– The Discipling Others Series –
LEGACY . JUST START . NEXT . CHOOSING
*WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What would you do if I asked you to…
- Change the oil in a car?
- Bake a cake?
- Play a game that you don’t know how to play?
If instructions for these things are important to have, how much more important is it for us to have instructions on how to start our relationship with God? Today we are going to talk about how to give people their first instructions on how to walk with God.
Read Colossians 1:27–29.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?
This passage touches on a few important basics of our faith that we often share in Cru with new students. See if you can spot them…
1. In verse 27, what is the “mystery” or “secret” that the author is talking about? Why is that important?
2. What does he ask us to do in verse 28? Why?
3. How does he say to do this in verse 29?
4. In verse 29, the author says he is “working and struggling so hard” to help people become more mature in Christ. Is helping people grow spiritually really that important? Why?
HOW DO WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?
5. In working with someone who is growing in their relationship with God, what would you say are the four most important things they need to know?
1.
2.
3.
4.
The four topics Cru talks about with new students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
6. Why are these things important to know?
- Assurance of our Faith: Without this confidence that we are his children and he won’t leave us, we will constantly be worrying that we aren’t good enough. This confidence allows us to rest in him and totally embrace our new faith.
- What to do When you’ve Sinned: Sin breaks our fellowship with God. Our students need to learn to confess their sins so that they can restore their relationship with God and move forward.
- The Holy Spirit: Many of us think that we are supposed to live the Christian life by our own power. If our students try to do this, they will fail every time. We want them to know that it is really the Holy Spirit who gives them the power to live this life.
- How to Grow in your Faith: The Bible, Prayer, Christian Fellowship, and Telling others about Christ are four main components to growing a strong faith. We want to equip each of our new students to grow in their faith.
One of the best ways to help your students learn these four things is through our GETTING STARTED series. This is what we often use with new believers and people new to Cru, and it’s what we recommend you go through with them after your first meeting. Let’s open up these lessons and take a look at them. Go to cru.org/thrive and find the GETTING STARTED series or Follow-Ups.
7. Which studies answer these four questions?
How do I know that Christ is in my life and will never leave me?
What do I do when I have sinned?
Who is the Holy Spirit and how does he help me?
How do I grow in my faith?
8. Open one of the studies and walk through it. Look for these elements and talk about why they would be helpful to you as you lead this study.
- Idea Box
- Leader’s Guide (the Big Idea, the Problem, etc)
- Review Cards
9. As you think about getting started in discipleship, what are some roadblocks or fears you face? Can you share them with the group?
10. The picture at the top of the page is two sets of footprints on a beach. How is discipling someone like walking alongside them on a beach?
CHALLENGE: Meet with someone this week to begin going through the STARTING WITH GOD series. Your best person would be the person you already met with, but if they can’t, meet with someone else.
What ideas do you have that could improve this study? Are there creative things you do to bring this topic home to your students? Please share with the community clicking the FEEDBACK button or leaving a comment below.
