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The Bible Teaching Commentary on Genesis: The Book of Foundations
Commentaries that specialize on training the teacher!
Fostering Spiritual Growth in the Church
Teachers: Calvin, Marty, Michael, Paul, and Ridge
Class Completed
Page updated 5/22/2017: resources uploaded
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The church is alive!
Discover how to grow in your spiritual
life and help others grow with you!A) The Pattern of Spiritual Growth
Although we all have heard about spiritual growth or development, we don't think about what it looks like at different stages of Christian life. When we do examine the three levels of spiritual growth, however, all of a sudden we can see how far we have come, where we are, and where we are going!
1) The Flow and God’s Purposes (1 Peter 1:23-25)
God is actively engaged in the development of His people, the church. God’s people are greatly encouraged as they better understand God’s commitment and means to help them grow. Once they know God is helping them grow, then they can eagerly focus on where He desires to take them.
Class reading, The Life Core, pp. 14-65: pdf
(Or get the book at church, pp. 13-52.)Exercise #1: pdf || Exercise #2: pdf || docx
Handout: pdf | docx
Study Questions: pdf | docx
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
2) Three Stages of Christian Life (1 John 2:12-14)
A key understanding of spritual life, its birth and growth, is developed from a biblical exposition of 1 John 2:12-14. This key analogy reveals what is happening to a believer at any stage in his or her Christian life, simultaneously answering many formerly unresolved questions.
Class reading, The Life Core, pp. 57-74: pdf
3) The Heart of Discipleship (1/2) (Isaiah 50:4)
The Heart of Discipleship: The Art of Following Jesus, a practical Bible exposition of Isaiah 50:4, develops the first four of five leading characteristics of discipleship from the life of Jesus. Discipleship takes on a whole new meaning when we learn we too can be like our Master.
4) The Heart of Discipleship (2/2) (Isaiah 50:5-9)
Isaiah 50:4-9 reveals the fifth and last critical aspect of discipleship learned from the life of Jesus: the resolve to persist doing the Father’s will. These observations of Jesus become exactly what we need to foster spiritual growth when the going gets tough. Following Jesus is a practical and dynamic force enabling us to stop focusing on our lives and delight on the opportunities that arise serving others. Key discussion points on injustice, suffering, and victimization.
Class reading: pdf || Study Questions: pdf
Handout: With blanks: pdf | docx || Filled in: pdf
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
5) Level #1: New Believers (1 John 2:12-14)
The first level of discipleship developed from 1 John 2:12-14 reveals the basic needs of new believers and how to properly care for them in a one-to-one discipling situation, providing the special care God designed for these ‘little children’ at this stage.
Class reading, The Life Core: pdf
6) Level #1: Discipling New Believers (Mat 28:18-20)
This session continues on from the former one by practically demonstrating how critical this care for new believers is and special advice on how to conduct one-to-one discipleship with them, including the integration of discipleship resources.
7) Level #2: Young Believers (1 John 2:12-14)
The second level of discipleship developed from 1 John 2:12-14 uncovers the need of young believers and the importance God’s Word plays in withstanding temptation and growing in faith in their Christian lives during this period.
Class reading, The Life Core: pdf
8) Level #2: Overcoming Temptation (1 Cor 10:13)
Temptation can be overcome! Learn practically how to use God’s Word to overcome sin such as overcoming worry or anger. Young believers can be strong and overcome any worry or temptation through God's Word!
Class reading, The Life Core: pdf
Handout: pdf | docx
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
9) Level #3: Mature Believers (1 John 2:12-14)
A biblical exposition of 1 John 2:13-14 lays bare the goal for every believer to become a mature believer, deepening that relationship with God by further grasping God’s holy and eternal person so that they, being thoroughly enriched, can join the Lord in effectively serving others.
Class reading, The Life Core: pdf
Handout w/ blanks: pdf | docx || Handout: pdf
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
10) Level #3: Strengthening Our Faith
The target for spiritual growth is maturity not only so that we abide in God’s grace but that His grace can be poured out in the life of every believer. This lesson shows how this practically works out in maintaining our spiritual growth as well as identifying and growing our opportunities to serve such as in mentoring others.
Class reading, The Life Core: pdf
B) The Application of Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth is not just a methodology but aptly depicts how spiritual development should affect the different parts of our Christian lives.
11) The Design of the Church (Ephesians 4:11-13)
The Design of the Church is a biblical exposition of Ephesians 4:11-13 which helps us properly engage in the church no matter how much our concepts have been distorted from poor teaching or experiences. We begin to dream again with God’s design in mind.
Class reading
Gauging the Development of One’s Christian Life
12) Growing in God’s Grace (2 Timothy 2:1)
The Gospel is simple, but its basics can profoundly impact a believer’s growth. Christian development can only grow to its fullest ability when the Gospel is fully understood and embraced, where one can recognize the danger of sin and its solution on the cross.
Handout: pdf | docx || Handout filled: docx
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
13) Growing in God’s Word (Psalm 119:133)
The believer’s growth is parallel to one’s understanding and response to God’s Word. We are not speaking of knowing about God’s Word, but the ability for God’s Word to pierce our hard hearts and grow.
14) Growing in Our Marriages (Ephesians 5:31-33)
Marriages, like individuals, grow partly through experience, but this growth largely accompanies our hoped for spiritual growth. Marriages are to grow into homes of harmony, love, acceptance, and service.
Class project: Try to describe the differences of marriage at each of the 3 levels.
Handout w/blanks: pdf | docx || Handout complete: pdf
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
15) Growing in Our Relationships (1 John 4:19-21)
Our Christian development will also be apparent in how we relate to others. We stream in great bursts of freedom as we reject selfish tendencies and embrace how God’s love can increasingly touch every old and new relationship that we will form.
16) Growing in Our Life Purpose (Ephesians 1:7-9)
Learning about putting our energies into God’s purposes for our lives is dependent upon our confidence in His will for our lives.
Class project: Your Life Purpose
Answer the question, "What has God made me for?" Be as specific as possible in the answer. If you have been a Christian for a while, make a time line and trace your growing awareness of God's will for your life.Handout w/ blanks: pdf | docx || completed: pdf
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
17) Growing in our Prayer (John 15:4)
Our prayer lives begin the moment we know God, but like a baby, our conversation is very limited. Despite a new believer's early undeveloped faith and knowledge of God’s will, every believer has the potential to be a powerful man or woman of prayer.
Class project: Your Prayer Life
How long have you been a Christian? How has your prayer life grown through this time? How would you still like it to grow?
Exercise: pdf | docx
Handout w/ blanks: pdf | docx || completed: pdf
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
18) Growing in Discernment and Overview
Did you ever think about how a Christian grows in his or her discernment? Come join us for this last class showing how our spiritual growth affects our personal growth in numerous areas of our lives. An overview of the class and the sum of the individual areas of spiritual growth are also presented.
Handout: pdf | Blanks: docx
Powerpoints: pdf | pptx
Audio: mp3
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Scriptures typically quoted from the New American Standard Bible unless noted:
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