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Basic Discipleship
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

This material is copyrighted c2002 and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.

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PHASE 2                INITIAL GROWTH

SESSION 3
SWEET FELLOWSHIP WITH THE GOD YOU LOVE

          This session is designed to further strengthen the bonds between you and your disciple and, more importantly, between him and God.  Its primary focus is fellowship; the fact that God desires it and that it is to his distinct advantage to have it.

          It is very important that you bring heavy emphasis to the strong bearing of one’s spirit and attitude on fellowship.  Help your disciple to learn, at this early point in his spiritual life, the necessity of an humble and yielded heart to God.

          As his discipler, you should know this material well.  Remember that you cannot teach that which you do not know.  Work each lesson yourself.  Familiarize yourself with each scripture and the correct answers.

          Check your disciple’s answers.  If they are incorrect, use your time as an opportunity to strengthen him in the weak area(s).  Discuss the exercises with him.  Pray with him about his areas of need.  Do not assume that just because he has worked the assignment he has understood or mastered the material.  Probe.  You should get into the material with your disciple and intertwine yourself in his life as one who will help.  This material and the exercises open the door for you to do so.  Hopefully, your rapport with your disciple will strengthen to the point that you can openly and frankly, without tension, delve into these areas of Christian development and make personal applications.

          Every time you and your disciple meet or talk by phone, you should pray with him.  Be specific in your prayers.  Be sure to pray for areas of need specifically and thank God for areas of improvement that you see.  Your disciple needs to see that you really care, that you are paying serious attention to his life.  This will strengthen and bond the two of you.

          Before you part, place BASIC DISCIPLESHIP  FORM #4 (FORM BD#4) in his hand. Ask him to complete it before your next session.

          The Bible says, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins...We love him, because he first loved us." (I John 4:10,19) God has been so good to you.  You were lost (Luke 19:10), guilty of sin (Romans 3:19,23), condemned before God (John 3:18) and headed for eternal damnation (John 3:36) in the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14-15)  Purely out of love (John 3:16) God came in the person of Jesus Christ to settle forever your sin problem (I John 4:10) by the shedding of His own blood in death on the Cross. (I Peter 2:24)  Exclusively upon the strength of His love and work on your behalf your sins are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7), the condemnation of sin against you has been lifted (Romans 8:1) and you have eternal life. (John 5:24)  In view of what He has done for us, it is easy for us, who have been saved, to love our wonderful God who saved us.

I.         GOD WANTS YOU TO LOVE HIM (DEUTERONOMY 10:12) AND HAVE SWEET FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM. (I JOHN 1:3)

                In order that you might gain a fuller understanding of God's care for you and of His desire for fellowship with you, please complete this section of the outline by reading the scriptures and filling in the blanks with the correct word(s).

A.            God wants your life to be full of true, lasting joy and quality.

                        1.        John 10:10, Jesus came that you might both have life and have it more abundantly.

                        2.        I John 1:4. God wants your joy to be full.

                        3.        John 15:11. God wants His joy in you to remain

                        4.        Ephesians 3:19. Ponder the concept of your being "filled with all the fullness of God."

       B.            God loves you and wants oneness and communion with you.

                        1.        Revelation 2:4. God wants to be your first love.

                        2.        I Corinthians 1:9. God calls you into fellowship. 

Fellowship means personal involvement with a person, not merely a knowledge of him.

                        3.        Matthew 15:8. God demands that communion or fellowship with Him be real, not pretended.

                        4.        I John 1:6-7. Contemplate the meaning of walking in continuous fellowship with God.

        C.            God is always in you, seeing and knowing where you are in both body and heart. (Hebrews 4:13; Jeremiah 17:10)

                        1.        Romans 14:11-12. In terms of accountability, God's omniscience (complete knowledge of all things) is sobering.

                        2.        Psalm 46:1-3; Romans 8:31. In terms of assurance, God's omniscience is comforting.

                        3.        I Thessalonians 5:19; I John 1:6. God is always there, but you can ignore Him and stifle fellowship.

II.    TRUE FELLOWSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND GOD WILL COME ONLY WHEN YOUR HEART IS TRULY YIELDED AND HUMBLE BEFORE HIM.

        Read the following scriptures and complete the assignments

        A.        Psalm 34:18; Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 66:2. Describe the kind of heart with whom God can commune.

        B.            I Peter 5:5-6. God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble.

        C.            I Samuel 15:22-23. In your own words, describe God's attitude toward a rebellious heart. _________________________________________________________________.

        D.        Luke 22:42. What should your attitude toward God always be? 

Not my will, but thine be done.  Your purpose in life should not be to do your will; it should be to do God's will.

        E.             On a grading scale of 0 to 100, score yourself in the following areas in terms of submission to God.

                          1.        Spirit. (Luke 14:11)        %.

                          2.        Eyes. (Matthew 6:22)        %.

                          3.        Ears. (Ephesians 4:14)        %.

                          4.        Mouth. (James 1:19, 3:2-13)       %.

                          5.        Attitude. (James 3:14-18)        %.

                          6.        Sex. (Ephesians 5:3)        %..

                          7.        Stomach. (I Corinthians 10:31)        %.

                          8.        Money. (Proverbs 3:9)        %.

                          9.        Time. (Ephesians 5:16)        %.

                        10.        Talents. (Romans 6:13)        %.

                        11.        Responses. (I Peter 3:8-10)        %.

                        12.        Faithfulness. (I Corinthians 4:2)        %.

        F.        Locate yourself on the following scale.

< Rebellious <1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 > Yielded

        G.            In priority order, list the five areas which you need most to bring into submission to the lordship of Christ.

                        1.                                                      .

                        2.                                                      .

                        3.                                                      .

                        4.                                                      .

                        5.                                                      .

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"