Next Steps In your walk with Jesus. A new believer s Bible study

Next Steps In your walk with Jesus A new believer s Bible study

1 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Copyright 2014 Valley View Christian Church All Rights Reserved Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, The New Living Translation 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publisher, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. PRAISE personal worship concept adapted from Randy Pope, Perimeter Church. Used by permission. 2008 (original copyright 1980), Randy Pope. All Rights Reserved. Next Steps concept adapted from Nelson Searcy, Journey Church. Printed in the United States of America

2 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. To all who are just finding their way with Jesus. May this lead you in the first steps of a lifelong journey, growing in your relationship with Him.

3 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Contents Welcome to the Kingdom.... 4 Next Step # 1 Study Your Bible... 6 Next Step # 2 Learn to Pray... 25 Next Step # 3 Join a group... 39 Next Step # 4 Find your place to serve... 53 Next Step # 5 Love God through worship66 Next Step # 6 Give generously... 80 Next Step # 7 Share your faith with others92 Pastor Gene s story... 93 Next Step #8 Help someone grow in their relationship with Jesus 108 Appendix A: What the Bible says about baptism. 122 Appendix B: Things We (Valley View Christian Church) Hold Dear.... 124 Appendix C: Reading plan for the Gospel of John 127 Appendix D: Where do I grow from here?129 Appendix E: Glossary of those churchy words. 131 Appendix F List of verses by day for Study 131

4 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Welcome to the Kingdom. As a new believer you have just stepped into a new world and we want to be sure that you know the King and have a basic understanding of His Kingdom. God s word calls it making disciples, the process of teaching new believers what it means to believe in God and be committed to making him the Lord of our lives. This booklet will help you get started. The Kingdom is truly about relationships and it is our hope that the friend or family member who introduced you to the Kingdom will help you through these lessons if you have any questions. Jesus has called us to a relationship with him and challenged us with the commandments that should guide our lives. Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied, You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. Our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with other people are what matters to God. This guide will help you start your relationship with the Lord and equip you to build relationships with others. This book will start with the next steps to help you get started on your journey with Christ. I hope that you are a little excited, a little nervous and ready to begin. Jesus has already started changing you as soon as you surrendered your life to Him, and now you can take steps to progress on the journey. This 40-day study will help you get started engaging

5 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives God s word and talking to God in prayer. It will also help you understand some of the important steps to take to grow your relationship with God.

6 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Next Step # 1 Study Your Bible You may not know much about the Bible but we hope that it will become a major part of your relationship with Jesus. When we ask people if they read the Bible we find that most have never tried. Some have read bits and pieces, but most don t understand what kind of book it is. We believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God. That is a fancy way to say that we believe that God spoke through the writers who wrote the many different books. All of the letters, books and stories come together to tell us about God s heart for His creation; the story of God wanting a relationship with the humans he created. As we get started the first thing you should know is that the Bible has this handy tool for finding where you want to read. It uses the name of the book and then a chapter number and a verse. Today we will start your study with the most famous verse, the one you see on signs at football games, John 3:16. That means the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16. Using the table of contents of your Bible you can find the book of John and then find the chapter and the verse. Let s get started. Go ahead and find John 3:16 in your Bible. We are going to study the Bible with an acronym that you can use each day for your personal worship time, PRAISE. Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text.

7 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. (This habit will develop as you grow in your faith it is a good reminder that your understanding of God s word needs to be consistent with the whole Bible.) Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. How will you live out this verse? Is there a promise to claim, an example to follow, a command to obey, a sin to confess? Engage with God in prayer. In the prayer section you ask God to help you live out this verse, to change your life by doing what God expects you to do, obeying. This can also be where you pray for the opportunity to share this with a friend that you named in the application section. In the pages that follow you will have your first 40 days of Bible study with PRAISE. On the first few we will give you some examples. We hope this will equip you for a lifetime journey of spending time in God s word. As we explore God s word over the next 40 days we will also share the next big steps in your walk with the Lord. The skills you learn will enable you to study the Bible using any journal or notebook and a list of scripture. So let s give it a try. DAY ONE John 3:16 Here is a sample PRAISE. Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. If you believe in God s son you will have eternal life.

8 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Why would God have to give his son? What is eternal life? Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. God gave his son, that whoever believes in Him will not die but have eternal life. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. (How this verse affects you or applies to your life, look for a promise, example, command, or a sin to confess.) By God s grace, I will believe in Jesus and claim the promise of eternal life today. Engage with God in prayer. (Asking God to help you live this out.) God I believe that you sent Jesus and by believing in him I claim your promise of eternal life. Help me to believe and commit my life to Jesus. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. DAY ONE John 3:16 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage.

9 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16

10 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY TWO The Bible is an amazing book, actually a collection of books. There are 66 books written by some 40 different authors over about 1500 years, in different places and in different languages. These authors didn t work together, and yet their work passed down through generations and different translations have resulted in a consistent manuscript or story that you are about to integrate into your life. The Bible tells God s story, from creation, the beginning and fall of man, to God s plan and purpose for us to know Him through His son, Jesus Christ. The Bible is different from any other book. Most books you read once and set aside. The Bible is living and alive and you can read it over and over in your walk with Christ and it will teach you different things as you grow closer to God. Each day we will help you engage in Scripture and begin a habit of exploring God s word. God communicates with us through His word. There are several methods for making God s word a part of your daily life. We are helping you study with PRAISE, but sometimes you will hear God s word through a sermon, sometimes you just read God s word. It would be good if you can read the Bible for 15 minutes each day. A great resource for Bible Study is a Lifegroup. Lifegroups are groups of people that meet together, study the Bible, pray for one another and enjoy life together. We focus on Lifegroups in Next Step #3. God wants us to hold His word close to our hearts so we can remember it, so you will want to memorize verses that help you. It would be good to memorize a verse each week. You can do that on the bottom of your journal each day, writing and reading the same verse for the week can

11 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives help you memorize it. The last thing we do with God s word is meditate. When you have memorized a verse you can think about it while you drive, exercise, work, ride the train, cook or play. Just thinking about the truth and analyzing how God wants you to use it in your life. Today as we continue using PRAISE to study the Bible. DAY TWO Proverbs 3:5-6 A sample PRAISE personal worship. Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. I need to trust God and His will and he will guide me. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. What does it look like to trust the Lord? How can I know His will? Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. If I trust God and not my own understanding, he will guide me and show me which way to go. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. (How this verse affects you or applies to your life, look for a promise, example, command, or a sin to confess.) By God s grace, I need to trust the Lord and do things His way and he will show me which path to take.

12 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Engage with God in prayer. (Asking God to help you live this out.) Dear Lord help me to trust you. Help me to understand your will. Lord I want to grow closer to you and I want to know that you will help me. Help me to learn how to talk to you and hear from you. Memory Verse for Week John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. DAY TWO Proverbs 3:5-6 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture.

13 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16

14 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY THREE Encouraging next steps is really about life habits of a follower of Christ or a disciple. In some places you will hear them called disciplines. The challenge of encouraging a new believer with things to do is that they get stuck in doing things. Our walk with Christ is more about being and the heart change that comes for growing closer to Christ than it is about following a checklist of things to do or a list of rules. God through the Holy Spirit wants to bring about life change and renewal. This change begins in your heart and that will rollover to your behavior. Please don t view these next steps as a to do list that you can simply complete, it is a journey of change and the next steps will help you develop the habits that help bring about the real change that God wants for you. This study will expose you to parts of God s word that reveal why God wants us to develop these life habits as a disciple or follower of Christ. These disciplines or habits are not have tos, they are just the things we can do to grow in our love relationship with God. These habits will help us grow closer to Jesus, which is really about God making us more like Him. As we seek to grow closer to Jesus we must be deliberate in our obedience. We should reject those things that the Spirit reveals to us as sin. We should replace sin habits with God habits. That is repentance. To repent means to change from our way of living to God s way. This study will help you start recognizing God s way and living in repentance and forgiveness which changes your heart.

15 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives As you study God s word and start to apply it to your life, remember that these habits (next steps) are really steps that lead you closer to Christ and help God change your heart which brings meaningful life change that the Holy Spirit intends for you. DAY THREE Hebrews 4:12. A sample PRAISE personal worship. Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. God s word is alive and powerful. It can expose my innermost thoughts and desires. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. How does God s word expose my thoughts and desires? Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. God s word is alive and powerful, it will expose my innermost (secret) thoughts and desires. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. (How this verse affects you or applies to your life, look for a promise, example, command, or a sin to confess.) By God s grace, I need to trust God s word and that it can reveal my innermost thoughts and desires.

16 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Engage with God in prayer. (Asking God to help you live this out.) Dear Lord help me to trust your word. Help me to understand your word and how it applies to my life. Lord help me to hear from you through your word. Memory Verse for Week John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. DAY THREE Hebrews 4:12 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture.

17 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16

18 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY FOUR John 8:31-32 As you continue to use this study to study your Bible, remember we want to be reading the Bible as well. We suggest that you start in the book of John. John was one of the apostles that was very close to Jesus. He wrote his book; sometimes call the gospel of John, or good news from John, to tell people who weren t familiar with the God of Israel about Jesus. Appendix C is a reading list that gives you a 30 day reading plan for the Gospel of John. Starting with today, we will add the daily reading verse to your daily study. So you can study the verses for that day with PRAISE personal worship and read a section of John s gospel. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. Shouldn t we read it? Jesus often asks people questions about their understanding of the Scriptures. He assumed that people who claimed to be people of God would have read the word of God. There are three things you can do to help yourself develop the habit of reading the Bible. - Find the time. It is helpful if you try to read at the same time each day. - Use a reading plan. We start today with a reading plan for the gospel of John. After reading John there are many reading plans that can help you read consistently and track your progress. - You should meditate on some verse or phrase each day. This study is giving you a memory verse each week, but you can also

19 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives meditate, or spend time thinking about other verses in your reading or study. DAY FOUR John 8:31-32 A sample PRAISE personal worship. Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. John 8:31-32 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. We are disciples if we remain faithful to Jesus teaching. He says we will know the truth and the truth will make us free. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. How can I be faithful to Jesus teachings? Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. To be a disciple of Jesus I should follow his teaching. I will know the truth and the truth will set me free. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. (How this verse affects you or applies to your life, look for a promise, example, command, or a sin to confess.) By God s grace, I need to believe in Jesus and remain faithful to His teachings. I will know the truth. Engage with God in prayer. (Asking God to help you live this out.)

20 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Dear Lord help me to remain faithful. Help me to understand your teachings and apply them to my life. Lord help me to know the truth and to be set free. Memory Verse for Week John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. DAY FOUR John 8:31-32 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture.

21 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16 Today s Bible reading: Day 1: John 1-7

22 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY FIVE The goal of this study is to help you engage in God s word in a practical way. We have helped you read, study, and memorize God s word. The other two elements that were mentioned in day two are: hearing the word and meditation. To hear God s word you should participate in a weekly worship with a biblical community like Valley View and in a life group where God s word is shared. Today we will look at meditation and how Christian meditation is different than most expect. The world expects meditation to be an emptying the mind of thought but God expects us to fill our minds with Him and His truth. The world seeks to imagine a new reality or to create your own reality. God wants us to learn the truth and to meditate on that truth. The PRAISE personal worship study method gives you a foundation for Christian meditation. -select a verse -repeat the verse reflecting on the words and think about the truth that the verse reveals. -ask questions about the verse. Does it reveal something about God or about humanity? Does the verse give a promise or reveal a sin condition? This is a part of the PRAISE observations. -application is asking yourself what God expects from your encounter with this verse: a promise to claim, a sin to confess, a principle or command to obey or some other expectation of how you will respond because of studying this verse.

23 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives -prayer is important in meditation, submitting your mind to God as you study but also asking for God s help in applying His word to your life. This is where you speak to God and listen for His response in your reading and meditation. DAY FIVE Matthew 4:4 A sample PRAISE personal worship. Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Matthew 4:4 But Jesus told him, No! The Scriptures say, People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. We must not live on just bread but also on the word of God. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. How is the word of God like food? Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Jesus tells him, people do not live on bread alone, but on every word from the mouth of God. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. (How this verse affects you or applies to your life, look for a promise, example, command, or a sin to confess.) By God s grace, I need to be fed spiritually the same as physically. Engage with God in prayer. (Asking God to help you live this out.) Dear Lord help me to be fed by your word.

24 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. DAY FIVE Matthew 4:4 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture.

25 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16 Today s Bible Reading: Day 2: John 8-14 Next Step # 2 Learn to Pray

26 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY SIX You have been praying as a part of your personal worship (PRAISE) but today we want to introduce prayer as its own habit or discipline. The best way to build a relationship with someone is to spend time talking to them. How do you get to know a friend? You spend time talking to them. How much do your relationships suffer if you stop talking to someone or never spend any time with them? The same is true of our relationship with God. Reading your Bible helps you know God, so does spending time in prayer. Prayer is your way of communicating with God. The examples we see from Jesus in the Bible and the words Jesus spoke show that he expected us to pray. This 40 day study will help you develop daily habits in reading the Bible, studying the Bible and in prayer. If you set aside time each day to pray you will grow in your love relationship with God. If we follow the example of Jesus who went away early in the morning to spend time with the Father, prayer will be a priority. Prayer and Bible study will lay a foundation for a loving, growing relationship with God. When you talk to God each day, just be yourself, he knows you. You can talk simply and honestly, speak from your heart. You don t have to know any special words, just talk to God and ask him what you should pray about. A way to remember what to pray about is the word ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanks and Supplication. - Adoration-acknowledge God and praise Him for His love. - Confess any sins that you might be struggling with. - Thanks, give thanks to God for the good things in your life.

27 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives - Supplication, that is a church word meaning to ask God for what you need and for direction in your life. Your prayer conversation with God is where He guides your journey so talk to God and listen. DAY SIX Mark 1:35 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture.

28 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16 Today s Bible Reading Day 3: John 15-21

29 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY SEVEN Luke 5:16,6:12 We don t just pray to start our day, you can pray anytime. Paul tells believers to pray without stopping, pray always. You can pray when you are driving or working. It is good to spend time alone with God, but it is even better to continue the conversation and pray throughout the day, especially when you face challenges or burdens. Randy Pope recommends using the five targets of the Lord s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13. 1. God s Honor acknowledging His worth, glory, and majesty Our Father in heaven, hallowed is your name. 2. God s Kingdom acknowledging His priority in the world and in your life Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 3. God s Provision acknowledging His trustworthiness Give us this day our daily bread, 4. God s Forgiveness acknowledging your repentance And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 5. God s Power acknowledging your dependence And deliver us from the evil one so that we may not be led into temptation. DAY SEVEN Luke 5:16,6:12 your Personal worship PRAISE

30 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will

31 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: John 3:16 Today s Bible Reading Day 4: John 1:1-18 DAY SEVEN Mentor life on life review It is our prayer that the person who introduced you to Jesus or invited you to church will also be a part of your walk with Jesus. So each week we will include this review page. This can be used in a Lifegroup or one on one with a friend or confidant who is walking this journey with you. It is a place that you can write your questions, confess your sins, commit to life change and other conversations to share with your mentor. The element of sharing, of accountability, of living life together is sometimes overlooked, but it is an important element of being a follower of Christ. We were made for relationships, first with God and then with everyone else. It is in relationships with people that our

32 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. relationship with God grows. We want to encourage you to start relationships where you can grow. Share what God is doing in your life. In relationship we can challenge each other and help each other grow. So each week write down the questions, share where God is working in your life, the sin you are trying to overcome and the things that you need help with or the problems you need someone to help you from falling into or how they can pick you up if you do fall. Questions Sins/Issues Life Changes Boundaries (These are ways to help you experience life change that a mentor can help you be accountable for, what are you going to avoid or where are limits) Prayers (How can your friend pray for you and with you?

33 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY EIGHT Today s scripture is about how to be effective in prayer. Prayer is a habit that Jesus both practiced and taught us by his word and his example He prayed every day. He prayed about specific decisions like choosing the apostles. He prayed when He faced challenges. Jesus spent private time in prayer and he prayed in public to show others how to pray. Studying God s word is one way we can listen to God, but our conversation with Him begins in prayer. If it was important enough for Jesus to maintain His relationship with His Father through prayer imagine how important it should be in our lives as we are just starting our relationship with Him. DAY EIGHT Matthew 7:7-8 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text.

34 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: (choose a verse you want to memorize) Bible Reading: Day 5: John 1:19-51

35 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY NINE John 14:13-14 We have worked on Bible study skills and on some prayer skills. These will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord. One tool of Valley View to help you get started is the 101 Membership Class: Connecting with Christ and Valley View this class is a good place to start. This class gives a gospel presentation, presents our church family identity and provides the opportunity for participants to join the church. Today you will study how much power there is in prayer. When our desires and prayers are aligned with God s Will He will do anything we ask. DAY NINE John 14:13-14 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text.

36 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: Bible Reading: Day 6: John 2:1-25

37 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY TEN It is our prayer that after ten days of practicing prayer as you complete each day s personal worship and these lessons on prayer that you have already started to experience God s presence in your life and experienced answers to some of your prayers. There is so much to a life of prayer that these few lessons just give you a taste of what God has for you. 201 Loving God: Healthy Habits of a Growing Disciple: Learning how to be constantly growing in my love relationship with Jesus, is another opportunity to learn more about prayer and other habits of a Christ follower. This study gives some basics that the Loving God class builds on to help you see how these daily habits and attitudes will draw you closer to Christ. Some call these habits Spiritual disciplines, where you discipline yourself to practice them, develop a habit a spiritual habit that helps you follow Christ. God desires this relationship with you and as you seek him, as you pray, He will honor that and give you the desires of your heart as your heart is filled with His love. DAY TEN 1 John 5:14-15 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage.

38 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week:

39 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Bible Reading Day 7: John 3:1-36 Next Step # 3 Join a group

40 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY ELEVEN Acts 2:42-47 As a new follower of Jesus, it is important that you get plugged into a healthy biblical community. The best place to grow in your faith and learn about God is around other people who are striving to do the same. At Valley View, our mission is to help you develop into a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ. That happens through both large weekend worship and in smaller, more intimate Lifegroups. Making the commitment to get involved in the church gives you many opportunities to grow in your faith. o Worship through song o Learn from your pastor o Meet new friends o Use your talents to serve other people Getting involved in the church is not optional. God commands us to gather together as a spiritual family. Meeting together with other Christ followers allows us to encourage each other and build each other up. We can share in the struggles, because the world will seek to separate us from God. We must set time to come together with other believers and worship God. God also wants us to have close relationships where we can grow and care for each other, here at Valley View we call those Lifegroups. Lifegroups are 12-15 people who do life together, hanging out taking care of each other and studying as a group. They minister to each other s needs in the more intimate setting of a family home. We

41 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives encourage all of Valley View to be involved in a Lifegroup because you can t be a Christian alone. DAY ELEVEN Acts 2:42-47 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life.

42 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: Bible Reading Day 8: John 4:1-38

43 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY TWELVE The church in Acts 2, the first church after Christ rose from the dead, was a family. They took care of each other. They shared everything. They lived life together and took care of everyone all the while praising God and enjoying each other s great attitudes. We want to be that kind of family, that kind of community. Church isn t what happens at the church building at a weekend service. Church is what happens every day. Worship is everyday how we treat other people, the choices we make, how we care for those around us. God was adding to their number each day. A community that loves people and takes care of them will always be growing because we are made to want that love. God designed us to love Him and to love others and when we start to do it we experience great things. Being a follower of Christ is about community; it is about loving others and living out that love in a life of action serving our King. DAY TWELVE Romans 16:5, Colossians 4:15 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage.

44 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: Bible Reading Day 9: John 4:39-5:15

45 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY THIRTEEN Hebrews 10:24-25 Community and relationships with others is necessary for our growth as a follower of Christ. Most people begin their relationship with Christ because another person invited them or introduced them. It is in a relationship that we serve each other, love each other and encourage each other. The Bible tells us that we should confess our sins to one another. This is not just to humble us; this is where we can help each other. We can help each other with temptations and struggles. We don t need to hide our sins; God wants us to expose them to the light. In confessing to our friends, or relationships of confidence, we can free ourselves of the guilt and through the relationship we can deal with temptations. This is where meaningful life change begins to take place, and it is what Jesus means when He teaches you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. DAY THIRTEEN Hebrews 10:24-25 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text.

46 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: Bible Reading Day 10: John 5:16-47

47 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY FOURTEEN Acts 4:32-33 What does it mean to do life together? It is a lot like a family. In a family there usually aren t too many secrets, your true character is known by those closest to you. This is what God created us for and it is what He created the church for, to be His family. In the family of God we are drawn together as children of God. This isn t just a title; it should be a part of who we are. As children of God, our family becomes much larger and we should be caring for each other, loving each other and building each other up as a family. Many come to Christ from broken families and situations that are the consequences of sin and the world s separation from God. In the church they should have security and confidence in their spiritual family and learn what God intended the family for. The church family functions in Lifegroups, 10-15 people doing life together, growing together through study, serving together and caring for each other s needs. It is in a Lifegroup where we minister to each other, take care of the hurts, meet the needs, serve each other, solve problems together and just do life together. DAY FOURTEEN Acts 4:32-33 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage.

48 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week:

49 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Bible Reading Day 11: John 6:1-21 DAY FOURTEEN Mentor life on life review Questions Sins/Issues Life Changes

50 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Boundaries (These are ways to help you experience life change that a mentor can help you be accountable for, what are you going to avoid or where are limits) Prayers (How can your friend pray for you and with you?

51 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives DAY FIFTEEN John 13:34-35 Jesus is asked by a Pharisee, to test him, Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is like it You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love is pretty important. The Bible tells us that God is love. The love that God s word talks about is not emotional or a feeling that you get, it is a commitment. God loved us so much God is committed to us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us. God s Word challenges us to love our enemies, and emotional good feelings are not likely to ever arise when thinking about the people that hate us yet God commands us to love them. That is only possible because love true love is a sacrificial commitment. God expects us to make a sacrificial commitment to Him. It isn t always easy and it doesn t always feel good but we should always be committed to God. He also expects us to love others to be committed to putting others before ourselves. That is what love is. Jesus sacrifice on the cross is the expression / example of love. DAY FIFTEEN John 13:34-35 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage.

52 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer.

53 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Memory Verse for Week: (choose a verse you want to memorize) Bible Reading Day 12: John 6:22-71 Next Step # 4 Find your place to serve

54 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY SIXTEEN Romans 12 Like the other habits or disciplines that we have talked about so far another commitment for a follower of Christ is to serve others. Everyone is gifted to serve and our service helps us to be more like Jesus. If we don t make a commitment to serving Christ and the church then we will be haphazard in our service and only serve occasionally or when it fits our schedule. This isn t really a commitment and doesn t really help the church or help us grow to be like Christ. Over the next five days you will study God s word and see why service is so important to the community. We encourage you to take the 301 Serving People: Functions of a Growing Disciple: Learning how God has shaped me for significant ministry to others. This will help you see how God has gifted you and where you fit in God s plan. This week your Personal Worship PRAISE study is an entire chapter, so we will provide another sample to help you see how you can study a whole chapter and still focus on what God wants you to learn. We will also keep today s lesson short so that you can study Romans 12 and still complete your reading in the gospel of John. DAY SIXTEEN Romans 12 a sample your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Lord, help me to understand your word and live it out in my life. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. True worship is giving everything to God Love truly love and live in harmony with others

55 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. How can my body be a living sacrifice? How is my behavior worship? How does serving God help me learn God s will for me? Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Romans 12 is at the heart of this study to learn to live a life of worship giving Ourselves fully to God Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will love others I will work to love with a genuine love. I will work hard for the Lord Engage with God in prayer. Lord, help me to use my body as a living sacrifice as I seek to give everything to You and serve you with all that I am Memory Verse for Week:

56 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY SIXTEEN Romans 12 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture.

57 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: Bible Reading Day 13: John 7:1-36

58 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY SEVENTEEN Ephesians 4:7-16 It is amazing how much of our walk with Christ is a paradox. To truly live we must die to ourselves. If we really want to experience what our Creator made us for we have to serve others. God tells us to serve others but it isn t just a command to obey it is a promise; a promise that you will discover what you were created for. God, the Creator, made you for a reason and you will discover that reason in serving others. God doesn t want to enslave us but in surrendering ourselves to Him and seeking to love others we become slaves servants. The reward for serving Him is discovering what He made you for. The reward is a community of people who become God s people accomplishing God s plan full of God s love. As you continue your personal worship there are other opportunities to learn your gifts and find a place to serve. The 301 Serving People class: Functions of a Growing Disciple: Learning how God has shaped me for significant ministry to others, will help you know how God made you and find some service opportunities that fit your gifts. DAY SEVENTEEN Ephesians 4:7-16 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage. Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text.

59 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week: Bible Reading Day 14: John 7:37-8:11

60 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. DAY EIGHTEEN 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 God created us for service, Jesus died so that we could serve making it every Christian s desire to serve. Service to the King is a requirement, not a hobby or something we do in our spare time. Service might be as public as teaching or singing on stage but more often it is hidden away like workers in the nursery or the crew that helps maintain the facility and vehicles. We should never serve to please men, to receive accolades of public recognition. Our purpose in serving should be to satisfy God and in satisfying God we become more like Christ. As you will discover in today s lesson when you were baptized and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit gives you gifts. Each believer or follower of Christ is given different gifts. The gifts of the Spirit are not just for you to hold on to, they are gifts for you to use for other people. It is important to develop a regular habit of serving in a ministry in the church. If you don t discipline yourself to serve regularly you will be tempted to serve only when it is convenient or exciting. DAY EIGHTEEN 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 your Personal worship PRAISE Pray, asking God to forgive specific sins and to speak to you from this passage. Read the text carefully, noting your observations about the passage.

61 Loving God, Serving People, Changing Lives Ask questions to help you interpret and understand the text. Interpret the passage in a way that is consistent with the teaching of all Scripture. Summarize a specific and measurable application of the text to your personal life. By God s grace I will Engage with God in prayer. Memory Verse for Week:

62 Finding the Way, life habits to help you walk closer to Jesus. Bible Reading Day 15: John 8:12-30