LifeWay Community Church

Below are 11 lessons designed to assist you in building a strong foundation of faith. Please e-mail us if you have any questions concerning these lessons pe@lifewaycc.com.

Lesson 1- Living a Jesus Lifestyle by Serving Others

Lesson 2- Being Right before a Holy God

Lesson 3- Living Right before a Holy God

Lesson 4- Learning to pray effectively

Lesson 5- Releasing Hurts and Forgiving Others

Lesson 6- Overcoming the Devil

Lesson 7- Walking in Faith

Lesson 8- Walking in God’s Provision

Lesson 9- Growing in Christ by Reading the Word

Lesson 10- Knowing what we believe

Lesson 11- Laying the Foundation

Introduction: In this lesson you will discover who the Bible says is your neighbor. As a practical model, you will take a close look at the example of the Good Samaritan. An in-depth study in friendship evangelism will conclude our study. In this lesson you will learn how to:

• Recognize your neighbor.
• Be a servant to others.
• Reach out to the lost.

I. Recognize your neighbor and your responsibility to him.

A. In the opening chapters of Genesis, Cain asks God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) Cain expressed the heart of sinful man, which wants to ignore responsibility for anyone but those closest to him.

B. In the Old Testament, your “neighbor” included those who were like you, your family, and your close friends. Jonah was very angry with God when God showed mercy to the people of Nineveh. Jonah viewed them as enemies because they were not his fellow Israelites. (Jonah 3:1-4; 4)

C. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches that your “neighbor” includes those who are not like you and those who are not related to you. Their relationship to you as a “neighbor” is a moral one, not a physical one. It is not based on kinship but on the opportunity and capacity to help others.

D. In John 3:16, Jesus tells us that He became a missionary to the whole world, not to a select few. He also tells us that “as the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” (John 20:2 1 NIV) You have a responsibility to reach out beyond your own circle of friends and across your borders. “And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8b NIV)

II. Become a servant to others, like the Good Samaritan did. (Luke 10:30-37)

A. See and feel the need (verse 30).

1. “Stripped him” – humiliation

2. “Beat him” – devastation (emotional and physical)

3. “Leaving him” – abandonment

B. Don’t be callous (verses 31, 32).

1. A priest saw him.

2. A Levite saw him.

C. Express your compassion (verse 33).

1. A Samaritan saw him.

2. “He felt compassion for him.”

3. It’s one thing to see but something quite different to see and feel.

a) Today many times people see much and feel little. We are a desensitized and emotionally calloused generation.

b) The Samaritan is referred to as being “good” because he loved a man whom his fellow countrymen considered as an enemy. He was not influenced by their potential rejection of his action.

D. Be willing to sacrifice (verses 34, 35).

1. First aid (body ministry) was administered.

2. Time and financial resources were made available. (I John 3:17).

E. Be a true neighbor (verse 36).

1. “Which of these three…proved to be a neighbor to the man?”…”The one who showed mercy.”

2. “Go and do the same” (verse 37, see also Romans 15:1).

III. Live a lifestyle of friendship evangelism.

A. Model the example of Jesus (WWJD?).

1. Jesus, the true Servant, lived to give of Himself to others.

a) He did not come to be served but to serve. (Mark 10:45)

b) Jesus commissioned His disciples to do the same. (Matthew 7, The call of God upon my life is to live to give.

2. With Jesus, serving was not a stepping stone toward greatness; it was the measure of greatness.

a) Jesus was free to wash His disciples’ feet. (John 13:5)

b) Jesus served and loved so freely that He was able to bless His own betrayer (John 13:26) and even referred to him as His friend. (Matthew 26:47-50)

3. Jesus bids us, “Follow me.”

a) We’re to follow Jesus by loving and serving others.

b) We’re to love with our hearts and eyes, speak words of peace and reconciliation with our mouths, and reach out to others with our hands.

B. Overcome hindrances to friendship evangelism.

1. The fear of man

a) Your acceptance is based on your identity in Christ.

b) Fear of rejection can paralyze you. “What will he or she think of me?”

2. Pride

a) Your ego hates to suffer; it always prefers to be puffed up.

b) Rather than humbling yourself, you prefer silence and exclusion, and many times even isolation.

3. Selfishness

a) We do not want to spend the time and energy.

b) “But they smoke, drink, take drugs, and live promiscuously.”

c) There is a price to pay to gain the lost as one’s inheritance. (Psalm 2:8)

4. Misinterpretation of Scripture

a) “Love not the world, nor the things in the world.” (I John 2:15) This does not mean you should not love your fellowman.

b) “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy with them.” (John 17:13)

c) “The field is the world.” (Matthew 13:38)

C. Getting started in friendship evangelism

1. Carefully consider how you invest your time energy, and financial resources. Do your investments show that you are truly committed to winning the lost? Be honest!

2. Ask God for a friend, a lost person with whom you can establish a relationship.

3. As you enter appointments and other responsibilities in your daily schedule, plan times of involvement with unbelievers you are targeting for friendship. Remember, you want to establish friendships, not immediate converts. Conversion and discipleship are goals. Friendship is the way to enter into the hearts and lives of those we want to reach.

4. Express true friendship.

5. Be friendly.

6. Be committed.

7. Be loyal.

8. Don’t be overbearing (tactless). Allow space for a normal growth process.

9. Be natural in expressing your faith in Christ.

10. “A friend loves at all times.” (Proverbs 17:17) This verse expresses the heart of true friendship- unconditional love.

Introduction: The amazing truth of the Gospel is that God takes broken sinners, cleanses them of their sin, transforms them into new creatures, and accepts them as sons and daughters. In this lesson, we will learn how, as a believer, you were made right with God. You will discover:

§ What happens when you are saved.

§ What it means to be “righteous” and to be “justified by faith.”

§ How being righteous enables you to live a victorious life in Christ.

I. What happens when you are saved?

Both you and God have a part to play in your salvation.

A. God asks you to:

1. Repent-turn from your sin.

2. Believe-turn to God (have faith).

3. Receive-God’s gift of life.

B. God acts to:

1. Regenerate you (“new birth”)-makes you a new creature.

2. Justify you-makes you righteous.

II. What is righteousness?

A. What is righteousness, or what does it mean to be “righteous”?

Three ways that righteousness is generally understood:

1. Some believe it is a standard that everyone must live up to (such as the Law or the Ten Commandments). If I am to be considered righteous, I must live up to the “standard” and obey all the commandments and expectations of God. (God does not accept us on the basis of this kind of righteousness. That is, perfectly keeping the Law or any set of rules does not make us acceptable to God.)

2. Some believe it is moral perfection (never having done anything wrong or evil). If I am to be considered righteous, I must not have ever done anything wrong. (Jesus is the only person who has been morally perfect.)

3. The Bible teaches that righteousness is living up to the terms of a relationship. (I must fulfill what is expected of me in a relationship.)

B. On your own, you cannot live up to the terms God expects from you.

1. As a sinner who has fallen far short of God’s expectations, you know that if God examined your life, He would not say that you are righteous.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV).

2. You can do good works and try to live a life according to good moral standards (the Bible calls this the “law”), but that will not make you right (justified) with God.

“. . . by observing the law no one will be justified” Galatians 2:16 (NIV).

C. Knowing your life, how can God honestly “justify” you, or make you righteous?

1. Being made “righteous” is more than forgiveness (cleansing you from your sins).

2. God also gives us Christ’s righteousness (views us as having lived a life of righteousness by “crediting” us with Jesus’ perfect life).

3. You are one with Christ.

a) This is not something that is going to happen or something that you should expect to happen, but it is something that already happened when you were born again!

b) “God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

c) “He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with a robe of righteousness“ (Isaiah 61:10).

d) Paul says that his goal is to be found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

III. How can you stand right before a holy God?

A. You believe in Christ.

“We have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by the works of the law shall no one be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

“We are justified by faith” (Romans 5:1).

1. Faith is an instrument through which justification is given to us (like a conduit).

a) Faith is not simply mental agreement, but a firm reliance, trust, and a leaning and depending upon God and His promises.

b) Faith shapes my character and affects my decisions and actions.

2. Why did God choose faith? Why not love, joy, contentment, wisdom, or humility?

a) Faith is the one attitude of heart that is the exact opposite of depending on ourselves.

b) With faith, we are saying essentially, “I give up! I can’t do this on my own!”

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God-not because of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

B. You receive the gift of righteousness.

“Those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness (will) reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17 NIV).

IV. Live in victory as a righteous child of God!

A. Take your place as a child of God.

1. You don’t have to earn your standing before God-in fact, you can’t earn it-it is a gift.

2. Your motivation for what you do has changed. You are not working to earn God’s approval through prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, or other good works. You do these things because you love God, you thirst for His presence, and you want to please Him. You are not trying to earn His favor (John 20:31, 1 John 5:3-5).

B. Latch on to the promises of God.

1. You are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:2 1).

2. You are seated in “heavenly places with Christ” and have victory over sin and the devil (Ephesians 2:6).

3. You can approach God with confidence, knowing He accepts you (Hebrews 10:22).

4. You can live at peace with God (Romans 5:1,2).

5. You are set free from sin and are now a servant of God, Who gives life (Romans 6:22-23).

6. Tribulation and hardships are not signs of God’s disapproval, but opportunities to have Christ-like character developed in you (Romans 5:1-5).

Introduction: God’s goal for us is to become like Jesus. If you are a believer, He has already given you Christ’s righteousness, and now He wants to conform you into Christ’s image. “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29 NIV) The Lord also wants us to be blameless and holy. “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified… .” (1 Thessalonians 4:3 NIV) In this lesson we will learn:

§ The meaning of holiness (sanctification).

§ How you can become holy or live holy (practical steps to living holy).

I. What is holiness?

A. Holiness literally means “to be set apart for God.” (John 17:17-19)

• It is the same word as sanctification.

B. A definition of holiness is “the continuing work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and more like Christ.”

• God’s intention is for believers to live free from the bondage of sin. Why? Sin prevents us from living the abundant life that God has designed for us. (1 Peter 1:14-16)

C. Holiness has two stages.

1. It begins when we are born again. “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV)

a) We are called “saints.” “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours.” (1 Corinthians 1:1-2 NKJ)

b) We have been set free from sin!

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:18 NIV)

2. Throughout life, you are to continue to be transformed into Christ’s likeness by the sanctification process.

a) It begins at the “new birth” but is also a process throughout our lives.

b) We are being changed from one degree to another.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV).

D. The key to your sanctification is knowing who you are in Christ.

1. Holiness is not a negative process, but a positive one.

a) Some think of it as a list of “don’ts.”

b) Scripture views it as a way of sharing Jesus’ life.

2. Jesus is God’s “working model” for your life as a believer.

a) We are inseparably linked with Jesus.

1) “Just as the living Father sent Me and l live because of the Father; so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57 NIV)

2) Just as a baby’s umbilical cord connects it with its mother, we are connected with Jesus and share His life.

b) If we abide in Jesus, we “ought to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:6 NAS)

II. How do you become sanctified or live holy?

A. Believe that God is good, created you with purpose, wants a relationship with you, and has given you His Word. (Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-8)

B. Know who you are and where true life is to be found.

1. We are aliens in this world.

“I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” (John 17:14 NIV)

2. The values of the world are not my values.

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:11-12 NIV)

C. Be convinced that God’s expectation for his children is that they do not sin.

1. “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1 NIV).

2. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9 NIV)

D. Repent and confess any sin in your life, and drink in God’s forgiveness.

1. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

2. We grieve the Spirit when we sin, but when we come “clean” with God, He rejoices over us. (Luke 15:24)

3. We must maintain a clear conscience.

E. Renew your mind.

1. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIV)

2. The mind is the part of the body that needs the most discipline.

3. We take every “thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

F. Continually admit that you are dependent on the Holy Spirit to help you live a life like Jesus.

1. Developing an ongoing friendship with God does this.

G. Place yourself in situations where holiness can grow.

1. Drink in God’s Word.

2. Maintain regular prayer times.

3. Get busy with the tasks God wants you to do.

4. Physically remove yourself from places of temptation.

5. Refuse to entertain thoughts that could lead to sin. Choose instead to think “Philippians” thoughts:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

Introduction: Prayer is perhaps the area of our lives in which Satan attacks us the hardest. Many believers find it difficult to spend more than ten minutes a day praying in English, or their prayer time is on the run while doing other things. In this teaching our aim is to:

§ Get motivated to pray.

§ Learn how to pray different kinds of prayer.

§ Establish an effective prayer life.

I. Get motivated to pray by seeing the tremendous benefits of prayer.

A. Praying effectively will give you spiritual endurance so you won’t quit and give up. “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1 NIV).

B. Praying brings you into the spiritual realm and makes God and His truths real to you. “And Elisha prayed, ‘0 LORD, open his eyes so he may see. ‘Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17 NIV).

C. Prayer is the key to being able to effectively minister to others. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2 NIV).

D. Through prayer you receive from God His blessings and provisions for your life. “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2 KJV).

E. Effective prayer enables you to find direction and guidance for your life. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 NIV).

F. Prayer is vital to overcoming the devil and his forces in your life. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:4 1 NIV).

II. Learn how to pray different kinds of prayer.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciple” (Luke 11:1 NIV).

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).

A. Pray by using the Lord’s Prayer as a model prayer guide (Matthew 6:9-13). Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them to pray. His reply to them has come to be known as the “Lord’s Prayer.” (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4). Jesus was instructing His disciples to pray “after this manner.” Rather than giving a prayer to be recited over and over again, Jesus was demonstrating a model prayer guide, showing the basic elements which should be contained in your prayer life. Here is a listing of the basic parts of prayer as found in the Lord’s Prayer:

1. Prayer of worship; acknowledging Who He is and what He has done. “OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME.” Begin your prayer by worshiping God. You may wish to pray through the compound names of God as found in the Old Testament.

a) Jehovah-tsidkenu = The Lord is our righteousness

b) Jehovah-m’kaddesh = The Lord Who sanctifies

c) Jehovah-shammah = The Lord is there

d) Jehovah-shalom = The Lord is peace

e) Jehovah-rophe = The Lord heals

f) Jehovah-jireh = The Lord is my provider

g) Jehovah-nissi = The Lord is my banner (of victory)

h) Jehovah-rohi = The Lord is my shepherd

2. Prayer of intercession: praying for others. “THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE.”

3. Prayer of petition: praying for your own personal needs. “GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.”

4. Prayer for cleansing from sin and from hurts from others, forgiving them. “AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.”

5. Prayer of spiritual warfare: putting on the “whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-17) and wrestling against the enemy of your soul. “AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.”

6. Prayer of surrender to God’s authority and will. “FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY.”

B. Pray in the Spirit. What is it then? “I will pray with the spirit, and l will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15 KJV). When you are filled with the Spirit, the Spirit gives you a language of prayer, which we call “speaking in tongues.”

1. This prayer language is a way that the Spirit tells the secrets of your heart to God. “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:2 NIV).

2. When you pray in the Spirit, your spirit is praying, not your mind. “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14 KJV).

3. Praying in the Spirit will build you up in your faith. “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20 NIV).

4. Praying in the Spirit will help you to pray continually throughout the day. “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV).

III. Establish an effective prayer life.

A. Pray early in the morning. “In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice, in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation” (Psalms 5:3 NIV). Praying before you start your daily work is often best because the mind is uncluttered and the body is refreshed. This also gives you an opportunity to pray over the situations you will face during the day.

B. Find a place where it is quiet and free from distractions. “After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone” (Matthew 14:23 NIV).

C. If possible, pray out loud, as this will help you to keep your mind from wandering. “To the LORD I cry aloud, and He answers me from his holy hill” (Psalms 3:4 NIV).

D. Listen to God. Learn to distinguish His voice from all others. “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a strangers’ voice” (John 10:4-5 NIV).

E. Pray over the Word as you read it, and pray over what God speaks to your heart through the Word. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalms 119: 18 NIV).

F. Pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. “In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name” (John 16:23 NIV).

G. Pray in faith. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 NIV).

H. Pray from a clean heart and a pure conscience. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalms 66:18 KJV).

I. Pray the will of God as it is revealed in His Word. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14 NIV).

J. Humble yourself before God. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10 NIV).

Be bold in your approach before God, as He wants to give you mercy, grace, and help. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).