November 21, 2010
Prepare-To-Go
Step 3: To Disciple:
It has been said that True Believers, who consciously identify themselves as Volunteer
Missionaries, divide their lives into two distinct phases, one of which is to “Go” and the
second, - “Prepare-To-Go”.
We, (your MGBC Mission Team), borrowed the term or title “Prepare-To-Go” from the
Florida Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry, and we are quite certain that they in turn borrowed it
from the North American Mission Board national endeavor to teach “methods, actions, skills
or behaviors that have proven to be effective ways to “make the person in crisis, (the one
directly in front of us), the most important person in our entire Christian Life experience.
For the very same reasons, we have also borrowed (by permission), the New Life in Christ
(NLIC) lessons that we are publishing herein.
The Great Commission is to Make Disciples “. To do so requires both Evangelism and
Discipleship skills.
How does one learn those skills?
The Bible is our guide, and we use a number of different study methods to keep the Biblical
entreaties fresh in our minds. We trust that the New Life in Christ lessons we hope to
publish here, one-per-week, for the next dozen weeks, will be very helpful to every reader.
Originally, the NLIC was designed for new believers, but it can help any believer grow.
Many Christians have not been followed up and discipled when they first accepted Christ.
Others need to review the basics of Christian living. The material has proven to be useful
for believers at all stages of maturity. New and old alike can benefit from a study of New
Life in Christ.
If you have questions or comments, or wish to participate in our MGBC Missions activities,
please contact any Pastor on our church staff or any deacon, or any member of the
Missions Committee.
“May God richly bless your effort to commit these lessons to memory.”
Missions Speak
Prepare to Go - III
Welcome To God's Family
Congratulations! If you have received Christ as your personal Savior, you have been born again
into God's family. Your sins are forgiven and you are now a new creature possessing eternal life.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
God is just beginning to transform your life. Live each day by faith, entrusting yourself to God as
He makes changes in your life. Have patience and wait with anticipation. A great adventure lies
ahead
Exercises To Help You Grow
As a new believer, you are beginning a relationship with Christ which will grow as you follow Him.
Learning to follow Him is called discipleship. There are certain exercises that will strengthen you as
a new Christian. The more you practice them, the stronger you will become.
/ Christ wants to be the center of your life. Submit to Him moment by moment, letting Him
control all areas of your life.
/ Pray throughout the day, every day. Prayer is talking with God.
/ Read the Bible every day. Before beginning, tell God: “Here I am, Lord, ready to
hear your voice through the Scriptures.”
/ Find a church that preaches the Bible. The church members are your new family.
/ Leave behind the world of sin to which you used to belong. Ask God to help you resist
temptation.
/ When you sin, confess that sin to God and receive the forgiveness He offers. / Tell
others about Christ.
Step 1
Saved
Answer TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)
____ To be saved, it is only necessary to believe that God exists. ____ Sin causes a separation between God
and man.
____ I am saved by going to church and doing good things.
THE OLD LIFE
1.
According to Ephesians 2:1, what was our condition before Christ gave us eternal life?
2.
Read Romans 3:23. Does that mean everyone sinned? Yes ❏
No ❏
If that was the case, what was our condition before Christ saved us?
3.
The Bible says that we were condemned. Why? (John 3:18)
THE WORK OF GOD
4.
In Ephesians 2:4-5, how is God described?
5.
According to this passage, what has God done for us?
6.
Look at Romans 5:8. How does God demonstrate His love for us? _____
7.
Read Ephesians 2:8-9. God decided that we would not be saved by our works (v. 9). What
kinds of good deeds do people perform in order to
be saved?
8.
We are saved by
through
(v. 8)
Grace means “an undeserved gift”. In other words, God gave us salvation freely,
even though we did not deserve it.
In whom should we have faith in order to be children of God? (Galatians 3:26)
10. Tell in your own words what it means to have faith in Christ.
THE NEW LIFE
11.
For what purpose did Christ come? John 10:10
12.
What does God offer to the person who accepts Christ? John 1:12
In whom should we have faith in order to be children of God? (Galatians 3:26)
14.
What did God create us for, according to Ephesians 2:10? Note that we are not saved by
works but we are saved for good works.
15.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. To be “in Christ” means to have accepted Him as Savior. So, if
someone is in Christ, what does he or she become?
16.
Explain in your own words the phrase, “the old has gone, the new has come”:
13.
According to John 5:24, what happens when a person accepts Christ?
GROWING STRONGER
It is important to form habits that will help you grow in your new life
As exercise strengthens the body, there are spiritual disciplines that help you to grow in
Christ.
These disciplines include:
Bible study
prayer
memorizing Bible verses.
In addition to completing these
lessons, it is important to read a
portion of the Bible and pray to
God every day.
This week read chapters 1-7 in
the book of John, one chapter
per day.
Pray to God before reading, prepar-
ing your heart to receive what He is
going to tell you through His Word.
After reading each chapter, pray
again, talking with God about
what you have read.
With God’s help, I commit to read-ing
a chapter a day in my Bible.
Date.
Memorize Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith, and
this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God, not by works,
so that no one can boast.”
Perhaps it will help t0 write these
verses on a 3 by 5 memory card to
keep with you while you go through
your week at work, play, travel,
study or prayer.
IN SUMMARY
In your own words, summarize what we have studied.
1.
What was your life like without Christ?
2.
What did Christ do for you?
3.
How should you show in your daily life the new life that God gave you?
DECISION TIME
Have you already accepted Christ?
Yes ❏ No ❏
If so, when?
If not, do you want to?
Yes ❏ No ❏
TO RECEIVE CHRIST
1.
Admit that you are a sinner. Don't try to hide it any longer.
2.
Decide to distance yourself from sin. Repent.
3.
Believe that Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead.
4.
Ask Jesus to come into your heart to forgive your sins and take control of your life.
The following prayer could serve as a model of how to receive Christ.
Dear Lord
I know that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and
rose from the dead. I want to leave sin behind, and live a pure life. Come into my heart, and
be my savior. I want to follow you as my Lord. Thank you for saving me. Amen.
THINK ABOUT IT
Think about your home and every-one and everything that you love. How does your sin
affect them?
Think about your future. Had you continued with the old life, you would have faced the
judgment of God. Read Revelation 20:11-1 5 and think on it, thanking God for His great
love.
Prepare-To-Go
Step 3: To Disciple:
It has been said that True Believers, who consciously identify themselves as Volunteer
Missionaries, divide their lives into two distinct phases, one of which is to “Go” and the
second, - “Prepare-To-Go”.
We, (your MGBC Mission Team), borrowed the term or title “Prepare-To-Go” from the
Florida Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry, and we are quite certain that they in turn borrowed it
from the North American Mission Board national endeavor to teach “methods, actions, skills
or behaviors that have proven to be effective ways to “make the person in crisis, (the one
directly in front of us), the most important person in our entire Christian Life experience.
For the very same reasons, we have also borrowed (by permission), the New Life in Christ
(NLIC) lessons that we are publishing herein.
The Great Commission is to Make Disciples “. To do so requires both Evangelism and
Discipleship skills.
How does one learn those skills?
The Bible is our guide, and we use a number of different study methods to keep the Biblical
entreaties fresh in our minds. We trust that the New Life in Christ lessons we hope to
publish here, one-per-week, for the next dozen weeks, will be very helpful to every reader.
Originally, the NLIC was designed for new believers, but it can help any believer grow.
Many Christians have not been followed up and discipled when they first accepted Christ.
Others need to review the basics of Christian living. The material has proven to be useful
for believers at all stages of maturity. New and old alike can benefit from a study of New
Life in Christ.
If you have questions or comments, or wish to participate in our MGBC Missions activities,
please contact any Pastor on our church staff or any deacon, or any member of the
Missions Committee.
“May God richly bless your effort to commit these lessons to memory.”
Missions Speak
Prepare to Go - III
Welcome To God's Family
Congratulations! If you have received Christ as your personal Savior, you have been born again
into God's family. Your sins are forgiven and you are now a new creature possessing eternal life.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
God is just beginning to transform your life. Live each day by faith, entrusting yourself to God as
He makes changes in your life. Have patience and wait with anticipation. A great adventure lies
ahead
Exercises To Help You Grow
As a new believer, you are beginning a relationship with Christ which will grow as you follow Him.
Learning to follow Him is called discipleship. There are certain exercises that will strengthen you as
a new Christian. The more you practice them, the stronger you will become.
/ Christ wants to be the center of your life. Submit to Him moment by moment, letting Him
control all areas of your life.
/ Pray throughout the day, every day. Prayer is talking with God.
/ Read the Bible every day. Before beginning, tell God: “Here I am, Lord, ready to
hear your voice through the Scriptures.”
/ Find a church that preaches the Bible. The church members are your new family.
/ Leave behind the world of sin to which you used to belong. Ask God to help you resist
temptation.
/ When you sin, confess that sin to God and receive the forgiveness He offers. / Tell
others about Christ.
Step 1
Saved
Answer TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)
____ To be saved, it is only necessary to believe that God exists. ____ Sin causes a separation between God
and man.
____ I am saved by going to church and doing good things.
THE OLD LIFE
1.
According to Ephesians 2:1, what was our condition before Christ gave us eternal life?
2.
Read Romans 3:23. Does that mean everyone sinned? Yes ❏
No ❏
If that was the case, what was our condition before Christ saved us?
3.
The Bible says that we were condemned. Why? (John 3:18)
THE WORK OF GOD
4.
In Ephesians 2:4-5, how is God described?
5.
According to this passage, what has God done for us?
6.
Look at Romans 5:8. How does God demonstrate His love for us? _____
7.
Read Ephesians 2:8-9. God decided that we would not be saved by our works (v. 9). What
kinds of good deeds do people perform in order to
be saved?
8.
We are saved by
through
(v. 8)
Grace means “an undeserved gift”. In other words, God gave us salvation freely,
even though we did not deserve it.
In whom should we have faith in order to be children of God? (Galatians 3:26)
10. Tell in your own words what it means to have faith in Christ.
THE NEW LIFE
11.
For what purpose did Christ come? John 10:10
12.
What does God offer to the person who accepts Christ? John 1:12
In whom should we have faith in order to be children of God? (Galatians 3:26)
14.
What did God create us for, according to Ephesians 2:10? Note that we are not saved by
works but we are saved for good works.
15.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. To be “in Christ” means to have accepted Him as Savior. So, if
someone is in Christ, what does he or she become?
16.
Explain in your own words the phrase, “the old has gone, the new has come”:
13.
According to John 5:24, what happens when a person accepts Christ?
GROWING STRONGER
It is important to form habits that will help you grow in your new life
As exercise strengthens the body, there are spiritual disciplines that help you to grow in
Christ.
These disciplines include:
Bible study
prayer
memorizing Bible verses.
In addition to completing these
lessons, it is important to read a
portion of the Bible and pray to
God every day.
This week read chapters 1-7 in
the book of John, one chapter
per day.
Pray to God before reading, prepar-
ing your heart to receive what He is
going to tell you through His Word.
After reading each chapter, pray
again, talking with God about
what you have read.
With God’s help, I commit to read-ing
a chapter a day in my Bible.
Date.
Memorize Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith, and
this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God, not by works,
so that no one can boast.”
Perhaps it will help t0 write these
verses on a 3 by 5 memory card to
keep with you while you go through
your week at work, play, travel,
study or prayer.
IN SUMMARY
In your own words, summarize what we have studied.
1.
What was your life like without Christ?
2.
What did Christ do for you?
3.
How should you show in your daily life the new life that God gave you?
DECISION TIME
Have you already accepted Christ?
Yes ❏ No ❏
If so, when?
If not, do you want to?
Yes ❏ No ❏
TO RECEIVE CHRIST
1.
Admit that you are a sinner. Don't try to hide it any longer.
2.
Decide to distance yourself from sin. Repent.
3.
Believe that Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead.
4.
Ask Jesus to come into your heart to forgive your sins and take control of your life.
The following prayer could serve as a model of how to receive Christ.
Dear Lord
I know that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and
rose from the dead. I want to leave sin behind, and live a pure life. Come into my heart, and
be my savior. I want to follow you as my Lord. Thank you for saving me. Amen.
THINK ABOUT IT
Think about your home and every-one and everything that you love. How does your sin
affect them?
Think about your future. Had you continued with the old life, you would have faced the
judgment of God. Read Revelation 20:11-1 5 and think on it, thanking God for His great
love.