FIRST STEPS A Six Week Guide for Two Friends

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2 FIRST STEPS A Six Week Guide for Two Friends Many people decide to hand their lives over to Christ, but not all of them know how to follow Him and experience the abundance that He promises. In John 10:10 Jesus said, I came that you might have life, and might have it abundantly. This six-week guide for use between friends will help kick-start this life-changing and life-giving Journey. Take a few minutes each week to ponder the questions together and to lay a foundation for a wonderful experience. Jesus said to them, Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19) This verse provides a simple outline of the entire Christian Journey. In it Jesus first offers a relationship with Himself. He said to His disciples, (us as well)...come...come do life and eternity with Him. To those He invited into relationship, He gave a brief word picture of the journey they would take. He said come and follow me. In this eternal relationship there is a clear leader and follower. Jesus leads we follow. We call him our head - (authority, Lord, Leader). If we accept His invitation to follow, He said He would make us into something...meaning I will take you as you are and make you into something else. As a result we will become more and more like Him. We call this being changed at the heart level. Lastly, Jesus tells us how He wants to use us...he has a mission for us to become fishers of men. We call this being changed at the hands level. We now serve His mission to save the world with our hands along with everything else. As a disciple of Jesus we are committed to following Him, being changed by Him, and we are committed to His mission to save the world.

3 Weeks 1-2 Being with Him Week 1: Being with Christ through Prayer & Scripture The central focus of the Christian Journey is Christ Himself. And our walk with Him matters most. The joy of being a follower of Jesus comes from His Presence with us (and within us). So, we start this Journey and nurture it by spending time with Him. This occurs best when we abide with Him (John 15:5). We do this most easily with two simple activities: We pray and we read His Word. Prayer does not have to be eloquent or intelligent just regular and sincere. Pray for 5-10 minutes each morning, if possible, and whenever you think of it throughout the day sometimes just a sentence or two; sometimes more. Let God know what is on your heart your needs, your concerns, and your gratitude. When we read the Bible, Jesus speaks to us. It is His Word. So, start reading but start with Mark s Gospel (in the New Testament). Read some each day perhaps a chapter or two. Make a note of any questions you may have, and pray for God to help you discover truth through what you read. Verses to Read This week, also read and ponder the following verses about prayer: Matthew 6:5-13; Luke 18:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Read and ponder the following verses about God s Word: Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21

4 Questions to Ponder Discuss any questions that come up from your experience of prayer and reading this week. Discuss these three questions together as friends: How can I be more aware of Christ every day? What are some ways to hear God speak through the Bible? How can I pray more effectively? Week 2: Following Christ by being with His people HEAD: As we begin our relationship with Jesus, we discover the nature of our relationship is to make Him the head of our lives the #1 authority. The Bible calls this making Him Lord. But the image of the head also suggests knowing. To know someone requires us to be with them. We begin the Christian life by knowing Jesus and making Him Lord. We get to know Christ (remember the head ) by spending time with His people. As we worship Him and meet with others for encouragement and support, we learn more about Him and we also get to experience Him in new ways. We need each other. The best way to get encouragement and support is in a small group environment as well as the larger worship gatherings. It s so helpful to have people praying with you and for you; people who know you! We call this fellowship. Make this a priority. Decide right away that you can t grow as a follow of Jesus all by yourself. He has designed us for community, to share with others, invest in others, and draw strength from others.

5 Verses to Read Week 2 Continued This week, in addition to your reading from Mark s Gospel, read and ponder the following verses about fellowship: John 13:34-35; Acts 2:41-47; Hebrews 10:23-25 Questions to Ponder Discuss any questions that come up from your reading and questions you may have about fellowship. Discuss these three questions together, as well: How does fellowship with other believers help me get to know Jesus better? Why is community so important? What steps should I take to plug in? (Are you in a Home Group already? If not, that should be a priority. If so, how s it going?) Weeks 3-4 Becoming like Him HEART: Jesus invites us to come as we are but not stay as we are. God s plan from before creation was that we should look just like Jesus be conformed to His image. (Romans 8:29) This means that our hearts need to change. Our values will change. We ll think more of others and less of ourselves. It is major heart surgery (spiritually speaking) to deal with the spiritual heart disease that we ve had. The next two weeks speak specifically to this part of the Journey.

6 Week 3: Becoming like Christ transformation How are you doing with prayer, reading, and fellowship? We become like Christ when we start to embrace His values, act as He would act, and speak as He would speak. This is a lifelong Journey. Some parts of our thoughts and actions will change dramatically and quickly. Other parts will take a while. That s normal. It s the steady work of God within us that changes us. His Spirit convicts us about what is right and what is not, and we need to respond obediently to His promptings. The more that we become like Jesus, the more we know Him, please Him, and experience life to the full. Transformation is the name of the game! Besides, who wants to hold onto the old stuff? It doesn t take us anywhere that s meaningful. Verses to Read Keep reading Mark s Gospel. Then also read and ponder the following verses about becoming like Jesus: Romans 8:26-28; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Galatians 5:19-25 Questions to Ponder As usual, discuss any questions that come up from your experience of prayer and reading this week. Discuss these three questions together: How do I know when the Spirit of God is prompting me to change something? What should I do about it? What does Jesus value most? How would He act in this world? What steps can I take in that direction this week?

7 Week 4: Becoming like Christ through repentance An important part of becoming more like Christ is that we become less like our old selves. That means that we get serious about the stuff that hurts us, hurts those around us, and hurts God. The Bible calls that stuff sin. And turning away from it is called repentance. A core part of following Jesus is turning away from old habits and lifestyles that were selfish and destructive. The pathway to transformation, then, involves thinking differently, recognizing the spiritual battle that is going on, and making some different choices. Verses to Read How are you doing in Mark s Gospel? Also read and ponder the following verses about sin and repentance: Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 6:10-17; Colossians 3:1-13; 1 Peter 1:13-16 Questions to Ponder Don t forget to discuss any questions that come up from your reading this week. Here are three more questions to discuss together: Why is repentance so important? How can I stick to my resolve to change? How do I stand firm in the face of the spiritual battle I m a part of?

8 Weeks 5-6 Living for Him HANDS: As we spend time with Jesus and become more like Him, we ll also realize that He calls us to live for Him. We share His mission and work in the world. We put our hands to the plow with Him and for Him. Everyone who follows Jesus, if we have the heart of Jesus, will want to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty for Jesus; serving a broken and hurting world. These last two weeks will help you think about and discuss what it means to live your life for Him. Week 5: Living for Christ by sharing His mission Jesus asked His followers to tell others the good news about Him. God s plan to reach the world and transform it depends on us sharing that mission. He works in and through us. This is a vital part of growing closer to Christ. We can t be silent, secretive, or private about our faith. Why would we want to be, after He suffered and died publicly for us? Verses to Read Keep reading Mark s Gospel. Also read and ponder the following verses about sharing the mission of Christ: Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; 2 Timothy 1:7-9

9 Questions to Ponder Week 5 Continued Always discuss any questions that come up from your reading during the week. Here are a few more questions to discuss together: What s the best way for me to share my new faith with someone else? What do I say if someone asks me a question that I can t answer? Where can I find the answers? Why would God count on me, as a new believer, to tell the good news to others? Week 6: Living for Christ by serving others We live out our faith not just by telling other people about Christ but by serving them in Jesus name. That means that we gladly reach out to the weakest, the lowliest, the needy, and the neglected and serve them to demonstrate the love of God. The Christian Journey is increasingly about others and decreasingly about ourselves. We ought to increasingly shift our focus from our own wants and desires, to the needs and hurts of others. Surprisingly, perhaps, we discover that emptying ourselves to serve others is actually the path to being fulfilled! Verses to Read In addition to Mark s Gospel, read and ponder the following verses about living for Christ by serving others: Matthew 25:31-46; John 13:1-17; Colossians 3:17

10 Questions to Ponder As always, discuss any questions that come up from your reading this week. Here are several more questions to discuss together: How can I best find an area of service that is fruitful and meaningful? Why is service such an important Kingdom concept? What could be my next step this week? As you finish this six weeks together, review the basics of this new Journey being with Christ (knowing Him in relationship), following Christ (knowing Him as head ), becoming like Christ (the transformed heart ), and living for Christ (putting our hands to action). What have you learned about each element? Have you already plugged into a small group (after Week 2)? That s where you can continue to thrive. A plant without soil or water doesn t survive long; neither do isolated Christians. Work with your friend to find a good group to connect with. Your next step? Jump into the next 101 Membership Class at Real Life Ministries. It will connect you and encourage you!