Mt Prospect Baptist Church New Member Orientation 1

Mt. Prospect Baptist Church New Member Orientation 1

Lesson Two: The New Birth Discipleship Disciple’s Cross Questions 2

The New Birth 3

The New Birth Just as a physical birth was necessary for you to come into this world a spiritual birth is required for you to go to Heaven. To be born again means, “ to have experienced a spiritual birth, the new birth. ” Being born again, or the new birth is also referred to as “ salvation” or having been “saved. ” HE IS NO FOOL who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose. - Jim Elliot 4

How To Have Eternal Life “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. ” I John 5: 13 5

How To Have Eternal Life 1. The need for salvation. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. ” Romans 5: 12 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3: 23 6

How To Have Eternal Life People who basically run their own lives, doing things their own way rather than God’s way are called__sinners_ _____. God’s Therefore they fall short of _______standard and separate ______ themselves from HIM __________. Man Who have sinned? ____________ 7

How To Have Eternal Life “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” Romans 6: 23 Death What are the consequences of sin? _______ What type of death is this verse referring to? Spiritual __________________ 8

How To Have Eternal Life Man is dependant on God for salvation. “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. ” John 6: 44 9

How To Have Eternal Life Many are deceived into believing that they can work their way into heaven. Being a good person will not get you into heaven nor will church activities or church attendance. Salvation is a gift from God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. ” Ephesians 2: 8 -9 10

How To Have Eternal Life 2. God has provided the Way to have an Eternal Relationship with Him. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 11

How To Have Eternal Life 2. continued. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. ” Romans 5: 6 -11 12

How To Have Eternal Life What was our status when God demonstrated His Helpless love to us? ________________ Why do we need to be justified? To be saved from the wrath of God for our sins _____________________ How are we justified? Through the death/blood of Jesus _____________________ 13

How To Have Eternal Life “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ” John 3: 16 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but through Me. ” John 14: 6 14

How To Have Eternal Life God Himself came to earth as a human being to bring us back to Himself. If any other way would have worked, Jesus Christ would not have had to come. THE WAY is a Person! To become a Christian a person must make a willful decision to put his trust in Jesus as the only one that can save him from his sin. Our relationship to God is not restored by anything we do, but on the basis of what Jesus already did for us! 15

How To Have Eternal Life Read Romans 10: 9 -10. What do these verses say you must do to be saved? “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ” Romans 10: 9 -10 Believe _____________ Confess Jesus as Lord _____________ 16

The Bridge Illustration: helps us understand the problem of sin and God’s plan for redemption. John 3: 3 17

Questions 1. Do you know for certain that you will go to heaven? □ Yes □ No □ Unsure 2. What would you say if God asked, “Why should I let you into heaven? ” Answer_________________ 18

How To Receive Christ 1. sinner ”), and turn from Admit your need (“I am a _______ repent your sin (_______). Acts 3: 19 2. cross Believe that Jesus Christ died on the _______ for you grave and rose from the ______. John 3: 36 3. sins Confess your _______. 1 John 1: 9 4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Him Lord Savior as _______ and _______. ) John 1: 12 19

How to Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen. “For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. ” Romans 10: 13 20

Notes Memory Verse: “Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ” John 9: 23 21

Discipleship 22

Taking the Next Step Becoming a Christian is the beginning of a lifelong journey of obedience to Christ which transforms a person’s values and behavior. No one accepts Christ and is suddenly spiritually mature. Everyone begins the journey of spiritual growth at the same place—asking, what does it mean to follow Jesus? Discipleship is learning to be like Christ (Ephesians 4: 20). Knowing Christ, instead of just knowing about Him, results in a spiritual transformation in life and heart, which reflects Christ to all we encounter. The call to discipleship is a call to transformation. 23

1. What is Christian Discipleship? Discipleship is a process that begins after conversion and continues throughout a believer’s life. Discipleship is not an option for a church or believer. Believers are to disciple each other as mandated in the Great Commission; this involves taking up one’s cross daily to follow Christ. Mature discipleship means that you are living for the Lord in all areas of your life and Christ is the center of your life. 24

1. continued Christian discipleship is developing a personal, lifelong, obedient relationship with Jesus Christ in which He transforms your character into Christlikeness; changes your values into Kingdom values; and involves you in His mission in the home, the church, and the world. A disciple of Christ is someone who responds in faith and obedience to the gracious call of Jesus Christ. Being a disciple is a lifelong process of dying to self while allowing Jesus Christ to come alive in us. 25

2. What is required of a Disciple of Christ? “Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ” Luke 9: 23 -26 (NIV) 26

2. continued What are three commitments given for every disciple of Christ? Deny _________ Cross _________ Follow _________ What does Jesus mean when He says deny yourself and take up your cross? It means to love the Lord more than any material possession and to have a _______________________ desire to live a life pleasing to Him. It is to put His will over and above your own _______________________ will. 27

2. continued “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ” Luke 14: 25 -27 (NIV) 28

2. continued What are the conditions that Jesus lays down for being a disciple? He must be first in our lives above anyone and anything else. ____________________ What does it mean to hate your own life? It means that our desire is to be totally obedient to Him at the cost of ____________________ even our own lives. Following Him with complete obedience is to be our ____________________ number one priority. ____________________ What does it mean when He says to follow Him? To follow Christ is to learn all that we can about Him and then ____________________ endeavor to live as He lived. 29

2. continued What does this show you about a disciple’s allegiance to Jesus Christ? A disciple of Christ must have total loyalty to Christ. _________________ 30

2. continued Discipleship involves renunciation of yourself, it involves setting aside your own aims, goals, ambitions, and desires in life. It involves sacrifice for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. It involves setting aside your will and your rights and acknowledging that Christ has the right to be obeyed and the right to rule. 31

2. continued ”Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish. Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. ” Luke 14: 28 -33 (NIV) 32

2. continued No Should following Jesus be taken lightly? ___ According to this passage, what must anyone Count the cost do who wants to follow Jesus? _____ What does this tell you about the place Jesus He is to be first is to have in a disciple’s life? ______ 33

3. The Great Commission "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. " Matthew 28: 19 -20 34

3. continued What does it mean to make disciples? It means to go out and make imitators of Christ. Jesus expects ____________________ disciples to reproduce themselves. ____________________ Who is responsible for carrying out the task of making disciples? All disciples, Christians, Children of God ____________________ Who’s method should we use when discipling others? Jesus’ ____________________ 35

3. continued The Great Commission is not a special calling or a gift of the Spirit; it is a command – an obligation incumbent upon the whole community of faith. The Great Commission is a lifestyle that should encompass the life of every Christian. 36

3. continued The heart of the Great Commission focuses on the multiplication of disciples. A “disciple” who never becomes a disciplemaker is not what Jesus intended for His follower to be. To be a disciple in the sense that Jesus desires is to become a maker of disciples. We are commanded to become disciplemakers; the Christian who does not become a disciplemaker is living a life of spiritual rebellion. Disciples, like all living things, are made by God to reproduce themselves. 37

3. continued Making disciples is about the intentional training of people who voluntarily submit to the lordship of Christ and who want to become imitators of Him in every thought, word, and deed. “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. ” I Corinthians 11: 1 38

3. continued As Paul wrote to the church of Corinth he told them to follow him as he followed Christ. Paul lived in such a way that he was positive that if someone imitated him, he would lead them to Christ. Paul was an imitator of Christ and devoted his life to training and teaching others to become the same. Are you committed to being and reproducing committed followers of Christ? □ Yes □ No □ Unsure 39

The Disciple’s Cross Ministry P R A Y E R John 15: 7 Luke 9: 23 Deny Cross Follow of Service John 15: 13 Witness John 15: 8 CHRIST I Fellowship John 15: 5 John 13: 34: 35 Ministry of Nurture Ministry of Evangelism 1 Lord 2 relationships 3 commitments 4 resources 5 ministries 6 disciplines Ministry of Worship/Intercession John 8: 31 -32 W O R D Ministry of Teaching/Preaching If you remain in me the Jews who believed him, “A new command Imy give you: “This ishad to ITo am the vine; you are the branches. “Greater love has no one and my words If any man will come after me, Jesus said, “If you glory, hold my. Iteaching, one another. Iand have loved Father’s that If. Love a man remains in. As meto in him, remain in you, ask let him deny himself, and take up will than this, that he lay down youyou, are really my disciples. Then you so you must love one another. he will bear fruit, much fruit; you bear much showing his daily, and follow me. whatever you know the truth, and the truth will are By this all men will know that you Hiscross life for his friends. ” apart from me you can do nothing. Yourselves to be my disciples set you 9: 23 free. ” my disciples, love one another. ” Luke wish, and. John itif will be given you 15: 13 John 15: 5 John 15: 8 John 13: 35 -35 John 8: 31 -32 John 15: 7 40

Summary 1. What is the new birth? Explain in your own words. 2. Explain why everyone needs salvation. 3. Repentance is a very necessary part of the salvation. What does it mean to repent? 4. Define Christian discipleship? 41

Summary 5. Is it possible to be a Christian and not be a disciple of Christ? Why or Why not? 6. What are three commitments of every disciple of Christ? What does it mean to deny self? Take up your cross? 7. What is the Great Commission? Are all Christians required to fulfill the Great Commission? 42