BLOG #12
PREACH AND TEACH TO CHANGE LIVES
Step 4: FOCUS ON YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE (cont'd)
AN OVERVIEW OF THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
NEWLIFE DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING MANUAL
A manual is a brief guidebook that's easily carried in one's hand. This discipleship manual is not only a book that you carry in your hand. This manual will put on your palms and fingers important discipleship truths, taught through hand illustrations, that will equip you to participate in the greatest work -- becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and helping others to do the same.
In the Bible, God often refers to His hands. The Lord Jesus gives the most beautiful reference to the divine hands: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:27-29, NIV).
What a wonderful promise! In the almighty hands of the Father and the Son we Christians are safe and secure – forever! Our salvation does not depend on our holding on to God. Our salvation is securely grounded on the truth that God holds on to us with a grip that won't let go.
Does this mean that we fold our hands and do nothing but wait for heaven? Unfortunately, many Christians hold this wrong idea in their minds.
To the contrary, because we are secure in God's hands we should work vigorously with our hands! Paul captures this graphically in Philippians 3:12: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
Christ took hold of us -- grasped us with His hands -- for a purpose. Now, we are challenged to take hold of -- to grasp with our hands -- Christ's purpose until it is perfectly fulfilled in our lives.
To take hold of Christ's purpose, the Christian must have strong hands. This discipleship training manual will strengthen your spiritual hands at every stage of your Christian growth.
STAGES OF GROWTH
There are three stages of Christian growth, according to 1 John 2:12-14: "I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one."
Children, young men, fathers. In more general terms, every Christian goes through three spiritual stages: BABY, YOUTH, and PARENT. This discipleship training manual will teach and train Christians to use their spiritual hands during each of these stages. Hence, the outline of this course is as follows:
BOOK ONE
BABY RIGHT HAND: THE GOSPEL
1. Thumb: God's Love
2. Pointing Finger: Man's Problem
3. Middle Finger: Christ is the Answer
4. Ring Finger: Christ's Invitation
5. Little Finger: Man's Decision
6. Palm: The Christian's Assurance
EVANGELISTIC BIBLE STUDIES
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
BOOK TWO
BABY LEFT HAND: NEEDS OF A SPIRITUAL BABY
1. Thumb: Prayer - I
2. Pointing Finger: Word of God - I
3. Middle Finger: Forgiveness
4. Ring Finger: Family of God
5. Little Finger: Testimony
6. Palm: Indwelling Holy Spirit
BOOK THREE
YOUTH LEFT HAND: NEEDS OF A SPIRITUAL YOUTH
1. Thumb: Prayer - II
2. Pointing Finger: Word of God - II
3. Middle Finger: Cross
4. Ring Finger: Body of Christ
5. Little Finger: Witnessing
6. Palm: Holy Spirit-Filled Life
BOOK FOUR
BAPTISM AND CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
The Importance of B-A-P-T-I-S-M
Thumb: Believe
Pointing Finger: Accept, Prove
Middle Finger: Testify
Ring Finger: Instruct
Little Finger: Stewardship
Palm: Membership
BOOK FIVE
YOUTH RIGHT HAND: KEYS TO VICTORY
1. Thumb: Body
2. Pointing Finger: Mind
3. Middle Finger: Emotion
4. Ring Finger: Will
5. Little Finger: Armor of God
6. Palm: The Exchanged Life
BOOK SIX
PARENT LEFT HAND: NEEDS OF A SPIRITUAL PARENT
1. Thumb: Prayer - III
2. Pointing Finger: Word – III (Expanded in Book Eight)
3. Middle Finger: Stewardship
4. Ring Finger: Bride of Christ
5. Little Finger: World Mission
6. Palm: Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Expanded in Book Nine)
BOOK SEVEN
PARENT RIGHT HAND: Foundations for Ministry
1. Thumb: The Spirit in Ministry
2. Pointing Finger: The Word in Ministry
3. Middle Finger: Prayer in Ministry
4. Ring Finger: Modeling in Ministry
5. Little Finger: Trials in Ministry
6. Palm: Goal & Process of Ministry
BOOK EIGHT
BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS
1. Palm: TRUTHS ABOUT THE BIBLE
2. Thumb: TRUTHS ABOUT GOD
3. Pointing Finger: TRUTHS ABOUT CREATION
4. Middle Finger: TRUTHS ABOUT SIN AND SALVATION
5. Ring Finger: TRUTHS ABOUT THE CHURCH
6. Little Finger: TRUTHS ABOUT LAST THINGS
BOOK NINE
SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
DISCOVERING, DEVELOPING, DEPLOYING
1. Four Wonderful Truths
2. What are Spiritual Gifts?
3. Gifts for Serving
4. Gifts for Teaching
5. Gifts for Leading
6. Basic Ministries
7. Developing and Deploying your Gifts
8. Affirming Your Gifts and Ministry
9. NewLife Church Planting Strategy
BOOK TEN
CHI UPSILON
SPECIAL TRAINING FOR YOUTH
1. CHI and UPSILON are letters from the Greek alphabet.
(a) CHI (shaped like the English letter X, pronounced like CH) is the first letter of the name of Christ in Greek: CHRISTOS
(b) UPSILON (shaped like the English letter Y but equivalent to the English letter U) is the first letter in the Greek word UPSISTOS (pronounced [H]UPSISTOS), which means ABOVE ALL.
2. CHI UPSILON is a Bible study course designed to help Christians, specially young people, to put CHRISTOS [H]UPSISTOS – CHRIST ABOVE ALL – in every area of their life. When a person receives Christ as Savior and Lord, this commitment is symbolized by superimposing the letters CHI (X) and UPSILON (Y) on the circle of life; thus dividing the circle of life into SEVEN AREAS (please see diagram below):
· GOD
· SELF
· PARENTS
· FRIENDS
· SPECIAL FRIEND
· PURPOSE
· SUCCESS
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