1 Session 1: RETURN TO EDEN MEMORY VERSE: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life - John 3:16 INTRODUCTION: The creation account in Genesis reveals a loving God who created all things. Yet within his creation humans hold a special place, one of relationship with God. The tragedy is that once humans sinned, this relationship with God was severed. The remainder of the Bible is the account of the inability of humankind to return to God through our own effort. Ultimately our loving Father has sent his son Jesus to restore the relationship that was broken by our disobedience. Much like many great love stories, the final chapters of the Bible show that God and people have now had the relationship restored, never to be broken again. 1. Man s Problem: What is the problem? Read Romans 3:23 What is the penalty for sin? Read Romans 6:23 What does this death mean? Read Genesis 2:17 What is sin?
Man s problem: 2 i. We ve all sinned. ii. Sin separates us from God. iii. There is no human way for sin to be dealt with. iv. As a result, there is no human way to reach God. 2. God s Solution: God s solution is? Read Romans 5:8 What does Jesus do? Read John 1:29 Everyone has sinned and sin must be punished. Jesus died upon the Cross to pay the penalty for our sin. God raised Him from the dead three days later. If anyone asks Jesus for forgiveness He will forgive them and remove their sin. Is Jesus the only way to God? Read John 14:6 The truth is good works; good morals, education and religion all fail to bridge the gap between God and man. JESUS CHRIST came to make it possible for man to reunite with God.
3. My Responsibility: 3 What do I need to do? Read Romans 10:9, 13 What will happen to me if I ask for forgiveness? Read 1 John1:9 What do I become? Read John 1:12 What does repent mean? Man s Responsibility: i. Man s problem is sin. ii. God s solution is forgiveness through Jesus. iii. Man s responsibility is to believe and receive God s free gift of salvation. 4. You become a Christian when you receive Jesus through faith. You are born again and receive new life! What happens when I receive salvation? Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
Should I feel guilty about my past now that I am saved? Read Romans 8:1 4 Why are Christians called born again? Read John 3:5-7 What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Read John 8:31 What kind of life am I promised when I give Jesus first place in my life? John 10:10 Jeremiah 29:11 CONCLUSION: As we have learnt, the penalty for sin is death. The penalty has to be removed before we can be saved and come back into a relationship with God. When Jesus died on the Cross He took the punishment for our sins on His own body and so removed the penalty for sin. When you follow Jesus and make him Lord and Saviour, you are born again and receive the free gift of eternal life. Have I asked Jesus into my life? What does this make me? Becoming a Chris/an is not like reaching a des/na/on. It s the beginning of a rela/onship with God get to know Jesus!
5 Session 2a: BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT MEMORY VERSE: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth Acts 1:8 INTRODUCTION: When we asked Jesus to be Saviour and Lord of our life we were born of the Spirit and the Holy Spirit came to live within us. (John 3:5; John 14:17). We became Christians and believers. Now Jesus wants to give us a gift that enables us to witness for Him with power. That gift is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. 1. What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Read Acts 1:4-8. What is the promise? Who can receive the promise? How is the promise received? What is the purpose of the power? Baptism in the Holy Spirit is Jesus giving us His gift of power to live in obedience to His purpose to be His witnesses. Step by step, victory by victory, in God s power, love and grace, the Holy Spirit empowers us to continue the ministry of Jesus in the earth today. (See John 14:12) It s important to understand that Jesus began His public ministry after He was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Read Luke 3:21-23)
6 2. How do I receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit? What does Jesus say to do? Read John 7:37-39 What else does Jesus say to do? Read Luke 11:9-13 Having asked for the baptism in the Holy Spirit the Bible describes the Holy Spirit coming to us in different ways. For example: Luke 24:49 He clothed them. Acts 1:8 and Acts 19:6 He came upon them. Acts 2:4 He filled them. How do I know that I have been baptised in the Holy Spirit? What happened to the believers when the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them? Acts 2:4 Acts 10:44-46 Acts 19:2-6 The Bible tells us God is Spirit. (John 4:24). So it should not be surprising then to find out that it is possible for us to speak in a spiritual language.
7 When I speak in tongues who does the Bible say I am speaking to? Read 1 Corinthians 14:2 What happens to me when I pray in a language of the Holy Spirit? Read Jude 1:20 What else happens? Read 1 Corinthians 14:14 The ability to pray in tongues is a most precious and powerful gift and is evidence that we have been baptised in the Holy Spirit. CONCLUSION: Jesus desires to empower us as His disciples through the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to you and your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call Acts 2:39. ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE!
8 STUDY 2b: WATER BAPTISM MEMORY VERSE: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17 INTRODUCTION: Water baptism is a believer s public declaration of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It symbolizes the complete change that has taken place in their life since becoming a Christian. 1. Why should I be baptized in water? Was Jesus baptised in water? Read Mark 1:9-10 What was Jesus teaching concerning us being baptized? Read Matthew 28:19-20 The instruction to be baptized was included in the first sermon preached in the early Church. Read Acts 2:38-41. What was the first thing Peter said one must do to become a believer in Christ? What should I do after repenting? How many people does this verse command to be baptised?
How soon after hearing the gospel were believers baptized? 9 By what means did Phillip baptise the eunuch? Read Acts 8:35-39 2. What will water baptism mean to me? What does our baptism represent? Read Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:3-4 How do you think your life will be affected when you are baptised? Give examples: What do these scriptures teach us about baptism? Galatians 2:20 2 Corinthians 5:15
Romans 12:1-2 10 Does baptism wash away sin? Read 1 John 1:9 Are babies eligible to be baptised? Read Acts 2:37-38 CONCLUSION: Now that you have repented and have been born again, there is one more thing you are now ready to do. What is it?
11 Session 3: GROWING IN GOD MEMORY VERSE: Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ Philippians 1:6 INTRODUCTION: God has begun a good work in the life of every Christian and it is His desire that we grow to maturity in Him. In this study we are going to discover some keys to growing in God as we learn to walk with Him. God is now living in you by the Holy Spirit and He wants to work with you to bring about Christian growth and development in your life. We start our new life in Him by making a decision to receive Jesus. Now we learn to become His disciples. What is a disciple? Read John 8:31-32 1. Prayer: To some people the word prayer may bring to mind boring religious rituals. However prayer is one of the most powerful and fulfilling privileges a Christian has. Prayer in its purest form is simply talking to God. In prayer we are talking to the Creator of the universe and He is actually interested in listening to us! What does the Bible say about prayer? Luke 18:1-7 Matt 6: 5-15
12 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Philippians 4:6-7 Why do you think God wants you to pray? Learn to have a God time everyday. A God time is when you set aside time during the day to spend it with God. Some Christians have their God time before work, others after work, and others during their lunch break! The main thing with a God time is to withdraw from your daily activities and spend time alone with God. During your God time it is good to pray and read the Bible. How can I make my God time enjoyable and effective? What things should I pray about? What format should my prayer time take? A. Adoration worship C. Confession if I messed up T. Thanksgiving be thankful S. Supplication asking
13 2. Reading the Bible: The second key to growth is reading God s Word the Bible. The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is authentic, authoritative and all powerful. Jesus Himself said it will never pass away. The Bible is God s Word to us today! What does the scripture teach us about God s Word? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Psalm 1:1-3 Psalm 119:105 Why do you think reading the Bible is so important? Here are some practical ways to effectively read the Bible: Begin by reading the gospel of Mark and after completing it, read Matthew, Luke, and John. Read a psalm and proverb each day. After reading the four gospels, read the book of Acts and then systematically complete the New Testament. Underline any verses that are important to you.
Think about how you can apply what you ve read to your life. 3. Meeting with other Christians: All Christians need to spend time with other Christians. Young Christians especially need to associate with those who are able to help them grow in their Christian walk. Does the Bible have something to say about meeting together? 14 Read Hebrews 10:25 Why do you think it is important for Christians to spend time together? What may happen if I don t spend time with other Christians? How can I spend time with other Christians? CONCLUSION: It is a very exciting thing to be walking in partnership with God. He desires for us to grow and we will as we spend time in prayer, read His Word, and make friends with those of like faith. As we do these things we will be amazed at how we grow in our faith. In the last days before His return Jesus is looking for men and women strong in their faith.
15 Session 4: MADE NEW ON THE INSIDE MEMORY VERSE: anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT INTRODUCTION: In this study we will look at the change which takes place on the inside of a person who is born again and the inner battle that we can face when confronted with temptations. 1. Our old nature What is the nature that I am born with? Read Psalm 51:5 How did this old nature control me? Read Romans 7:14-15 Some people think that they can change their own lives by their own will power. They might say I ve turned over a new leaf! but the bible answers this question in Jeremiah 13:23 when it says can a leopard take away its spots? The good news is that when a person becomes a Christian there is a change in our relationship to our old nature. What is this change? Read Romans 7:6
As we learnt in the Session 1, this is what the bible refers to as being born again! 16 We need to be clear that having a new life does not mean that we will not face temptations any more. Nor does facing the same old temptations mean that we have not been made new on the inside by God. Every Christian is tempted to sin daily. Sometimes we even fail to win in our fight to beat the temptation. See Rom 8:13 2. So what does it mean to be new person with our old lives gone? Before we were saved we lived in the kingdom of darkness. The power of that kingdom is sin. We were controlled by its power and were mostly unable to break free from its dominion. When we were born again we were rescued from that kingdom, rescued from the power and control of sin and made a free citizen in God s kingdom of love, joy and peace. What is the power operating in our new lives? Read Romans 5:21 Grace means God s ability in the place of our inability. When we were slaves in the kingdom of darkness we had no choice but to sin. We were sinners by nature and under sin s control. Being under God s grace means that we are now free from sin s controlling power. We are free to obey God s Spirit! What does sin produce? Read Romans 5:21
17 What does grace produce? Read Romans 5:21 Which is stronger, sin or grace? Read Romans 5:20 3. How to live in Victory over sin Satan does not have power to make you do anything. He can t force you to sin or to give up your faith. The power that the devil has is temptation. In Matt 4:3 we see clearly how the devil uses temptation. He uses various kinds of temptation to get us to act independently from God and choose to live outside of God s ways. Where does temptation come from? Read James 1:12-15 The devil looks for areas of weakness in our lives and entices us to sin. If we fail to repent, then these desires will lead us to sin. This sin can eventually become so strong in our lives that we come back under its control as its prisoner. What 3 things am I told to do when I am tempted? Read James 4:7-8a
How else does God help me to overcome temptation? Read Luke 22:40-46 18 What does God promise us when we are tempted? Read Romans 10:13 If I do sin, what should I do? Will God feel differently towards me? Read 1 John 1:9, Romans 8:1 Mar$n Luther once made a statement that You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can sure keep them from building a nest in your hair! CONCLUSION: Facing tempta$on does not mean that you are outside God s will. It is o<en the result of our own desires. It can be due to our old nature wan$ng to reassert its dominance. However, with the help of the Holy Spirit and by choosing to obey God rather than just to give in to sin, you will find that sin has less power in your life. Remember that James 4:7 says to submit to God first, then resist the devil. That is when the devil will flee from you.