Essentials
The process of making disciples is a lengthy and arduous one. One could argue that it is a life-long process that none of us quite complete. Many books and courses have been written by many eminent scholars, pastors, and church leaders. Many are much too short to adequately cover the basics. Many are so focused on theology at the expense of application as to be practically useless. Some are so academic as to require college level comprehension. Yet others de-emphasize or even ignore clear teachings in Scripture that significantly impact the Kingdom message and limit a Kingdom Life.
Essentials is designed to be an eighteen-week, 125-day journey of discovery: discovering who God is, what He’s like, and what He wants for you. It’s the first step on the path that specifically focuses on increasing your knowledge of God and His Word and practically living out the Christian faith. While many of your questions will be answered, some may not. What you will experience is a deeper level of trust and intimacy with the Creator Himself. And you will experience radical life transformation if you allow God to change you.
The Audience
If you are a brand-new Christian, this series will help establish a solid theological foundation upon which to grow your faith. If you’ve walked with the Lord for more than a minute, this series will reinforce and strengthen key tenets of your faith that you may have forgotten or overlooked. If you’ve never considered the claims of Jesus Christ, this series will provide enough information to answer the typical questions about God, the Bible, and the Christian faith. For participants in a typical small group setting, this course offers a chance to build community and learn from other believers in a relaxed atmosphere.
The Experience
The key to maximizing the return on your investment of time during this series is found in Jesus’ well-known parable of The Sower:
3 And he [Jesus] told them [the disciples] many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.” – Matthew 13:3-9
After the disciples expressed their lack of understanding, Jesus provided an explanation of the parable:
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” – Matthew 13:23
The seed that was fruitful, i.e., the seed that produced results, was the seed planted in good soil. Exponential production occurred where the soil was prepared. It’s where the listener expected seed to be sown, and therefore prepared the ground for the expected growth. In our context, spiritual growth happens when the student expects to grow (i.e. learn) and prepares their heart (i.e. attitude) accordingly.
Whether you know it or not, you have an enemy who will try to deceive you into believing there isn’t anything new to learn, especially in topics that are familiar. That’s a lie! The Holy Spirit has much to teach all of us, especially in those areas that seem familiar.
So then, our goal is to equip you, the disciple, to grow in your knowledge of God, grow in your understanding of essential theology, and ignite your passion for pursuing an intimate relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
May God richly bless you on your journey.