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Making DisciplesPurpose of the class

To realize the importance of making disciples and to see how God can use this to reach the world

To learn practical ways that we can make followers of Christ

To be sure that we are grounded in the basics and that we have something that we can present to others

To take the material that we learn and use it to start making disciples

Plans for the class

An Overview of Discipleship

Tips for Making Disciples

Lessons to Teach DisciplesAssurance of SalvationPrayer and FastingThe Word of GodGrowing SpirituallyChristian Liberty and Biblical SeparationDetermining the Will of GodThe Christian’s Church LifeThe Christian’s Family LifeSoul-WinningLiving the Victorious LifeThe Cost of True DiscipleshipMaking Disciples of Others

Making Disciples

The Need for Discipleship

There are over six billion people in the world. Islam is the fastest growing religion. Much of Christianity is locked in Catholicism and the evangelical movement is rapidly getting away from God.

If you were to reach 200 people per year every year for the next 50 years you would reach 10,000 people for Christ.

If you were to reach 1 person per year and disciple that person so they could then reach 1 person and disciple them and continue in this way then you would indirectly reach over 4 billion people in 32 years. The entire world would be saved in 33 years.

In John 12:24, Jesus makes it clear that the key to this is dying to self. Just as a grain of wheat can do nothing until it dies, so we will fail if we try to do things our way instead of dying to self and living in God’s strength.

John 6:1-13 – The disciples only had five loaves and two fishes available to them. They could not feed the five thousand. When they went to the Savior He blessed their ministry and multiplied it so that the multitude was fed.

The Biblical Basis for Discipleship

Matt. 28:19-20 – The Great Commission is Christ’s plan for His church. It is composed of two key aspects. We must preach the Gospel so that people can be saved, but we must also teach those that are saved to obey all things that Christ has commanded.

II Tim. 2:2 – Our intention should be to take what we learn and share it with others. Whenever we teach, we need to plan on having those that we teach then teach others. We need to be clear in what we teach, answer questions, and encourage those we are working with to find someone else to share it with.

Making Disciples

Tips for Making Disciples

Make sure that you spend time with the Lord yourself. Discipling others is hard work and you need to be sure that you are strengthened in the Lord yourself.

Be prepared with information to present. You need to think through what you will say so that you can present it clearly.

Set expectations at the beginning of the time regarding what you will cover, how long it will probably take, and what you both expect.

When considering what to teach make sure you balance getting the most critical information across first, presenting information in a logical way that builds on former lessons, and dealing with specific issues that the particular disciple faces.

It is important to help the disciple realize the fact that true Christianity is a life. They don’t just go to church and have devotions, but instead their whole life should be lived in the power of God and for His glory.

Continue to be a student of the Word. The people you are discipling will ask many questions unrelated to what you teaching and the more you know of the Word the better prepared you will be to answer.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know. You will be asked about things you don’t know. Tell the disciple that you will study the subject and get back to them.

Be Biblical in everything you say. Make sure that what you are saying is found in the Scriptures and show the verses to the person you are discipling.

Making Disciples

Resist the urge to get too detailed. You need to remember that things that you take for granted are new to the disciple so you need to give him the basics first.

Be flexible in your presentation. People have different needs and sometimes you need to talk to the person about what they are struggling with instead of worrying about making sure you present what you prepare.

Be humble in your presentation. Don’t act like you are better that the person you are discipling. Help them to realize that you understand what they are going through and that they can be victorious in spiritual things.

Have the disciple look up the verses in their own Bible and read them if they are able. This gives them a familiarity and confidence with the Word of God.

Be on time for your appointments and avoid canceling them as much as possible.

Give homework and expect them to complete it. You want to make sure that they are applying what they learn instead of just gaining head knowledge.

Be willing to correct misstatements. We must speak the truth in love, but we must be sure to correct wrong thinking.

Be willing to confront issues. If the disciple is not being faithful in an area then you need to confront it. You also need to confront sin issues.

Be patient. The one you are discipling is probably a new believer. You need to expect that they will not get everything right the first time. You need to lovingly correct them and point them in the right direction.

Always remember to pray for wisdom and for the one you are discipling.

Making Disciples

A Plan for Discipleship

Assurance of SalvationThree Witnesses of SalvationEternal Security

What Happened at SalvationSaved from WrathAll Things that Pertain to Life and GodlinessAll Spiritual Blessings

Prayer and FastingWhy PrayAnswers to PrayerHow to PrayPrayer and Fasting

The Word of GodImportance OfDoctrine Of (Revelation, Inspiration, Inerrancy, Infallibility,

Authority, Illumination, Languages, Proofs)Intake of the Word of God

Developing the Devotional Life and WorshipThe Devotional WorshipPersonal Worship

Growing SpirituallyRemember the BasicsFollow God’s Steps for GrowthLive by Biblical Faith

Christian Liberty and Biblical SeparationThe Importance of SeparationThe Dual Nature of SeparationSanctification from the WorldThe Greatest Hindrance to SeparationTrue Christian LibertyBiblical Principles for Setting Boundaries

Making Disciples

Determining the Will of God

The Christian’s Church LifeThe Doctrine of the ChurchBaptismCommunionThe Grace of GivingWorship in the Church

Spiritual GiftsAn Introduction to Spiritual GiftsThe Purpose of Spiritual GiftsThe List of Spiritual GiftsDetermining Your Spiritual GiftAn Overview of Each of the Spiritual Gifts

The Christian’s Family LifeThe Role of the Husband/WifeThe Marriage RelationshipCommunication in the HomeRelating to Children

Soul-WinningPrinciples for Sharing the GospelWays to Share the GospelDifferent Presentations of the GospelDeveloping an Evangelistic Testimony

The Cost of True DiscipleshipThe Disciple Must Die to SelfThe Disciple Must Bear His CrossThe Disciple Must Follow ChristThe Disciple Makes Christ SupremeThe Disciple Forsakes All For Christ

The Study of the Word of GodHow to Study the BibleHow to Interpret the BibleBible Study Tools

Making Disciples

The Application of ScriptureA Sample Study

Living the Victorious LifeRealize You Are Dead to Sin and Alive to GodWalk in the Spirit, not the FleshAbide in Christ and Obey HimPresent Your Body a Living SacrificePut On Your Spiritual ArmorDeal with Temptation and SinKnow When to FleeHave the Right FocusExamine Your Life

Making Disciples of OthersThe Need to Make DisciplesTips for making Disciples

Making Disciples

Our Assurance of SalvationOne of the key areas Satan will try to attack is in the area of the

believer's assurance of their salvation. We need to be sure of what God has done in our lives so that we can grow closer to God and learn and do His will in our lives.

This lesson addresses two areas of concern when it comes to a believer and their assurance of salvation. The first part of the lesson covers the three different witnesses of salvation that we have. The second part of the lesson covers some verses that speak of our eternal security.

It is good to start out with having the person you are discipling share their testimony of salvation. You want to determine if you feel they are saved or not and gear the lesson appropriately.

The notes in green italics are for the teacher and are not in the student notes.

It is important to first be sure that we are saved and then once we are saved we need to be confident in our salvation. That way we will have an answer whenever Satan tries to get us to doubt. This lesson will get us away from simply trusting how we feel and settle us firmly on the Word of God.

It is important to realize that we can know for sure that we are saved and going to heaven. I John 5:11-13 clearly teaches this truth.

It is important to read these verses to help settle this issue. The word for know in this verse suggests a complete knowledge as opposed to a growing or experiential knowledge.

There are three separate witnesses that testify to the fact that we are saved and going to heaven.

I) The Witness of the Word of God

What does I John 3:20 show us about relying on our feelings when it comes to the subject of our assurance of salvation?

Making Disciples

Our Assurance of SalvationI John 3:20 speaks of our hearts condemning us and then goes on

to say that God is greater than hearts. People will not always "feel" like they are saved and Satan can prey on this. This is why the most important thing to get the new believer to realize is that God has revealed His way of salvation to us and if we have followed His way, we are saved regardless of how we might feel at any given time.

The Bible is the Word of God (II Timothy 3:16) and in it He has shown us the only way to obtain eternal life. Since God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), we can trust that what He says is true.

A) Until a person is saved he is a condemned sinner.

Romans 3:10-12, 23 - The Bible says that we are all sinners. There is no one that can say they are not a sinner without lying (I John 1:8) and calling God a liar (I John 1:10).

Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:12-15; 21:8 - As a result we are condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire as a punishment for our sins. We are already condemned (John 3:18, 36). We are just waiting for the punishment.

B) A person cannot save himself since he is already condemned.

Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5 – We cannot do anything to save ourselves. No works that we could ever do can save us. Even the good works that we do are affected by our sin (Isaiah 64:6). Our sins must be punished. There can be no removal of sin without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22).

C) Christ paid the price for our sins. He bore our guilt on the cross.

Romans 5:8 - God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for all of our sins.

Making Disciples

Our Assurance of SalvationI Peter 2:24; I John 2:2 - In doing this, Jesus paid the price for

all of our sins. God is satisfied with the price that Jesus paid.

The term propitiation means that Jesus satisfied God's wrath toward sinful man. God did not overlook man's sin. Jesus fulfilled the righteous demands of a righteous God.

I Corinthians 15:3-6; 20-23 - Jesus did not stay dead; instead He rose from the dead on the third day that we might have life in Him.

D) In order to be saved we must trust in Christ and what He did.

Romans 10:9-13; Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 16:31 - Once we realize that we are sinners destined for hell, all we need to do is repent of our sin (acknowledge that we are wrong and God is right) and put our faith in what Christ has already done for our sins and ask Him to be our Savior.

Faith involves knowledge of the truth and a settled trust based upon that truth (Romans 10:9-14). It involves a conviction that man is wrong (John 16:8-11) and that Christ is the only way salvation (John 14:6) and as a result, a complete reliance on that way.

Eph. 2:8 - It is important to realize that even the faith to trust in God came from God (Eph. 2:8). It is not something they could have manufactured on their own.

E) You can be confident in your salvation if you have trusted in Christ.

The Bible says that anyone that believes in Jesus has everlasting life (John 3:16). No one is excluded. If you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ to save you from your sin then you can rest assured that you have eternal life.

Making Disciples

Our Assurance of SalvationII) The Witness of the Holy Spirit

The next witness of our salvation is that of the Holy Spirit as we receive the inner reassurances from Him that we are children of God.

Romans 8:16 – As believers we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit and He gives us that inner peace that we are the children of God. One of the reasons that a person starts to doubt their salvation when they have sinned is because that have grieved the Spirit and affected their fellowship with Him.

It is also important that we learn to be led of the Spirit so that we will know His voice as opposed to our own feelings.

I John 4:13 – The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is proof that he is saved.

III) The Witness of a Changed Life

The final witness that we have of our salvation is that of a changed life. When we trust Christ as our Savior, we will begin to obey His commands (I John 2:3).

I John 1:8-2:1 - This does not mean that we will never sin again. It does mean that we will begin to see some change in our life as God begins to transform our lives.

II Cor. 5:17 - This change takes place because we received new life from God the moment that we were saved. When we were saved, our old sin nature lost its control over us (Romans 6:1-14). It is important to stress the new life. We will live different because we have been changed.

Suggested homework – Write out testimony of salvation; explain to someone else what you have learned; Memorize Eph. 2:8-9

Making Disciples

Our Assurance of SalvationOnce we are assured of our salvation, it is important we are assured

of our eternal security. We must realize we can never lose our salvation because of sins we commit or any other reason.

I) The Nature of Christ’s Sacrifice

The first reason why we know that we can never lose our salvation is the nature of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross.

I Peter 2:24 – All of our sins were paid for when Christ died on the cross, not just those that we did before we were saved. When we accepted Christ's sacrifice for our sins, His blood was applied to all of our sins – past, present, and future.

II) The Nature of Eternal Life

A second set of reasons that we know we cannot lose our salvation involve the nature of eternal life.

John 3:16; 5:24 - When we believed in Jesus Christ, we received eternal life at that time; eternal life isn't something that we receive only when we die. Since it is eternal it cannot end.

I Peter 1:3-4 – We have already been given an inheritance that can never be destroyed.

III) The Nature of Our Preserver

A third set of reasons that we know we cannot lose our salvation involve the nature of the One who preserves our salvation.

John 10:28-29 - We are held in the hands of both God the Father and Jesus Christ. No one can remove us from their hands. This makes a great illustration. Hold something small in one hand and then imagine that that is us in the hand of Jesus Christ. Next wrap your other had around the first to represent our Father. Would anyone be able to remove us from that grip?

Making Disciples

Our Assurance of SalvationPhil 1:6 – God will continue to do a work in us, it isn’t dependent

on us.

Jude 24 - It is God who is able to keep us from falling, not ourselves. Are we more powerful than God?

IV) Other Verses

John 6:37 – When someone comes to Christ, that person will “in no wise” be cast out. In the Greek there is an emphasis on the negative in this verse – there is no way we will be cast out.

John 13:10 – Once you have been washed (saved) you don’t need to be washed again. You only need to have you feet washed (specific sins forgiven) so that your close fellowship with Christ (not salvation) will be maintained.

Romans 8:31-34 – No one can condemn us because it is God that justifies us based on what His Son did on the cross.

Romans 8:35-39 – Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Ephesians 1:4 – We were chosen by God before the foundation of the world. Why would He chose us if He would later have to reject us?

I Peter 1:5 – Not only did Christ save us, but we are kept by the power of God.

Suggested homework – Pick one verse above that means a lot to you and memorize it. Share what it means in your own words.

Making Disciples

What Happened at Salvation?Many times we live a life of defeat because we don't understand what

happened for us at salvation. The purpose of this lesson is to show our position in Christ so that we can live a victorious life. This lesson addresses many things that happen at the moment of salvation.

This lesson is broken up into three sections. The first section deals with issues surrounding the forgiveness that we received. The second section shows what we received that enables us to live godly lives. The final section deals with some of the spiritual blessings that we received when we were saved.


At the moment a person trusts Christ as their Savior, many things happen to us that affect our past, present, and future. There is no reason for a believer to live a life of defeat. We don’t need anything more than what we receive at salvation in order to live a godly life. We only need to know what we have received and how to use it.

When a baby is born they have everything they need. They don’t gain ears or eyes later in life. They need to develop and strengthen those things that they have, but they don’t need to get anything new.

All of the things that we are going to discuss happened at the moment you trusted Christ as your Savior. You don't have to wait for any of these things to happen.

I) Saved From Wrath

A) Our Standing Before Salvation

Rom. 5:9 – Before we were saved, we were condemned sinners who could only look forward to the wrath of God being poured out against us in the Lake of Fire as a punishment for our sins.

Making Disciples

What Happened at Salvation?

The Bible also says that we were enslaved to our sins (John 8:34) and enemies of God (Romans 8:7).

These verses show our condemnations. The below verses show us our forgiveness

B) Our Sins Are Forgiven

I Peter 2:24; II Cor. 5:21 – God cannot overlook sin. Therefore, when Jesus died on the cross, He was punished in our place. A technical name for this is Christ's vicarious atonement. He bore the punishment we deserved (Isaiah 53:5-6).

As a result of Christ’s sacrifice, God’s wrath against us was satisfied so we no longer need to fear.

I John 2:2; Romans 3:25 - When we trust Christ as our Savior, the punishment that Christ paid on our behalf is applied to our accounts and the wrath of God is satisfied since the sin was punished. This is what the Bible is talking about when it says that Christ is the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins. The end of the verse says that His blood applies even to Old Testament saints.

Romans 3:24 – Because the punishment for our sins was paid, we were redeemed or freed from our sins.

To redeem something means to pay the price needed to free it (such as freeing a slave from slavery). It could be done by a family member on behalf of someone that could not pay the debt himself or herself. We owed a debt to God for our sins that we could not pay so Jesus paid the debt for us.

Since our sins have been paid for, God can now forgive us and remove our sins from us.

Making Disciples

What Happened at Salvation?Eph. 1:7; Matt. 26:28 - Jesus was punished for our sins and the

price necessary to free us from them was paid. As a result, our sins have been forgiven or remitted. The "remission of sins" means the removal of sins. We no longer bear our sins. They are gone and we don't need to worry about them anymore.

C) We Receive Christ’s Righteousness

II Cor. 5:21 - Our sins were not just forgiven. God also imputes (or puts to our account) the righteousness of God. The only thing left on our account before God is the righteousness of Christ.

Romans 3:24 - Once the righteousness of Jesus has been put to our account, God justifies us or declares that we are righteous. Justification is a legal term that means to declare righteous or innocent in a court of law. Since our sins have been paid for and we have the righteousness of Christ, we have a standing of being right before God and no longer need to fear punishment. We are more than just not guilty, we are innocent

D) We Receive a New Relationship

II Cor. 5:19-21 - Once God has declared us righteous, we are then reconciled to Him. We are no longer His enemy. The state of hostility that had existed has been replaced by peace.

Eph. 1:6 – Once this happens we are acceptable before God. Our being accepted by God has nothing to do with who we are. It is based totally on what Jesus did on the cross and what happened to us the moment we were saved.

Romans 1:6-7 - In God's eyes, we are considered sanctified or set apart to Him. You are a saint whether you think so or not. The words saint, sanctified and holy mean to be set apart. It goes beyond just living right. It means that we are set apart from the things of the world.

Making Disciples

What Happened at Salvation?II) All Things that Pertain to Life and Godliness

In addition to being saved from the wrath of God, we also received everything that we need to live a godly life (II Peter 1:3). We don't need anything more, we only need to learn how to use what God has already given to us.

Before we were saved, we were spiritually dead (Eph. 2:5) and our nature was sinful (Romans 6).

A) We Received New Spiritual Life

Eph. 2:5; II Cor. 5:17 - When we trusted Christ as Savior, we received spiritual life. Everything became new. This is known as regeneration (Titus 3:5).

We are not victims of our past. We get a fresh start. No matter what we used to be like, God can use us. We now have the ability to live righteously which we didn't have before.

Romans 6:2-4 - We were also baptized by the Spirit, which brought us into a union with Christ. Our old sinful nature lost its hold on us and we have the ability to live a righteous life.

Donald Grey Barnhouse used to give this analogy to explain. He told of a crew whose captain went mad and was replaced in mid-voyage by the first mate. Now the old captain had no authority; the new captain was the one to be obeyed. Yet Barnhouse suggested that the crew might very well find itself jumping to obey when the old captain shouted out his orders. What the crew had to do was to constantly remember that the old captain need no longer be obeyed, and learn to respond to the voice of the new.

It’s like this with us, Barnhouse suggested. Our old natures will keep on shouting out orders. But they have been stripped of all authority over us. We can obey them, but we do not have to. What we must do is to listen for the voice of our new Captain, Jesus, and choose to obey Him. He and He alone is to be obeyed, for the sin nature no longer can rule our lives.

We have so many ways to talk about the bondage we experienced in the past. “I can’t stop myself” is a cry that expresses hopelessness. So is, “The temptation is more than I can bear.” No matter how true such

Making Disciples

What Happened at Salvation?statements may have been once, they are no longer true. Now, at last, there is release and hope.1

B) We Received the Power of God

We are also indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). God takes up residence within us!

Romans 12:4-8; Eph. 4:7-12 - The Holy Spirit also gives each one of us one or more spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts are the supernatural ability to serve God in some manner.

We do not have to live a life of spiritual defeat. God has given us everything we need to live a godly life.

I Cor. 10:13 – There is not a single temptation that will ever come into the life of a believer that we cannot escape from. It doesn’t mean that we will never sin, but it does mean that we never have to sin.

III) All Spiritual Blessings

God also gave us all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3). We are spiritually rich beyond our wildest dreams.

Gal. 4:4-6 – We are adopted into His family.

John 3:16 – We have eternal life.

I Peter 1:4 – We have an inheritance in heaven.

I John 2:27; I Cor. 2:14-16 – We have the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit residing in us so we can understand the Word of God. The author of the Bible is living in you so you can ask Him for help in understanding.

Suggested Homework – Pick one thing that means the most to you and share it with someone else.

1 Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher's Commentary [CD-ROM] (Victor Books)

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingOne of the most important things a believer can ever do is learn to

pray. It is vitally important that every new believer learn to have a vibrant prayer life. They must learn to rely on God for everything and to experience the power in prayer.

This lesson is broken up into four sections. The first section deals with why we should pray and examines some commands to pray. The second section shows how to receive answers to prayer and also reveals hindrances to prayer. The third section teaches how to pray based on the Lord’s Prayer and other prayers found in Scripture. The final section deals with prayer and fasting.


It is vitally important that we learn to pray as Christians. We must stop relying on ourselves and instead put our faith in God through prayer. We will be looking at why we should pray, how to receive answers to prayer, how to pray, and prayer and fasting.

Prayer is one of the greatest privileges that could ever be granted by the Creator of the universe, but it is also one of the most neglected. If we want to experience the power of God in our lives then we must learn to pray.

In Psalm 65:2 God is called “thou that hearest prayer.” It both delights and honors God when His children pray to Him. True prayer is an act of faith, humility, and worship that exalts God and gives Him the reverence He deserves.

I) Why Pray

A) It is God’s will that we pray

I Thess. 5:17 – We are commanded to pray. There are many reasons to pray, but the most basic reason is that God commanded it. We must always have an attitude of dependence on God and bring everything to Him in prayer.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingWe live in habitual sin because we fail to pray as God commanded.

I Sam. 12:23 – A lack of prayer is sin. We should avoid it just like we would any other sin. This was spoken by Samuel as he transitioned leadership of the nation to Saul. Even though he was no longer the leader, he would still uphold them in prayer.

Heb. 11:6 – We should also pray because prayer is an act that brings pleasure to God. In prayer we are expressing our belief that God exists and that He will answer our prayers. Part of the way that we come to Him is through our prayers as we bring our requests before Him.

B) It is God’s way for us to experience His blessings

Psalm 55:22 – We should also pray since it is God’s way to sustain us through difficult times. It doesn’t matter what people do to us since God is able to sustain us as we cast our burdens on Him. This verse doesn’t mean that we won’t have difficulties. It does mean that God will be with us during them and enable us to be victorious in them.

John 16:24 – Prayer is how God has enabled us to have fullness of joy. God is a loving heavenly Father who wants to give His children gifts (Luke 11:11-13). We don’t experience His joy like we should because we don’t pray like we should.

Phil. 4:6-7 – We should pray because prayer is God’s way for us to replace our worry with His perfect peace. When we pray, God will guard our hearts and our minds with His peace instead of having us tear ourselves apart.

James 4:2 – Prayer is God’s way for us to receive things from Him. The reason we lack things from God is that we don’t ask for them or we ask for them in the wrong way.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingJames 1:5-6 – Prayer is also God’s way for us to obtain

wisdom. Whenever we are unsure of how to proceed, we are commanded to go to God. We are promised that He will answer or prayer and show us how to proceed. This verse will be examined in more detail in the unit on determining the will of God.

Matt. 6:25-34 – God desires that we seek Him and then let Him meet all of our daily needs.

C) It is God’s way for us to experience His power

Matt. 26:41 – We must also pray because it is the way that we avoid temptation and the destruction that comes from walking in the flesh (Matt. 6:13; Mark 14:38; I Cor. 10:13).

Luke 11:13 – Prayer is also necessary because it is God’s way for us to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we want the Holy Spirit’s power then we must ask. All believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9). This verse is speaking of His filling.

James 5:16 – Prayer is powerful and accomplishes a lot in this world. This is because God chooses to work through prayer.

In the book of Acts, prayer is closely tied with being filled with the power of the Holy Ghost (Acts. 1:13-14; 2:4; 4:31; 9:17; 13:1-4).

D) It is the way that God has given to change our land

I Tim. 2:1-2 – It is God’s appointed way to change the political landscape and to help us to live peaceful lives.

I Kings 18:36-40 – We should also pray so that we can show the power of God in the midst of an unbelieving society so that He will be glorified and people will turn to Him.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingII Chron. 7:14 – Prayer is necessary if we want to experience

revival in our land.

II) Answers to Prayer

A) God wants us to ask and He wants to answer our prayers

A key part of prayer is asking. We can see this in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13) which is almost all requests.

Matt. 7:7-11 – Sometimes God wants us to be persistent in our prayer. This means that He wants us to keep on praying about something. Ultimately God wants to answer our prayers and give us what we ask for (although He only wants to give us what is good).

God doesn’t want His children to be ignorant of what He is willing to do. He wants us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16) and to give definite answers to prayer so that His name will be glorified.

I John 5:14-15 – If we are praying according to the will of God then we know that we will receive a positive answer from God.

B) God has given us the requirements for receiving answers to prayer

We need to explore how we can experience the power of God in our prayer and come boldly to Him knowing He hears us.

Matt. 6:9 – We must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. This is the foundation for making requests from our heavenly Father. We cannot approach God as our Father if we have not trusted Christ as our Savior and been adopted into His family (Rom. 8:9-17).

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingPsalm 37:4 – We must have a surrendered life. We must trust

that God knows best and that He desires to give us good things. We need to pray that God would reveal His will to us and then pray according to it and trust Him.

John 15:7 – We must abide in Christ and in His Word. We need to know the Word of God and then we can pray with confidence. The word “abide” means to remain. We need to continually rely on Christ and His Word.

Romans 8:26-27 – We must be led by the Spirit of God. Any prayer that is presented in Christ’s name is assured of a positive answer (John 14:13) so we must be led of His Spirit and His Word to know what He would want. We need to seek His glory when praying.

Matt. 17:20; 21:22 – We must also ask in faith. God desires to bless us, but He does expect us to have faith that He will answer our prayers.

Luke 18:1-8 – God also want us to be persistent in our prayers. We show our faith by continuing to pray to Him.

C) We must remove things that would hinder our prayers

God wants to answer our prayers and to give us what we ask of Him. However, He will not condone sin. Therefore there are a number of things in Scripture mentioned as hindrances to receiving answers to prayer. You can use an illustration of a child. You may want to do something nice for the child, but if they start throwing a temper tantrum you won’t do it because you don’t want to encourage bad behavior.

I Sam. 15:22-23; 28:6; Deut. 1:45 – A rebellious attitude towards God is also a hindrance to prayer and to worship in general.

Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:2 – Unconfessed sin that we know about but refuse to make right is a hindrance to our prayers.

Making Disciples

Prayer and Fasting

Prov. 21:13 – A lack of mercy or compassion in our lives will hinder our prayers. If we don’t hear the cry of others then we cannot expect God to listen to our cries.

Prov. 1:24-30; 28:9 – A refusal to listen to God’s Word will hinder our prayers. This can include both open rebellion and well as treating the Word with indifference.

Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35 – A failure to forgive others will hinder our prayers. When we are praying and remember that we have something against another person then we should forgive them at that moment (Mark 11:22-26).

James 4:2-3 – Praying to simply satisfy our worldly lusts instead of praying in accordance with God’s will hinders our prayers. God must come first in everything.

I Peter 3:7 – An inappropriate relationship between a husband and wife will hinder our prayers. God has established guidelines for healthy marriages and if we violate these then our prayers will be hindered.

III) How to Pray

Since prayer is important we need to learn how to pray. There are a number of passages Scripture that teach us how to pray and what to pray for.

We are to pray about everything (Phil. 4:6). There is nothing too small or too big to bring to God.

A) We need to pray the way that Christ taught us

In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus taught His disciples to pray and there are a number of instructions for us to follow. This prayer is meant to teach us to pray, not to be words to recite.

Making Disciples

Prayer and Fasting1) We must remember that we are praying to “Our Father

which art in heaven.” We are not praying to men or angels, but to our heavenly Father.

2) We must pray that God’s name would be hallowed or set apart. We shouldn’t pray for things that would be contrary to what He would want. A person’s name in the Bible has to do with his character and represents him.

3) We must also recognize God’s right to reign. We are to pray that people will submit to God’s reign. We must also submit all of our desires to Him.

4) We must pray that God’s will would be done instead of worrying about what we think is best. Our desires must all conform to the will of God. We need to recognize that He knows best. Our prayers for ourselves and others must be in accordance with the will of God.

5) We must pray for our daily bread or that our daily needs would be met. We are dependent on God for everything. We need to pray to Him each day to give us what we need for that day. Each day we need to go before God and ask Him to meet our needs for that day.

6) We must confess of our sins and seek the Lord’s forgiveness. At the same time, we must be willing to forgive others.

7) We also need God’s help to avoid sin in the future. He has promised to do this for us (I Cor. 10:13).

8) We must seek God’s deliverance from Satan and His attacks.

9) In our prayer we need to praise and worship God and humbly submit to His will. Jesus prayed “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingMatt. 6:6-8 – We must also be careful that we are not trying to

impress others with our prayer. We need to avoid repeating words that we have heard instead of praying from the heart as the Lord leads us.

B) We need to pray for others as well as for ourselves

We are also to pray for the needs of others. In Gen. 18:23-33 we have the first intercessory prayer (or a prayer on behalf of someone else) of length in the Bible.

When we pray for others we can be bold (Gen. 18:23), but we must also be humble (Gen. 18:27). Abraham realized that he was unworthy of requesting anything from God.

We must pray based on the character of God. Abraham asked God to spare the cities based on God’s righteousness (18:25). We need to get to know God and pray according to what He desires and how He will act.

Our intercession must be based on a concern for others, not because of selfish interests.

C) We must confess our sins in our prayers (I John 1:9)

There are many prayers of confession in the Bible. Among these are Ezra 9:6-15; Neh. 1:4-11; Neh. 9; Job 40:3-5; Job 42:1-6; Psalm 51; and Daniel 9.

There are several things to note that are common. The first is that the person praying doesn’t try to justify himself or pretend he is better than others. The second is that he recognized that he deserved God’s judgment. The third is that he claimed the promises of God. The fourth is that he threw himself on the mercy of God.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingDaniel 9:1-19 contains one of the great prayers to be found in

the Scriptures. In it Daniel pours out his sorrow over his sins and the sins of his people.

Dan. 9:1-2 – Daniel prayed based on what he had been studying in the Word of God. His prayer was based on the revelation of God. He had been studying the words that the Lord had given to Jeremiah the prophet in Jer. 29:10 and realized that the fulfillment of God’s prophecy was at hand.

Dan. 9:5-6 – He did not try to act as though he had not sinned. He realized that they were all accountable for their sin. He did this even though Daniel is one of only a few major characters in the Old Testament that have no sin recorded against them.

How might we be considered guilty for the state we find our church or our country in?

We are guilty because we have frequently taken part in the actual sins. We are also guilty because we have not taken a stand against sin and warned people (Ezek. 3:17-21; I Thess. 5:14).

Dan. 9:7-8 – Daniel acknowledged that any sin is primarily a sin against God. We cannot say that our sin only affects us when we are rejecting the very God that gave His Son for us.

Dan. 9:16-18 – Daniel appealed to God on the basis of God’s mercy and righteousness. God had punished His people for their sins and now Daniel appealed to God that it would be just for him to restore them and end their reproach.

Dan. 9:17-19 – He wanted the Lord to both hear and answer the prayer that he was praying. He asked that God do this for the Lord’s sake. Israel was God’s chosen people. If He allowed them to be destroyed completely, it would have looked as though He couldn’t deliver them.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingD) God has shown us what we should pray for

There are also a number of things that we should pray about for other believers. Some of these are in the book of Ephesians.

Eph. 1:18 – We should pray that our brothers and sisters in the Lord would know the hope of the calling of Christ. We need to pray for one another that we would realize the hope of Christ’s calling when the difficult times come.

Eph. 1:19; 3:16 – We need to pray that our brothers and sisters would experience the power of God in their weaknesses (II Cor. 12:9) and that when they grow weary that they would experience the strength of God (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Eph. 3:17 – We also need to pray for each other that we would fully experience Christ in our lives. We need to pray that we would be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ instead of settling for a superficial relationship.

Eph. 3:18-19 – We also need to pray for each other that we would comprehend the greatness of the love that Christ has for us. We need to experientially know the love of Christ.

Eph. 3:19 – Finally, we need to pray that we would “be filled with all the fulness of God.” We must always pray that God would search our hearts and reveal anything in which we are not giving Him full control.

I Tim. 2:1-2 – We are also commanded to pray for all men and specifically for those who are in authority.

James 5:14-15 – We should also pray for those that are sick.

Luke 10:2 – We should also pray that God would raise up witnesses.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingE) We need to have good prayer habits

Luke 22:44; Col 4:12 – Prayer is hard-work. We need to believe that it is the most important thing that we can do in order to be willing to struggle through it at times.

There are many things that we can do to overcome our sin of prayerlessness. The first thing that we should do is set aside a time to pray every day (preferably first thing in the morning).

We should also learn to continue praying about something until we have peace that God has heard us and that He wants us to stop praying about the burden for a time.

We must force ourselves to think about God throughout the day and bring things before Him as they come up. We need to develop our relationship with Him and bring everything before Him. We need to talk with God continually.

We should also develop a prayer list. As you hear of needs write them down so that you will remember to continue to pray for them. Keep a list of the requests and their answers.

IV) Prayer and Fasting

Fasting means that we go without food for a time so that we can devote ourselves to prayer and seeking the Lord.

A) Reasons to fast

Judges 20:26-27 – The Israelites sorrowed over the loss of life. Their confusion over how they could be defeated and their desire to know the Lord’s will caused them to fast and seek His direction.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingThis shows us that fasting is frequently the result of sorrow over

a situation that we are facing. This then causes us to seek the Lord and our desire for Him and His will is so intense that we go without food for some time to more fully seek Him.

I Sam. 7:6 – The people were under the oppression of the Philistines and at the same time recognized their sin. Their sorrow over their sin caused them to fast and confess their sins.

II Sam. 1:12 – Great sorrow also leads people to fast as a means of expressing their grief. This shows the great amount of sorrow that frequently drove people to fast.

II Sam. 12:16-23 – Fasting can also be done when we desire the Lord’s help in a personal situation in our life. David fasted when his infant son was sick and sought his son’s healing.

II Chron. 20:1-4 – We can also fast when our nation is faces great national danger.

Ezra 8:21-23 – Fasting is also important when we find ourselves in a dangerous situation where we cannot get help from other sources.

Matt. 17:14-21 – Fasting is also important when we face a very difficult situation. There are some things that won’t change until we spend dedicated time alone with God and seek only Him.

Acts 13:1-3 – We also need to consider fasting when considering God’s direction for a new work that we are starting. In this passage, the early church was about to send out the first missionaries and they wanted the Lord’s direction.

Making Disciples

Prayer and FastingB) How to fast

Neh. 9:1-3 – Fasting is not just refraining from food. It is also seeking God and His forgiveness or help.

Isaiah 58:3-7 – God makes it clear that true fasting comes from the heart and is not just an outward act. He will not respond to our heartless acts.

Matt. 6:16-18 – We should not show off when we are fasting or try to make ourselves look spiritual. We must fast only to God and seek His will instead of the praises of men.

Matt. 9:14-15 – Fasting is still important today. Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast when He was on the earth, but He did say that they would fast after His ascension.

It is important to realize that fasting is not just about going without food. It is about denying the flesh and our abilities and seeking the Lord and His forgiveness, help, guidance, and deliverance.

Note: You should seek medical guidance if you have a medical condition like diabetes or if you are going to fast for an extended period of time.

I Cor. 7:5 – Fasting is meant to be a time when we choose to not satisfy our flesh, even with good things, so we can spend time with our Lord because He is more important.

Suggested homework: Develop a prayer list. Be sure to include answers to prayer. Set aside time each day to pray and also try to pray throughout the day.

Making Disciples

The Word of GodThe Word of God is vital to the life of the believer. It is “quick and

powerful” (Heb. 4:12). Unfortunately it is neglected by believers in their personal study. As a result they are led astray by any false teacher that they may see on television. The object of this lesson is to introduce the disciple to the Bible and help them to make the Scriptures a regular part of their lives.

This lesson is broken up into three sections. The first section deals with the importance of the Word and how it affects our lives. The second section introduces the doctrine of the Bible including revelation, inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility. The third section teaches how to make the Bible a part of life.


The Bible reveals all that God wants us to know regarding Himself. It also reveals how we should live. It is extremely important that every believer regularly spends time in the Word and allows it to change their lives.

We must not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). We need to learn the Word of God and live according to it.

We will be examining the importance of the Word of God in the life of the believer. After we have seen why we should study it, we then need to understand what the Word of God is. Finally, we will begin to look at how to make it a normal part of our life.

I) The Importance of the Bible

A) The Word of God is Basic to the Christian Life

Romans 10:17 – The Word of God is the source of faith. It shows the way of eternal life (John 20:31). We need to present the Word of God when witnessing to others. The Bible is what God will use in their lives.

Making Disciples

The Word of GodII Timothy 2:15 – We are to study the Word so that we can be

approved by God. We are already accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6). We now need to ensure that our thoughts and actions are approved by God. Study means to make an effort or to be diligent. Approved means to be tried as metals are tried by fire and purified.

I Peter 2:2 – It is our spiritual food. We need it to grow spiritually (Deut. 8:3; Psalm 119:103; Matt. 4:4).

B) The Word of God Keeps Us from Sin

Psalm 119:9 – The Word of God shows us how to live pure lives.

Psalm 119:11 – Memorizing God’s Word helps keep us from sin.

I Cor. 10:11 – The Word of God warns us of the consequences of sin. We can learn from the examples of others and avoid their mistakes.

Hebrews 4:12 – The Word of God shows us our true heart. It helps to reveal our true motives. We need to allow it to expose our hidden thoughts and motives.

Hosea 4:6 – Rejection of God’s Word brings destruction.

C) The Word of God Brings Great Blessing

Psalm 119:105 – The Word of God gives us light to light our ways. It shows us the way that we should go (Psalm 119:130).

Psalm 119:82 – The Word of God brings comfort when we are struggling (I Thess. 4:18).

Psalm 119:98 – The Word of God gives us wisdom.

Making Disciples

The Word of GodPsalm 119:111; Jeremiah 15:16 – The Word of God brings joy

to those that are seeking God.

Romans 15:4 – The Word of God teaches us what we need to know so that we might have hope.

D) The Word of God Helps Us to Live Victorious Lives

Ephesians 6:17 – The Word of God is our weapon in the fight against Satan.

II Timothy 3:16-17 – The Word of God enables us to be spiritually complete. It enables us to lack nothing we need in order to do what God wants us to do. It does this by teaching us, showing us what is wrong in our lives, showing us how we can be right again, and instructing us in how to stay right.

James 1:22-25 – We should read it to change our lives. It is not just an intellectual exercise. This passage gives a powerful illustration that can be used to shows the difference between just reading the Word and living it.

II) The Doctrine of the Bible

A) The Revelation of the Bible

Revelation is “a divine act of God communicating to man what otherwise man could not know but must learn to be related to God.”2

In a general way, God reveals Himself through nature (Psalm 19:1-6), human conscience (Romans 2:14-15), and the provision of God (Acts 14:15-17). As a result of the general revelation of God, man is “without excuse” (Romans 1:20-21). The general revelation of God reveals that He exists, but it does not reveal how to be saved.

2 Robert P. Lightner, Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986) p. 10

Making Disciples

The Word of GodGod revealed Himself in a special way as well. He revealed His

plan of salvation and His directions on how to live. The revelation of God came through His Son Jesus Christ (John 1:18; Heb. 1:1-3) and the Word of God (Heb. 4:12; II Peter 1:20-21).

The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself and His will for us. It is not the thoughts of men. It is the revelation of the Creator.

Paul calls the Old Testament Scriptures the “oracles of God” (Rom. 3:2). Phrases such as “thus saith the Lord” occur hundreds of times in the Bible (one person has stated that it is as many as 3,800 times). Peter calls the writings of Paul Scripture in II Peter 3:15-16.

B) The Inspiration of the Bible

Inspiration is the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit, who through the different personalities and literary styles of the chosen human authors invested the very words of the original books of Holy Scripture, alone and in their entirety, as the very Word of God without error in all that they teach or imply (including history and science), and the Bible is thereby the infallible rule and final authority for faith and practice of all believers.3

II Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Inspiration literally means “God breathed”. It is important to note that all of Scripture is equally inspired. We cannot pick what we want to believe.

The actual words of Scripture are inspired. Matt. 22:31-32 shows that even the tense of verbs is crucial (Ex. 3:6). In Gal. 3:16 we see that even the fact of whether a noun is singular or plural is vital. Matt. 5:18 shows that every part of the Word of God is critical.

3 Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology Volume One, (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2002), 241.

Making Disciples

The Word of GodGod used men to record His Word and He worked with their

personalities. He made sure there was a man with just the right personality ready to record His Word when it was appropriate.

C) The Inerrancy of the Bible

Inerrancy means that when all the facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything they teach, whether that teaching has to do with doctrine, history, science, geography, geology, or other disciplines or knowledge.4

Scriptural Support: All Scripture is God breathed (II Timothy 3:16-17). Since God is perfect (Deut. 32:4; Matthew 5:48), knows all things (Psalm 147:5) and is always true (Psalm 146:6; Hebrews 6:18); all Scripture must be without error. It is important to see how one truth builds on the previous truth. Once one of these truths is attacked then we have not sure foundation.

Psalm 12:6-7; Prov. 30:5 - Scripture claims it is pure (Psalm 119:140).

We may not yet understand every passage, but that does not mean that the Bible is in error. It means that we are in error. Inerrancy demands the account does not teach error or contradiction.

What Scripture states as true is what is without error, not everything that the biblical characters actually say. For example, in Genesis 3:4, Satan says that Eve would not die if she ate of the fruit. It is true that Satan said this, but obviously he was lying.

D) The Infallibility of the Bible4 James Montgomery Boice, Does Inerrancy Matter? (Oakland: International Council on Biblical Innerrancy, 1979), p. 13. as quoted in The Moody Handbook of Theology

Making Disciples

The Word of God

The Infallibility of the Bible means that it will never fail in its purpose, preservation, promises, or prophecies.

Isaiah 55:11 – God’s Word will always accomplish its purpose.

Psalm 12:6-7; I Peter 1:24-25 – God’s Word will never be destroyed.

Since God knows all things (Psalm 147:5), can do all things (Jer. 32:17; Luke 1:37), and is always true (Psalm 146:6; Hebrews 6:18); we can trust that everything He has predicted or promised will come to pass.

E) The Authority of the Bible

The Bible is inspired, without error, and will never fail. As a result, it has absolute authority in our lives. It is binding in all that it commands and states. It is God’s standard against which to evaluate behavior.

Matthew 4:4 – We will live by every Word of God.

F) The Canonicity of the Bible

Once we have determined that all Scripture is inspired, without error, will never fail, and has absolute authority; we must next consider how the actual books that belong in Scripture were determined.

Terms: Canon – all of the books that are a part of Scripture (the word actually means measuring rod). If a book is canonical then it is a part of Scripture. Determining a books canonicity means determining if it belongs in Scripture.

It must be noted that God is the one who determines if a book is canonical or not. Men simply recognize what God already knows. The inspiration of a book is what determines if it is part of the canon of Scripture; not its antiquity, authenticity or religious value.

A book is in the canon of Scripture because it is inspired; NOT the other way around.

Making Disciples

The Word of GodGeneral Rules for Recognizing Canonicity

1) Is the book authoritative – Does it come with the authority of God?

2) Is it prophetic – Was it written by a real man of God?

3) Is it authentic – Does it tell the truth – who was the author?

4) Is it dynamic – Does it have life-changing power?

5) Are its contents consistent with other parts of Scripture?

6) What did those closest to its writing feel about its inspiration?

G) The Illumination of the Bible

[Illumination is] the ministry of the Holy Spirit whereby He enlightens those who are in a right relationship with him to comprehend the written Word of God.5

I Corinthians 2:9-14 – The unsaved person cannot comprehend the Word of God, but we have the Holy Spirit so we can.

I John 2:20, 27 – We have been anointed by the Holy Spirit and He gives us the ability to understand the Word.

It is important to give the disciple hope that they can understand the Word of God. They need to ask God to help them.

H) The Languages of the Bible

The Bible was written in three languages. The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew with some passages in Aramaic (Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Jer. 10:11; Daniel 2:4-7:28). The New Testament was written in Greek.

I) The Proofs of the Bible

5 Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989) p. 175

Making Disciples

The Word of God

1) The Life Transforming ability of the Bible.2) The Integrity of Jesus – Matthew 5:17-18; Luke 24:44. He

claims the Bible is true.3) The Unity of the Bible – It was written over a period of 1,500

years by 40 authors from all walks of life in three languages in different countries; yet it is completely unified.

4) The Prophecies of the Bible – They are 100% accurate and so many have been fulfilled in such detail that there is no way that it could have been chance.

5) The Moral Superiority of the Bible – No other Book teaches such high morals.

6) The Historicity of the Bible – It has been verified time after time through archaeology. Genesis 10 is called the table of nations and is known for its accuracy it laying out the early nations. Archaeologists have claimed civilizations in the Bible didn’t exist only to be proven wrong later.

7) The Indestructibility of the Bible – It has survived the test of time far better than other literature. People have tried to destroy it through banning it and criticism and failed. Voltaire predicted the destruction of the Bible, but after his death his home became a printing press for the Bible.

8) The Subjects Included in the Bible – The types of subjects in the Bible would normally cause men to have different opinions, but the Bible is unified.

9) The Personalities in the Bible – The Bible deals openly and honestly with the “heroes” in it unlike most other literature.

10) The Prophecies about Jesus – The odds are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 that just eight of what are considered the 61 “major” prophecies concerning him would be fulfilled.

Making Disciples

The Word of GodIII) The Intake of the Bible

A) Making the Bible a Part of Your Life

There are five key steps in making the Bible yours.

The first step is to get the Bible into your life. This includes hearing the Word, reading the Word, memorizing the Word, and meditating on the Word.

The second step is studying the Bible or understanding what it says.

The third step is interpreting the Bible or understanding what it means.

The fourth step is to determine how it applies to your life in particular.

These first four steps are summarized in Neh. 8:1-8.

The final step is to actually do what the Word of God tells you to do (James 1:22-25). It is important to emphasize this point. It is not enough just to read the words, you must be willing to do what the Bible tells you to do.

B) Listening to the Preaching and Teaching of the Bible

The hearing of the Word means that we need to be in a good church that faithfully teaches the Word. We may listen to other sources, but God has given men that can train the saints to do the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12). We must be faithful in church attendance.

We should always listen expecting to learn something. We should also listen and ask the Lord to show us what to change.

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The Word of GodIt is also can also be helpful to take notes in order to help

yourself focus and at the same time will make it easier to remember.

C) Reading the Bible

The reading of the Word is also important. It is sometimes good to read a larger passage of Scripture or even try to read a whole book in one setting to get an overall idea of the flow.

Deut. 17:19-20 – The king of Israel was to read the Bible daily so he wouldn’t be prideful and so he would know what to do.

Psalm 119:147-148 – The Psalmist would refuse to sleep because he wanted to read the Word more than sleep.

If you have trouble reading then you can listen to the Bible at http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html.

In addition to reading the Word we need to memorize it. A good way is to write the verse on one side of an index card and the reference on the other and then carry it with you and study when you have time.

Psalm 119:11 – When we have God’s Word memorized it will help to keep us from sinning.

We also need to meditate on the Word. Meditation means that we think about the Word and what it means throughout the day. We try to draw as much out of it as we can and allow it to work in our lives.

Psalm 1:2 – Meditation in the law of the Lord is a mark of a righteous man (Josh. 1:8).

Suggested Homework – Begin reading in the book of John. Memorize John 3:16. Pray and ask for God’s help before you start. Pick a verse each day to think about throughout the day.

Making Disciples

The Devotional LifeIt is important to have daily devotions, but the life of the believer is

more than just a few minutes in reading the Word of God and prayer. The entire life must be spent consciously in the presence of God worshipping Him. The object of this lesson is to introduce the disciple to the devotional life and worship.

This lesson is broken up into two sections. The first section deals with the devotional life. The second section deals with personal worship.


I) The Devotional Life

It is important that we daily spend time in the Bible and in prayer. However, there is more to it than just having devotions. We must have a devotional life.

Matt. 15:8 – We must not be like the Pharisees who honored God with their lips, but didn’t love Him with their hearts. It is important to stress that the Christian life is not about doing things, but instead it involves being with God and enjoying time in His presence.

Psalm 42:1-2 – We need to be like the Psalmist who thirsted after God like a deer would thirst for water. We need to have fellowship with Him instead of just reading and saying words.

Having a devotional life means that we are walking consciously in the presence of God every day. It means that we find our joy and happiness in Him instead of in the things of this world. We must find our satisfaction in our relationship with God and not the things of this world.

A devotional life begins with God and makes Him the focus of every decision and action. A devotional life means not just reading, but also meditating on the Word. It means not just praying at God, but talking to Him.

Making Disciples

The Devotional Life

George Muller ran a very large orphanage in England. He had tremendous cares placed on him each day, but he learned to first spend time with God.

George Muller wrote: “I saw more clearly than ever that the first and great primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished.”

He went on to say: “Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it; that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, while meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experiential communion with God.”

There are some practical things that we can do to help in this area.

The most important thing is to get a clear vision of God and who He truly is. Once we see God as He is, we will want to be with Him so badly that we will not let other things come before Him.

We must also realize that the most important thing that we can do for ourselves and others is to have the proper relationship with God. If our relationship with God is not what it should be then we cannot properly help others.

We must also begin each day with God. We must meditate on His Word and pray each day. If we put this off then it is too easy to get distracted by other things. Our fellowship with Him must continue throughout the day.

We must also schedule time to spend with God. We cannot plan on getting to it whenever we have time. We need to plan regular times to have extended periods of fellowship with God. We need to put Him first in our lives.

Making Disciples

The Devotional Life

II) Personal Worship

Closely related to the idea of the devotional life is the idea of personal worship. We must come together in corporate worship (Heb. 10:25), but we must also personally worship Him.

Psalm 95:6 – We are called to worship God and bow before Him. Matt. 4:10 goes on to make it clear that we are to worship God alone.

The word worship means that we give proper worth to God. We do this through our praise of Him, through our obedience to His Word, and through our service to Him.

Rev. 4:8-11 – This is a scene of worship in heaven. Our worship involves recognizing God for who He is. It is also recognizing that everything that we have comes from Him and casting any rewards at His feet.

Rev. 5:8-14 – Our worship also includes our prayers to Him. We must recognize that He alone is worthy and fall down before Him instead of exalting ourselves.

John 4:23-24 – We must worship God in spirit and in truth. Our worship must come from our hearts. Our worship must be based on our relationship with Him instead of being based on external forms. We must also worship in truth. It must be based on how He has revealed Himself instead of what we can think up.

Jer. 29:13 – God promised the Jewish nation that they would find Him when they searched for Him with their whole heart. God doesn’t want a half-hearted commitment.

Describing modern man, one has written, “He worships his work, works at his play, and plays at his worship.”6 We must be careful that this can never be said of us.

6 Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs: Navpress Publishing Group), p. 95

Making Disciples

Spiritual GrowthThis lesson is intended to help the disciple begin to grow spiritually. It

summarizes some key things to remember in order to grow spiritually. It will give an introduction to spiritual growth. Later lessons will get into the key concepts more fully.

This lesson is broken up into three sections. The first section deals with the basics of the Christian life. The second section teaches the steps that God gives for growth in II Peter 1. The final section looks at some key aspects of faith from Hebrews 11.


It is important that we grow as believers. We need to learn more about how to live the life that God had given to us and we need to put these things into practice. It is good to use an illustration of a baby. We would not expect a teenager to still eat baby food and to need to be unable to do certain things. The same idea of growth applies to growth in our Christian lives.

I) Remember the Basics

There are certain key things that need to be in the life of a believer. We have already looked at some of these but we always need to make sure that we do the basics and then build from there.

Matt. 6:5-13; 26:41 – A key aspect of spiritual growth is prayer. We need to ask God to meet all of our needs. We need His help to deal with the temptations to sin that come into our lives.

I Peter 2:2 – We also must spend time in the Word of God. In His Word, God shows us how to grow. He gives us all of the instruction we need in order to grow into mature Christians.

Heb. 10:25 – It is also important to attend a church that faithfully preaches and teaches the Word of God. God has given us pastors to help us grow (Eph. 4:11-12) so we should take advantage of what He has provided.

Making Disciples

Spiritual Growth

I John 1:9 – We must also confess our sins as soon as we realize we have done something wrong. This means that we admit to God that we are wrong and ask Him to forgive us. The word “confess” means to agree together with or to say together with. We say what we have done and agree with God that it is wrong.

II) Follow God’s Steps for Growth.

In II Peter 1:5-11, God gives us some key steps that we must take in the Christian life. It is important to stress that these steps add to one another. We don’t stop doing one when we begin doing the next. The word “add” also means to supply. We supply virtue to our faith, knowledge to our virtue, and continue to build like this.

II Peter 1:5 – Everything begins with our faith in Christ. Once we are saved we need to add virtue to our faith. This means that we must do the things that we know are right.

II Peter 1:5 – We must then add knowledge to our virtue. We need to learn more of what God wants from us through spending time in His Word. As we learn things we should begin doing those things in our daily lives.

II Peter 1:6 – As we learn things in God’s Word, we must also begin to practice temperance or self-control. We have different desires in our life and we need to bring those under control.

II Peter 1:6 – Becoming a Christian does not mean that we will not have hard-times that we go through. We need to have patience or endurance in our lives. This is possible is we control our own desires and learn how to live from God’s Word.

II Peter 1:6 – We need to do more than just overcome sin in our life. We need to add godliness to our patience. This means that we learn of God and try to be more like Him each day.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GrowthII Peter 1:7 – In order to be like God we need to look beyond

ourselves. We need to have an affection and concern for other believers based on the common bond that we have in Christ.

II Peter 1:7 – Finally we must add self-sacrificial love. We must get to the point where we want to give of ourselves in order to serve the Lord and do what He wants.

III) Walk by Faith

Another key aspect of our Christian life is that we must walk by faith. This means that we trust that God knows best and do what He wants even if we don’t see how it can work at the time.

I John 5:4 – We are going to face many things as a Christian. People will try to get us to do wrong. There are many temptations to do things man’s way instead of God’s way. Faith is the way that we will have victory in these things.

Heb. 11:1 – Faith gives substance to the things that we look forward to as Christians. It makes them real to us so that we do not get discouraged when hard times come.

Faith operates in the realm of those things that we look forward to or hope in such as our future home in heaven. It also operates in the realm of those things which we cannot see such as God and His provision of eternal life in the sacrifice of His Son. When it comes to things we can physically see and prove we don’t need faith.

Moulton and Milligan1717 report its use as a legal term. They say that it stands for “the whole body of documents bearing on the ownership of a person’s property, deposited in archives, and forming the evidence of ownership.”7 They add that it has the

1717 Vocabulary of the Greek Testament.

7Wuest, K. S. (1997, c1984). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English reader (Heb 11:1).

Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

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Spiritual Growth“central idea of something that underlies visible conditions and guarantees a future possession.”8

The word “substance” has to do with confidence. True faith takes hold on the promises that God has given to us and makes them as real to us as if we physically held them in our hands. Faith means that we don’t have to live in fear of the future.

Heb. 11:1 – Faith is also the evidence of those things that we cannot see. This word is the same word that you would use for evidence presented in court. When we have faith, we are convinced that something is true even though we can’t see it.

One man states: ‘The world says, “Seeing is believing.” God says, “Believing is seeing.” Jesus said to Martha, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see ...” (John 11:40). The Apostle John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe ... that you may know” (1 Jn. 5:13). In spiritual matters faith precedes understanding.’9

Dr. J. Oswald Sanders put it perfectly: “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.”10

Faith is not some blind hope that we have when there is no other choice. It is a supernatural gift from God that we need to either accept or reject (Eph. 2:8-9; II Peter 1:1-3). God gives us faith so that we can live for Him by faith.

Heb. 10:38 – Faith is not limited to salvation. Everything that we do in our life should be done on the basis of faith. Even our obedience should be done because we love God and trust that His way is best, not because we want to impress people.

Heb 11:3 – We must accept by faith the Scripture’s account of Creation and the fact that God created the world out of nothing.

8 Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, p. 660.

9MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (electronic ed.)

(Heb 11:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.10

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt. (Heb 11:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

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Spiritual GrowthWe don’t give up thinking, but we do accept the evidence that true faith gives us. Once we accept the witness of faith we can see how logical our faith is, but faith must come first.

Books by Henry Morris, Ken Hamm, and others show that Creation makes sense, but we need to respond in faith first and then God gives us reassurance of our faith

Heb. 11:6 – The first object of our faith must be God Himself. We must place our trust in Him as He as revealed Himself to us, not as we want Him to be. This second object of our faith is that we trust the promises of God and the fact that He will keep each of His promises (Rom. 4:21). Ultimately faith shows that we fully trust that God is willing and able to keep all of His promises.

The Christian life is a life of faith. This faith is not a vague hope, but instead it is our title-deed to our sure future hope and it is absolute evidence of the things that we cannot see with our eyes.

Suggested homework: Make sure that you have devotions each day this week. Also be faithful in church attendance and confess anything you realize you have done wrong. Write down a list of five things you know you should be doing. Keep track of how well you do. As you read the Bible look for one more thing you should add to the list.

Making Disciples

Biblical SeparationOne of the great issues in the church today is that believers look just

like the world in many ways. We must be separated from this world in order to be effective for God and bring glory to Him. The object of this lesson is to introduce the disciple to Biblical Separation and how it relates to true Christian liberty.

This lesson is broken up into six sections. The first section deals with the importance of Biblical Separation. The second section deals with the dual nature of Biblical Separation. The third section teaches sanctification from the world. The fourth section deals with the greatest hindrance to Biblical Separation. The fifth section explains true Christian liberty. The sixth section teaches principles for setting Biblical boundaries


As believers we must be separate from the things of this world that are contrary to the Word of God. People tend to think of Biblical separation as limiting. In reality it is a great protection and blessing for the child of God.

Everyone practices separation. Everyone has certain people they don’t want to hang around with or certain places they don’t want to go. The only difference is the basis on which we separate.

I) The Importance of Biblical Separation

I Peter 1:15-16 – We are to be holy or set apart like God is. We are a poor representative of Him if we act like the world does instead of acing like him.

Numbers 25:1-9 – The area where we refuse to separate will

become a stumbling block. The Israelites did not separate from the people of Moab. As a result, they began to worship their gods (v. 2), which led to the severe judgment of God (v. 9).

Making Disciples

Biblical SeparationII Chron. 18:1-3; 21:1-6; 22:1-12 – The compromise of one

generation becomes the standard of the next generation. What we tolerate our children exaggerate.

Jehoshaphat, who was a good king, joined himself with Ahab who was a wicked king (II Chron. 18:1-3). As a result his son (Jehoram) met and married Athaliah the daughter of Ahab (II Chron. 21:1-6; 22:2).

Jehoram followed the wickedness of Ahab and killed all of his brothers. His son, Ahaziah, became king after him and followed the house of Ahab, which led to his destruction (II Chron. 22:1-4).

After his death, his mother took over and ended up killing all of her grandsons except for one that was hidden (22:10-12).

Genesis 19:12-14 – The lack of Biblical separation causes us to be unable to reach family and friends.

When Lot went to tell his sons-in-law to flee Sodom because of the coming destruction, he seemed as one that mocked because of his lack of separation. Lot had such a poor testimony that he failed to reach his own family for righteousness (Gen. 19:8, 12, 15 with Gen. 18:23-33). There were probably at least ten people in Lot’s family and he failed to reach even them.

John 8:34 – Sin has an enslaving effect on us. By remaining separate we can escape the enslavement of sin.

Haggai 2:11-14; I Cor. 5:1-6; 15:33 – Sin also has a corrupting influence. If we allow any sin to be accepted then it will spread. It can affect our lives, our families, and the church. This is similar to the effect that rotten food has on good food.

Our sin will corrupt everything that we try to do for God (Haggai 2:11-14).

Isaiah 59:1-2 – If we allow sin into our lives, God may not listen to our prayers. Separation is necessary to experience the power of God in our lives.

Making Disciples

Biblical SeparationI Cor. 9:27 – Sin can disqualify us from being able to serve God. It

can cause us to fail the test and be rejected from serving God. Separation preserves our ability to serve.

Ezekiel 22:26 – A failure to separate brings reproach to God’s name.

II) The Dual Nature of Biblical Separation

One of the keys to being able to maintain Biblical separation is realizing that it involves being separated from one thing in order to be separated to something else. Marriage is a great illustration of this. We are not just separated from all other men or women. We are separated to our spouses. Our spouses would not be happy if we complained that we could not be with other people.

II Cor. 6:17-18 – We are to be separated from that which is sinful and ungodly and separated to God, a blessed fellowship with Him, and that which is godly. The blessings of what we are separated to are far greater than what we may seem to be giving up.

I Peter 2:1-2 – We are to be separated from sin and separated to the Word of God.

Eph. 4:17-29 – We are to be separated from our old sinful ways and separated to newness of life.

Being separated from the world without being separated to God has no spiritual value. It just causes us to be prideful and spiritually arrogant. An example of this would be the Pharisees (Matt. 23:25-30).

Matt. 12:43-45; II Chron. 12:13-14 – If we are separated from the world, but not separated to God then we will not stay separated from the world for long.

Making Disciples

Biblical SeparationIII) Sanctification From the World

A) A Definition of Worldliness

James 4:4 – The world system stands in opposition to God. It is characterized by lust and pride (I John 2:15-17).

Worldliness is an affection for the pleasures, philosophy, position, praise, or possessions of this present world that diminishes our commitment to God.

B) The Need for a Renewed Mind

There are four areas in which we can separate or make a distinction. They are our associations (II Cor. 6:14-18), our actions (II Cor. 7:1 – flesh – what you do), our attitudes (II Cor. 7:1 – spirit – our spirit), and our appearance (I Cor. 11:4-6).

The important thing to realize is that our appearance, actions, attitudes, and associations are just symptoms. They are the result of our affections.

Romans 12:1-2 – Instead of allowing the world to mold us, we must allow God to renew our minds and change us from the inside out.

C) The Tools God Provides

Sanctification (separation from the world) is primarily a work that God does in us through some tools that He has equipped us with.

However, we must respond to the work that God is doing in our lives and use the tools that He has provided. We have a role in cleansing ourselves (II Cor. 7:1).

Making Disciples

Biblical SeparationJohn 17:17; Psalm 119:11; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 19:7-11 – The

Word of God sanctifies us. This means that we must learn the Word of God (John 8:32; II Tim. 2:15).

Romans 8:14 – The Holy Spirit guides us in how to be sanctified. We need to allow ourselves to be filled with or led by the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18).

Hebrews 12:5-11 – God also sends chastening or correction into our lives just like an earthly father corrects his children. We must be attentive to God’s chastening and respond to it.

James 1:2-4 – God uses trials to bring us to spiritual maturity. We need to learn from our trials and allow God to work through them.

Eph. 4:11-16 – God also uses the preaching of the world to enable us to overcome worldliness. We must resolve to respond to what we hear preached. We cannot just hear the Word and ignore it (James 1:22-25).

Acts 2:42-43; Heb. 10:24-25 – Finally, God uses fellowship with other believers to bring spiritual maturity. We must not forsake fellowship with other believers.

D) Practical Steps We Can Take

Daniel 1:8 – We must resolve to be right and to stay right.

Phil. 3:13-14 – We must press forward, not look back.

Matthew 26:41 – We must pray.

Proverbs 16:3 – We must commit our way to God.

II Cor. 10:1-5; Prov. 4:23 – We must guard our thought life.

Psalm 1:1; II Cor. 6:14-16 – We must maintain godly friendships.

Making Disciples

Biblical SeparationIV)The Greatest Hindrance to Separation

The lack of separation is really a symptom of a greater problem. This greater problem is that we don’t have a proper view of God and we don’t love him the way that we should.

Mark 12:28-31 – The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been higher than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshipper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given moment may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.11

Isaiah 6:5 – A low view of God lessens our conviction of sin. When Isaiah saw the holiness of God then he was able to really see just how sinful he was.

Prov. 16:6 – A proper fear of God causes us to depart from evil.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 – God states that our understanding and knowledge of Him is what is truly important.

When you move from your experience to God, you always distort God … When you see God only through … experiences, you distort God. The Bible turns this upside down. Don't start from you experiences and work up to God. Start from God and work down to you experiences, whether past or present. Define who God is, and then bring that to bear on what's happening in your life.12 This is seen in the book of Job.

11 A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1961), pp. 1-2.12 Dr. Jim Binney, Practical Biblical Counseling (New Concord, OH: L.E.A.D. Ministries Inc., 1999), p. 7-4. quoting Dr. Kohn Beffler, "Journal of Biblical Counseling," Winter, 1994

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Biblical Separation

Indicators of Distorted Consecration.13

Luke 18:12 – Pride in outward conformity.

Luke 18:11 – Contempt for others who don't conform.

Luke 15:29 – Anger when a repentant sinner receives blessings.

Gal. 5:19-21 – A chronic struggle with the sins of the flesh.

Gal. 5:22-23 – An absence of the fruit of the Spirit.

Gal. 5:16 – Regular unfulfilled resolutions to "try harder".

Jer. 9:23-24; Luke 10:41-42 – Discouragement and guilt when failing to "perform" or "produce".

Isaiah 8:13 – Fear of displeasing men who hold similar views.

Isaiah 40:31 – Spiritual exhaustion and burnout from operating in the energy of the flesh.

V) True Christian Liberty

Some people deny biblical liberation and say that the Christian is free to live however he wants. In reality, true liberty is found in Biblical separation, not apart from it (Psalm 119:45).

Prov. 5:22; John 8:32 – It frees us from the bondage of sin.

Psalm 119:22 – It frees us from the reproach of sin.

James 1:14-15 – It frees us from the danger of sin.

I Cor. 9:24-27 – It frees us to do the will of God.

II Cor. 6:14-18 – It frees us to enjoy a great relationship with God.

13 Dr. Jim Binney, Practical Biblical Counseling (New Concord, OH: L.E.A.D. Ministries Inc., 1999), p. 6-5.

Making Disciples

Biblical SeparationVI)Biblical Principles for Setting Boundaries

In I Thess. 5:21 we are commanded to prove (or put to the test) all things. Each action that we do should be held up to the light of God's Word to determine if we should do it or not.

We must have guidelines to help us evaluate our actions. The Bible gives us questions to ask in order to help us.

Psalm 119:105; Matthew 28:20 – Is it scriptural?

Romans 14:13-21; I Cor. 8; 10:16-33 – Will this be a stumbling-block to a fellow believer or an unsaved person? Will it keep them from being saved or hurt their walk with God?

Romans 14:22-23 – Does it create personal doubt and confusion?

Romans 14:19; I Cor. 10:23 – Will it help or hinder our Christian walk or the walk of others?

Psalm 1:1 – Does it expose you to an unnecessary, ungodly influence?

Gal. 5:13-21 – Is it sensual or fleshly in its appeal?

I Cor. 6:12b – Is it enslaving?

II Cor. 6:14-18 – Does it place you in an unequal yoke?

Heb 12:1; James 4:17 – Will it keep me from doing what God wants me to do?

Proverbs 27:12 – Where will this action lead? You need to think about the long-term consequences of your actions. What are the possible consequences of someone drinking alcohol and then driving home?

I Cor. 10:31 – Does it glorify God? Will people think more of God or less of God based on what they see you doing?

Making Disciples

Determining the Will of GodThe disciple must determine the will of God for his or her life. Godly

believers can give advice, but ultimately the disciple needs to be able to speak to God and determine where the Lord is leading.


As believers our desire should be to fulfill the will of God for our lives. If we want to do this then we must learn how to determine the will of God. If we don’t we will either waste a lot of time or get really busy doing the wrong things. We will never accomplish what God wants us to.

I) Your Relationship to Christ is the Most Important Thing

Mark 3:13-15 – We are not first called to a place or a position, but to a person. We can get so worried about what we are to do that we forget Who we are to be with. The most important thing that we can work on in the Christian life is our relationship with Jesus Christ (Luke 10:38-42). The Luke passage is the story of Mary and Martha. Martha put service ahead of a relationship and was rebuked for it.

II) There Are Key Principles in Determining God’s Will

Rom. 8:29 – A key part of God’s will is that you should be conformed to the image of His Son. When determining if something is God’s will ask if it will make you more like Christ or not. In order to do this we must get to know Christ which is why our relationship with Him is the most important thing.

John 15:16 – God does have a specific plan for your life. He saved you and left you on this earth so that you could bring forth fruit. The point to emphasize is that we must seek to do those things that will enable us to bring people to Christ, help one another grow, and bring glory to God. We should not seek to fulfill selfish desires.

John 3:30 – We must always do what would exalt Christ instead of ourselves. We need to evaluate everything we do. We must stop doing things that exalt ourselves instead of Christ.

Making Disciples

Determining the Will of GodIII) There Are Practical Steps in Determining God’s Will

II Tim. 2:15 – We must also study to understand the will of God as revealed in the Bible. If our will does not match up with the Word of God then we must set our desires aside and determine to follow God’s will. God’s will for our lives will not conflict with His will as revealed in the Bible.

James 1:5-7 – When we are trying to determine God’s will we need to ask Him what it is. God wants us to know His will. He has promised wisdom to those that will ask. Ask Him and then do what He gives you peace with.

II Cor. 12:9-10 – God promises that His grace is sufficient to overcome our weaknesses. We must not allow thoughts about our own inadequacies to distract us. If there are spiritual qualifications for a position given in Scripture then we must meet these, but we must not think that we are inferior Christians and therefore unable to serve God. We should not allow actual or perceived weakness to keep us from doing what God would have us to do.

Titus 2:3-5 – We should get godly advice from spiritual believers who are more mature in the Lord. We need to listen to those that have been successful in overcoming those things that we are struggling with.

Gen. 24:27 – You should start doing those things that you know you should do and God will lead you to your destination. There are many things that we already know. If we start doing those things then God will be faithful to reveal more of His will for our lives.

Gen. 24:13 – The servant placed himself in a place where he was ready to receive the answer from the Lord. He expected an answer and he did what he knew to do in order to receive an answer.

Gen. 24:14 – The servant wanted clear direction from the Lord so he asked for a sign from the Lord that was logical and that would show him that the woman would be a good wife.

Making Disciples

Church LifeParticipation in the local church is a vital part of the believer’s life. It aids in

their spiritual growth and is the way in which God has chosen to work in the world today.

This lesson is broken up into four sections. The first section is an overview of the doctrine of the church. The second section deals with baptism. The third section deals with communion. The fourth section provides an overview of worship.


I) The Doctrine of the Church

A) The Meaning of the Church

The word that is translated Church in the New Testament literally means a called out assembly. The church is called out of this world to assemble together. As believers we are commanded to gather together instead of just worshipping on our own (Heb. 10:25).

I Cor. 10:32 – It is important to keep in mind that the Church is distinct from Israel. There are three groups of people in the world according to God’s standards – the Jew, the Gentile, and the Church of God.

A local church is an organized body of baptized believers that have gathered together to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). They agree to function together as a New Testament Church.

Matt. 16:18 – Christ promised the overall universal church, but during this age He is clearly working through the local church (Matt. 18:15-20). Scripture makes it clear that although there is a universal church, each independent local church is the visible form of the church through which Christ will work today.

Making Disciples

Church LifeThe word that is translated Church is used 115 times in the New

Testament. Of these 115 occurrences it is used in a different sense other than the New Testament church in four occurrences (Acts 7:38; 19:32, 39, 41).

Of the remaining 111 occurrences 91 are clearly used of the local church, 15 are used of the sense of the universal church, and 5 are debatable regarding whether they refer to the local church or are used in a more general sense.

The books of the New Testament that describe church life were written to specific churches or groups of churches (in the book of Galatians).

B) The Purpose of the Local Church

A New Testament church is an independent called-out assembly of saved, baptized believers (Acts 2:41); following New Testament principles (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:25); having New Testament ordinances (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper); with New Testament officers (Pastor and Deacon); and actively carrying out the Great Commission.

The local church gathers to worship their Lord and fellowship with, exhort, and instruct one another so that the members can go out into the world and reach the lost and live as Christ intended.

II) Baptism

A) A Definition of Baptism

We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in Christ, … to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect, in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life.14

14 Edward T. Hiscox, The Hiscox Guide for Baptist Churches (Valley Forge, PA: The Judson Press, 1964), p. 199.

Making Disciples

Church LifeMany churches teach that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are

sacraments that impart some sort of benefit. This is not taught in Scripture. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances that are commanded by God to show what has already occurred and to remember what Christ did on the cross.

B) Baptism Comes After Salvation

Luke 3:7-8 – John the Baptist set a precedent that repentance must precede baptism. Baptism was not a method of repentance.

Acts 8:36-37 – Philip makes it clear that belief is a requirement for baptism.

Acts 10:43 – Cornelius' household believed with their hearts (Acts 15:7-8), were cleansed from their sins (Acts 10:43; 15:9), received the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:44; 15:8), and were only baptized after visible evidence was given of their salvation (Acts 10:46-48).

The baptism of infants in the two first centuries after Christ was altogether unknown, but in the third and fourth was allowed by some few. In the fifth and following ages it was generally received.15

Cyprian, an African bishop, at the close of the third century urged the

baptism of infants proper, because of the regenerating efficacy which the ordinance was supposed to exert. He and his associates were the first to take this ground.16

C) Baptism Must Be By Immersion

Matt. 3:16-17 – Jesus "went up straightway out of the water." This best fits the picture of immersion.

Mark 1:9-10 – Jesus came up out of the water after He was baptized which implies that He went down in.

15 Edward T. Hiscox, Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), p. 478.16 Edward T. Hiscox, Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), p. 479.

Making Disciples

Church LifeJohn 3:23 – It was necessary for John to baptize where there was

much water. This wouldn't be necessary for sprinkling.

Acts 8:38-39 – Philip and the eunuch went into the water implying immersion.

The meaning of the Greek word translated means to immerse or to dip. The command is literally to immerse disciples.

The first recorded instance of a departure from baptism by immersion occurred in 250 or 251 AD in the case of a man named Novatian. He was very ill and wanted to be baptized before he died so they poured water over him.

From that time the practice of affusion or aspersion was resorted to in cases of sickness; hence, denominated “clinic baptism,” from clina, a couch or bed, on which it was received.17 In these cases, it was not fully recognized and people that received it were forbidden from the priesthood.

The first law to sanction aspersion (sprinkling) as a mode of baptism was by Pope Stephen II., A. D. 753. But it was not till the year 1311 that a Council held at Ravenna declared immersion or sprinkling to be indifferent.18

D) The Meaning of Baptism

I Cor. 1:17 – Baptism is not a part of the Gospel message. Paul was sent to preach the gospel, not baptize.

Matt. 3:13-17 – Baptism speaks of identification with a message. If it were for actual cleansing then Jesus' baptism would have no meaning.

I Peter 3:21 states that baptism is a figure of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

17 Edward T. Hiscox, Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), p. 440.18 Edward T. Hiscox, Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), p. 442.

Making Disciples

Church LifeRomans 6:3-4 – When we were saved we were spiritual baptized or

identified with Christ in that just as He died, was buried, and rose again; so we died to our old sin nature and rose in newness of life. Water baptism is a picture of what has already taken place in our lives spiritually.

III) Communion

A) A Definition of Communion

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord's Supper is a provision of bread and wine [or grape juice], as symbols of Christ's body and blood, partaken of by the members of the church, in commemoration of the suffering and death of their Lord … and their hope of eternal life through his resurrection from the dead; its observance to be preceded by faithful self-examination.19

B) The Meaning of Communion

Matt. 26:26-29 – The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ as He and His disciples celebrated the Passover meal. Christ's use of the bread and wine show that He was claiming to be the Messiah.

I Cor. 11:24-25 – It is to be done as a remembrance of what Christ did on the cross.

I Cor. 11:26 – It is a representation of what Christ did on the cross. It is also done in anticipation of His coming again.

The Lord's Supper is not a means of obtaining forgiveness or strengthening faith if salvation is doubted. If a person is in either of these states he is expressly forbidden from partaking in Communion (I Cor. 11:27-30).

19 Edward T. Hiscox, The Hiscox Guide for Baptist Churches (Valley Forge, PA: The Judson Press, 1964), p. 199.

Making Disciples

Church LifeC) The Requirements for Communion

I Cor. 11:27-30 – The requirements are that a person be saved and right with the Lord. It is a time of personal reflection to make sure that these things are so.

I Cor. 11:33-34 – It is a solemn time, not a time to satisfy one's hunger.

I Cor. 10:16-17 – It is a time of fellowship as we remember the common bond that we have in the death of Christ and with Christ. It isn’t to be done by an individual.

IV) The Grace of Giving

In order for the church to do God’s work, God has ordained that God’s people support His work instead of relying on human government. His plan is laid out in II Cor. 8-9.

II Cor. 8:1 – The first thing to note is that giving to God’s work in God’s way can only be done by God’s grace. He gives us the gift of being able to support His work in this world.

II Cor. 8:5 – The key to our being able to give as we should is that we first give ourselves to the Lord.

It is important to stress that God does not need our money, He wants our hearts. Our giving to His work should just be the result of the love that we have for Him.

II Cor. 8:8 – Giving to the work of the Lord is one way that we prove that our love for Him is genuine.

II Cor. 8:10-12 – God wants us to be willing to give to His work. He recognizes that some can give more than others.

II Cor. 8:13-14 – Since we are all part of the family of God we should give to others so that all will have what they need.

Making Disciples

Church LifeII Cor. 9:6 – When it comes to the amount we should give, the Scriptures

teach that you reap what you sow. You shouldn’t expect to give as little as you can get away with and still experience God’s blessings.

II Cor. 9:7 – We must determine how much God wants us to give and then give that amount. It is good to set that amount apart first.

II Cor. 9:7 – We should not give out of a sorrowing heart that is grieved by what we have to give. People should not need to force us to give. Instead, we should give cheerfully since we are doing what God wants and He loves it when we do this.

II Cor. 9:8-10 – We can give this way by faith. God has promised to meet all of our needs so we don’t need to fear that we will run out of money if we give what He tells us to.

Ultimately everything that we do is the Christian life should be an act of faith. We must see what God wants us to do and then trust that His way is best.

Gen. 14:20; 28:22; Mal. 3:8-10 – Israel was commanded to tithe under the Law. Abraham and Jacob both acknowledged a principle of tithing even before the Law. The New Testament principle is giving as the Lord leads, but a good place to start is at least with a tithe or ten percent of what you make.

V) Worship

Another key aspect of our life as a church is our worship together. The word worship means to pay honor to. It means that we recognize the worthiness of God and honor Him according to it.

The word for worship in the Old Testament means to bow down or to prostrate oneself. It shows our attitude of respect and humility and reverence that we should have for God.

The key word for worship in the New Testament literally means to kiss toward. It shows our attitude of respect and humility and reverence that we should have for God.

Making Disciples

Church Life

Gen. 4:3-7 – One principle in worship is that we must worship God in the way that He prescribes. We cannot offer what we want, but instead it must be what He wants.

Mal. 1:6-8 – A second principle is that worship involves giving God our best. He does not want what is left over, but instead He deserves and desires the best that we have.

Ex. 30:34-38 – A third principle is that our worship must be set apart to God. It should not be just like the world. There was a special fragrance that was only used at the Tabernacle. The sons of Aaron died because they profaned (or made common) the worship of God (Lev. 10:1-10).

I Sam. 25:22-23; Isaiah 1:10-20 – A fourth principle is that true worship of the Lord involves obedience to Him. God will not honor our worship if we do it with filthy hands.

Rev. 4:2, 8-11 – Our worship must be of God alone. Only He is worthy. The One that sits on the throne is God and He is the ruler of the universe. All of our worship must exalt Him and recognize Him as He is instead of the way that we choose to conceive Him.

John 4:20-24 –Jesus wants us to worship “in spirit and in truth” instead of worshipping in a specific outward form. Our worship must not be a mere outward performance of an act without any true love for Him. We must truly believe all that we say about Him and our worship must be based on the truth.

I Cor. 14:40 – Our worship should be done with order and not confusion.

Suggested homework: Encourage your disciple to begin faithfully attending church if he is not. Also encourage him to be baptized if he has not been baptized by immersion since salvation. Have him list one thing he needs to change about his church life.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsIn order to be able to serve God effectively we need to do what He

wants in His power. God has given each believer one or more spiritual gifts. Every believer needs to know what his or her spiritual gift(s) are and how best to use them.

This lesson is broken up into five sections. The first section is an introduction to spiritual gifts. The second section deals with the purpose of spiritual gifts. The third section lists the specific spiritual gifts. The fourth section gives help on how a person can determine his or her spiritual gift. The fifth section gives more information on the specific gifts still active today.


God has given every believer one or more spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:3). He has given us these gifts so that we may serve Him in the way that He intends. It is important that we learn what our spiritual gift is so that we can use it in ministering for Him.

I) An Introduction to Spiritual Gifts

I Peter 4:10-11 – They are a supernatural gift that we receive from God, not a natural ability that we were born with.

It is important to note that a spiritual gift is different than a talent that we may have. God may have “gifted” a person with a talent such as great musical ability, but that is not a spiritual gift. A spiritual gift is a supernatural ability to serve God in a particular way. Everything in the Christian life should be done in God’s strength.

Romans 12:3 – Every believer has been given at least one spiritual gift.

Encourage the person you are discipling to discover their gift(s). If they don’t know them then they cannot use them and they may be doing things in their strength instead of God’s.

Making Disciples

Spiritual Gifts1 Cor. 12:4-7 – They are different abilities that are given which are

meant to be used together in unity for the benefit of all of the believers in the church.

1 Cor. 12:11 – They are given to each believer by the Holy Spirit as He sees fit.

1 Cor. 12:12-26 – They are not status symbols. In God’s eyes, each gift plays a vital role in His purposes for the local church.

This passage compares spiritual gifts to parts of the body. Each part of the body serves a specific function. One is not better than another, all of them are important. If one part of the body were to try to take the place of another then the whole body would suffer.

1 Cor. 12:31-13:3 – They are never meant to be exercised except as a reflection of our love for God and others.

II) The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

I Peter 4:10 – They are given to us so that we might minister to the needs of others.

I Peter 4:11 – They are given to us so that we might bring glory to God.

Apostles and prophets were given as gifts to the church in order to help lay its foundation by giving us the Word of God (Eph. 2:20; 4:11-12).

Eph. 4:11-12 – God has given us evangelists and pastor-teachers to fully prepare (“perfect”) the saints so that the saints can do the work of the ministry. The result of the saints doing their ministry is that the body of Christ as a whole and the local church in particular will be built up.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsThe end result of everyone using their spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:12-16)

is that:

1) We will be united.2) We will be strongly influenced by our knowledge of God.3) We will be spiritually complete and mature.4) We will not be deceived by false doctrine.5) We will know how to speak the truth in love.6) We will work together to accomplish the purposes of God.

III) The List of Spiritual Gifts

Although some people try to add different abilities that people have to the list of spiritual gifts, there are a limited number actually mentioned in Scripture.

It is important to remember that God does give us spiritual gifts where we should focus, but that does not excuse us from obeying clear commands in Scripture. For instance, a person without the gift of evangelism should still witness as God gives opportunity.

In Eph. 2:20, we see that the role of the apostles and the prophets was to lay the foundation of the Church. Once the foundation was laid, these gifts were no longer needed and it is now our responsibility build upon that foundation.

A key requirement of the apostle was that he was a witness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22; I Cor. 9:1). Obviously no one can meet that requirement today.

According to Rev. 22:18, God has finished revealing His will for us in His Word and as a result there is no longer a need for the gift of prophecy.

The New Testament writers were revealing the wisdom (I Cor. 2:6) and the knowledge of God (I Cor. 3:16; 5:6). With the completion of the revelation of the will of God these gifts are no longer needed.

Making Disciples

Spiritual Gifts

Since there is no longer the gift of prophecy, there is no longer the need for the gift of discerning of spirits. We have the Word of God (II Tim. 3:16-17) and the illumination of the Holy Spirit (I John 2:20) to help us discern between truth and error.

Mark 16:17-18 states that the gifts of miracles, healing and tongues would be given as a sign of the reality of the faith that people were proclaiming. Hebrews 2:4 states that miraculous gifts were given as a means of authenticating the New Testament message.

Since a new message is not being given, there is not a need for miraculous signs to validate the message. This does not mean that God does not heal people or work miracles today, only that He does not give people these specific spiritual gifts.

According to Isaiah 28:11-13 (quoted in I Cor. 14:21), the gift of tongues was meant as a sign to unbelieving Israel that judgment was coming. In Acts 2:4-6, we see further that the gift of tongues was the ability to speak in a recognized language that was previously unknown to the speaker.

The modern tongues movement violates the commands laid down for the exercise of this gift in I Cor. 14.

1) vv. 1-2 – It is a spiritual gift so not everyone got the gift.2) v. 12 – It was to be done to edify the church, not the speaker.3) v. 22 – It was to be a sign to unbelievers, not believers.4) v. 27 – Only two or three people could speak in tongues in any

given service and it was to be done one at a time.5) v. 28 – If there were no interpreters, no one was allowed to

speak in tongues.6) v. 34 – Women were not to speak in tongues in the church.

The interpretation of tongues ceased along with tongues.

Apostleship – Eph. 4:11; I Cor. 12:28 – A representative of Jesus Christ that had special authority. He helped form the foundation of the Church. This gift is no longer active.

Making Disciples

Spiritual Gifts

Prophecy – Eph. 4:11; Romans 12:6; I Cor. 12:10, 28 – The ability to speak forth a directly revealed message from God. This gift is no longer active.

Evangelism – Eph. 4:11 – The ability to boldly speak forth the gospel message and lead people to Christ.

Pastor-Teacher – Eph. 4:11 – The ability to care for the flock of God and teach His Word to them.

Ministry, Helps – Romans 12:7; I Cor. 12:28 – The ability to know how to serve others and the desire to do it.

Teaching – Romans 12:7; I Cor. 12:28 – The ability to understand and then clearly present the Word of God.

Exhortation – Romans 12:8 – The ability to build up other believers and encourage them to act according to the will of God.

Giving – Romans 12:8 – The ability to sacrificially give of one’s earthly means to help other believers.

Ruling, Governments – Romans 12:8; I Cor. 12:28 – The ability to see what needs to be done and take the lead.

Mercy – Romans 12:28 – The ability to sympathize with those that are sick or spiritually hurting and care for them.

Word of Wisdom – I Cor. 12:8 – The ability to practically apply the will of God in a given situation. This may or may not be active today.

Word of Knowledge – I Cor. 12:8 – The ability to reveal the mind of God in a given situation. This may or may not be active today.

Faith – I Cor. 12:9 – Confidence in God to work in a mighty way and the ability to share that confidence with others.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsHealing – I Cor. 12:9 – The ability to miraculously heal a person.

This gift is no longer active.

Miracles – I Cor. 12:10, 28 – The ability to work various miracles in order to authenticate the message of God. This gift is no longer active.

Discerning of Spirits – I Cor. 12:10 – The ability to know if a messenger is from God or not. This may or may not be active.

Tongues – I Cor. 12:10, 28 – The ability to speak in a previously unknown language. This gift is no longer active.

Interpretation of Tongues – I Cor. 12:10, 30 – The ability to understand what was said in a previously unknown tongue so that others might understand. This gift is no longer active.

IV)Determining Your Spiritual Gift

There are a number of things you can do in order to help determine what your spiritual gift or gifts are.

The most important thing to do is ask God to give you wisdom concerning what your spiritual gift might be (James 1:5).

You should consider what doors God seems to keep opening for you. What burden is He placing on your heart that you cannot escape (Jer. 20:9)?

Determine what gifts seem to be lacking in the church. If a spiritual gift is not being evidenced in the church maybe it is because you are not using yours.

Ask other people what they think your spiritual gift might be. Often other people recognize our gift in us before we see it ourselves.

Try various ministries to see if that might be where God is calling.

Take a “spiritual gifts” test or have someone help you fill it out.

Making Disciples

Spiritual Gifts

V) An Overview of the Gifts

The Gift of Evangelism

In Ephesians 4:11 we see that God gives certain people the gift of evangelism. It is the ability to boldly speak forth the gospel message and lead people to Christ.

Philip is the only person in the Scriptures specifically called an evangelist (Acts 21:8). There are several things to note about his life.

Acts 6:4-5 – He was known to be of good report, full of the Holy Ghost, and wise.

Acts 8:5 – He went to the city of the despised Samaritans. He would witness to anyone.

Acts 8:6-13 – He had great spiritual power. He experienced great results. He preached to many people.

Acts 8:26-39 – He went where he was sent, whether it was to a city or a single individual.

Acts 8:40 – He traveled around preaching the Gospel.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsThe Gift of Pastor-Teacher

According to Ephesians 4:11, the gift of pastor-teacher is actually a combination gift.

The pastor aspect of the gift has to do with being a shepherd over the flock that God gives him. The teacher aspect has to do with the ability to clearly explain the Word of God.

Psalm 23:1 – The shepherd provides for the needs of his sheep.

Psalm 23:2 – He provides rest and refreshment in safe places, not places that could be dangerous.

Psalm 23:3 – He restores those that depart. He lead them to the place of righteousness and then guides them in right paths.

Psalm 23:4 – He protects his sheep from harm. He is a source of comfort to his flock.

Psalm 23:5 – He provides abundantly for his sheep. He brings healing to them when they are hurting.

Psalm 23:6 – He points the way to eternal life.

John 10:3-4 – He leads his sheep by going before them. He doesn’t just point the way and leave them on their own.

John 10:11 – He will even give his life for his sheep.

Jer. 3:15 – The food with which a shepherd should desire to feed his sheep is knowledge and understanding.

I Peter 5:2 – A true shepherd isn’t forced into being a shepherd and doesn’t do it out of greed, but does it willingly.

I Peter 5:3 – A true shepherd leads by example.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsThe Gift of Teaching

According to Romans 12:7, another spiritual gift is the gift of teaching.

Jesus was truly the master-teacher. There are many valuable characteristics of teaching that we can learn from His ministry.

Matt. 5:3-20 – A focus of Jesus’ teaching was how people could and should live in His kingdom.

Matt. 5:21-47 – Jesus did not use teaching as a means of excusing sin, but of exposing sin.

Matt. 5:48 – The goal of Jesus’ teaching was so that men would be morally complete and like God.

Matt. 7:29 – Jesus taught with authority, He did not rely on the teachings of other men. A teacher derives his authority from the Word of God and is faithful to it.

Matt. 11:21-24 – Jesus did not water down His message.

Matt. 15:3-9 – Jesus exposed false teachings.

Matt. 16:1-4 – Jesus used examples people would understand to present His teaching.

Mark 6:2, 6, 34 – Jesus took every opportunity to teach. He wasn’t limited to one place or time.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsThe Gift of Ministry or Helps

According to Romans 12:7 and I Cor. 12:28, the Holy Spirit also gives the gift of ministry or helps.

[Ministry] signifies “to be a servant, attendant, to serve, wait upon, minister.” [It is used] of relieving one’s necessities, supplying the necessaries of life [and] of attending, in a more general way, to anything that may serve another’s interests.20

Acts 6:1 – In the early church, the needs of the widows were not being met. They needed someone to and meet their needs because they could not help themselves.

Acts 20:35 – The elders of Ephesus were also encouraged to serve those that were weak by lifting them up.

I Cor. 16:15 – The household of Stephanas appointed themselves to be servants to the saints.

II Timothy 1:16-18 – Onesiphorus was not ashamed to minister to the needs of Paul even though he was in chains.

20Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1996). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words

(Vol. 2, Page 410-411). Nashville: T. Nelson.

Making Disciples

Spiritual Gifts The Gift of Giving

Another spiritual gift in Romans 12:8 is the gift of giving.

Luke 3:11 – Giving frequently involves meeting physical needs out of the abundance that we have been given.

I Thess. 2:8 – Giving is never merely an outward act, but also involves giving of oneself.

Luke 21:1-4 – God does not care about the amount of the gift. He cares about the sacrifice behind the gift.

Acts 2:44-46 – Giving was a mark of the early church. They made sure that people did not go without.

II Cor. 8:2-4 – Giving is not based on ability but on availability.

II Cor. 9:5 – Giving is not something that should be dragged out of a person.

II Cor. 9:7 gives us four marks of true giving.

1) Each person must determine how much God would have him give.

2) It should not bring sorrow to the giver.

3) Giving should not be done because someone is pressured into doing it.

4) Giving should be done with a joy that makes the person willing to give.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsThe Gift of Mercy

Another spiritual gift in Romans 12:8 is the gift of mercy.

Mercy is the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it. It signifies, in general, “to feel sympathy with the misery of another,” and especially sympathy manifested in action.21

Luke 10:30-37 – The story of the Good Samaritan is a story of mercy.

1) He did not pass by his enemy when he saw him suffering and helpless.

2) He put himself at risk to help alleviate the suffering of another.

3) He sacrificed of his own possessions to help alleviate the suffering of another.

4) He brought the one who was suffering to a place of safety where he could be healed.

Judges 1:24 – Mercy also involves sparing a person from suffering when it is in your power.

Jer. 31:20 – Mercy involves an emotional response to someone in need that then results in action.

Matt. 12:7 – Mercy keeps a person from showing unnecessary harshness.

Eph. 2:4 – God in His mercy looked at people who were completely without hope and provided a way of deliverance from their sin.

21Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1996). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words

(Vol. 2, Page 403). Nashville: T. Nelson.

Making Disciples

Spiritual Gifts The Gift of Exhortation

The next spiritual gift mentioned in Romans 12:8 is the gift of exhortation or encouragement.

Exhortation literally means to call to ones side. It means that we call someone alongside us and encourage them. It involves building them up, but it also emphasizes encouraging them to do what is right and rebuking them when they are wrong.

Exhortation differs from mercy in that mercy has to do more with the alleviation of suffering while exhortation has to do more with encouraging someone, especially encouraging them to do right.

Acts 11:23 – Exhortation also involves encouraging people to stick close to the Lord.

Acts 14:22 – Exhortation also involves preparing people for suffering. You encourage those that are suffering and prepare others for the future so they don’t fall.

Romans 12:1 – A key area of exhortation involves encouraging people to offer themselves as living sacrifices.

II Cor. 2:7-8 – Exhortation also involves forgiving a brother or sister that has sinned and then helping them to be restored.

II Cor. 9:5-7 – People also need to be encouraged to give of their material possessions out of a willing heart.

II Thess. 3:12 – Exhortation also encourages faithfulness in the ordinary things of life.

Jude 3 – People must also be exhorted to contend for the faith.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsThe Gift of Administration

The last spiritual gift in Romans 12:8 is the gift of administration. This gift is called governments in I Cor. 12:28.

The word in Romans 12:8 means to go before. It has the sense of leading by going before and showing the way.

The word in I Cor. 12:28 has to do with steering a ship.

Gen. 18:19 – A leader’s desire is that those under him will follow God’s ways not man’s ways.

II Cor. 1:24 – A true spiritual leader realizes that people stand in their own faith and that he can only guide them.

I Peter 5:3 – A true leader leads by example, not by oppression.

Mark 10:42-45 – A true leader is a servant. He is not in it for the power.

Neh. 1:3-4 – He had a great concern for those that he led.

Neh. 2:12-16 – He made sure that he understood the situation and then formulated his plan.

Neh. 2:17-18 – He explained the need to his people and then showed them the hand of God.

Neh. 3 – He divided the labor fairly. He didn’t leave all of the work for one or two people.

Neh. 4 – He was aware of dangers to his people and took steps to protect them.

Neh. 5 – He was not afraid to confront sin among his people regardless of who they were.

Making Disciples

Spiritual GiftsThe Gift of Faith

The last spiritual gift to consider is faith (I Cor. 12:9).

J. Oswald Sanders said “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.”22

Heb. 1:1 – Faith is the title-deed to those things that we hope for. It is the same as buying a house and having the title in your hand before getting to your house.

Heb. 11:1 – Faith is also that which gives substance to those things we cannot see and makes them real to us.

Heb. 11:3 – True faith results in intellectual knowledge. It is not vague hope. It is knowledge that is just as real as the fact that we know our names.

Romans 4:21 – True faith is based on the dual foundations of the character and promises of God.

Suggested homework: Encourage your disciple to take the time to discover his spiritual gift and then seek ways to use it in the local church.

22 J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Volume V(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983), p. 580

Making Disciples

Home LifeIn order to be successful in his service, a man must have his home life in

order.

This lesson is broken up into three sections. The first section deals with a man’s role in the marriage. The second section deals with the marriage relationship. The third section deals with a man’s role with his children.


I) The Role of the Husband

Gen. 2:18 – The husband should greatly value his wife and take care of her since she is God’s appointed helper for him.

Gen. 3:18-19 – God gave man the responsibility for working for the family. The wife may need to work for financial or physical reasons or she may want to work, but the man should never assume that his wife will support him except for physical reasons.

Eph. 5:21 – Even though the man is the head of the home, he should still not ignore the advice and desires of his wife.

Eph. 5:22-24 – The wife must submit to her husband which means that the man must be willing to lead in a godly manner. It is not the husband’s job to make his wife submit.

Eph. 5:25 – The husband must love his wife as Christ loved the church. This means that he must give his all for her. He must be willing to sacrifice of himself to meet her needs.

Eph. 5:31 – A husband must be united with his wife and not allow outside interference. He should help his parents where needed and possible (I Tim. 5:8), but not at the expense of his wife.

Eph. 5:31 – The husband and wife must act as one instead of competing or viewing one person as more important. Except in extreme cases they should have joint finances and share responsibilities.

Home LifeI Peter 3:7 – It is the husband’s job to know his wife, including what

makes her happy and what upsets her. He must also honor and respect her and not tear her down. Finally, he must take care of her and expect more from himself than he does of her.

Col. 3:19 – The husband must love his wife and at the same time be sure to avoid any bitterness or harshness against her.

II) The Marriage Relationship

Psalm 139:23-24 – Whenever we have any sort of conflict the most important thing is to ask the Lord to reveal to us the part that we had in the conflict so that we can change.

Prov. 5:15-23 – A man must have eyes only for his wife.

Song of Solomon – Intimacy is needed in marriage. This needs to be verbal as well as physical.

Matt. 19:4-6 – Marriage should be viewed as permanent. Divorce because things are not working well is not an option.

I Cor. 7:2-5 – Meeting sexual needs is important in a marriage. Each spouse should seek to meet the others needs and to please one another. It should not be used as a threat or bribe.

Eph. 4:29 – Communication in marriage should be done to build one another up, never to tear one another down.

III) Relationship with Children

Deut. 6:7 – The father should take every opportunity to train his children in the way of the Lord. He should look for ways to use ordinary events to talk about the Lord.

Eph. 6:4 – The man has the primary responsibility in training up his children in the things of the Lord. He needs to be grounded himself so he can teach them. He needs to be fair and base what he does on the Word of God. He must not be harsh.

Home LifeIn order to be successful in his service, a woman must have her home life

in order.

This lesson is broken up into three sections. The first section deals with a woman’s role in the marriage. The second section deals with the marriage relationship. The third section deals with a woman’s role with her children.


I) The Role of the Wife

Gen. 2:18 – The wife is to be the help-meet of the man. She is to help her husband become all God intended him to be. This includes encouraging him, comforting him, and offering godly advice. It also includes providing a comforting haven that he can come home to.

Eph. 5:22-24 – The wife should submit to her husband. The husband should consider his wife’s thoughts and needs. It is the wife’s responsibility to submit. Her husband shouldn’t make her submit.

Eph. 5:31 – A wife must be united with her husband and not allow outside interference. She should help her parents where needed and possible (I Tim. 5:8), but not at the expense of her husband.

Eph. 5:31 – The husband and wife must act as one instead of competing or viewing one person as more important. Except in extreme cases they should have joint finances and share responsibilities.

Col. 3:18 – If the husband and wife cannot agree then the wife should submit to the husband, but only as it is fit in the Lord. In the case of a moral conflict, the wife must obey God instead of her husband.

I Peter 3:1-2 – The wife’s submission should be in attitude as well as action. Even if she needs to go against him based on God’s will, she should do it with respect. Reverence is not the same as terror (I Pet. 3:6). It is absolutely contrary to God’s will for a husband to do anything that would make his wife afraid of him or that would hurt her.

Home Life

I Peter 3:3-4 – The wife should be much more concerned about her inner beauty than her outward appearance. She needs to spend time with the Lord and she needs to allow the Holy Spirit to show His fruit through her. She should always try to give a soft and respectful answer instead of an insulting one.

II) The Marriage Relationship

Psalm 139:23-24 – Whenever we have any sort of conflict the most important thing is to ask the Lord to reveal to us the part that we had in the conflict so that we can change.

Song of Solomon – Intimacy is needed in marriage. This needs to be verbal as well as physical.

Matt. 19:4-6 – Marriage should be viewed as permanent. Divorce because things are not working well is not an option.

I Cor. 7:2-5 – Meeting sexual needs is important in a marriage. Each spouse should seek to meet the others needs and to please one another. It should not be used as a threat or bribe.

Eph. 4:29 – Communication in marriage should be done to build one another up, never to tear one another down.

III) Relationship with Children

Deut. 6:7 – The mother should take every opportunity to train her children in the way of the Lord. She should look for ways to use ordinary events to talk about the Lord.

Prov. 31:21, 27 – The woman tends to see things around the house that are important to her husband and children. She should make sure that their needs are met.

Suggested homework: List three areas that you view as a strength in your home life. List three areas that you need to work on.

Soul WinningIt is important that the believer be able to share his faith.

This lesson is broken up into four sections. The first section deals with some principles for sharing the Gospel. The second section shows the basics of the Gospel message. The third section deals with some ways to share the Gospel. The fourth section deals with different presentations of the Gospel in the Scriptures


As believers we must be sharing the Gospel message and attempting to lead people to Christ. We have the words of life and we must be faithful in sharing them. We may be the only saved person someone comes in contact with.

I) Principles for Sharing the Gospel

There are many methods for sharing the Gospel. Each person has a different personality and sphere of influence that God can use to spread His message. Even though our methods may change there are certain principles that we must adhere to if we want to have an effective witness.

Acts 1:8 – We must be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to be powerful witnesses to others. We already have the Holy Spirit living within us if we are saved (Rom. 8:9) so we must now yield control of our lives to Him (Eph. 5:18). We cannot save anyone. We must faithfully present the Gospel and rely on the Holy Spirit to do His convicting work (John 16:7-11).

II Tim. 2:19-21 – We must be saved and we must be living the way that the Lord wants us to if we expect to have His power in our winning of souls to Him.

Ezek. 33:1-9 – We must realize that we are personally accountable for winning the lost, we cannot just delegate the responsibility to others.

Soul WinningMatt. 9:37-38 – There is no shortage of people that need to be saved

and that want to be saved. The shortage in the ministry is in the workers, not in the work that needs to be done.

Acts 8:1-4; 11:19-20 – In the early church sharing the Word of God was a way of life. No matter what was happening they were faithful in talking about the Lord. We must always remember that Christianity is a life, not a series of actions. Christ should be such a focus in our lives that talking about Him comes naturally.

Acts 8:26-40 – As we walk in the Spirit and are open to His leading we will have many opportunities just like Philip did.

Mark 5:18-20 – Sharing the Gospel is sharing the great things that God has done for us. We are telling others what Christ has done for us so that they can experience the same thing.

John 12:32; I Cor. 1:23-24 – We must be sure to exalt Christ and proclaim the sacrifice that He paid on the cross. He is the one that will draw all men to Himself.

Rev. 20:10-14; 21:8 – We also need to have a deep compassion for those that we witness to as we realize their future.

Rom. 3:23; I John 1:8 – We must not be arrogant, but realize that we are sinners just like they are.

John 3-4 – Another thing to keep in mind is that we must focus on presenting the Gospel instead of allowing the conversation to get distracted.

John 4:15-19 – We also need to be led of the Spirit so that we can bring the correct element into the conversation.

Jude 22-23 – There are different types of personalities and they may require different approaches. We need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Soul WinningII) The Message of the Gospel

We can present the Gospel in many different ways (as shown in section four), but the same truths must be present regardless of the method that we choose to use.

When presenting the Gospel message there are several elements that we must include.

The first thing that people must realize is that they are lost sinners (Rom. 3:10, 23).

The next thing that people must realize is that they are under the judgment of God for their sin (Rom. 5:12; 6:23).

Third they must realize what Christ did for them on the cross (Rom. 5:8). They need to believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. They need to realize that He bore all of their sins on the cross and was punished in their place.

The fourth thing is that they must turn from their sins to Christ and trust in Him alone. They need to call upon Christ to save them (Rom. 10:9, 13).

III) Ways to Share the Gospel

There are many ways to share the Gospel. The most important thing is that we are led of the Spirit as we seek to win the lost.

One great way is to develop an evangelistic testimony. You should be able to share how you were saved and what has changed in your life. Make sure that you include the four points mentioned above in your testimony.

Formal ministries in the local church such as Sunday School, King’s Kids, VBS, and others are very effective in reaching the lost

Watching for those that are being moved as the pastor is preaching can be very effective if we go up to people after the service.

Soul Winning

Home Bible studies can also be very good since people that wouldn’t come to church may be interested in a home study.

Praying for opportunities every day and then keeping your eyes open leads to many opportunities to share the Gospel.

Passing out tracts is also very good. You can hand them to people you interact with throughout the day, leave them with a tip at a restaurant or hotel, or come up with other creative ways.

Writing letters to family and friends can be very effective since they are apt to pay more attention to something personal and they will have the Gospel in front of them.

Calling someone you know and asking them if you can share something that has really been burdening you can also be effective.

Door-to-door evangelism can be effective. You can either just ask if you can share something important or come up with something that will peak their interest.

In New England, friendship evangelism is very effective. You build a relationship with a person and then share the Gospel message.

Having an activity like a sporting event to attract people and then sharing the Gospel can be a great way.

Creativity in sharing the Gospel message should be encouraged. The only thing to be careful of is that the method of sharing the Gospel does not distract people from Christ.

IV) Different Presentations of the Gospel

There are many different presentations of the Gospel. It is good to know different ways and to know multiple verses for each point.

Soul WinningJohn 3 is a popular passage to use to lead people to Christ. In this

passage you can see the need (3:3), man’s sinfulness (3:6), and Christ’s sacrifice and the need for faith (3:15-16).

The Romans Road is perhaps the most common way. Romans 3:10 and 23 teach that all men are sinners. Romans 6:23 teaches that the wages of sin is death. Romans 5:8 teaches that Christ died for us and our sins. Romans 10:9, 13 teaches that they must put their trust in Christ and what He has done and call on Him for salvation.

Isaiah 53 is another powerful passage to lead someone to Christ. This can be particularly effective with a Jewish person since it reveals Christ in the Old Testament.

The story of the fiery serpents in Num. 21:4-9 can also be used. The people were condemned because of their sin (21:4-5). The people were already judged and under sentence of death (21:6). The people needed to realize their hopeless state (21:7). God provided a way for them to be delivered (21:8). The people had to respond by faith (21:9).

Other effective verses are Isaiah 55:6-7; John 5:24; Luke 18:10-14; and Isaiah 45:22.

Suggested homework: Determine a presentation of the Gospel that you are comfortable with and work to memorize the verses. Develop an evangelistic testimony that you can share and then practice sharing it with someone.

The Cost of DiscipleshipGod has laid down specific requirements in His Word for a person that

desires to be a true disciple.

This lesson is broken up into five sections. The first section teaches that the disciple must die to self. The second section teaches that the disciple must bear his cross. The third section teaches that the disciple must follow Christ. The fourth section teaches that the disciple must make Christ supreme. The fifth section teaches that the disciple must forsake all for Christ.


A disciple is a follower of Christ. Many believers call themselves disciples but they do not meet the requirements that Christ laid down. We must determine that being a true disciple of Christ is more important than anything else. This lesson is based on a series of lectures by Clarence Sexton.

I) The Disciple Must Die to Self

John 12:24 – In this verse, Jesus lays down the cost of discipleship. In order for us to be fruitful we must die to ourselves. This is not an easy thing for us to do, but we must decide to do it daily. Each day we need to ask if we will serve ourselves or God. We need to determine to do His will and not our own.

Just as a grain of wheat needs to die in the ground so that a plant can grow from it so we must die to ourselves and our desires so that God can bring forth an abundant harvest through us.

Luke 9:23 – We need to deny ourselves. We need to stop living selfishly. It is not about us. It is about God. We need to follow Him and desire to only serve Him.

The Cost of DiscipleshipII) The Disciple Must Bear His Cross

Luke 9:23 – The disciple must bear his cross. Our cross is not some sort of personal suffering that we go through or some sort of weakness. According to Phil. 2:5-8, Christ’s cross was the ultimate fulfillment of His emptying of Himself and of His obedience of His Father.

We must empty ourselves of our pride and ambition. We must pour out ourselves for our Lord Jesus Christ. It is important to realize that we are giving our lives for our Savior, not people. We must obey Him.

III) The Disciple Must Follow Christ

Luke 9:23 – The disciple must also follow Christ. A disciple is follower. We need to know Christ and spend time with Him. We tend to focus on ourselves and what we can do. We try to make ourselves into something instead of fellowshipping with Christ and allowing Him to mold us. We will be no stronger in our Christian service that we are in our walk with Christ. God is always previous.

Matt. 4:19 – Jesus said “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He did not tell us to make ourselves into something. We must follow Him and to obey Him. We must spend time in His Word and in prayer. We must have a willing heart and desire to know and obey Him. He will then make us what He wants us to be.

IV) The Disciple Makes Christ Supreme

Luke 14:25-26 – The disciple must make Christ supreme. This verse is not telling us to treat our families poorly. It is saying that Christ must be more important than our families. If there is a conflict between anyone or anything and Christ then Christ must be chosen.

John 8:31 – One of the ways that we will make Christ supreme is by continuing in His Word. We need to be students of the Bible. We need to read it, study it, and meditate on it. We also need to live according to it. Knowledge is not enough if we do not allow Christ to change our lives.

The Cost of Discipleship

V) The Disciple Forsakes All For Christ

Luke 14:28-33 – These verses are not telling us to decide if we want to pay the cost of being a disciple. They are also not saying that we need to determine if we have what it takes to be a disciple. God will enable us.

These verses show us the great work that Christ is involved in. He is involved in building His church. He is involved in a mighty warfare against Satan and the forces of evil. This is a far greater work than we can possibly imagine.

He has chosen to use men and He knows that He does not want builders that will be lazy and complain. He does not want those that will quit. He does not want soldiers that will flee in the middle of the battle. He knows the cost and He knows that in order for us to truly be part of His work we must forsake all else and follow only Him.

The Study of the Word of GodThe Word of God is vital to the life of the believer. It is “quick and

powerful” (Heb. 4:12). Unfortunately it is neglected by believers in their personal study. As a result they are led astray by any false teacher that they may see on television. The object of this lesson is to get the disciple started on their own study of the Word.

This lesson is broken up into four sections. The first section teaches the study and interpretation of the Bible. The second section teaches the basics of Bible study tools. The third section teaches how to apply the Bible. The fourth section contains a sample study to help bring it together.


We must not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). We need to learn the Word of God and live according to it.

In order to do this we first need to be able to understand what the Bible is saying. We then need to understand what it means. The study and interpretation of the Bible go hand in hand. Once we have done this then we can apply it to our lives.

I) The Study and Interpretation of the Bible

A) The first thing that we should do whenever we study Scripture is pray. Without the Holy Spirit’s help, we will not be able to properly understand Scripture.

B) After prayer, we need to read the Scriptures.

If possible it is good to read through the entire book in one sitting. The particular passage being studied should be read multiple times.

C) Observe and much as possible about the passage you are studying. Begin by just writing down as much as you can see.

The Study of the Word of GodD) Look At Cross-References for the Verses

Look up any verses that cross-reference the verses you are studying.

You should look for verses that are related based on the idea presented, the words that are used, the characters involved, and the places that are mentioned.

A good resource for this is the New Treasure of Scripture Knowledge by Jerome Smith. Many study Bibles have cross-references (the Thompson Chain Reference is especially geared towards this).

E) Look at the Words of the Passage

What are the specific meanings of the words used (focus on key words such as verbs and nouns or words that stand out as being key)?

Are other words with similar meanings found elsewhere in the passage or Scripture? What is the difference in the words?

Where else is the word used in Scripture (look at both the English word and the Greek or Hebrew word)? A Concordance such as Strong’s is good for the English. The Englishman's Hebrew Concordance of Old Testament and The Englishman's Greek Concordance of New Testament allow you to research the Greek and Hebrew words.

Find the verbs in the verse – what is their tense, mood, and voice?

Pay attention to connecting words such as “and”, “but”, and “therefore”.

F) Look at the Setting of the Passage

Who is the author of the book (including details about his life)?

Under what circumstances was the book written?

When was the book written (where does it fit with other Scripture)?

Who was the book written to (including details about their situation)?

What historical information sheds light on the book?

Who are the main characters of the book (again include details)?

What is the theme and purpose of the book?

The Study of the Word of God

G) Determine the Context of the Section You are Studying

You should try to ignore chapter and verse breaks when you are defining the sections.

Sometimes it helps to take a stab at the larger sections, then break them down into smaller sections until you get to the paragraph level. You may need to revisit the larger sections until everything flows.

The context of each section of Scripture must fit within the context of the book and within the context of any larger sections.

How does it relate to the verses before and after? How does it relate to the theme of the book?

H) Look at the People In the Passage

Who is being talked about in the passage and how are their lives developed? What role do they play in the passage being studied?

What positive or negative things are said about them?

What do other passages of Scripture say about them?

I) Look at the Geography Of the Passage

Where are the events taking place?

What is the terrain like and what role does the geography play in the passage?

What role does this area play in other passages of Scripture?

Did the area have any special meaning to the people at the time?

J) Look at Chronology of the Passage

What is the order of the events being described?

How are the events related?

How do things unfold?

The Study of the Word of GodK) Look at the Historical Setting of the Passage

When are the events taking place?

What was happening in the world at that time?

What other Biblical events were taking place at that time?

L) Look For Things That Are Emphasized or Repeated

What takes up the most space (example – John 12-21 deals the events from less than a week before Jesus’ death until His ascension)?

What is the stated purpose of the book (example – John 20:31)?

What order do things appear in (example – in Acts 13:1 Barnabas appears first while Paul is first in Acts 13:43)?

Does there seem to be a key turning point in the account (example – David’s sin with Bathsheba)?

Are there any words or phrases repeated (example – Psalm 136)?

Are there repeated incidents or circumstances (example – the repeating pattern in the book of Judges)?

M)Look For Things That Are Related or Compared

Is there a general statement followed by more details (Example – Hebrews 11)?

Are there any questions and answers (Example – Romans 8:35-37)?

Is there a cause and effect being described (Example – Acts 8:1, 4)?

Are there any similes or metaphors (Example – Proverbs 12:18)?

Are there any contrasts involved (Example – Proverbs)?

N) Look at How Ideas Area Developed In the Passage

What ideas are being developed in the passage?

How are these ideas developed (example – Paul’s building of the salvation message in the book of Romans)?

The Study of the Word of God

O) Look At the Cultural Information In The Passage

You also need to include the cultural setting of what you are studying in your interpretation of the passage. You want to understand the Scripture the way the original audience would have.

Examine all of the actions of the characters involved in the light of their culture. This does not mean, however, that we explain away the commands of Scripture by saying that they were only cultural.

For example, in the book of Ruth there would be nothing immoral about Ruth lying at the feet of Boaz while in our culture we might think this was immoral.

Bible handbooks and commentaries can be useful in determining this information.

P) Compare Scripture With Scripture

Remember that Scripture is always the best interpreter of Scripture.

In doing this, you must make sure that you are not ripping the verses that you are using for comparison purposes out of context.

Q) Determine the Theme of the Passage and the Larger Context

Make sure that these fit with the overall theme of Scripture and the context of the book.

R) Apply General Rules of Interpretation

Always look for the most obvious and literal interpretation first. The simplest and clearest interpretation possible can be assumed to be the correct one as long as it fits the context of Scripture.

Everything must always be considered in the context of the whole of Scripture, the context of the book, the context of the passage, and the context of other related Scriptures.

The interpretation of Scripture can never contradict other Scripture.

Scripture must determine doctrine and theology, not the other way around.

Our interpretation of Scripture must not go beyond what it really says.

The Study of the Word of GodWe must make a distinction between what the Bible records and what it

approves.23

We must determine whether something is universal or limited in scope.

We must not try to make personal promises universal. Example – Acts 18:9-10

The audience that the Scripture was written to or that something was said to needs to be accounted for in its interpretation.

Interpretation must take the culture of the day into account.

II) Bible Study Tools

There are many types of help in Bible study. These are meant to supplement your study and interpretation, not be a replacement for your work (especially when it comes to handbooks, dictionaries, study Bibles, and commentaries).

Word Studies – These will help you to understand the meaning of the original words. They can also show you tense, mood, and voice of verbs; and everywhere the original Greek or Hebrew word was used.

Concordances – Show you every place a word is used and the meaning.

Chain References – These will help you find related passages of Scripture to the one that you are studying. I like the New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Atlases – Show the geography of where things happened and gives the historical setting. The Harper Atlas of the Bible and The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands are both good.

Bible Handbooks – Help with the understanding of the culture of the Bible.

23 B. Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House), p. 190

The Study of the Word of GodBible Dictionaries – Help with understanding terms used in

Scripture.

Study Bibles – There are many types of study Bibles. Some give you notes to understand the text and others supply you with tools to help you understand the text yourself.

Commentaries – Help with the understanding of what is being studied. They often combine features of all of the above. They should be used after you have completed your own study.

Evaluating a commentary – Is it done by an author you know or is it part of a set that you know? Where did the author go to school or where does he teach? Who recommends the book? What does the author say about things you know? How does the author make his arguments – does he use other Scripture, the original language, and historical background or does he just give weak arguments.

III) The Application of Scripture

The reason for us to study Scripture is so that we can live our lives according to it and share it with others for God’s glory. Doing anything less is foolish (James 1:22-25).

The first key step is that we have a clear understanding of the passage we are studying.

We then need to relate the Scripture to our lives in a practical way. A right relationship with God will revolutionize every area of our lives. Once we determine how the Scripture applies to our lives, we must begin practicing the application in our lives.

All of our application must come from God’s Word. We must look to it to expose our sin, show us God’s promises, show us God’s commands, and give us examples.

The Study of the Word of GodThere are some key questions that we can ask to help us apply

the Scriptures to our lives. These include:24

Does this text reveal something I should believe about God?

Does this text reveal something I should praise or thank or trust God for?

Does this text reveal something I should pray about for myself or others?

Does this text reveal something I should have a new attitude about?

Does this text reveal something I should do for the sake of Christ, others, or myself?

Other question may include: Is there an example for me to follow? Is there a sin for me to avoid? Is there a promise for me to claim? Is there a command to obey? Is there a condition to meet?

In our application of Scripture we must take our understanding of what we have studied and apply the principles of what we have learned to our lives as well as the clear commands.

For example, we will probably never face the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols like Paul did in I Cor. 8. However, this doesn’t mean that we cannot apply what we learn to our lives by learning the principle of what is being said.

When applying a principle of Scripture to our lives, we must never go against any of the clear teachings of Scripture.

We must make the Scriptures relevant to our lives today.

Finally, our application should contain some steps that we can take to apply the truth of Scripture in our lives.

24 Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs: Navpress Publishing Group), p. 60

The Study of the Word of GodV) A Sample Study (James 5:7-11)

The first thing that we should do whenever we study Scripture is pray.

After prayer, we need to read the Scriptures.

Observe as much as possible about what you read.

Look at cross-references for the verses.

Determine the overall context of the book that contains the passage you are studying.

Author of James: James the half brother of Jesus is the likely author of the Book of James. James, though slow to accept Christ, had been converted by an appearance of the risen Lord and joined the followers of Christ. He quickly rose to a position of great authority in the early church.

Circumstances of the Writing: The book of James was written to the Jews of the dispersion at a time when they were probably suffering persecution from their fellow Jews. At the time there were no or very few written instructions regarding how to live out this new faith that they had experienced. Being separated from the apostles in Jerusalem, these early Jewish believers needed practical instructions on how to live out their Christian faith in the midst of a hostile world.

Date Written: A.D. 48-50: James may well be the earliest book, in terms of authorship, in the New Testament.

Who was the Book Written to: The epistle of James was written to the Christian Jews of the dispersion – that is, those away from Jerusalem and scattered around the Roman empire.

Historical Information: This was a time of persecution of Christians. Stephen had been martyred about ten years earlier and as a result, the Church had dispersed from Jerusalem and was a somewhat scattered Church. Although the believers did understand the basics of their salvation, they needed practical instruction on how to live out their Christian life.

Main Characters: James and the early Jewish believers

What is the Theme of the Book: Living the practical life of faith.

The Study of the Word of GodDetermine the context of the passage you are studying.

James 1:1 – IntroductionJames 1:2-4 – The Result of TrialsJames 1:5-8 – How to Get WisdomJames 1:9-11 – Glory in Whatever God BringsJames 1:12-15 – Properly Dealing With TemptationJames 1:16-26 – Set Aside the Wickedness of the World and Follow the

Perfect Will of GodJames 2:1-13 – Don’t Show Partiality, but Instead Show MercyJames 2:14-26 – True Faith will Result in ActionsJames 3:1-12 – Learn to Curb Your TongueJames 3:13-18 – Follow God’s Wisdom instead of Worldly WisdomJames 4:1-10 – Seek the Things of God and not the Things of the WorldJames 4:11-12 – Don’t Judge OthersJames 4:13-16 – Make Plans According to the Will of GodJames 4:17 – Do What You Know is RightJames 5:1-6 – Do not Oppress OthersJames 5:7-12 – Be Patient Now Matter What ComesJames 5:13-18 – The Power of PrayerJames 5:19-20 – Lovingly Correct One Another

Look at the Words in the Passage

Patient/Patience - To endure patiently as opposed to despondency (v. 7, 8) - a self restraint of the mind before it gives way to action or passion i.e. not getting revenge on a person (v. 10) - endurance as to things or circumstances (v. 11).

Waiteth - To watch for; expect (v. 7)Establish - To turn resolutely in a certain direction; confirm, establish,

strengthen (v. 8)Heart - Heart - by implication thoughts, reasoning, understanding, will,

judgment, affections, plans, emotions (v. 8)Grudge - Sigh, murmur (v. 9)Condemned - Judge, pronounce sentence against (v. 9)Example - An exhibit for example or warning (v. 10)Suffering affliction - To suffer misfortune, hardship (v. 10)Count them happy - To pronounce blessed, as indwelt by God, and thus fully

satisfied (v. 11)Endure - To remain under, that is to endure or sustain a load (v. 11)Very pitiful - extremely compassionate (v. 11)

Look for words that have similar but not exactly the same meaning

There are three different words meaning patience in this verse all having somewhat different meanings.

The Study of the Word of GodPay particular attention to connecting words (and, but, therefore).

The word THEREFORE found in verse seven tells us that we need to look at the previous verses where we see that the Lord is going to judge the rich people that take unfair advantage of the poor.

The word BUT found in verse twelve tells us that we may want to consider this verse in our study.

Look at the People in the Passage

The prophets – The prophets were chosen men of God who presented His message to the nation of Israel as well as to other nations. Many of these men, such as Elijah, Jeremiah, and Daniel were unjustly treated. Some of them had to do very difficult things but they obeyed God regardless of the personal cost. Although frequently unconcerned about their own welfare, they showed an intolerance for those that opposed God and had a deep concern for the people of God. The faith of these men is recorded in Hebrews 11:32-38.

Job – Job was a man who lived around the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). He was a very righteous man who feared God. He was also one of the richest men around. Satan convinced God to let him test Job and as a result of this Job lost all of his wealth as well as his children. Although he did get depressed and thought that he might be able to justify himself, he never once cursed God. In the end, Job was greatly blessed by God and received twice as much as he used to have. Job realized that God had the right to do whatever he wanted.

Look at the Geography in the Passage

There is no relevant geographical information in the passage.

Look at the Chronology of the Passage

There is no relevant chronological information in the passage.

Look at the Historical Setting of the Passage

This was a time of persecution of Christians. Stephen had been martyred about ten years earlier and as a result, the Church had dispersed from Jerusalem and was a somewhat scattered Church. Although the believers did understand the basics of their salvation, they needed practical instruction on how to live out their Christian life.

The Study of the Word of GodLook for things that are emphasized or repeated.

Patience is very evidently emphasized and repeated in this passage.

Look for things that are related or compared.

Each type of patience is related to a specific example.

There don’t seem to be any relevant comparisons in this passage.

Look at how the ideas are developed in the passage.

James gives us three different variations of patience in this passage and for each type of patience he gives us an example how this patience is lived out in real life. Each of these examples would have been well known to the Jewish believers at the time.

Look at the Cultural Information in the Passage

In Israel, a farmer would plant his crops in what we consider to be Autumn. During this time he would expect the “early” rains to help soften the soil. The seed would then sit in the earth over the winter in a somewhat dormant state. Finally, in the February-March time frame the “latter” rains would come which would cause his harvest to mature.

Compare the passage you are studying with any other passages in Scripture that are related because of the idea presented or the specific words being used.

The prophets are mentioned throughout the Scriptures and many different passages could be studied. Hebrews 11:32-38 seems to be a good reference.

The book of Job should be consulted to look at the life of Job.

Romans 2:7; 8:24-25; 15:4 and Hebrews 6:15 and 12:1-3 all speak of patience.

The Coming of the Lord will begin with the Rapture (I Thess. 4:13-18) and will culminate when He comes to destroy the armies of this Earth that have gathered against Him and set up His Kingdom (Zechariah 14).

The Study of the Word of GodDetermine the theme of the passage you are studying as well as the larger context of the passage.

Larger Context: James 5 - To encourage believers to wait on God regardless of circumstances.

Theme of James 5:7-11 – Be patient and the Lord will bring you through.

Using the information gathered above and considering the context of what is being said as well as other Scriptures, try to arrive at the simplest interpretation possible of the passage.

Be Patient While Waiting

One of the areas that we need to be patient in is while we are waiting for things to happen. We don’t need to get depressed when things don’t seem to change because of the hope that we have which James shares in verses 7 and 8. The word that James uses here means to wait patiently instead of getting depressed. What do we have that can get us through the days of waiting for the situation in our lives to change? We have the hope of our Lord’s coming. We don’t know when He is coming, however, we do know that He is coming. At any moment the glorious light of His presence may break forth on this dark and dreary world. What a fantastic hope we have.

As a practical example, James shows us the farmer. In Israel, a farmer would plant his crops in what we consider to be Autumn. During this time he would expect the “early” rains to help soften the soil. The seed would then sit in the earth over the winter in a somewhat dormant state. Finally, in the February-March time frame the “latter” rains would come which would cause his harvest to mature. The farmer had no control over the rains. He needed to trust the Lord to bring them. During this time he could get depressed that the weather wasn’t the way he wanted it to be and give up or he could continue tending his crop so that it would be ready when the Lord sent the rain.

Be Patient With Others

In circumstances when people turn on us James again gives us the advice Be Patient. We need to stop grumbling against others. We need to humbly be patient with others. The word for patience here refers to a self-restraint before it gives way to action or passion such as getting revenge. It is so easy for us to fight back or grumble and complain when others attack us. Instead, we need to have the mind of Christ and turn the other cheek.

The Study of the Word of GodAs an example, James shows us the prophets. There is example after

example of how the prophets patiently endured the attacks and slander of men instead of fighting back. One of the greatest examples of this is Daniel. He was taken from his land in captivity, he had people try to brainwash him, he saw people try to get his friends killed, and he saw people make a mockery of his God. But what was said of him after all this? In Daniel 6:3 we find the testimony that there was an excellent spirit in him. From the example of the prophets we can learn that the only time that we should get upset is when people do things that attempt to take away from the glory of God.

Be Patient in Trying Circumstances

In verse 11, James uses a third word for patience. In this verse it refers to having endurance under trying circumstances. The Lord is very compassionate towards us and will show us mercy. We need to be patient and not give up under the load as He brings us through. Although we may not see the reason for our suffering this side of glory we can be patient when we know that our redeemer lives.

James gives us the example of Job in this passage. Job was an extremely wealthy man, however, he was also a righteous man. In one day, Job lost all his wealth his children. He later lost his health. Job could have gotten angry at this and cursed God, instead he showed a remarkable patience. Although he did get depressed and thought that he might be able to justify himself, he never once cursed God.

Apply the passage to your life

This passage definitely teaches us to have a different attitude in trials. The next time someone treats me poorly I will remember Daniel and react calmly so that people see the difference in my life.

Living the Victorious Life

The new believer must be taught to live the victorious life. If he is not then he will end up falling into sin. Instead of serving God in the strength of the Lord, he will end up serving himself.

This lesson is broken up into six sections. The first section teaches the believer to realize that they are dead to sin and alive to God. The second section teaches the believer to walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh. The third section teaches the believer to abide in Christ. The fourth section teaches the believer about his spiritual armor. The fifth section teaches the believer when to flee instead of fight. The sixth section teaches the believer to ask the Lord to examine his life.


Many believers seem to end up living a life of defeat instead of living a life of victory over sin. They never achieve everything they could have because they try things in their strength instead of God’s strength. The sad thing is that God has given us everything we need to live victoriously, but we don’t take advantage of it. We are running out of time. We need to get serious about living victoriously and serving God in His power.

I) Realize That You Are Dead to Sin and Alive to God

Romans 6:2 – Paul is asking, "How can a person who has died in relation to their old sinful nature when they were saved keep living in it?” We have been completely separated from our sinful nature. It is completely dead in respect to its power over the believer. This death of the sinful nature took place at salvation.

Wuest uses the following illustration to show what Paul is talking about: A floor lamp is connected to a wall outlet. It derives its power to give light from the electric outlet in the wall. Just so, a sinner is connected to the evil nature, and derives his incentive and energy to sin, from the evil nature. Remove the connecting plug from the wall outlet, and the light ceases to function. Its source of power has been cut off. Cut the connection between the sinner and the evil nature, and he ceases to function as a sinner. Connect the floor lamp with the wall

Living the Victorious Lifeoutlet, and it starts to give light again. Connect the Christian with the evil nature still in him, and he sins again. But the point is, he is under no compulsion to put himself back into the control of the evil nature again, nor can he do it habitually, nor frequently.25

Romans 6:3 – Wuest points out that the word for "baptized" is the same word that was used for smiths who would immerse (baptize) hot iron into water to temper it. He then goes on to explain that in this context the word "baptized" can be thought of as "the introduction or placing of a person or thing into a new environment or into union with something else so as to alter its condition or its relationship to its previous environment or condition."26 Since the believer is immersed into Christ, he becomes one with Christ and his nature is changed.

Romans 6:4 – We were made one with Christ in His death and we were also buried together with Him. In addition, we have been raised from our death to our sin nature and should "walk in newness of life". We should conduct ourselves in such a way that we are empowered and moved by this new living nature instead of our old sinful selves.

Romans 6:5 – Paul states that we were "planted together" with Christ. We were united with Christ in His death and the benefits of that union are still ongoing.

Romans 6:6 – Not only did we die in relation to our old sinful nature, but it also died in relation to us. In effect, we are "doubly dead" in respect to any power our sin nature might have over us. Our sinful nature was nailed to the cross with Christ. The power of sin has been destroyed or rendered inoperative. Our sinful nature was put to death so that sin can never again exercise control over us (unless we allow it to).

It is important to stress that this does not mean that the new believer will never sin again (I John 1:8-2:1). It does mean that sin has lost its ability to control us so that we do not have to sin. The new believer should begin to see victory over sin as a result of what happened at their salvation.

25 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies From the Greek New Testament Romans in the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955), p. 9526 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies From the Greek New Testament Romans in the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955), pp. 96-97


Romans 6:11 – Reckon might be used in the financial sense of crediting something to a person's account. We must put to our account the fact that we have died to our old sinful nature so that we can live to God and walk in the "newness of life" that has already been given to us.

Romans 6:12 – Paul tells us that we need to stop allowing our sin nature to reign in our mortal bodies.

Romans 6:13 – We also need to stop yielding our "members as instruments of unrighteousness". The word yield means to "Put at the service of; render. It is the technical term for presenting the Levitical victims and offerings."27 When we practice sin, we are offering ourselves to it to be used for its purposes instead of allowing ourselves to be used for God's purposes.

Instead of yielding our members to unrighteousness, we need to yield our entire being to God. God doesn't want just our intellect or our physical abilities or our desires to be offered to Him. He wants our very being to be offered to Him. Once we have offered our entire being to God, we can then offer our intellect, physical abilities, and desires for use on the side of righteousness or doing what God commands.

Romans 6:14 – Another reason that sin cannot exercise control over us is that we are now under grace instead of under the law. Before we were saved, the best we could try to do was to conform to the law in our strength. This was impossible for us and therefore sin had control over us. Once we were saved, we received "newness of life" from God and as a result, live by His grace.

The Law could only condemn us for our sin. It had no ability to enable us to live righteously. God’s grace teaches us the way that we should live (Titus 2:11-13) and then gives us the ability to live a righteous life. We are now able to live victoriously because God enables us, not because of any strength that we have.

27 Marvin R. Vincent, Vincent's Word Studies Vol. 3 [CD-ROM] (Hiawatha, IA: Parsons Technology Inc., 1998)

Living the Victorious LifeRomans 6:16-18 – Paul is making the argument that it is impossible for

the believer to live a life where he plans on committing periodic sins because he is now a slave of righteousness. It does not mean that the believer will never sin. It does mean that he will not build into his plan for his Christian life periods in which to sin.

Many people feel that they are in control of their actions and can do whatever they want. They never realize that they are actually slaves of their own sinful desires. They are like a drunk who cannot seem to escape the control that alcohol has over him.

Romans 6:19 – We must present our bodies and abilities as slaves to righteousness in the same way that we used to present them to sin. Just as we used to present ourselves as slaves to sin, we are now commanded to present our "members" as slaves to righteousness. We should put just as much energy into being righteousness as we used to put into being wicked.

The important thing to realize about Romans 6 is that it is a work that God has done in the life of the believer. We simply need to take advantage of what He has done for us.

Gal. 2:20 – When we were saved, we were united with Christ in His death. We died to our old sin nature and we died to the law.

Now, instead of being energized by our sin nature, we have our life as Christ lives in us. The secret of true Christian living is not in living lawlessly and it is not in living according to an external law. We must realize that our life comes from Christ and by faith live according to the internal guidance that He gives to us.

II) Walk in the Spirit, Not the Flesh

Romans 8:1-4 – The power of God delivers us from condemnation. We don't have to live in our past. We don’t need to allow the guilt of our past to control our future. God has freed us from condemnation and allowed us to serve Him.

Living the Victorious LifeRomans 8:6-9 – Instead of being enemies of God and unable to please

Him, we now have the Spirit of God dwelling within us which enables us to please God.

Romans 8:12-14 – In addition to indwelling us, the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to overcome our sinful nature and leads us along. We are enabled to do right. God never commands us to do something without enabling us to do it.

Romans 8:26-27 – We need so much help that the Holy Spirit even prays for us and intercedes for us before the Father when we don’t know how to pray.

Romans 8:31-32 – God will give us everything that we need to live the victorious life. He will enable us to overcome sin and to accomplish all things that He has called us to do

Romans 8:33-39 – We don't need to fear anymore as a result of what God has done. We don't need to let fear keep us from serving God.

Gal. 5:13 – The source of our service must be love. A self-sacrificial love can only come from the Holy Spirit who now indwells us (5:22).

Gal. 5:14 – Paul is referring to God's divine standard that he would have all men follow. If we would show God's love to those around us, we would be fulfilling all of God's standards that He has for us without having to worry about a series of external standards.

Gal. 5:16 – The secret to liberty is that we conduct our lives according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in His strength. We have been freed from our flesh and the law so that we can walk in the Spirit.

Gal. 5:17 – We don't need the law to restrain our flesh. The Spirit desires to put it down. As we yield to Him, He will put down the flesh much more effectively that a series of laws ever could.

Gal. 5:18 – Not only are we to walk about in the realm of the Spirit, but we are also to allow Him to be our guide.

Living the Victorious LifeWe are no longer the law. If we place ourselves under it (meaning

outward conformity to rules in our strength), then we are no longer walking in the Spirit. We are trying to suppress the flesh in our own strength instead of letting the Spirit fight the battle for us.

Gal. 5:22-24 – The Holy Spirit produces all of this fruit in its perfection. He is not lacking in love or joy or any other aspect of the fruit. As we walk in the Spirit, His fruit will be evident in our lives.

Gal. 5:25 – The responsibility of the saint is to desire to live a Christlike life, to depend upon the Holy Spirit for the power to live that life, and to step out on faith and live that life. This fulfilled, will bring all the infinite resources of grace to the aid of the saint, and put in operation all the activities of the Spirit in his behalf.28

III) Abide in Christ

John 15:5 – Jesus is the source of life for us every day. We need our nourishment and strength from Him every day in order for us to survive and be fruitful. Jesus is the only source of life that we have. Our life comes from Christ, if we try to live our lives separate from God, we will shrivel up and be unfruitful.

Once we have realized our relationship as branches attached to the vine, we will then begin to practice the proper dependence of abiding in Christ. The word abide means to remain. Schofield states: "To remain in Christ is, on the one hand, to have no known sin unjudged and unconfessed, no interest into which He is not brought, no life which He cannot share. On the other hand, the abiding one takes all burdens to Him, and draws all wisdom, life, and strength from Him. It is not unceasing consciousness of these things, and of Him, but that nothing is allowed in the life which separates from Him."

Thinking that we can yield any sort of spiritual fruit apart from our source of spiritual life is like thinking that a lamp will work when we unplug it from the wall. As a light removed from its source of power yields no light, so a believer removed Christ’s strength can yield no fruit.

28 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies From the Greek New Testament Galatians in the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955), p. 162

Living the Victorious LifeI John 2:6 – We need model our lives after Christ if we are to abide in

Him. We need to pray, know the Word, love one another, and be willing to do what God commands us to do no matter what the cost.

IV) Put On Your Spiritual Armor

Eph. 6:10-11 – We need to fight in the strength of the Lord instead of our own strength. We need to make sure that we are fully armored so that we can stand in the fight.

Eph. 6:12 – Our fight is not against people and things of this world, but against the spiritual forces of evil.

Eph. 6:14 – The first part of the armor that we need to put on is truth.

Truth is compared to the belt of the soldier’s armor. This belt was the part of the armor that held other parts of the armor in place.

Without truth, the rest of the armor will begin to fall apart since we certainly won’t be righteous, our spreading of the gospel and use of the Word will be hindered, and we won’t be walking in faith.

Eph. 6:14 – The next piece of our armor is righteousness. The breastplate would cover the upper body and protect vital organs such as the heart and lungs.

We need to guard our hearts and always live according to God’s standards. We must never let our guard down.

Eph. 6:15 – We also need to be prepared to present the gospel message wherever we might be. We need to have verses memorized so that we are always ready.

Eph. 6:16 – We also need to make faith part of our arsenal. The shield described here was a large shield big enough to cover the entire body. These shields would be soaked in water so that any flaming arrows would not ignite them. They could also be hooked together.

Living the Victorious LifeWe first need faith in order to be saved (Eph. 2:8-9) and then we need to

exercise faith in our daily lives to achieve the victory (I John 5:4).

Eph. 6:17 – We also need to take the helmet of salvation. We need to be saved so that we have eternal life, but we also need to be saved so that we can understand spiritual things (II Cor. 4:4).

The helmet refers to the mind controlled by God. It is too bad that many Christians have the idea that the intellect is not important, when in reality it plays a vital role in Christian growth, service, and victory. When God controls the mind, Satan cannot lead the believer astray. The Christian who studies his Bible and learns the meaning of Bible doctrines is not going to be led astray too easily. We need to be “taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus” (Eph. 4:21).29

Eph. 6:17 – We next see our offensive weapon which is the Word of God. The Word of God is a powerful weapon that can reach the heart of man (Heb. 4:12).

Eph. 6:18 – One of the key ways that we actually engage in the war and receive the strength that we need is through prayer. We should pray to God and make requests for specific things from Him.

V) Know When to Flee

One key thing to remember is that we should not always seek to overcome temptation. Many times it is much smarter to flee the temptation. This is particularly true when it comes to sexual temptation (I Cor. 6:18; II Tim. 2:22), idolatry (I Cor. 10:14), and a desire for money over the things of God (I Tim. 6:10-11).

VI) Examine Your Life

Psalm 139:23 – We tend to look at faults in others, but instead we must ask God to search us. Our heart can deceive us so we need the Lord to search our hearts and reveal even the slightest wickedness that is rising up within us.

29Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE'

series"--Jkt. (Eph 6:13). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.


We need to ask God to put us to the test and purify us. We need Him to examine every one of our thoughts and reveal any wickedness to us so that we can correct it. Too often we want God to fix everyone around us instead of asking Him to change us.

Psalm 139:24 – We also need the leading of the Lord. We need Him to reveal the evil in our hearts and then once we make it right we need Him to lead us in the way that we should go so that we don’t continue in our sin.

Suggested Homework: Ask the Lord to show you something in your life that needs to change. Look up Scriptures related to the issue that He reveals to you. Memorize some of the verses and each day pray and ask God to help you claim the victory He has promised to you.

Making DisciplesWe are called to be disciples, but we are also called to make disciples.

This lesson encourages people to disciple others and gives tips on how

This lesson is broken up into two sections. The first section teaches the need to make disciples. The second section gives some times on making disciples


We must be disciples of Christ. A part of that is that we will seek to make disciples of others. Christ works through multiplication, not addition. He desires that we teach people and they in turn teach others. By doing this we are much more effective than if we tried to do things on our own.

I) The Need to Make Disciples

Matt. 28:19-20 – The Great Commission is Christ’s plan for His church. It is composed of two key aspects. We must preach the Gospel so that people can be saved, but we must also teach those that are saved to obey all things that Christ has commanded.

II Tim. 2:2 – Our intention should be to take what we learn and share it with others. Whenever we do it we need to plan on having those that we teach then teach others. We need to be clear in what we teach, answer questions, and encourage those we are working with to find someone else to share it with.

II) Tips for Making Disciples

Make sure that you spend time with the Lord yourself. Discipling others is hard work and you need to be sure that you are strengthened in the Lord yourself.

Be prepared with information to present. You need to think through what you will say so that you can present it clearly.

Set expectations at the beginning of the time regarding what you will cover, how long it will probably take, and what you both expect.

Making Disciples

When considering what to teach make sure you balance getting the most critical information across first, presenting information in a logical way that builds on former lessons, and dealing with specific issues that the particular disciple faces.

It is also important to help the disciple realize the fact that true Christianity is a life. They don’t just go to church and have devotions, but instead their whole life should be lived in the power of God and for His glory.

Continue to be a student of the Word. The people you are discipling will ask many questions unrelated to what you teaching and the more you know of the Word the better prepared you will be to answer.

Be Biblical in everything you say. Make sure that what you are saying is found in the Scriptures and show the verses to the one you are discipling.

Resist the urge to get too detailed. You need to remember that things that you take for granted are new to the disciple so you need to give him the basics first.

Be flexible in your presentation. People have different needs and sometimes you need to talk to the person about what they disclose they are struggling with instead of worrying about making sure you present what you prepare.

Be humble in your presentation. Don’t act like you are better that the person you are discipling, but instead help them to realize that you understand what they are going through and that they can be victorious in spiritual things.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know. You will be asked about things you don’t know. Tell the disciple that you will study the subject and get back to them.

Have the disciple look up the verses in their own Bible and read them if they are able. This gives them a familiarity and confidence with the Word of God.

Making Disciples

Be on time for your appointments and avoid canceling them as much as possible.

Give homework and expect them to complete it. You want to make sure that they are applying what they learn instead of just gaining head knowledge.

Be willing to correct misstatements. We must speak the truth in love, but we must be sure to correct wrong thinking.

Be willing to confront issues. If the disciple is not being faithful in an area then you need to confront it. You also need to confront sin issues.

Maintain a joyful attitude. Help them to understand the blessings of walking with God.

Be patient. The person you are discipling is probably a new believer. You need to expect that they will not get everything right the first time. You need to lovingly correct them and point them in the right direction.

Always remember to pray for wisdom and for the one you are discipling.

Suggested Homework: If you feel your disciple is ready then encourage them to find someone to disciple. Be sure to provide them with the teacher and student version of the notes.

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