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In it, you'll discover how to follow Jesus and share this thrilling new life with the people you love.

Christian Basics Lessons

Christian Basics Lessons:

Christianity is meant to be interactive and fueled by healthy relationships.

 

Work through each of the following lessons with a Christian friend who has been following Jesus longer than you have. You may want to go through one lesson per week. Together you can discuss what the Bible says and understand the simple beauty of following Jesus Christ.

LESSON 1: Who is Jesus?

Read this introduction together:

Jesus is the most important historical figure in history. No one has had a bigger impact on the world than Jesus of Nazareth. But who was He, really?

 

Jesus once asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus praised Peter for this answer because it was a revelation from God. (Matthew 16:13-20) But what did Peter actually say?

 

The Christ

 

The word Christ is not Jesus’s last name but is a title taken from a Greek word, “Christos” which means “Messiah.” In English, this literally means, “Anointed One.” It was a term that referenced being chosen by God for a specific purpose.

 

The Messiah was a figure prophesied about throughout the Old Testament. The Messiah was expected to be a king who would come through the family line of King David and would rule Israel and bring peace to the world.

 

There are many prophecies about the Messiah that point straight to Jesus.

 

700 years before Jesus was ever born, a Jewish prophet named Isaiah wrote,

 

He was despised and rejected by mankind,


   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.


Like one from whom people hide their faces


   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain


   and bore our suffering,


yet we considered him punished by God,


   stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,


    he was crushed for our iniquities;


the punishment that brought us peace was on him,


    and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,


    each of us has turned to our own way;


and the Lord has laid on him


    the iniquity of us all.

 

This is exactly what Jesus experienced on the cross, but this was written almost a millennium before Jesus was ever born. 

 

The prophets in the Old Testament discussed the Messiah in great detail, predicting where He would be born, that He would be born of a virgin, that He would grow up in Galilee, that He would flee to Egypt for a time, that people would gamble for His clothes during his death, that His hands and feet would be pierced, and much, much more. In fact, there are at least 300 prophecies given in the Old Testament about the Messiah that the life of Jesus of Nazareth fulfills.

 

When Peter said, “You are the Christ,” he was indicating that Jesus is the one all of Israel had been waiting for. He was the one who would fulfill all the prophecies.

 

Jesus is God in the Flesh

 

Many people regard Jesus as merely a good moral teacher because of His teachings to love your enemies, do unto others what you would have them do unto you, or to treat the lowly of society with dignity and respect. Now, certainly these are great moral standards that Jesus did in fact teach, but Jesus also claimed to be God.

 

Jesus, in an argument with the Jewish leaders, said “Before Abraham was, I AM.” The phrase, “I AM” was a term that God used of Himself in the Old Testament. In fact, the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’s day picked up stones and tried to kill him for that very statement. 

 

When Jesus was on trial before His crucifixion, the high priest asked Him point blank, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus answered, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of Heaven.” If you don’t know the Old Testament well, this sounds like a merely grandiose statement; but it was actually a direct reference to a biblical prophecy written by Daniel:

 

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

 

In the Scriptures, we see Jesus receiving worship when one of His disciples called Him “my Lord and my God.” (John 20:28) We see Jesus constantly identifying Himself as the Son of God and the Jewish leaders of His day trying to kill Him for claiming equality with God. (John 5:18) The Bible itself teaches that Jesus is God in John 1:1, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This is a pretty lofty claim for a carpenter from Nazareth.

 

Here’s the question: Would a mere moral teacher make claims like these? He would either be deluded, a charlatan, or telling the truth. There’s no option where Jesus is merely a good, moral teacher (and nothing more) because good, moral teachers don’t claim to be God unless they are telling the truth.

 

So what evidence do we have that the claims Jesus made about Himself are true?

 

Jesus Rose From the Dead

 

If someone were to tell me they were the Son of God, I would instantly write them off as a crazy person. But what if they started performing miracles like healing blind eyes, deaf ears, leprosy, making cripples walk, and even raising the dead? I’d pay attention. What if this man predicted His own death and resurrection? Well, that’s exactly what Jesus did.

 

Jesus was crucified by the Romans and the Jewish religious establishment on the weekend of the Jewish festival Passover. This was no accident, as the Passover celebrates the day when the Israelites, who were once in captivity in Egypt, were set free from slavery. At the time of the very first passover, God told each family to slaughter a lamb and put the blood of the lamb over the doorposts of their homes. Wherever the spirit of death saw blood on the doorposts, it would "pass over" that house. But wherever the blood was not present, the firstborn sons in all of Egypt would die. So Jesus—who was prophetically called "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world"—died at a time when all Israel was keenly aware of the power found in the sacrificial blood God provides.

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Jews still celebrate the Passover to this day. Jesus became the fulfillment of this prophecy and was killed as our Passover Lamb so that everyone who had the blood of Jesus figuratively sprinkled on their hearts would be saved from the power of death. 

 

Three days later, Jesus’s disciples came to His tomb to mourn and discovered the tomb was empty. Later, over 500 of His disciples had encounters with the risen Jesus and eventually witnessed Him taken up into heaven. We have historical evidence, both inside and outside of the Bible, that all but two of Jesus’s disciples died horrific deaths and endured torture for their claims that Jesus was the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead. 

 

We also have the Apostle Paul, who once persecuted Christians but had such a dramatic encounter with the resurrected Jesus that he became the most prominent Christian in history and endured prison and death for the very faith he once persecuted. You don’t endure torture and death for a lie you made up.

 

We also have the Apostle James, who was Jesus’s brother. According to the New Testament, James made fun of Jesus during the time of Jesus’s ministry and thought that He was insane. However, James eventually became a leader in the church and was eventually stoned and beaten to death because he would not renounce his claims about Jesus, his brother whom he once thought was insane. What kind of evidence would you need to face death for the belief that your own brother is the Son of God?

 

These eyewitnesses are the very same people who gave us the New Testament. 

 

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

 

Read the following verses:

  • John 1:1-5

  • John 10:7-18

  • John 10:22-30

 

Who did Jesus claim to be?

 

What did Jesus say His mission was?

 

What kind of relationship did Jesus have with His Father?

 

What is the significance of Jesus’ crucifixion at Passover?

 

What evidence do we have that Jesus actually rose from the dead?

 

If Jesus truly rose from the dead, what does that mean for the claims He made about Himself?

Additional Material

If you're interested and want to learn more, these videos are a great place to start:

Know the Bible

LESSON 2: Why Do Christians Trust the Bible?

Read this introduction together:

Christians believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. But what does that really mean?

 

The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:19-21

 

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

The Apostle Peter is making the claim that the prophets who wrote the scriptures did not just make things up but were actually guided by God’s Spirit to write what God wanted to be written. But what evidence do we have that the claim Peter is making here is true? We actually have a lot of evidence to back up this claim.

 

Fulfilled Prophecy

 

700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah predicted that Jesus would be born of a virgin, what family He would come from, that He would be from the region of Galilee, would heal the sick, would suffer and die for the sins of God’s people, and much more. King David who lived about 1,000 years before Jesus wrote in Psalm 22, very specific details about Jesus’ death including that people would gamble for Jesus’ clothing, (Psalm 22:18) that Jesus’ hands and feet would be pierced, (Psalm 22:16) and much more. In fact, the Old Testament contains at least 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled through His life and ministry. The sheer accuracy of these prophetic predictions indicate that the Bible is a revelation from God and not merely a human invention.

 

 

Jesus Accepted the Old Testament as a Message From God

 

Jesus referred to the Old Testament as “the scriptures” and claimed that it “cannot be broken.” (John 10:22-38) When Jesus was tempted by satan during His 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, He met the temptations of satan by quoting the Old Testament. Jesus often appealed to the Old Testament when  teaching and arguing with the religious leaders of His day. Jesus believed that the Old Testament was the word of God. Because we, as Christians, trust that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead, we ought to accept the testimony of the only One who is truly qualified to make such a judgement.

 

Jesus Authorized the Writing of the New Testament

 

Regarding the New Testament, Jesus authorized the writers of scripture to speak on His behalf. He gave them the Holy Spirit who would “guide them into all truth” and who would take revelation directly from Jesus and make it known to them. (John 16:12-15) Jesus told them, “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Matthew 10:40) The word “receives” in this context means to accept the message being proclaimed. This means that the message the apostles proclaimed (the New Testament) was inspired by the Holy Spirit, has its origin in Jesus, and when we receive it we receive both Jesus and the One who sent Him.

 

There is much more to be said about the confidence Christians can have regarding the Bible. We haven’t even gotten to the historical attestation to the writings of the New Testament, or the fulfilled prophecies of the New Testament, but if you would like to dive deeper, check out the videos associated with this lesson.

 

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

 

Read Matthew 4:4

 

Is study of the Bible important? Why?

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Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

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Read the claims the Bible makes about itself:

  • 2 Timothy 3:14–17

  • 2 Peter 1:16–21

 

Based on what you know so far, are these claims reasonable? Why?

 

Read these Scriptures:

  • Romans 15:4–6

  • 1 Thessalonians 2:13

  • Psalm 119:105

  • Hebrews 4:12

 

How do you think your life would be impacted if you read the Bible regularly? Or, if you do read the Bible regularly, how has it impacted your life?

 

What are the most important or memorable things you learned in this lesson?

 

What is something from this lesson that you wish more people knew?

 

Is there someone in your life who you feel would benefit from you sharing what you learned?

Additional Material

If you're interested and want to learn more, these videos are a great place to start:

Identity in Christ

LESSON 3: How to Read the Bible

Read this introduction together:

If you don't yet have a Bible, you can get started for free:

 

There are many different translations of the Bible, and each has its advantages. We generally recommend the New International Version (NIV). But for anyone who has a hard time with long sentences, we recommend the New Living Translation (NLT). 

 

When you open a printed Bible, you'll find a Table of Contents at the beginning. There, you'll see that the Bible is separated into two parts called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Jewish Scriptures written before Jesus came to earth, and the New Testament is a compilation of Christian documents written after Jesus came.

 

As you thumb through the pages, you'll find big numbers and small numbers. The big numbers are the chapters, and the small numbers are the verses. When you see a Scripture referenced in this study, the first number you see represents the chapter. Then, after the colon, is the verse number.

 

So, for example, "John 3:16" means John, chapter 3, verse 16. To look it up, find John in the Table of Contents, turn to that book, follow the big numbers until you find the big "3," and then skim down the text until you reach the little number "16." What follows is the verse being referenced.

 

The process is simpler on a smart phone or web browser. Simply type the reference into the search feature, and it will take you straight there.

 

There's much more to learn and discover, but this is enough of the basics to get you started in this study. Let's start reading!

 

Reading the Bible

 

In our last lesson, we covered the reasons why we trust the Bible. Let’s now explore how to actually read it. 

 

The Bible is not one book. It’s actually a collection of books written by different authors throughout different time periods. It wasn’t written for a modern audience. Each book of the Bible was written for the people who lived in that time and place, but it shows us what God has done, as well as the way God thinks and feels and how we should act as His people.

 

This is important to note because many people can get confused if they read certain scriptures and assume that God is speaking directly to them in their time. For instance, if you were to read, "The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you” (Leviticus 11:5), it’s completely irrelevant to you. First, you would have to Google “hyrax” and then figure out why its hoof being undivided even matters! But what if I were to tell you that Leviticus 11:5 wasn’t actually written to you? It was written to a completely different people at a completely different time.

 

Nevertheless, there are truths to be discovered about who God is and what He is like, even in passages like these, when you read them within their context. At the very end of this Leviticus 11, God said, “I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.” Here we see the more important point, which definitely applies to us today: Being "holy" or "different from the world."

 

While the laws about what you can and cannot eat in the Old Testament no longer apply to us as Christians under the New Covenant, the idea that we should separate ourselves from things that are spiritually unclean is still an important truth, even if we have no idea what a hyrax is.

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Important Questions

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In order to read the Bible well, it’s important to ask a few questions: 

  1. Who is writing this book? 

  2. To whom are they writing? 

  3. What kind of literature is this?

  4. Why are they writing?

 

  • Read Ephesians 1:1

 

  • Who is writing this book?

  • To whom was it written?

  • Are they Christians or non-Christians?

  • How similar is your situation to theirs?

 

When you understand the context surrounding the writing of a particular book in the Bible, you can better understand how it applies to you.

 

We begin the Bible study process by first understanding what is being said. We can best understand that only after we can answer the questions that identify the book's context. After that, we can finally ask the question, “How does this apply to my life?”

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Types of Literature in the Bible

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In the New Testament, we have a few different kinds of literature that serve different purposes: Gospels, History, Epistles, and Apocalyptic Literature.

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The Gospels, (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are four independent, historical accounts from eyewitnesses of Jesus’s life and teachings. After that, we have the book of Acts, which tells the story of the early church after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Next we have a bunch of letters (epistles) that teach the church about the truth of Christianity and how to live as a community together. These are the most practical books in the Bible. And lastly, we have an interesting book called Revelation, which paints a picture of things past, present, and future in a cryptic and poetic way.

 

If you read Revelation like a literal historical book, you will miss its meaning. Likewise, if you read a historical account as though it were a figurative picture, you will misunderstand the author’s intent. It’s important to understand the genre of literature you are reading when you study the Bible in order to properly interpret it.

 

Let’s practice 

 

Read Luke 1:1​–4.

 

  • What kind of literature is this?

  • Why was it written?

  • To whom was the author writing?

 

Now let’s read Luke 7:11–16

 

All of the context surrounding the writing of this book is the same as we just discussed.

 

  • What is this passage trying to communicate?

  • What can we learn from that?

 

Now read Luke 11:1–13

 

Remember, this is the same book. The genre is the same, the audience is the same, and the purpose for writing is the same.

 

  • What can we learn and apply to our lives from this passage?

 

Let’s change it up. We'll go to the Old Testament and read from the book of Psalms. The Psalms were a prayer and song book for ancient Israel. These passages were meant to be meditations and prayers that God’s people could sing both together and privately. Many Psalms were also prophecies about Jesus.

 

Let’s read Psalm 23

 

  • Who is writing this?

  • Why was it written?

  • What is it trying to say?

  • What stood out to you most while reading it?

  • What benefit does this Psalm bring to you?

 

You are well on your way to a lifetime of exploring deep truths hidden within the text of the Scriptures that have fed the souls of God’s people for thousands of years. What a treasure! It’s time to get to know God better and let His Spirit speak to your heart through the Bible.

 

It is vital for every Christian to develop a habit of Bible study. Develop a routine around your Bible reading. Some like to read at night before bed. Others love to wake up early and have a time alone reading the Bible with their morning coffee. Develop a rhythm that is sustainable for you, and then take the Bible one book at a time. The book of Mark is a great place to start. It will help you better understand the life and teachings of the One upon whom our faith is built, Jesus of Nazareth.

Additional Material

If you're interested and want to learn more, these videos are a great place to start:

Forgiveness

LESSON 4: HEARING GOD'S VOICE

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 20:04

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Hearing God

LESSON 5: BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 18:24

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Holy Spirit

LESSON 6: Intimacy with God

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 12:25

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Intimacy

LESSON 7: Physical Healing

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 17:56

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Healing

LESSON 8: Spiritual Warfare

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 13:38

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Spiritual Warfare

LESSON 9: Gifts of the Spirit

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 0:00
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Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Gifts of the Spirit

LESSON 10: FELLOWSHIP

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 19:24

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Fellowship

LESSON 11: Generous Living

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 17:15

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Generosity

LESSON 12: Making Disciples for Jesus

Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:

Time – 12:23

Read this introduction together:

Coming Soon!

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Coming Soon!

Making Disciples
Next Steps

Next Steps:

If you've read the Rooted booklet and walked through the twelve introductory lessons above, and if you're still hungry for more of God, here are our recommended "next steps" for you as you're following Jesus:

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1

If you're not yet in one of our house churches, join one! The best place to grow in your faith is in a small, interactive environment with other Christians. Share what you're learning from the Bible, open up to people, and pray for your friends in your house church. Discover how to build healthy relationships, and heal from your past. Christianity is a lifelong journey of discovery and transformation.

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2

Dig into your Bible. If you haven't already, read the book of Mark. After that, read the book of Acts. Then you can either read Luke (if you want to read more detail about Jesus' life) or you might want to continue with Romans (if you want to start reading more Christian teachings). Alternatively, you can start following along with our Roots Church Bible Reading Plan. Read as much or as little as you feel motivated to read. Don't make it a chore. Enjoy the adventure!

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3

Join the Roots School of Ministry. We'll dive deep into studying the life and ministry of Jesus while also investigating various topics of Christian living.

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