"Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." I Peter 1:8
It is estimated to be 8 billion people in the word today as of May of 2020. Out of 8 billion people in the world only about 330 million are in the United States. This should give us a proper prospective of the need to reach not ONLY people in the US but around the whole world!
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The SECOND Bible Study that we should have with anyone is a study on how to become a DISCIPLE of JESUS OF CHRIST.
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Many people have been taught about the teachings of Jesus Christ on some level or another but how many have been taught to HOLD TO THE TEACHINGS of Jesus Christ? In the Gospel of John we find that these are the ONLY ones that Jesus said that are "REALLY HIS DISCIPLES." Are you REALLY His disciple?
HOW DO WE MAKE DISCIPES?
A Christian disciple is a follower of Christ, but one thing you must know is the cost of following Jesus Christ is your life. It will cost you everything. You will have to say no to temptations and the things of this world. You will have to follow Him through trials, suffering, loneliness, humiliation, etc.
You have to love God more than anyone or anything in this world and even if you were the only one in your family following Christ and even if your parents didn’t approve you would still follow Christ.
We must trust in the grace of God. We must not rely on ourselves, but we must rely on the Holy Spirit. God’s goal is to make you into the image of Christ. Disciples of Christ imitate Christ and bring glory to God. We grow in grace by reading Scripture, obeying Scripture, praying, etc. We have a love for other believers. We humble ourselves and not only are we students, but we spread the gospel and disciple others.
ARE YOU REALLY A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST?
1. When you have no real desires to follow Christ.
2. When you deliberately rebel against God’s Word and use Jesus Christ dying to justify your continuous lifestyle of sin.
3. When you truly want to follow the world.
4. When you think you’re saved only because you go to church.
5. When you only pray when things go bad.
6. When your life is not about Christ but only about what He can do for you. 7. When talking about obedience to God’s Word becomes a point of contention
A person is saved by putting their trust in Jesus Christ alone. You can’t work your way into Heaven, but when you truly accept Him you will change. You will always battle with sin, but your desires will not be to live a lifestyle of sin.
You will grow in obedience not because it saves you, but because you are so thankful of Jesus Christ paying your fine and taking upon the wrath of God that you and I deserve. Jesus Christ is everything or He is nothing!
Matthew 4:19-20 “Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.”
2 Timothy 2:2 “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”
This Is Our Program Suggested Study Guide
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Second Study - Discipleship
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1. How do we define what a Christian is?
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Read Acts 11:26
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1. A disciple equals a Christian. Often people think a person can be a Christian without being a disciple. Biblically, those two terms are describing the same group of people. The word Christian is used 3 times in scripture, the word disciple is used more than 200 times. A person cannot be a Christian without being a disciple.
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2. What is a disciple?
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Websters definition - one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another.
1. What would it mean to apply this definition toward being a disciple of Jesus?
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ACTIONS OF A DISCIPLE
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John 8:31-32
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1. Jesus indicates that it is not enough to just believe. We must also obey (hold to, continue in, abide in are other translations of this concept) his teaching. To do this we must make it our business to know his teaching and follow it (devotion to His Word). What would it mean to have this priority in your life?
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John 13:34-35
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1. Jesus gives those who would be disciples a command to love each other as He loved His disciples. This command relates to fellow disciples not all men. Jesus speaks about loving all men in other places, but here he is talking about relationships among disciples.
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2. Jesus commands us to love as He loved His disciples. How did Jesus love His disciples? He loved them by helping them mature as disciples (teaching, correction, rebuking, encouraging, serving them in whatever way was needed to help them become more of what God wanted them to be to the point of laying down His life). To obey this command we would need to be involved in the lives of other disciples in the same way Jesus was with His disciples. This takes time and effort and focus (in the same way that Jesus focused on a few people we need to focus on a few people). This would involve focusing on a few people within the church. It is impossible to have the kind of relationships that Jesus had if we spread ourselves too thin. What other disciples are you loving in the way that Jesus loved His disciples?
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John 15:1-8
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1. Another aspect of being a disciple is abiding in Jesus which results in bearing fruit. What does it mean to bear fruit? Bearing fruit is the result and indicator of having God in your life (helping others become Christians, a righteous life various good works). Bearing fruit is an essential part of being a disciple and therefore a Christian. If we do not abide in Christ and bear fruit we are cast away. Are you bearing the fruit of a disciple?
Who are you currently studying the Bible with? If you have been in the church for years who have you lead to Christ?
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Matthew 28:19-20
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1. Jesus commands His disciples to go and make disciples. This aspect of bearing fruit is specifically commanded. Also notice that after a person becomes a disciple and is baptized we must further teach them how to obey everything that Jesus commanded, to bring them on to maturity. Are you going and making disciples?
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Your honest answers to the above questions indicate whether you are a disciple or not
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ATTITUDES OF A DISCIPLE
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Luke 9:23-26
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1. An absolute necessity if we would follow Jesus (be His disciples) is self denial. We must deny our selfish desires if they conflict with the desires of Jesus. What would be some example of this? We must also take up our cross daily (put to death our desires that our contrary to His will), a cross is an instrument of death.
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2. If we try to "save" our lives (live our lives according to our own priorities) Jesus assures us that we will lose our lives of course eternally, but also even in this life. Life that does not pursue spiritual realities will not satisfy. In that sense we also "lose" our lives in even this life. The opposite is true if we lose our life for him, we gain life eternally and a full life here. What are practical ways of "losing" our life for Jesus?
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3. What good is it to gain everything the world has and lose our souls?
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4. We cannot be ashamed of Jesus. Does He deserve being ashamed of? People are often ashamed of what they should be proud of and proud of what they should be ashamed of. A disciple cannot be ashamed of Him.
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Matthew 10:34-39
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1. What priority must Jesus have? He must come before parents, girlfriend/boyfriend, or anybody else. What are some situations in which a choice like that would need to be made?
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Discuss now ....
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