WHAT'S NEXT? Chapter 2 - Discipleship

                                                        Chapter 2 - Discipleship

    The 1st calling for Christians is that they need to be saved. We discussed that in the first chapter. The next calling for all Christians is that we need discipleship. That is a fancy word for being taught by someone how to become a follower of God that we were saved to become.

    Jesus called 12 people to "be with Him". We call those the 12 Apostles or 12 Disciples. He spent three years with them poring the truths of the kingdom of God into them so that when He left them they could stand on their own, through the Holy Spirit, and flourish. The Bible calls new believers "babes in Christ". You need to grow up in your faith or it stands a good chance of "fizzling out".

     Jesus tells a story in 3 different gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, about a sower that sows seeds and it lands on 4 different soils which He compares to the human heart. The first is the path where the seed doesn't implant at all. That isn't you because when you heard the gospel, you would have just laughed and walked away. The second and third are the rocky soil and the thorny soil that begin to grow but they end up being choked out or withering away by old friends making fun of you or intellectuals making you feel like a fool or just wanting to go back to the pleasures of sin. Satan does not want you to be a follower of Christ so he will work overtime to make you go back to your old life. God wants you to become the 4th soil, the one that like the disciples starts growing, leaving the baby stage, and becoming more like Christ.

     Let me share with you some ways to be discipled so you don't become Satan's chump

  1. The Bible - All discipleship begins here.   The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by 40 authors over 1500 years. It was compiled in the 4th century in a complete form under the direction and leading of God and contains everything that God intended for us to know while on Earth. The authors were divinely inspired by God to write complete truth that agrees with all the other books and is outside of time - that is there are past and future events recorded and it speaks to believers through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the present in a timeless manner. 
   How can we love God unless we know Him? How can we follow Christ if we don't know what Jesus would do?

      When you think of living you think of eating and breathing. This is what the Bible does for us. We are breathing in all He has to say to us and ingesting it so that it builds us up. So, how best can a "newbie" access God's word?

     A. Listen to good preachers of the word.

        A lot of preachers preach psychology, practical Christian living, positivity and don't even open the Bible or use it as a jumping off point. That's not what you need! Listen to preachers that pick a passage and explain what it is all about. Visit some local churches until you find that. Then, during the week try to listen to some good preaching online. 

    B. Enroll in a Bible Study.

        Your Church probably has some to offer that meet as a Sunday School or a midweek church or home study. Most of these have a book to go along with it where you can learn to study the Bible on your own and then share answers in the group where you can learn from each other. Bible Study Fellowship is an organization that disciples hundreds of thousands and see if one of those meets in your area.

    C. Buy a good Bible to study

       The Life Application Bible is a great tool to own. It has explanations at the bottom of the pages for a lot of passages. It comes in NIV, ECV, RSV, NASV, and New King James, all of which are good. Use a highlighter and write all over it. Make sure it is big enough to write notes in.

    D. Set aside a non-negotiable daily time to study

        Find a quiet place. Leave your cell phone in the other room. Study the Bible and answer the questions for that day in your Bible study booklet. If you don't have one you can order some from Navigators. I always liked Irving Jensen books. If you don't have a book I would recommend one of these two ways to study. Both involve a pen and notebook.
          1. Pick a passage - maybe 8-12 verses preferably in the New Testament
                  -read it over and over after praying that God would speak through it
                  - write down the main thought
                 -write down what God is saying to you
                 - write down the action you are going to take
          2. Pick a book of the Bible
                 -read a chapter and outline it
                - at the end write a brief summary of what you learned

    E. Memorize Bible verses

        write them down on 3x5 cards and look at them whenever you have a break. If you learn one a month that is very easy and soon you will know more than people that have been Christians for years. Here is your first year's verses:
       John 3:16                        John  5:24          1John  1:9
       Rom  3:23                       Rom  6:23           2 Cor. 5:17
       2 Cor. 5:21                       Eph. 2:8,9           Gal. 2:20
       Gal. 5:22,23                     Rom. 8:28           Isa. 53:6

     F. Find an accountability partner

      Find someone who is interested in growing in their faith and call them every week to see what they are learning and tell them what you are learning. Quote your verses to them.

2. Prayer

      Can you believe that you have immediate access to the God of the universe 24/7! Just like reading the Bible is like breathing in, prayer is breathing out. The Bible is how we hear from God, prayer is how we talk to God. A relationship takes communication and listening and talking are essential. That's not to say that God can't talk to you in prayer but it would usually be an inaudible voice of assurance and peace. It would be helpful to meet with your accountability partner for prayer.

    One formula for prayer is ACTS
     A - Adoration. Tell God how great He is. Worship Him. Maybe read a Psalm to Him or sing worship song (or quote the lyrics). We were made to worship. Don't skimp on this time

     C - Confession. The Bible tells us that if we are harboring sins in our life God won't hear our prayers. It's like, until I deal with something my wife is upset with me for, I can't talk to her. Spend some time asking for forgiveness for all the things you did today that you shouldn't have. Be specific. Don't just say "please forgive my sins" and go on

    T - Thanksgiving. God is the best Father. He is always giving to us. If you give and give to your children and they are ungrateful you start thinking you are raising spoiled brats. So many Christians are ungrateful. Live a life of gratitude.

    S - Supplication. This is the part of prayer where you let your requests be made known. The tendency will be to start here. Don't! Prayer is so much more than just asking for stuff. Don't you hate it when you get the call from someone and you see their name and you say, "What do they need now?" Don't be that person to God. Pray for the needs of others including their salvation. Pray for your church and church leaders. Pray for the government. Pray for believers around the world, especially the persecuted ones. Pray for the missionaries around the world. Pray for your family. Pray for the things going on in your life.
        Add what you are praying for to your notebook so you remember to keep praying for them and write down when they are answered. I was always taught that prayer is like a stoplight. Sometimes you get the green light - God says "yes". Sometimes you get the yellow light - God says "wait". And sometimes you get the red light - God says "No".

                  This may seem like a lot of stuff to do but as you start, it will energize you and you will fall deeper in love with Jesus and you will get to the point where you can't wait for your intimate times with Him. This will help you become the "good soil" and not let Satan steal away the best decision you have ever made in your life.