New Believers Class

THE GOAL OF DISCIPLESHIP

The goal of this class is not merely to give you more information.

It is to help you begin a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ.

You are learning:

Who you are in Christ.

Who God is.

How to hear God through His Word.

How to talk to God through prayer.

Why you need the church.

Why baptism matters.

How to recognize spiritual warfare.

How to live on mission.

How to live a life that honors Christ.

You will not learn everything overnight.

You will make mistakes.

You will have questions.

You will experience victories and struggles.

But keep walking.

Keep reading.

Keep praying.

Keep gathering with God's people.

Keep obeying what God shows you.

Philippians 1:6 — “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

The Christian life is not about becoming perfect overnight.

It is about belonging to Jesus Christ and learning, day by day, to follow Him.

WEEK ONE

1. WHO YOU ARE NOW — YOUR NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

Key Texts: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:1–14; Ephesians 2:1–10; Galatians 2:20

A. You Are a New Creature

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

When you trusted Christ, God did more than simply make you a better version of the person you used to be.

He gave you new life.

The word translated “new” carries the idea of something new in quality or kind.

Christianity is not self-improvement.

It is not turning over a new leaf.

It is receiving a new life from God.

You still have memories, habits, weaknesses, and temptations from your old life, but the old life no longer has the right to rule you.

You belong to Jesus Christ now.

B. You Have Been Born Again

Jesus called salvation being “born again.”

John 3:3 KJV

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

This is called regeneration.

Regeneration is the work of God by which He gives spiritual life to the person who places faith in Christ.

At salvation:

God forgives your sins.

God gives you new spiritual life.

God makes you His child.

The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you.

Your relationship with God changes immediately.

You did not earn this new life.

You received it by faith.

C. Your Position Changed Immediately

There are two important truths a new Christian needs to understand.

Your position in Christ changes immediately.

Your experience of Christian growth develops over time.

At salvation, you are forgiven, accepted, and brought into God's family.

But learning to live like the person God has made you takes time.

That is the difference between justification and sanctification.

Justification is God's gracious declaration that the believing sinner is righteous before Him because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Sanctification is the continuing work of God in the believer's life by which we increasingly become like Christ.

Justification happens when you are saved.

Sanctification continues throughout your Christian life.

D. Do Not Be Discouraged by the Struggle

Some things may disappear from your life almost immediately.

Other things may become battles that take time.

That does not mean God has abandoned you.

It means you are learning to walk in the new life He has given you.

Galatians 5:16 KJV

"… Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

Before salvation, sin was your master.

After salvation, sin may still tempt you, but it no longer has to control you.

You do not have to be the person you used to be.

E. Your Talk Will Begin to Change

James 3:10 KJV

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Following Christ should eventually affect the way we speak.

The words we use matter.

How we speak about people matters.

Our humor matters.

Our anger matters.

Our conversation should increasingly reveal that Christ has changed our heart.

A Christian should sound different because a Christian is becoming different.

F. Your Walk Will Begin to Change

The places you go, the things you watch, the habits you practice, and the decisions you make will begin to change.

Some old pathways will still feel familiar simply because you walked them for so long.

But familiar does not always mean right.

God begins teaching us a new way to live.

Ephesians 4:22–24 teaches us to put off the old manner of life and put on the new.

G. Some Relationships May Change

This may be one of the hardest parts of becoming a Christian.

Your old friends may still expect the old you.

Some will respect your decision to follow Christ.

Some may not understand it.

Some may even try to pull you back into the life God is bringing you out of.

You do not have to hate your old friends.

You should love them and desire to see them come to Christ.

But you must not allow an old friendship to pull you back into an old lifestyle.

1 Corinthians 15:33 KJV

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

A true friend will not demand that you destroy what God is building in your life.

Remember:

You are not trying to earn a new identity. You are learning to live according to the new identity Christ has already given you.

WEEK TWO

2. WHO GOD IS

Key Texts: John 3:16–17; John 1:1, 14; John 14:9; Matthew 3:16–17; Matthew 28:19; Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:13–14

Christianity begins with knowing God.

There is one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We call this the Trinity.

The Father is God.

The Son is God.

The Holy Spirit is God.

Yet there are not three Gods.

There is one God.

Matthew 28:19 KJV

“… baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

Notice that Jesus said “name”—singular—yet named the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

GOD THE FATHER

A. God Is the Creator

God created everything that exists.

Genesis 1:1 KJV

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

We are not accidents.

We belong to the God who created us.

B. God Is Omnipotent

God is all-powerful.

Nothing is too difficult for Him.

Jeremiah 32:27 KJV

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

C. God Is Omnipresent

God is present everywhere.

There is nowhere you can go where God is absent.

Psalm 139:7 KJV

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

D. God Is Omniscient

God knows everything.

He knows our past, present, and future.

He knows what we do, what we say, and even what is happening within our hearts.

Hebrews 4:13 KJV

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Nothing is hidden from Him.

E. God Is Eternal

God had no beginning and will have no ending.

Psalm 90:2 KJV

“… from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

Everything else depends upon God.

God depends upon nothing.

F. God Is Holy and Just

God is completely pure and righteous.

He never does wrong.

Deuteronomy 32:4 KJV

“.. A God of truth and without iniquity, Just and right is he.”

Because God is holy, He cannot simply pretend sin does not matter.

The Cross shows us both the holiness of God and the love of God.

G. God Is Loving and Merciful

1 John 4:8 KJV

“… God is love.”

God's love does not mean He ignores sin.

It means He loved sinners enough to provide a Savior.

John 3:16 KJV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…”

H. God Is Worthy of Our Trust

Because God is wise, powerful, holy, and loving, we can trust Him even when we do not understand what He is doing.

Proverbs 3:5 KJV

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.

WEEK THREE

GOD THE SON — JESUS CHRIST

A. Jesus Is God

John 1:1 KJV

“… the Word was God.”

Jesus is not merely a prophet, teacher, or good man.

He is God the Son.

John 1:14 KJV

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”

B. Jesus Became Man

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary.

Matthew 1:18–23

He was completely God and completely man.

He experienced hunger, tiredness, sorrow, pain, and temptation, yet He never sinned.

Hebrews 4:15 KJV

"… was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

C. Jesus Is Our Savior

Jesus willingly gave His life for us.

He was our substitute.

He took the punishment our sins deserved.

1 Peter 2:24 KJV

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…”

Jesus did not accidentally lose His life.

He deliberately laid it down.

D. Jesus Rose From the Dead

Jesus actually died.

He was buried.

On the third day, He bodily rose from the grave.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 KJV

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

He later appeared to many witnesses, including more than five hundred people at one time.

1 Corinthians 15:6 KJV

6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

Forty days later He ascended into Heaven.

Acts 1:9–11 KJV

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Today He is alive and intercedes for believers.

Hebrews 7:25 KJV

25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

E. Jesus Is Coming Again

Jesus promised to return.

John 14:3 KJV

“… I will come again, and receive you unto myself…”

Christians have different understandings concerning the timing of certain prophetic events.

Our church teaches a pre-tribulational rapture and premillennial return of Christ.

But the central truth every Christian must understand is this:

Jesus Christ is coming again.

F. Jesus Will Judge

The Jesus who came first as Savior will one day judge the world in righteousness.

John 5:22 KJV

22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

Revelation 20:11–15 KJV

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Every person ultimately answers to Jesus Christ.

WEEK FOUR

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

A. The Holy Spirit Is God

The Holy Spirit is not simply God's power or an impersonal force.

He is fully God.

B. The Holy Spirit Is a Person

Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit personally.

John 16:13 KJV

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come…”

He speaks.

He teaches.

He leads.

He can be grieved.

C. The Holy Spirit Convicts of Sin

John 16:8 KJV

“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin…”

The conviction that brought you to recognize your need for Christ was the work of the Holy Spirit.

D. The Holy Spirit Works in Salvation

The Holy Spirit works in regeneration and spiritual transformation.

John 3:5–6 KJV

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

He opens our hearts to God's truth and begins changing our lives.

E. The Holy Spirit Lives Within the Believer

John 14:16–17 KJV

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Every true believer has the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:9 KJV

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

You are never alone.

God Himself lives within you by His Spirit.

F. The Holy Spirit Helps Us Understand Christ

John 16:14 — “He shall glorify me…”

The ministry of the Holy Spirit always points us toward Jesus Christ.

WEEK FIVE

HOW GOD SPEAKS TO US — THE BIBLE

Key Texts: 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12; Joshua 1:8

God has given us His Word so we can know Him and know how He wants us to live.

Some Bible Basics

The Bible contains 66 books.

39 Old Testament books

27 New Testament books

The Protestant Bible does not recognize the books commonly called the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books as inspired Scripture.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls beginning in 1947 gave scholars manuscripts of portions of the Old Testament approximately a thousand years older than many manuscripts previously available.

Their comparison demonstrates the remarkable preservation of the biblical text through the centuries.

The New Testament constantly quotes, echoes, and alludes to the Old Testament.

Jesus also fulfilled numerous Old Testament Messianic prophecies concerning His birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and future kingdom.

The point is simple:

The Bible is not a collection of disconnected religious stories. It is one unfolding story of God's plan of redemption centered in Jesus Christ.

A. The Bible Is Inspired

2 Timothy 3:16 KJV

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God…”

“Inspiration” means Scripture ultimately comes from God.

God used human authors, personalities, vocabulary, and circumstances, yet superintended their writing so that what they wrote was His Word.

2 Peter 1:21 KJV

“… holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Paul says Scripture is profitable for:

Doctrine

It teaches us what is true.

Reproof

It shows us where we are wrong.

Biblical reproof is not designed to humiliate people.

It confronts error so that repentance and restoration can take place.

Correction

Correction does not merely tell us we are on the wrong road.

It shows us how to get back on the right road.

Instruction in Righteousness

God's Word trains us to live according to God's will.

Christian maturity comes through repeatedly hearing, believing, and obeying God's truth.

B. The Bible Is Infallible

God's Word is completely trustworthy.

Because God cannot lie, His Word will not lead us away from truth.

Jesus said:

John 17:17 KJV

“… thy word is truth.”

C. Scripture Is Our Final Authority

This is sometimes called Sola Scriptura — Scripture Alone.

It means that Scripture is the only infallible and final authority for Christian doctrine and practice.

Pastors are valuable.

Teachers are valuable.

Creeds and traditions can be valuable.

Reason and experience can be useful.

But all of them must ultimately be tested by the Word of God.

The Bible is the final court of appeal because it is the one voice in the room that cannot be wrong.

D. Read the Bible for Yourself

Do not depend entirely upon what someone else tells you the Bible says.

Read it.

Study it.

Think about it.

Memorize it.

Obey it.

Psalm 119:105 KJV

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”

A good place for a new Christian to begin is the Gospel of John, followed by Acts, Romans, and the rest of the New Testament.

WEEK SIX

HOW TO TALK TO GOD — PRAYER

Key Texts: Matthew 6:9–13; Hebrews 4:16; Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 8:26–27

Prayer is simply communicating with God.

Prayer flows from relationship, not performance.

You do not pray so God will love you.

You pray because through Christ you have already been welcomed into God's family.

A. Prayer Is About Relationship

Think about your closest friendship.

How did it develop?

You spent time together.

You talked.

You listened.

You shared life.

Your relationship with God grows in a similar way.

We listen to God through His Word.

We speak to God through prayer.

We grow alongside God's people in the church.

B. Jesus Gave Us a Pattern for Prayer

In Matthew 6:9–13 Jesus taught His disciples how to pray.

The Lord's Prayer gives us a pattern:

Begin with who God is.

Desire God's will.

Bring God your needs.

Confess sin.

Forgive others.

Ask for God's protection and guidance.

It is not merely a prayer to repeat.

It is a pattern that teaches us how to pray.

C. You Can Come Boldly to God

Hebrews 4:16 — “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace…”

Because of Jesus, you have access to God.

You do not need another human being to give you access to Him.

Christ has opened the way.

D. Pray About Your Worries

Philippians 4:6–7

God invites us to bring our fears, anxieties, needs, and concerns to Him.

Prayer does not mean you will never experience anxiety.

It means anxiety does not have to be carried alone.

E. Prayer Should Become a Way of Life

1 Thessalonians 5:17 — “Pray without ceasing.”

This does not mean praying twenty-four hours a day.

It means developing a life in which communication with God becomes natural and continual.

Talk to Him throughout your day.

F. The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray

Romans 8:26 — “…the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities…”

Sometimes you will not know what to pray.

God understands even then.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

WEEK SEVEN

THE CHURCH — YOUR NEW FAMILY

Key Texts: Ephesians 2:19; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Hebrews 10:24–25; Acts 2:42–47; Galatians 6:2

When God saved you, He did not simply give you a Father.

He gave you a family.

Ephesians 2:19 — “…fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

A. Christ Is the Head of the Church

Ephesians 1:22–23

The church does not belong to a pastor, denomination, board, or congregation.

The Church belongs to Jesus.

Christ is its Head.

B. Every Believer Has a Place in the Body

1 Corinthians 12:12–27

Paul compares the church to a human body.

A body has many different parts, but every part matters.

You were not saved merely to sit in a church service.

God wants you to become part of the life and ministry of His church.

C. You Need Other Christians

Hebrews 10:25 warns us not to forsake assembling together.

You need preaching.

You need fellowship.

You need encouragement.

You need accountability.

And other believers need what God is developing in you.

Christianity was never designed to be lived alone.

D. Get Involved

The goal should not simply be:

“I attend church.”

Eventually it should become:

“This is my church family, and I have a place where I serve.”

That could involve:

Children's ministry

Youth ministry

Music

Sunday School

College or young adult ministry

Outreach

Hospitality

Maintenance

Prayer ministry

Helping people in need

Not everyone does the same thing.

But everyone can do something.

E. The Church Bears Burdens

Galatians 6:2 — “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

The church should not only tell hurting people, “I'll pray for you.”

Sometimes prayer should lead us to action.

The early church cared for widows, orphans, the poor, the lonely, and those in distress.

A healthy church teaches truth while also demonstrating the love of Christ.

F. The Church Has a Mission

The church exists to worship Christ, disciple believers, love people, and carry the Gospel into the world.

Our enemy is not people.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our ultimate conflict is spiritual.

The church should show the world what life under the lordship of Jesus Christ looks like.

WEEK EIGHT

BAPTISM — YOUR FIRST PUBLIC STEP

Key Texts: Matthew 28:19–20; Romans 6:3–4; Acts 2:41; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:36–38

Baptism does not save us.

Jesus saves us.

Baptism is the believer's public identification with Jesus Christ.

A. Jesus Commanded Baptism

Matthew 28:19

Baptism is part of Christian discipleship.

It is not something we invented.

Jesus commanded it.

B. Baptism Pictures the Gospel

Romans 6:4

Going beneath the water pictures Christ's death and burial.

Coming out of the water pictures Christ's resurrection and our new life in Him.

Baptism is an outward picture of an inward reality.

C. Baptism Follows Faith

Throughout Acts, people believed the Gospel and were then baptized.

Acts 2:41 — “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized…”

We therefore practice believer's baptism.

D. Baptism Is an Act of Obedience

The Ethiopian eunuch asked:

Acts 8:36 — “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”

Once you have trusted Christ, baptism is a simple and beautiful first step of public obedience.

WEEK NINE

SPIRITUAL WARFARE — UNDERSTANDING THE BATTLE

Key Texts: Ephesians 6:10–18; 1 Peter 5:8–9; James 4:7; Matthew 4:1–11; 2 Corinthians 10:3–5

Becoming a Christian does not mean temptation disappears.

In some ways, you may become more aware of the spiritual battle than you were before.

A. We Have a Real Enemy

1 Peter 5:8 describes the devil as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Do not become obsessed with Satan.

But do not become ignorant of him either.

B. God Has Given Us Spiritual Armor

Ephesians 6:10–18

God provides what we need for spiritual warfare:

Truth

Righteousness

The Gospel

Faith

Salvation

The Word of God

Prayer

The armor is God's provision.

Our responsibility is to put it on and stand.

C. Submit Before You Resist

James 4:7 — “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Notice the order.

First: submit to God.

Then: resist the devil.

Victory begins with surrender to God.

D. Jesus Defeated Temptation With Scripture

In Matthew 4, Satan tempted Jesus.

Jesus repeatedly answered:

“It is written.”

Learn God's Word.

Memorize God's Word.

Use God's Word.

E. Much of the Battle Happens in the Mind

2 Corinthians 10:5 speaks of bringing thoughts into captivity.

Not every thought deserves your attention.

Not every feeling deserves your obedience.

Not every temptation deserves your consideration.

Learn to ask:

Is this thought consistent with God's Word?

WEEK TEN

BEING SENT — YOUR MISSION AND STEWARDSHIP

Key Texts: Matthew 28:18–20; 2 Corinthians 5:18–20; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6–7

You were not only saved from something.

You were saved for something.

God wants to use your life.

A. You Have a Mission

Matthew 28:19 — “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…”

Every Christian is called to help others know Christ.

You may never preach from a pulpit.

But you have people in your life that I will never reach.

B. You Are an Ambassador

2 Corinthians 5:20 — “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…”

An ambassador represents another kingdom.

Your life now represents Jesus Christ.

Your conduct matters.

Your words matter.

Your testimony matters.

C. Be Ready to Tell Your Story

1 Peter 3:15 teaches us to be ready to give an answer for the hope within us.

You do not have to know the answer to every theological question.

Start with what you know:

“I know what Christ has done for me.”

D. Everything You Have Belongs to God

1 Corinthians 4:2 — “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Stewardship is more than money.

God has entrusted you with:

Time

Talents

Opportunities

Relationships

Possessions

Money

Spiritual gifts

A steward recognizes:

It all belongs to God. I am managing what He has placed in my hands.

E. Learn to Give

2 Corinthians 9:7 teaches cheerful, willing generosity.

Giving should not be driven by manipulation.

It should flow from gratitude.

We give because God has given so much to us.

WEEK ELEVEN

PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN LIVING — HOW DO I LIVE NOW?

Key Texts: Romans 12:1–2; Galatians 5:16–25; Ephesians 4:22–24; 1 Peter 1:14–16; Colossians 3:1–17; 1 Corinthians 10:31

The Christian life will sometimes place you in situations where the Bible does not specifically say:

“Do this.”

or

“Do not do this.”

That is why Christians need biblical principles.

A. Give Your Life to God

Romans 12:1 calls us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

Christianity is not simply adding Jesus to your old life.

It is surrendering your entire life to Him.

B. Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2 — “…be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

The world has spent years teaching you how to think.

God's Word begins teaching you how to think differently.

Transformation begins in the mind.

C. Walk in the Spirit

Galatians 5:16 — “Walk in the Spirit…”

Galatians 5 contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.

As you grow in Christ, the Holy Spirit begins producing:

Love

Joy

Peace

Longsuffering

Gentleness

Goodness

Faith

Meekness

Temperance

Christian maturity is not merely the removal of bad things.

It is the development of Christlike things.

D. Put Off and Put On

Ephesians 4:22–24

The Christian life involves both.

There are things we put off.

There are things we put on.

Do not simply ask:

“What should I stop doing?”

Also ask:

“What does God want me to begin doing?”

E. Pursue Holiness

1 Peter 1:16 — “Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Holiness is not trying to prove that you are better than someone else.

Holiness means belonging to God and increasingly living in a way that reflects His character.

F. Use the Glory-of-God Test

When you face an issue and wonder whether something belongs in your Christian life, ask:

Does the Bible clearly forbid it?

Will it strengthen or weaken my walk with Christ?

Could it control me?

Could it cause another believer to stumble?

Would I be comfortable doing it with Jesus beside me?

Can I genuinely thank God for it?

Does it bring glory to God?

1 Corinthians 10:31 — “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

That gives a new believer one of the simplest guides to Christian living:

Can I do this for the glory of God?