in my own daily quiet time.
The Bible NIV, ESV, LSB, NKJV study bibles, The One Year Bible NLT, The Holy Bible app for audio, Biblegateway.com, John MacArthur Romans Grace, Truth, and Redemption. Tara-Leigh Cobble Romans Dead to Sin And Alive To Christ. Strong’s Concordance app. The Abide method: abidingtogetherinChrist.com, University Fellowship Church, Pastor Brett Gilchrist: Romans. https://www.university-fellowship.com/downloads. The Garden Fellowship Church, Discipleship Questions: Pastor Matt With: The Call of Discipleship. @thegarden_highschool Instagram. Romans road to Salvation: https://www.theelishaprojectc4k.com.
ROMANS reading plan for Abiding Together in Christ, Teen Discipleship.
September 19 & 26 : Romans chapters: 1-2
1. A Disciple is a Learner. (see Discipleship questions below)
Abide Week 1: The Sinfulness of Humanity: 1:1-17.
Abide Week 2: God’s Wrath Against Humanity: 1:18-32.
Abide Week 3: God’s Righteous Judgement: 2:1-16.
Abide Week 4: The Jews and the Law: 2:17-29.
October 10 & 31 : Romans chapters: 3-4
2. A Disciple is Willing To Abandon Everything. (see questions below)
Abide Week 1: God’s Faithfulness: 3: 1-20.
Abide Week 2: Forgiveness of Sin through Christ; Righteousness through Faith: 3:21-31.
Abide Week 3: Abraham Justified by Faith, Part #1: 4:1-15.
Abide Week 4: Abraham Justified by Faith, Part #2: 4:16-25.
November 14 & 21 : Romans chapters: 5-6
3. A Disciple Walks Daily With Jesus. (see questions below)
Abide Week 1: Peace and Hope: 5:1-11.
Abide Week 2: Death through Adam, Life through Christ: 5:12-21.
Abide Week 3: Freedom from Sins’s Grasp. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ. 6:1-14.
Abide Week 4: Slaves to Righteousness: 6:15-23.
December 5 & 12: Romans chapters: 7-8
4. A Disciple Dies to Self. (see questions below)
Abide Week 1: Released From the Law, Bound to Christ: 7:1-6.
Abide Week 2: The Law and Sin: 7:7-25.
Abide Week 3: Life through the Spirit: 8:1-16.
Abide Week 4: Present Suffering and Future Glory: 8:18-30 & More Than Conquerors: 8:31-38
January 9 & 23: Romans chapters: 9-10
5. A Disciple Invites Others. (see questions below)
Abide Week 1: Paul’s Anguish Over Israel: 9:1-5.
Abide Week 2: God’s Sovereign Choice 9:6-29 & Israel’s Unbelief, Part #1: 9:30-33.
Abide Week 3: Israel’s Unbelief, Part #2: 10:1-13.
Abide Week 4: Israel’s Unbelief, Part #3: 10:14-21.
February 6 & 13: Romans chapters:11-12 (Chapters 12-16: How to Behave.)
Abide Week 1: The Remnant of Israel: 11:1-10 & Ingrafted Branches 11:11-24.
Abide Week 2: All Israel Will Be Saved 11:25-32 & Doxology 33-36.
Abide Week 3: Personal Responsibility: A Living Sacrifice & Humble Service in the Body of Christ. 12:1-8.
Abide Week 4: Love in Action. 12:9-21.
March 6 & 20: Romans chapters: 13-14
6. Are you a Disciple or Just a Christian by Title? (see questions below)
Abide Week 1: Submission to Governing Authorities. 13:1-6.
Abide Week 2: Love Fulfills the Law & The Day is Near. 13:8-14.
Abide Week 3: The Weak and the Strong, Part #1: 14:1-9.
Abide Week 4: The Weak and the Strong, Part #2: 14:10-23.
April 17 & 24: Romans chapters: 15-16
Abide Week 1: The Weak and the Strong, Part #3: 15:1-13.
Abide Week 2: Paul Ministers to the Gentiles & His Plan to Visit Rome: 15:14-33.
Abide Week 3: Personal Greetings Part #1. 16:1-16.
Abide Week 4: Personal Greetings Part #2. 16:17-27.
May 15: Celebrate! Review & Reading Selection of choice.
Discipleship Questions
Questions inspired by, Pastor Matt With: The Call of Discipleship. @thegarden_highschool Instagram
Everybody is following someone. Are you following Jesus, or just admiring Him? (John 1:35-51)
- 1. Do you want Jesus to conform to your thoughts or do you want to be like Jesus?
- Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
- 2. What are you holding on to and what are you willing to give up to follow Christ?
- Luke 5:11 They left everything and followed Him.
- 3. Do you have a daily relationship with Jesus?
- John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
- 4. Are you following Jesus because it’s comfortable? Are you willing to give up comfort to obey Him?
- Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
- 5. Who are you inviting to know Jesus?
- Matthew 28:15 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
- 6. What am I holding on to that is holding me back?
- Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
THE ROMANS ROAD TO SALVATION – shared by https://www.theelishaprojectc4k.com
Blessings to you!
Abiding Together in Christ 