Discipleship University
A series of 10 half-day Classes on the essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith
The Bible teachings covered in these 10 discipleship classes are the bare-bones basics of the Christian faith.
What does it even mean for a person to identify as a Christian, but to have little actual knowledge of what the Christian faith believers?
These are the Biblical truths every Christian should know, understand, and apply to one’s personal life in order to be a growing, fruitful believer and to experience the many great blessings that come from being a disciple of Christ.
Yet, sadly, many modern Christians have not learned even the most basic teachings of our Christian faith. Many modern Christians and church-goers are Biblically and doctrinally illiterate.
You can learn a little bit about our faith by going to church each weekend. But a person can only learn so much from a 30- to 40-minute weekly sermon.
You can learn a little bit more by going to Sunday School. But every report is that less than half of all adults attending a worship service also participate in a Sunday School class or Bible study.
Discipleship University provides another way for people to learn the essential doctrines of the Christian faith.
Class 1: So Great a Salvation!
Saved from what? How is a person saved? What is true faith? Can you be sure that you are saved?
Jesus said that many people who think they are saved are not actually saved. So how can you be sure that you are saved? Obviously, being saved requires knowing what the Scriptures teach about salvation.
Class 2: The Family of God (the Church)
The priority and purposes of the Church. The “one another” life. Every-member ministry. Church governance. Why so many denominations?
Do you get that your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is just about the most important thing in your life? The motto of many Americans is “family first”; many people would say that their family is the most important thing to them. And of course, family is very important. But our earthly families will last only a few short years. Our spiritual family, the Church, the Family of God — that’s forever!
To be good Christians, there is so much we need to know about the Church.
Class 3: Praise the Father! Praise the Son! (Doctrines of God, Christ)
The Nature of God. The divine and human natures of Christ. Evidences of God. What other religions teach about God, Christ. The Trinity.
- You know, not everyone who says they believe in God even knows who God really is.
- And not everyone who says they believe in Jesus knows who Jesus really is.
Worshipping God requires knowing what the Bible teaches about God the Father and Christ His Son.
Jesus said it: “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,” John 4:23.
Obviously, to worship God in truth, we must know the truth. We must know the truth about God as it is taught in the Holy Word. Believing in Christ likewise requires knowing the essential truths the Bible teaches about Christ.
Class 4: The Spiritual Dimension
Heaven, hell, angels, the devil, demons. The will of God. God’s purpose for you. Ways to connect with the Spiritual Dimension. The Holy Spirit.
Class 5: Race Thru the OT
Class 6: Race Thru the NT
Class 7: The Bible: Where and How?
How the Bible books were selected (the canon). Inspiration, inerrancy. So many translations. How to interpret the Bible. Ways to study the Bible. Meditating on the Word.
Class 8: The Power and Priority of Prayer
How should I pray? Who should I pray to? Petitions. Intercessory prayer. The power of prayer. Praying the Psalms. Praying the Promises.
Class 9: Tell The World (Evangelism, World Missions)
How to share the gospel without being a salesperson. Simple gospel presentations. The power of prayer in evangelism. Call to world missions.
Class 10: What the Future Holds (End Times Prophecy)
Rapture. Tribulation and the Antichrist. Second Coming. Millennial Kingdom. Judgment. The New Heaven and the New Earth.
Do You Need Discipleship University?
Here are 10 questions drawn from each of the 10 Discipleship University classes. These are easy questions every mature Christian should be able to answer.
In Discipleship University we go much deeper than the basic information these 10 questions call for. These questions are the easy one. If you are not sure about very many of these basic questions, Discipleship University is definitely for you.
It is time for you to stand strong in the Christian faith!
“Like a newborn baby,” it is time for you to “long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2
Class 1: So Great a Salvation!
Q 1: Jesus came to save us. Name at least three things that Jesus is saving us from.
Q 2: What does it mean that Jesus saves us “from our sins”?
Q 3: What is sanctification?
Q 4: What does it mean to be “reconciled to God”?
Q 5: What must a person do to be saved?
Q 6: Exactly what must a person believe to be saved?
Q 7: What is “true faith,” i.e., “saving faith”?
Q 8: Why is baptism important?
Q 9: What role do good works play in being saved?
Q 10: Can a person be sure that he/she is saved? How?
Class 2: The Family of God (the Church)
Q 1: How important is the church to Christian believers? Why?
Q 2: What event is considered the birth of the Church?
Q 3: What does it mean that the church is not a building?
Q 4: Which is more important, my family or my church?
Q 5: What does it mean that the church is “the body of Christ”?
Q 6: Who are the ministers of the church?
Q 7: Why is the Lord’s Supper important?
Q 8: The New Testament repeatedly teaches that we not only need God and Christ but we also need each other. Why do Christians need each other?
Q 9: The phrase “one another” is used more than 100 times in the NT. Why is that phrase so important?
Q 10: What is the biblical job of an elder (overseer, bishop, shepherd)?
Class 3: Praise the Father! Praise the Son! (Doctrines of God, Christ)
Q 1: How many “major religions” (religions followed by more than 2% of the world population) are there in the world? What are they?
Q 2: How do the major religions differ in what they teach about God?
Q 3: In what ways is it true that God is infinite?
Q 4: What does God look like?
Q 5: Is God a person?
Q 6: What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?
Q 7: Is Jesus really a human being?
Q 8: When did Jesus first come into existence?
Q 9: What does the Christian sign of the fish, which goes back to the 1st-2nd centuries, stand for?
Q 10: Explain the basic doctrine of the Trinity in one simple sentence.
Class 4: Living in the Spiritual Dimension
Q 1: What is “the Spiritual Dimension”?
Q 2: Are angels active in the world today?
Q 3: Does the devil really exist?
Q 4: Name one story in the Bible in which a person interacted with beings who were in the Spiritual Dimension.
Q 5: Is God directly involved in the details and events of this world and of our personal lives?
Q 6: Does God expect us to know and obey His will?
Q 7: Does God have a special purpose for your individual life?
Q 8: What/who is the Holy Spirit?
Q 9: What relationship does the Holy Spirit have to the Trinity?
Q 10: What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
Class 5: Race Thru Old Testament
Q 1: How many books are in the OT?
Q 2: What language was most of the OT written in?
Q 3: What are the four main sections of the OT?
Q 4: What book tells the story of Adam and Eve?
Q 5: The OT focuses on the history of ancient _____?
Q 6: The OT repeatedly prophesies about the coming _____?
Q 7: Who is the father of the nation of Israel?
Q 8: Who wrote the first five books of the OT?
Q 9: Where are the Ten Commandments found in the OT?
Q 10: What is the largest book of the OT? Who wrote most of the contents of that book?
Class 6: Race Thru New Testament
Q 1: How many books are in the NT?
Q 2: What language was most of the NT written in?
Q 3: What are the four main sections of the NT?
Q 4: Which books in the NT report the life and teachings of Jesus Christ?
Q 5: What are the Synoptic Gospels?
Q 6: Which book tells about the first days of the Church?
Q 7: What is an epistle?
Q 8: Who wrote the most books of the NT?
Q 9: Which of Paul’s epistles provides a detailed explanation of salvation through Christ?
Q 10: What is the last book of the NT?
Class 7: The Bible: Where and How?
Q 1: What does it mean to say that the Bible was inspired?
Q 2: How do we know that Jesus believed in the inspiration of the OT Scriptures?
Q 3: What description is true of almost all of the writers of the books of the Bible? (HINT: They were p_______ an a_______)
Q 4: Which three men (one in the OT, two in the NT) wrote 5 or more books each, for a total of 23 of the Bible’s 66 books?
Q 5: What does the word “canon” mean in reference to the OT and NT?
Q 6: What is your response to the claim that the Bible has accumulated errors over each passing century?
Q 7: What is Biblical “hermeneutics”?
Q 8: To better understand a book or passage of the Bible, it is important to know who, when, and why. Elaborate.
Q 9: The best commentary on the Bible is ______.
Q 10: If you read one chapter per day, how long would it take to read the entire Bible?
Class 8: The Power and Priority of Prayer
Q 1: What are four main kinds of prayers every believer should pray? (Conf____, Than____, Wor____, Peti____)
Q 2: Is it selfish and wrong to ask God for things we want, such as material possessions or money?
Q 3: Has God promised to give us everything we ask for?
Q 4: What practical aid did Jesus give us to help us pray?
Q 5: What did Jesus teach about praying for God’s will to be done? (there are two very good answers)
Q 6: What did Jesus teach about being persistent about our prayers?
Q 7: What is a popular, time-tested method of praying persistently, i.e., praying for the same thing day after day?
Q 8: What is the connection of the Book of Psalms to the topic of prayer?
Q 9: How many psalms are there?
Q 10: The psalms have been grouped into many categories. What is the largest category of psalms?
Class 9: Tell The World (Personal Evangelism, World Missions)
Q 1: What is the best known Scripture about evangelism? (HINT: The Great ________)
Q 2: What does the word “gospel” mean?
Q 3: What is your response to the Christian who does not share the gospel with others because he/she is not a talented public speaker?
Q 4: Whose job is it to persuade people to accept the gospel and convert to Christ?
Q 5: What is “Friendship Evangelism”?
Q 6: What is an evangelism prayer list?
Q 7: What is an example of a way to openly identify with Christ? Why does it matter?
Q 8: Regarding benevolence, who set the greatest example of helping people with their physical needs in order to reach them spiritually?
Q 9: What Scripture instructs us to be involved in spreading the gospel to other nations?
Q 10: What are some of the many benefits of short-term mission trips?
Class 10: What the Future Holds (End Times Prophecy)
Q 1: Name three Bible books of prophecy, two in the OT and one in the NT.
Q 2: Why should a Christian study Bible prophecy?
Q 3: Name one Bible prophecy that has already been fulfilled?
Q 4: Name one Bible prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled?
Q 5: What is every mature Christian believer “eagerly waiting” for?
Q 6: What is the “great tribulation”?
Q 7: What is the popular name for the person the Bible calls “the man of lawlessness”?
Q 8: What does the word “rapture” mean in end-times prophecy?
Q 9: What OT book is the key to understanding the NT book of Revelation?
Q 10: According to the end of Revelation, where will God ultimately dwell among His people?