This journey is the first of three levels. We believe that if you commit to the next 11 weeks, your life will be forever impacted. The curriculum was designed with you in mind.

• Week 1: Introduction to Your Discipleship Journey
• Week 2: Growing Spiritually
• Week 3: Encountering God
• Week 4: Effective Prayer
• Week 5: Effective Prayer / Community
• Week 6: Two Baptisms
• Week 7: Overcoming Temptation
• Week 8: Purity
• Week 9: Power in Forgiveness
• Week 10: Serving Others
• Week 11: Graduation and Celebration

There will be 15–20 minutes of teaching every week from trusted and passionate teachers. Your group will break out into small groups and your small group will be led by hand-selected "coaches" who will be with you the entire experience. Your group will consist of people of the same gender, and it's important to make the decision to let your guard down and open up during these small group meetings. Everything we discuss in these small groups is kept within the group and should not be discussed outside the group. These small groups will become one of the highlights of this journey of faith!

Some expectations:

• Please label your material with your name and bring it weekly.
• Attend at least one service on Sunday.
• Be open and transparent with your small group.
• Be consistent with your attendance — 3 attendance misses are permitted and you can still graduate.

Disciple is derived from the Greek word meaning "a pupil" — someone who comes to learn and be taught. There is a more common synonym: apprentice. Like an apprentice, a disciple learns from his or her master and the experience changes them. Our coaches are teachers who have themselves been discipled. The faculty is the Church, and our coaches will learn together with you.

We have two choices: we can speculate, or we can dive in. Make the choice to give everything to this experience. God has far more in store for those willing to believe it.

We are promised as believers in Jesus Christ that we will have eternal life. Jesus saves us from our sins — and that is where the journey of growing spiritually begins.

Nicodemus asked, "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered: "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You must be born again."

Being born of the Spirit means beginning a new life — a spiritual newborn. This requires connecting with God and developing spiritually, just as a baby grows physically.

Scripture teaches that we grow spiritually the same way we grow physically — through stages. God wants us to develop.

• Natural babies need natural milk — spiritual babies need spiritual milk (the Word of God) to grow.
• We must be cautious of spiritual junk food — content that is not based on encouraging a growing relationship with God.
• Allow babies to make mistakes — don't be too hard on yourself or others in early faith.

When you love the Lord your God completely, it is worship. God loves us and we're transformed by His love — our hearts are enlarged to love others as He loves them.

As Jesus was going into a village, ten men with leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When He saw them He said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them — when he saw he was healed — came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Gratitude is the first way we love God.

One of the ways we love God is by vocalizing it. We can continually maintain an attitude of worship. Natural human love is ready to praise what it loves — so it is with our love for God.

Obedience is love in action. For obedience to be love, we must know what God says and choose to follow His instructions — motivated by love, not obligation.

The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit. When you read the Bible regularly, you are being transformed by every word.

• The Word of God is a defense against Satan's lies — so we can walk in freedom.
• As born-again believers, reading the Bible must be a central part of our lives, not a rare occurrence.
• The Bible contains thousands of God's promises — healing, forgiveness, grace, supernatural blessing, financial blessing, and more.
• The origin and maturity of our faith is rooted in hearing and obeying the Word of God.

God wants us to pray. Prayer is two-way communication between us and God. We talk to Him; at times He speaks to us. There is no formula, but the entire Bible shows us how to pray more effectively. Prayer has no formula, but there are some things we should do.

1. Confession — Begin by Acknowledging Who God Is

   When we confess who God is, we enlarge Him in our hearts and in our lives. Confess any sin, and forgive others. "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together." (Psalm 34:3) — Acknowledge His name, any sin, and forgive others.

2. Ask — We Have Not Because We Ask Not

   God is calling us to ask. Matthew 7:7 — Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. We need to persist in prayer. He has access to God and you can come with any request, big or small, believing He hears and will answer.

3. Adoration — Worship Him

   "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1) — You can continually have an attitude of worship toward God at all times.

4. Intimacy — Soaking in His Presence

   "The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most — is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in His Temple." (Psalm 27:4, NLT) — Set aside distractions and dedicate time to rest in the presence of the Lord.

5. Intercession — Standing Before God on Behalf of Others

   The Holy Spirit intercedes, "stands in the gap," and prays for us. Romans 8:26 — The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and prays with groanings that cannot be expressed. Like Jesus stood in the gap for us by dying on the cross, we stand in the gap for others.

6. Thanksgiving — Thanking God for the Victory

   1 Thessalonians 5:17 — Give thanks in all circumstances. Being thankful reminds us of God's goodness. By faith, begin to thank God for the future blessing and healing — even before it happens. Thankfulness releases us to believe.

7. Praise — A Song that Changes the Atmosphere

   Acts 16:25–26 — At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Suddenly a great earthquake shook the prison and all the chains were loosed. Breakthrough praise changes the atmosphere. Praise is your declaration of God's faithfulness — when you praise, God responds and victory follows.

Our friends affect the quality and direction of our life. We want to surround ourselves with those who are following Jesus. Immediate pleasure regardless of outcome is for momentary satisfaction — we live for eternal fulfillment.

John 1:35–37 — Two men were following John the Baptist. When John pointed Jesus out, they chose to follow Jesus. Good friends point you toward Jesus. Acts 2:42 — The disciples were together continually, building friendships, discussing faith, and encouraging one another.

Ask yourself these questions when you are with them:

• Away: Gossipy things you know you shouldn't say
• Away: Discouraged
• Away: Things that don't align with God's Word
• Toward: Things that align with God's Word, hopeful and life-giving

The devil hunts three types of animals: the young, the sick, and the old. All three have the same thing in common — they are ISOLATED. If the enemy can't get you stuck in sin, he will isolate you, because he knows people in community are protected.

• Join a Connect Group and build healthy friendships
• Attend every Sunday and start praying about where you can serve
• Be open — whether introvert or extrovert, every person needs community

Water baptism is the public declaration of an inward transformation God has done in your life. You go under the water — leaving the old life behind (burial) — and come up raised to new life (resurrection). We follow Jesus' example. Scripture teaches that it is important to be baptized.

The Holy Spirit is not a thing or an "it." He is an equal part of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — 3 in 1. He knows exactly what we need.

• The Holy Spirit is our advocate in overcoming temptation.
• The Holy Spirit comforts us through difficulty and pain.
• He teaches us all things and helps us remember the Word.

John the Baptist said, "I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is greater than I am — He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4), the disciples were all together when suddenly they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

If you want to receive the Holy Spirit, here are three prayers you can pray:

• Holy Spirit… Show me.
• Holy Spirit… Fill me.
• Holy Spirit… Use me.

The flesh is weak. The more time we spend with God, the stronger our spirit becomes. The less time we spend with God, the stronger the flesh becomes. The key to overcoming physical temptation is strengthening our relationship with God.

We are not only tempted by our fleshly desires — we are also tempted by Satan. Satan tempts us in three main areas:

• The LUST of the FLESH (physical desires)
• The LUST of the EYE (soul — mind, will, and emotions)
• The PRIDE of LIFE (spiritual pride)

We cannot allow our flesh to rule us. The devil took Jesus to the highest point of the Temple and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off!" But Jesus answered with Scripture — we fight temptation the same way.

• We need to watch and pray, so that we will not give in to temptation — the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
• A Spirit-filled believer has the power to overcome temptation and to be free.
• Paul said, "I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing." Train your spirit with discipline.

Receiving the revelation of who God truly is gives us confidence that we don't have to be dominated by temptation. God provides for every spiritual, emotional, and physical need. Some names of God:

• El Shaddai — Almighty God
• Elohim — Creator
• Jehovah — The Lord / The GREAT I AM. I AM THAT I AM.

• When God's voice is consistent in our life it will keep us on the right path.
• God primarily speaks through His Word — God IS everything the Word says He is.
• Hear God's voice and then do what He says. OBEDIENCE to God's Word will empower you to OVERCOME any temptation.

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we surrender our lives to Christ, He gives us a new life. We must honor God — not just "not sin" — but take care of ourselves as belonging entirely to Him.

We must strive for purity in every area, especially sexual sin. Sexual sin includes:

• Lust — any person or thing regarded with illicit sexual desire or self-gratification
• Fornication — sexual intercourse between unmarried people
• Adultery — marital unfaithfulness
• Homosexuality — sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person of one's own sex
• Pornography — any form of sexually explicit media

Take authority over the sexual thoughts of the mind. This is the primary area the enemy will aim and target. You must renew your mind to the Word of God — bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

JESUS IS CLEAR: If you are not married, you are not to be having sexual intercourse. But when we surrender our lives to Christ, we step into a new life. God forgives your past. His grace covers you. God gives you strength now to resist temptation.

When we have God's Word in us and obey it, our spirit remains strong against the flesh. God gives us His grace for our future and gives us the strength now to overcome.

Every person we know and love has the potential to hurt us. Even people closest to us may hurt us by their words, behavior, or lack of consideration. The Bible is full of stories of people who chose to forgive — and people who did not.

True forgiveness is self-sacrifice — we let go of something offensive to us at no cost to the other person. The act of forgiveness is a seed of healing. Once we sow that seed, we reap God's blessings. Regardless of our own opinions, there must be willful obedience to do God's will — we MUST forgive in order to be forgiven.

Holding onto unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. Unforgiveness turns us into a bitter seed — the same pain inflicted on us, we start to inflict on others.

Unfortunately, some choose to review their offenders for years, even decades. We must make the decision — although difficult — to forgive.

We CHOOSE to forgive and lay it all down because God CHOSE to forgive us when Jesus Christ laid His life down to die on the cross. True forgiveness is willful obedience — not a feeling.

• Recognize the people in your life — now and from your past — whom you have not forgiven.
• Repent for the specific areas of unforgiveness in your life.
• Release and forgive the offenders. This doesn't mean you contact them — it means you release them in your heart for the pain they caused.
• We choose to forgive because God chose to forgive us.

Jesus came to serve. His nature was not to demand or force others to serve Him. When we see Jesus' example, we follow the Lord's example — and when we serve, we carry that servant's heart.

The world's leadership culture is to invest personal effort into gaining a title or position. The culture of Jesus is to serve selflessly without expecting to gain something in return.

"Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, 'I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,' that does not make it any less a part of the body." All parts are equally important. The parts that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.

Some parts are very visible; some are under the skin and not seen in public, yet are equally important. Whether they interact with each other directly or not — we are on a team, and we each have a part to play.

DO YOUR PART AND GOD WILL DO HIS.