Table of Contents

Guide 4

The Purpose and Benefit Book 4

Timeframe 4

ATTITUDES OF A SPIRITUAL FATHER 5

How Can We Experience God's Care In Our Lives? 7

How to motivate your team members to serve god together 10

How to motivate our team members to serve God 13

HOW TO BRING THE PRESENCE OF GOD INTO OUR LIVES OF SERVICE 15

Biblical Concepts About Church Growth 20

God Wants Us To Be Fruitful 22

GOD HELPS US TO BE FRUITFUL 24

God Expects Us To Grow And Be Fruitful 27

GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH UNFRUITFULNESS 31

BIBLICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DISCIPLES 40

The Meaning Of Being Disciples 41

Characteristics Of Disciples That We Should Make 45

How to win souls 48

Difficult questions 51

LET US HAVE UNITY 55

How can we have unity in our church? 57

MOTIVES IN SERVING THE LORD 60

OFFERING YOUR LIFE TO JESUS 62

PERSEVERANCE 67

PRAYER LIFE OF A SUCCESSFUL LEADER 70

PREPARING OUR LIVES TO VICTORIOUSLY FACE HARDSHIPS IN THE END TIME TRIAL 73

RESPONDING TO GOD’S CALL WITH FAITH 76

THE MINISTRY OF HELPS 85

Do what God calls you to do 85

Promotion comes from God 86

Every member of the body of Christ is important 87

The ministry of helps in the old testament 88

UNDERSTANDING GOD'S VISION 91

WHO ARE JESUS' DISCIPLES 95

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOW-UP 102

THE FOLLOW-UP SYSTEM 113

HOW TO FOLLOW UP NEW BELIEVERS IN THE FIRST FEW DAYS AND WEEKS AFTER THEY ACCEPT CHRIST 125

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FOLLOW-UP 148

COMMON PROBLEMS FOUND IN FOLLOW-UP MINISTRY 159

Guide

Dear brother and sister in Christ,

Write out the guide line for the book

The Purpose and Benefit Book

The purpose of this book is to teach fundamentals and the meaning of being a follower of Christ. And to answer the simple question, what does it mean to be a Christian?

This book is only a guide to cover some major principles that a new believer should be grounded in.

You get as much as you put into it. The more you are open to God and questions being asked the more you will get out. Be sure to use this work book for yourself or to teach other who are new in Christ.

Timeframe

The nine lessons in this booklet can be completed within 6 months. Given that you or the new believer is committed to a local church, attend and understand the meaning of importance of spiritual growth.

ATTITUDES OF A SPIRITUAL FATHER

Introduction

For us to train spiritual leaders, we must not only teach knowledge but we must be able to impart our life and our spirit into our brothers and sisters so that they can have a Godly impact on other people and become effective servants of God's kingdom.

Content

The apostle Paul wrote letters to the Christian brothers and sisters in other churches in order to encourage them. These brothers and sisters were Paul's spiritual children. One of the churches he wrote to was in Thessalonica. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12, we learn that Paul's heart had attitudes of a spiritual father. Even though he spent only three weeks with them he treated them as spiritual children. Spiritual leaders that are respected by their sheep must have the same attitudes that Paul had.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

1.  Being gentle

1 Thessalonians 2:7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.

The apostle Paul was gentle toward his sheep. To be gentle does not mean that we are weak. When we are gentle this do not mean that we lack authority. Being gentle and having authority do not contradict each other. We must have a gentle heart and see value in God's people. We should not treat them like a piece of furniture. Since God's people were created in God's image and have emotions and spirit we should gently take care of them.

2. Caring for God's sheep

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

We should take care of our sheep like a mother caring for her little children. We should not be satisfied with just making sure they come to church or care group, but we should sacrifice our time and energy to build them up to become a fruitful follower of Christ. We should not selfishly look for personal gain. Good leaders should have the right attitudes and devote themselves to the well-being and spiritual growth of the sheep. They should always make decisions that benefit the sheep. They should not take care of the sheep out of duty but with a caring attitude.

3. Teaching and correcting

Spiritual fathers must correct, teach and discipline their spiritual children. Paul always admonished and corrected his sheep. If we love our sheep we will have a desire to correct when they do wrong.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you think a spiritual father who has the right attitude will impact his sheep?

2. What would cause us to not have the right attitude of a spiritual father?

3. Do you have any sheep that are not taken care of? What will you do in order to build them up?

4. If your sheep have a wrong attitude what will you do to correct them?

How Can We Experience God's Care In Our Lives?

Psalm 121:1-8 I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? 2My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber; 4indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; 8the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

God is always committed to us. He never forgets us. When we face problems, He is always there to help us because He cares for us. How can we experience God's care in our lives? We can experience it by understanding the foundations of His care.

Understanding The Foundations Of God's Care

Psalm 121:1-3 I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? 2My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber;

The writer of this Psalm put his trust in God. He knew that his help came from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

1. Trusting God

Psalm 121:2a My help comes from the LORD...

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

If we want to receive God's care, we must trust Him. We must not lean on our own ability and understanding.

2. Recognizing the sovereignty of God

Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? 2My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber;

Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

God sustains us and He loves us.

Matthew 8:5-10 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." 7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." 8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Faith must be followed by actions. The centurion in Capernaum believed in the authority of the Lord Jesus. He realized that Jesus sovereignly ruled the world and was most powerful. We should have the same attitude as the centurion.

3. Expecting God's care

Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber;

Proverbs 3:23, 26 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; 26for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

The obstacle of His guidance is doubt. How can we receive God's guidance? The key is to spend time with the Lord and build up an intimate relationship with Him. We are willing to surrender our will to the Lord. We need to hear His voice and surrender to Him. We must stand firm on God's promises. He means His Word well, and it will come to pass.

4. God is our shepherd

Psalm 121:4-6 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

God is interested in everyone and each person. He is faithful.

Isaiah 27:3 I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.

The Lord always looks after His people.

5. God will refresh us

Psalm 121:5-6 The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The sun and the moon symbolize "day and night". The joy of the Lord is my strength. Paul rejoiced always despite what he had gone through. When we pioneer a church, even though we have to work hard, we always rejoice in the Lord because we see so many lives being changed by God. The joy of the Lord is the strength of our hearts. The enemy tries to steal the joy of our hearts.

Isaiah 25:4 You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall.

Isaiah 49:10 They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.

6. God takes a deep interest in and wants the best for our lives

Psalm 121:7-8 The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; 8the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

God always wants the best for our lives. Our responsibility is to submit to Him wholeheartedly.

Psalm 21:3 You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

We should not let go of the best plan of the Lord for our lives. We need to obey Him because obedience brings blessings to our lives. God always watches over His people or His church, no matter what ministry we do.

7. God's commitment to us is eternal

Psalm 121:8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

God understands our weaknesses and struggling. We should trust Him and experience His care.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Let us receive God's care into our hearts and experiences, not only into our heads.

How to motivate your team members to serve god together

The importance of motivation

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Mark 4:31-32 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

God created man to have valuable qualities and talents in his life. Everyone is unique and specially made by God. He puts gifts, abilities, and talents in every believer. We should find out what they are. Church leaders should find their members' gifts and talents and help them to develop them so that they can fully use their gifts to serve God. As leaders, we must know how to motivate our team members to use their talents and gifts to serve God, so that the kingdom of God will be expanded fully and they will become spiritually mature.