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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 6
DANGER ZONE

        Discipleship Minister, you know that Satan is already on the prowl against your disciple. He wants to trip him up as soon as possible and wreck and ruin his life. By disgracing a believer, he also discredits the cause of Christianity and all who are Christians.

          Upon the premise that to be forewarned is to be forearmed, this exercise is designed to alert your new disciple about some of the dangers now before him.  Help him.  Fortify him as much as possible. Help him to recognize the dangers. This is a vital part of child training in both the physical and the spiritual sense.

          Many of the answers here are stated right in the scriptures under consideration. Some are not.  Under each danger mentioned is a section calling for practical application. Don’t be too abstract and general with your disciple. Help him see these great Bible truths in very practical and applicable terms. Your answer sheet supplies answers in each case; although these are not the only right answers, which could be given. Your disciple may have trouble with this part of the exercise. Be prepared to help. Without practical application, the truth means little.

          Don’t forget to pray and supply your disciple with the next exercise.

                 Not everybody is happy that you have now become a Christian. Satan (the Devil) hates it and plans to do everything he can to defeat, shame and destroy you. I Peter 5:8 says "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Satan is your greatest enemy; but he uses your two other greatest enemies against you in concert to wreck your Christian life. They are your own flesh, which is weak (Matthew 26:41) and the world in which you live. (I John 2:15-17) Satan knows that you cannot lose your eternal life, but he also knows that he can cause you to backslide (turn from your zeal, dedication and faithfulness to God) and lose your joy and fruitfulness. Even though your are saved, he can make you most miserable and unhappy. There are specific ways by which he will attempt his dastardly, sinister purposes against you.

                The purpose of this exercise is to make you aware of the fact that you are now in a spiritual danger zone and to alert you as to what some of those dangers are. Being forewarned should help you be forearmed so that you will not be such a vulnerable target of Satan. Read the following scriptures and complete the sentences.

1.       II Timothy 3:12  "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus  shall suffer persecution.

2.       James 1:2 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into  divers temptations."

3.        I Peter 1:6-7 "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in  heaviness through  manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that  perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be  found unto praise and honour and glory at the  appearing of Jesus Christ."

Name your three greatest spiritual enemies.

1. The Devil (Satan)                 2. The Flesh                3. The World

Follow the Bible references listed here to tour yourself through a brief exposure to some of the dangers which now await you.

HIDDEN DANGERS AND TROUBLES

1. Job 14:1. Life is full of "trouble."

2. Jeremiah 8:15. Often when you look for peace and health, "no good" and "trouble" come.

3. Ecclesiastes 2:23. Each of us will face much "sorrow" and "grief."

NAME FIVE UNSEEN DANGERS WHICH COULD ARISE AT ANY TIME. 

1. Heart attack.

2. Cancer.

3. Job loss.

4. Sudden death of a loved one.

5. Accident.

TEMPTATIONS (Wine, women and song)

1. James 1:14-15. What is the end result of unchecked temptations? "Death."

2. Hebrews 11:25. What does this verse call Satan's temptations? "the pleasures of sin."

NAME FIVE TEMPTATION CATEGORIES. 

1. Sexual.

2. Monetary.

3. Alcoholic.

4. Theft.

5.  Verbal dishonesty.

VICIOUS AND HARMFUL PEOPLE

1.  Acts 20:29. What does the Bible call people who rise up to maliciously hurt other people? "Grievous wolves."

2. II Timothy 4:14. Who caused Paul much heartache? "Alexander the coppersmith."

3. III John 9. Are all of those people who would hurt non-Christians? No    X   Yes___

WHO ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHOM SATAN COULD USE AGAINST YOU?

1. A fellow-employee.

2. An old friend.

3. A family member.

4. A preacher.

5. Someone in your church.

PIERCING ERROR (The psychology of the world)

1. Ephesians 4:14 calls this "every wind of doctrine."

2. I Timothy 6:20. What does this passage call unfounded scientific positions? "science falsely so called."

NAME FIVE PIERCING ERRORS.

1. The theory of evolution.

2. Socialism.

3. Universal church theology.

4. Salvation from sin's penalty by works.

5. The Bible is not literally reliable.

FALSE TEACHERS

1. II Peter 2:1. What did Peter call false teachers? "False prophets."

2. I John 4:1. Can you believe every teacher who comes in the name of God while claiming the Bible as his authority? No   Yes 

                WHO ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT FALSE TEACHERS?

1.          Mormons.

2.                     Jehovah's Witnesses.

3.                     New Age religionist.

4.                     Baptismal regenerationalists.

5.                     Those who teach any form of works for salvation.

PITFALLS 

                II Timothy 2:26 calls pitfalls “the snare of the devil.”

  Scratch through the following entries which could not be considered pitfalls of the devil.

Job
Hobby
Sport
A piece of property
The Bible
Prayer
Wrong friends
Faithful church ministry
Wrong mate
Right mate
Wrong church
Right church
Business entanglements

BAD HABITS

1. II Peter 2:19-20. There are some things in life which have the power to "overcome" you.

2. I Corinthians 6:12. Is it right to be brought under the power of any bad habit? Yes       No   X     

NAME FIVE BAD HABITS WHICH CAN TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE.

1. Alcohol addiction.

2. Drug abuse.

3. Pornography.

4. Cussing.

5. Tobacco use.

                Satan will use these means to bring you down, to destroy your life. Now that you belong to God, he will work even harder against you. Beware! Don't let him take you unaware. Don't be blind to his intentions and devices.

Know also that God is more interested in you than is Satan; and His intent is to ever sustain you against whatever Satan attempts. Psalm 34:19 says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." Read and claim I Corinthians 10:13. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
                God has specific resources for you, resources designed to help you against the flesh, the world and the devil. Future exercises will present these to you in greater detail.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"