Basic Discipleship 101

For we are God's fellow-workers; you are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 1 Corinthians 3:9-10

When someone starts to build a house, he first lays the foundation on which the rest of the house will be built. If the foundation is not built correctly, the rest of the building will be compromised, affecting not only its immediate use but also its longevity. The previous scripture states that the church must also lay a good foundation in new believers. The Bible contains specific teachings that form the foundation of the Christian faith.

To overlook even one of these teachings will affect how we perceive the rest of the Christian faith. An obvious example is to teach judgment without mercy, a teaching which causes the church to be legalistic. However, to teach mercy without judgment causes the church to give license to sin. Both teachings are essential, for the one teaching balances the other. When a person accepts Jesus as his Savior and Lord, most churches place the person in their ongoing programs, with the hope that he will grow. However, a new believer does not share the foundational truths that mature Christians have. The minister may make statements which out of context will appear harsh, but are not harsh when placed in the context of other accepted teachings. For this reason, the church must give new believers a foundation which will allow for a balance, in regard to the teachings to which they will be exposed. Basic Discipleship 101 is written to give new born believers the foundation on which they can build their Christian faith. In this collection of studies, we will examine what it means to become a Christian, identify the principle players in salvation, and examine the elementary truths on which the sermons they will be exposed to will be built upon. Welcome to Basic Discipleship 101. Author_Bio: Ron joined the military at the age of seventeen with the hope of adventure. On the flight to boot camp, he heard God's voice: "Ron, are you going to live the rest of your life for yourself, or are you going to live for Me?" By the time the plane landed, Ron made Christ both his Savior and Lord. During his time in the service, he was nicknamed "reverend" because of the radical change in his attitude, behavior, and character. After an honorable discharge, Ron has endeavored to serve his Lord Jesus Christ in instant, absolute obedience. Christians first recognized Ron's prophetic gift while he was working in the inner city. His heart was broken by the church's apathy to the poor and by Christianity's conformity to the world. The Bible defines the gift of prophecy:

And if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge; ...but do not have love, I am nothing. (1Co.13:2)

Over forty years ago, Ron decided to follow Christ and has continued to grow not only in the knowledge but also in the likeness of Christ. Five years after becoming a Christian, a non-Christian asked Ron to teach her son the basic truths of Christianity. Ron searched for a study that would simply unfold the key truths. After finding none, he began to write his own one year discipleship course. Basic Discipleship 101 is the first of four books which aims to enable a new believer to grasp the basic tenets of the Christian faith. As God's children, let us learn the basics of life in Christ.

Keywords: Disciple, Discipleship, Bible, Christian, Christianity, Basic, Born-Again, Spirit, Truth, Doctrine