D:\YourBookHome\Temp\78809WM.pdf (1)Copyright © 2010 Pastor Jose Salas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro- duced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Book design and layout by: Jose Lucio Book cover design by: Jose Lucio
Scriptures are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright ©1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
This book is also available in Spanish: “Haciendo Discipulos: Curso de Discipulado” (ISBN: 958-96328-6-6)
Printed in the USA by Instantpublisher.com
ISBN: 978-0-578-06496-3
To my wife Dalia, My children, Anet, Joey, Jonathan, and Joshua;
To My Lord Jesus Christ.
Forming disciples, So that they can form disciples.
I thank God for my beloved wife and for my children, Anet, Joey, Jonathan, and Joshua, for the church in Laredo, Compañerismo Cristiano Internacional, for the extension of our church in San Antonio, and for the Misión Carismática Internacional in Bogota, Colombia and for my pastors Cesar and Claudia Castellanos that, with much love, have shared with us the Cellular Vision and the “Model of the Twelve”.
I would also like to thank God for Antonio “Toño” Torres who, in 1983, so insistently, spoke to me of Christ bringing me to the feet of the precious Savior. I give thanks to God the Father, for Jesus Christ His Son, and for the Holy Spirit, the Helper who has guided my life and has demonstrated His will to me.
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Foreword The Christian church in the world finds itself in front of a great challenge—reaping the harvest of souls that arrive day by day, which is the fruit of one of the largest revivals in history. This goes further than creating and developing strategies that create an impulse to remain in church. The work consists of forming all of the newly converted believ- ers to the point that they become a multiplying element in the congregation. In other words, our labor should be di- rected towards forming disciples.
It has nothing to do with a work that the latest church leaders and pastors have invented to justify the existence of the church. It consists of one of the stages that, as an im- perative, Jesus declared in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). One of the implicit stages mentioned herein con- sists of going to preach the gospel to win souls for Christ, but the other refers to the urgent need to form each and every one of those new believers, helping them reach a complete development in their Christian life.
The Lord Jesus, as soon as He had selected his twelve disciples, began to spend time with them—hour after hour, day after day. He took advantage of every situation to teach them things that would be necessary for their edification as His followers and for the execution of the ministry that He had entrusted in them. In this manner, Jesus was able to disciple His people, imparting in them His doctrine, char- acter, His authority, and anointing. Because of all of this, the disciples were able to take charge of faithfully spreading the Lord’s Vision and we are fruits of the labor they accom- plished by taking the Gospel to the whole world.
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If Jesus emphasized the importance of the formation of disciples, then with all the more reason should we enter in the same dimension with the objective being that our church become an entity that is profoundly capable and prepared to face the great challenges that await us. This aspect has been very well comprehended by Pastor Jose Salas, a man that is committed to God’s work, and who has given from his time, his experience and Biblical understanding for the prepara- tion of this valuable course for discipleship.
After analyzing and studying the contents of this book, leaders and pastors around the world will find the basic tools so that today’s church can offer an outline of capabilities adequate for its newest believers. With simple language and adapted to common-day circumstances, Salas explains the ABC’s of Christian life, urging the student to take on a sin- cere commitment to be a follower of Christ, desiring to share with others what a new life really means.
It is worth the effort emphasizing the opportune com- bination of theory and practicality with which the contents of this book are handled. They not only help awaken an in- terest in the believer, but also the reaffirmation of the Bibli- cal understanding necessary for obtaining a doctrinal growth and a solid spirituality.
Before the urgent need to involve the church in the im- portant work of conserving the fruit obtained in the evan- gelical process and preparing the new believers to the point of converting them into winners of souls with the authority of the Holy Spirit and Biblical understanding, I recommend this material written by Jose Salas, who has been able to un- derstand God’s purpose for our days.
Cesar Castellanos D.
Table of Contents Foreword .......................................................................... p. i Introduction ......................................................................p. v Lesson 1 .......................................... New Life In Christ p. 1 Lesson 2 ......................................................... Salvation p. 5 Lesson 3 ............................................Being a Disciple p. 11 Lesson 4 ......................................................... Baptism p. 17 Lesson 5 ...................................... Sharing with Others p. 23 Lesson 6 ............................................................ Prayer p. 29 Lesson 7 ........................................Praise and Worship p. 35 Lesson 8 ....................................Getting to Know God p. 39 Lesson 9 ....................................................The Church p. 43 Lesson 10 .......................................................... Giving p. 49 Lesson 11 .................... How to Study the Bible, Part 1 p. 55 Lesson 12 ................... How to Study the Bible, Part. 2 p. 61 Epilogue .........................................................................p. 67
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Introduction The Lord Jesus Christ’s commandment is clear when He orders “Go therefore and make disciples of all the na- tions…” (Matthew 28:19) It’s not just about winning souls for Christ, we need to make disciples, “...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:20).
This is the reason why I took on the work of putting together this course for discipleship, which will guide the formation of the newly born in Christ.
This course has twelve basic lessons for living a Chris- tian life that will help the newly converted understand the fundamental truths of the doctrine and will serve them in handling the Sacred Scriptures since this course will be tak- en hand in hand with the Bible.
It is necessary to be a disciple and at the same time disciple others. That is why this course should be given by a tutor or leader who is watching over the “beginner” week after week during a course of three months in which they will have completed the study of this manual. This practical course is developed through twelve lessons, one per week.
The lessons should begin with an opening prayer, then a revision of the lesson, and a question and answer session. In addition, there should be a prayer for the needs of the disciple. In this way, you will have achieved a complete edification of the new believer.
Making Disciples_________________________________
1.) Beginning a New Life
When a person repents from all sin and accepts Jesus Christ, believing in their heart that He died for our salvation and He rose from the dead, then an interior change is pro- duced which is called “born again” or the “new birth”.
Read each one of the following questions carefully and fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
a) How does a new life in Christ begin? See John 3:3______________ And, according to James 1:17-18, who decides on this new birth? _____________________ And how is it produced? _____________________.
b) Let’s study 2 Corinthians 5:17. What happens when one is in Christ? _____________________ What happens to the old things? _____________________.
This means that every sin that you committed in the past is forgiven and forgotten by God.
________________________Lesson 1 New Life in Christ
Making Disciples_________________________________
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c) Read Philippians 1:6 and, based on what is written, respond to the following questions: Who began the good work? _____________________ What will He do with that good work? _____________________.
2.) Living a New Life
a) When we are born of God, what is it that we stop prac- ticing according to 1 John 3:9? ___________ List some sins that are practiced when a person is not born of God _______ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ _______________________________________________.
b) If I am a Christian and I sin, what advice does 1 John 1:9 give me? _____________________ Does a Chris- tian sin, yes or no? ______ Yes, he does sin, but not in the same manner that he previously did when he practiced sin. Instead, with God’s help, he overcomes all tempta- tion, and our love and respect towards Him helps us distance ourselves from all bad things and better our way of living.
c) In 1 John 4:7, 8, what fruit does the person who has been born again manifest? _______________________ Love is: to forgive, to help, to support, to be good, to be compassionate, not being self-centered, etc. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
d) John 10:10 tells us that Jesus has come to give _____________________. This is eternal life (John 5:24) and this life begins from the moment that a person is born again. Live your new life trust- ing and depending on God, and always remember what Jesus
________________________Lesson 1 New Life in Christ
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Christ has said. Matthew 28:20, “…I am with you _______, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
Verse to memorize: John 3:16
Notes
________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
It is important to be discipled and at the same time to disciple others because when you
share discipleship you are able to attain an even greater development in each believer and what the Lord Jesus Christ has ordered
can be fulfilled.