DISCIPLESHIP COURSE
by Bob Bobbitt, March 2024
Introduction to Discipleship Course (Study Guide)
Lesson 1 – Hearing God’s Voice - 7 Units (Study Guide)
This lesson is designed to help church members be more attuned to God’s voice and walk in close communion with him on a daily basis. It is our hope that believers will be better able to focus their attention on prayer, study, fasting and listening to God’s voice and thus gain an increased understanding of his mission and purpose for their lives.
Lesson 2 – Calling & Giftedness (3 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 2A] [Unit 2B] [Unit 2C]
Though we don’t always sense it, God has placed us in this time and place for a divinely appointed purpose. So often we seem to be tossed about by circumstances in life and we don’t always realize God’s hand moving us toward his mission for our lives. How can I discover why God has placed me here? How can I know what his purpose is for my life? How do I gain a better sense of my calling from God?
Lesson 3 – Seeking Truth: Prayer, Study & Fasting (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 3A] [Unit 3B]
In seeking to become disciples of Christ and a sanctified people, this sets us on a quest for greater truth, which can only come from God’s revelation. Through prayer, we seek to establish a relationship with the Creator. Through scripture study, we learn what he has said previously down through history. Through fasting, we attempt to become instruments in his hand to heal the brokenness and lift the burdens of this world.
Lesson 4 – Thoughts & Words: The Battle for Our Minds (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 4A] [Unit 4B]
In our thought life, we are commanded in scripture to look for anything that is virtuous or praiseworthy – to think on that which is good. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If we have good thoughts, it will be reflected in our words. The believer who can bridle their thoughts and words and not render offense is a perfect person.
Lesson 5 – True Freedom Through Moral Purity (3 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 5A] [Unit 5B] [Unit 5C]
This lesson is intended to help us understand that “true freedom” (i.e., having our physical drives under the control of the Holy Spirit) can only come from God’s Holy Spirit. In this unit we define terms that scripture uses to describe moral impurity. We then discuss six steps that lead to moral impurity and seven steps to achieve victory over such sin. The lesson ends with a discussion of three basic drives that exist in humanity: the spiritual, psychological and physical.
Lesson 6 - Self-Acceptance & Finding Peace (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 6A] [Unit 6B]
It is sometimes difficult for us to accept a particular circumstance in our lives, such as our appearance, abilities, parentage or environment. Each person on this earth is wonderfully made by God. In forming attitudes about myself, the question is, “Will I compare myself to the inner character of Christ to obtain his approval, or will I compare myself to the outward standards of others to gain their approval”? When we reject how we were designed, it undermines our faith in the Designer.
Lesson 7 - A Clear Conscience (3 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 7A] [Unit 7B] [Unit 7C]
We may be forgiven through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, but we are far from perfect. In order to experience true freedom, we need a relationship with the Lord of the universe and we need a conscience that is “void of offense” toward our fellow man. This lesson focuses on healing the injury that we might have inflicted on others.
Lesson 8 - Forgiveness & Healing Wounds of the Spirit (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 8A] [Unit 8B]
As long as there are people in the world, there will be spiritual woundedness that arises from relationships. It is God’s desire that every follower of Christ achieve “true freedom” in their lives by maintaining a clear conscience and finding a release from bitterness. This lesson focuses on the pain we feel when others have offended us.
Lesson 9 – Humility & Yielding Ownership to God (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 9A] [Unit 9B]
We all have a natural tendency to place a great deal of importance on ourselves. Society encourages us to be proud and sometimes even brash. Christians are quickly becoming a minority in first-world countries; atheism is increasing. Humility and meekness are viewed as a weakness, not a strength. But they are actually a sign of strength and evidence of God’s grace working in our lives. Our society is focused on dividing everyone into groups and fighting for each group’s rights, when what we really need is to yield personal rights and ownership of our lives to our Creator.
Lesson 10 – Joy in Adversity (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 10A] [Unit 10B]
The object of this series of lessons is to become disciples of Christ. A key component of this process of discipleship is learning how to achieve joy and contentment in whatever situation God has placed us. This can lead to a sustainable and lasting peace in our souls. One way to experience that peace is through the avenue of gratefulness and praise to God.
Lesson 11 – Faith (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 11A] [Unit 11B]
The object of this series of lessons is to become disciples of Christ. Part of this process of discipleship is learning how to increase our faith in whatever situation God has placed us. God asks us to walk in faith many times in our lives when we can’t see what is ahead and don’t always know what he has in store for our lives. He calls us to more than simply an intellectual understanding. He asks us to do more than simply declare our faith. He wants us to place our absolute trust in him and bear fruit in our lives in a way that will validate that gift of faith he’s given us.
Lesson 12 – Hope (2 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 12A] [Unit 12B]
The object of this series of lessons is to become disciples of Christ. A key component of that process is to instill hope and keep hope strong in the hearts of every person who has made a baptismal covenant. In this lesson, we talk about what it is that we hope in, what forces try to steal our hope, and how we must react when despair begins to make inroads in the life of a believer.
Lesson 13 – Charity (3 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 13A] [Unit 13B] [Unit 13C]
This series of lessons attempts to turn believers into disciples of Christ. One aspect of that process is learning how to love all people without any conditions, regardless of what circumstance we find ourselves. “Love” is a term that is thrown around by many different people, and it is often misused. What we hope to achieve in our lives is the pure love of Christ.
Lesson 14 – Stewardship & Financial Freedom (8 units)
Study Guides: [Unit 14A] [Unit 14B] [Unit 14C] [Unit 14D] [Unit 14E] [Unit 14F] [Unit 14G] [Unit 14H]
In this lesson, we discuss stewardship, tithing, offering, contentment, living within household income, the nature of financial freedom, definitions of financial terms, the vital importance of saving early in your career, indebtedness, reasons not to borrow, why there are rich and poor, basic insights about poverty and wealth, the subtle tactics of advertising, building sales resistance, get-rich-quick schemes, being a wise consumer, mortgages, refinancing, insurance, college savings plans, the difficulty with school loans, the danger of loaning to friends or being a cosigner on a loan agreement, and other topics.