The Discipleship Series

The Discipleship Series is designed to help believers understand what it means to follow Jesus, grow as his disciples, and help others do the same.

What is discipleship? The word discipleship is often used in two closely related ways, and both are important. First, discipleship means following Jesus—learning to trust him, obey his teaching, grow in Christlike character, and follow him faithfully in every area of life. Second, discipleship means helping others follow Jesus—intentionally helping people know Christ, understand his Word, grow in obedience, and eventually help others do the same. These two meanings belong together: as we grow as disciples of Jesus, we increasingly help others follow him.

What does following Jesus involve? Following Jesus reaches into every relationship and responsibility God has given us—reflected in the above diagram. Our core responsibilities describe the main areas in which we follow him: our private life before God, family, local church, neighborhood, and broader society. Our core purposes describe what we seek to become and do: grow in Christlike character, serve others, share the gospel, help other believers grow, and worship God with our lives. Together, these show that discipleship involves following Jesus faithfully in every area of life while helping others do the same.

What is The Discipleship Series? The Discipleship Series is a biblical curriculum built around this understanding of discipleship. At its heart, the series functions as a catechism—a guided process of biblical instruction that grounds believers in the central truths and practices of the Christian faith and trains them to think, speak, and live in faithful obedience to Jesus. Part One builds a broad foundation for Christian faith and life, while Part Two goes more deeply into the teaching of the New Testament and how the apostles strengthened and protected the churches.

How can The Discipleship Series be used? The lessons are especially designed for believers studying Scripture together in gatherings of the church, but they can also be used in households, smaller groups, one-on-one discipleship, and individual study. Each study helps believers read and understand Scripture, discuss its meaning and implications, and respond with concrete steps of obedience. The goal is not simply to complete lessons, but to use what we are learning to follow Jesus more faithfully, help others follow him, develop new leaders, and help start and strengthen churches.

Part One: Christian Formation

Part One serves as a two-year curriculum designed to ground disciples in sound doctrine and sound living. It equips believers to know God truly and to follow Christ under his authority in every sphere of life—personal, family, church, and everyday relationships. From conversion and spiritual disciplines to church life, relational love, and spiritual warfare, these studies build a comprehensive foundation for growth in Christ and participation in his mission.

1. Foundations of the Faith

These studies introduce the story of Scripture and the core truths of conversion and new identity in Christ.

  • 1.1 Becoming a Christian: Explains who God is, the reality of sin and judgment, the identity and work of Jesus, the nature of repentance and saving faith, and the meaning of baptism.

  • 1.2 Making Disciples Who Make Disciples: Trains believers to follow Jesus, help others follow him, and multiply disciples and new gatherings through simple, reproducible practices rooted in Scripture, prayer, and everyday relationships.

  • 1.3 Our New Life in Christ: Teaches believers what God has done for them in Christ and how their new identity shapes their desires, priorities, and patterns of obedience.

  • 1.4 Private Disciplines for Christian Growth: Develops habits such as personal prayer, meditation, and Bible intake, forming a hidden life with God that sustains endurance.

  • 1.5 The Story of the Bible: Traces Scripture’s unified storyline—from creation to new creation—giving disciples a coherent understanding of God’s saving purposes fulfilled in Christ.

2. Life in Community

These studies train disciples to live faithfully within their families and the gathered church.

  • 2.1 The God-Centered Family: Trains households to understand God’s design for family life—including marriage, parenting, and honoring our parents.

  • 2.2 Habits of the God-Centered Family: Trains households to practice shared habits of Scripture, prayer, worship, repentance, and reconciliation as families are formed within the life of the church.

  • 2.3 Loving One Another in Christian Community: Calls believers to concrete practices of love—encouraging the weak, speaking truth, bearing burdens, forgiving offenses, and pursuing reconciliation.

  • 2.4 Public Disciplines for Christian Growth: Develops corporate patterns such as devotion to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer, forming believers through the shared life of the church.

  • 2.5 The Gathering of the Church: 1 Corinthians 11:2–16:24: Examines the gathered life of the church—its order, the Lord’s Supper, love, spiritual gifts, resurrection hope, and shared mission.

  • 2.6 The Life and Mission of the Church: Romans 12–16: Develops a biblical vision for the church’s shared life and mission—including holiness, service, love, hospitality, unity, shared meals, and partnership in the gospel.

3. Following Jesus in Everyday Life

These studies train disciples to live in faithful obedience to Jesus in daily life—shaping character, witness, resistance to sin, and faithfulness in a broken world.

  • 3.1 Explaining the Christian Message: Trains disciples to faithfully explain the core truths of the Christian faith to non-Christians, including God the Father, sin and judgment, Jesus Christ, and repentance and trust in Jesus, and a new Christian’s first steps of obedience.

  • 3.2 Defending and Commending the Christian Faith: Trains disciples to respond wisely to objections and to present the gospel persuasively—addressing questions about truth, Scripture, suffering, science, morality, and the historical resurrection of Jesus with clarity, humility, and confidence.

  • 3.3 Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5–7: Shapes kingdom character through Jesus’s teaching on righteousness, integrity, mercy, purity, generosity, and trust.

  • 3.4 Resisting the Opposition to God’s Will: Trains disciples to recognize and resist the world, the flesh, and the devil through sober-minded vigilance, prayer, Scripture, and dependence on Christ’s victory.

  • 3.5 Following Jesus in Today’s World: Addresses the most pressing challenges disciples face in modern life—identity, sexuality, technology, money, culture, and relationships—with biblical clarity and pastoral wisdom.

Part Two: The Apostles’ Teaching:
Strengthening and Protecting the Churches

Part Two traces the unfolding revelation of God as the apostles strengthened and protected early Christian communities through their teaching. The stories of Scripture together form the foundation of a Christian worldview, showing how God’s truth shapes all of life. Studying the New Testament in its chronological order—from James to Revelation—allows disciples to follow how the apostles addressed real challenges of faith, doctrine, obedience, and endurance as the church spread and matured. From the earliest letters that grounded believers in genuine faith and perseverance, to the middle writings that refined doctrine and ordered church life, and finally to the later writings that preserved truth and sustained hope, we witness God’s revelation unfolding through lived history. This approach deepens faith, sharpens discernment, and forms a biblical way of seeing the world.

The Stories of the New Testament

The apostles proclaimed one unified story: God’s redemptive purpose moves from creation to new creation through Jesus Christ. They taught believers to see all of Scripture fulfilled in him—his life, death, resurrection, ascension, reign from heaven, and promised return—so that the church’s faith rests securely on God’s saving work and unchanging purpose.

  • The Story of Jesus: Luke (early 60s): Presents Jesus as the compassionate Savior who brings God’s mercy to the poor and outcast, teaches the way of righteousness and trust, and fulfills God’s redemptive plan through his suffering, death, and resurrection.

  • The Story of the Church: Acts (early 60s): Shows how the risen Christ continues his mission through the Holy Spirit, empowering the apostles to preach the gospel, form new communities, and carry the message from Jerusalem to the nations as the church learns to live under his reign.

Early Writings (AD 45–51)

The apostles sought to establish believers in the essentials of faith and obedience. They addressed confusion, persecution, and moral testing with practical guidance rooted in the gospel. These letters clarified genuine faith and taught believers how to endure with hope.

  • James (45–48): Calls believers to live out genuine faith through obedience, integrity, mercy, and wisdom.

  • Galatians (48–49): Defends the gospel of grace and protects believers from returning to law, preserving their freedom in Christ.

  • 1 Thessalonians (50): Encourages holiness, brotherly love, and endurance as believers await the return of Christ.

  • 2 Thessalonians (50–51): Corrects confusion about the Lord’s coming, urging steady faith, diligent work, and courage under pressure.

Middle Writings (AD 55–68)

As the gospel advanced, the apostles refined and clarified doctrine, addressed disorder, and organized maturing congregations. They strengthened believers in holiness, unity, and endurance, urging them to hold fast to sound teaching and the transforming power of the gospel.

Letters for Church Formation and Correction (AD 55–57)

  • 1 Corinthians (55): Confronts division, immorality, and disorder, calling believers to unity and holiness grounded in the gospel.

  • 2 Corinthians (56): Displays humble, authentic ministry that rebuilds trust and strengthens confidence in God’s power through weakness.

  • Romans (57): Unfolds the righteousness of God in salvation, joining Jew and Gentile in one faith and one mission centered on the gospel.

Letters from Paul’s Roman Imprisonment (AD 60–62)

  • Ephesians (60–62): Proclaims the mystery of the gospel that unites all people in Christ and equips them for spiritual maturity and good works.

  • Philippians (60–62): Encourages joy and perseverance through humility and partnership in the gospel, even in suffering.

  • Colossians (60–62): Exalts Christ as supreme over all things and fully sufficient for salvation and maturity.

  • Philemon (60–62): Appeals for reconciliation between brothers in Christ, showing how the gospel transforms relationships.

Gospel and General Letters (AD 60–67)

  • Mark (60–65): Portrays Jesus as the suffering Son of God whose cross defines the nature of true discipleship and leads to glory.

  • Hebrews (60s, pre-70): Strengthens weary believers by revealing Jesus as the final high priest whose covenant and sacrifice surpass all others.

  • Matthew (60s): Reveals Jesus as the promised Messiah and teacher who fulfills Scripture and commands his followers to live out the kingdom of heaven.

  • 1 Peter (62–64): Encourages believers to stand firm in suffering, living holy lives that testify to the grace of God.

Pastoral and Protective Letters (AD 63–68)

  • 1 Timothy (63–65): Instructs leaders to teach sound doctrine, model godliness, and steward the household of faith wisely.

  • Titus (63–65): Guides young congregations to establish healthy leadership and display good works that honor the gospel.

  • 2 Timothy (64–67): Charges emerging leaders to guard the truth, endure hardship, and proclaim the Word faithfully.

  • 2 Peter (64–65): Warns against false teachers and moral corruption, urging believers to remember the apostolic word and grow in godliness.

  • Jude (65–68): Calls believers to contend for the faith and persevere through mercy, truth, and prayer.

Later Writings (AD 85–96)

In these final writings of the Bible, the apostle John preserved the truth of Christ’s person and work for the next generation. He encouraged believers to remain faithful amid deception and opposition, grounding their confidence in Jesus’ love and the certainty of his return.

  • John (85–90): Reveals Jesus as the eternal Son who gives life to all who believe, inviting disciples to know and abide in him.

  • 1 John (90–95): Strengthens confidence and purity through the tests of love, obedience, and confession of the truth about Christ.

  • 2 John (90–95): Cautions believers to reject deceivers who deny the incarnation and to continue walking in truth and love.

  • 3 John (90–95): Commends faithful servants and warns against prideful resistance that hinders gospel partnership.

  • Revelation (94–96): Unveils the victory of the Lamb over evil, strengthening believers to endure, worship, and hope for his return.