Growing Disciples:
Part 1

These courses help answer key questions or doubts that we as believers still have about Christianity, as well as prepare us to answer the key questions asked by skeptics.  Because of this, they are best offered in a workshop setting, where we will practice together, and build confidence to share with others the content we have learned from our lessons.

Dealing with Difficult Problems

NINE LESSONS. Online and book content in a workshop-style course.

(God’s will, doubts, suffering, guilt, forgiveness, anxiety, anger, depression, assurance) These studies offer pastoral counsel and biblical application to the common problems faced by Christians, with helpful links to the character and attributes of God relative to these problems.

Key teachers are RC Sproul (Dealing with Difficult Problems), and Pastor Rankin Wilbourne on Depression and Doubt, along with select experts on key problems.

  • Lesson 1: Dealing with Difficult Problems: The calling of Christ does not come without difficulties and suffering.  Sinclair Ferguson offers counseling on common difficulties that are faced & how the character of God relates to these problems.

    Lesson 2: Knowing the Will of God: What do we mean when we say we want to know His will?  RC Sproul will deal with some of the underlying issues that are misunderstood, as it relates to how His will may include suffering and problems.

    Lesson 3: Understanding Suffering:  When facing suffering, how do you handle it and how do you help others going through it?  RC deals with the many different responses people have to suffering, and what the biblical response should be.

    Lesson 4: Assurance:  I Peter 1:10-11 calls us to make our calling in Christ SURE.  This is an essential element of our Sanctification (our growth in Christ), and RC teaches clearly how this is foundational to facing any problem that comes our way.

    Lesson 5: How to Deal with Guilt:  Guilt is universal to all mankind. The main issue is HOW to deal with the effects of guilt.  RC again brings to light the difference between guilt and the feelings of guilt , AND how to deal with both.

    Lesson 6: Forgiveness: Not only is forgiveness something that we need, it is also something that we must give.  How many times?  What if they don’t ask?  Must we forgive those who don’t want it?  These thoughts and questions are addressed in full 

    Lesson 7: How to deal with Anxiety:  What are the most frequent causes for Anxiety?  And how can we and others rid ourselves of these crippling effects?  RC helps again dealing with many different types and causes, and how to deal with.

    Lesson 8: Depression:  Likely the most complex of these problems, we’ve added it to the original Ligonier series including teachings by Tim Keller, John Piper, and others who address this problem, including the question of medication.

    Lesson 9:  Dealing with Anger:  Anger impacts many of us.  Is sin involved in any anger to any degree?  Is anger intrinsically evil?  Can we learn to control it?

    OPTIONAL:  Causes of Doubt:  Expand more specifically on Assurance of Faith  

Framing our Healing Journey from our Union with Christ

SIX SESSIONS

Led by author and pastor Rankin Wilbourne, in a workshop format, it offers video training sessions, PDF of teaching notes, and discussion questions from the Workshop.  Rankin shares “IF Union with Christ is often neglected as a daily reality (which it is), and our Union is foundational to the Gospel (and we’ll see that it is), AND if the Gospel is foundational to the care of souls (self-evident for the counselor/pastor), then that means Union with Christ is foundational to the care we are seeking to express” 

Four Workshop talks (#1-Union with Christ Overview; #2-Implications #A (3 persons in the room) & #B (Call for Crucifixion of Counsel); #3-Implications #C (Make Incarnational listening possible) & #D (Make Incarnational presence possible);#4-Implications #E (Provide a legend to the Map of Human Healing) & #F (Bridging Gaps and Bringing the voices together) are joined by two select lessons from our course Union with Christ, using Sinclair Ferguson’s video series from Ligonier, and Rankin’s book Union with Christ.  TARGET:  Aspirational and Existing Church Leaders, as well as all who are involved in caring for others, whether formally or informally.

Barriers to Belief - APOLOGETICS

Objections Answered-Apologetics

THIRTEEN LESSONS. Online and book content in a workshop-style course.

Designed to help you gain tools and confidence to defend the Faith, by examining the arguments used against the teachings of Christianity.  Practice workshop times help you learn how to best  defend your faith, and answer doubts(yours and others).

Key teachers are Tim Keller (Reason for God), Alistair Begg (Crossing the Barriers), Rankin Wilbourne (Barriers to Belief) and RC Sproul (seven Apologetics series), RC with Dr. John Gerstner (Silencing the Devil), and select experts on key questions.

The Five Solas

THIRTEEN LESSONS: Online content in a meeting-style course, with Bonus devotional content. 

The biblical doctrine of redemption is summarized in the Five Solas of the Reformation-Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Scripture Alone, Christ Alone, To God’s Glory Alone.

The Protestant Reformers fearlessly preached that by faith alone God’s people are justified. With devotion to Scripture above all else, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others helped believers cast aside their perversions of the gospel and once again recognize the Lord alone as the One who saves.

Union with Christ – Application of Doctrine

TWELVE LESSONS

A critical step in Christian growth is knowing that we are ONE in CHRIST, and living that out every day. This study includes teachings from Sinclair Ferguson, as well as chapters from Rankin Wilbourne’s application based book.

  • Lesson 1: “In Christ”: Reminder that those of “The Way” understood their thinking of daily life in Him & how this doctrine resides at the heart of Christianity.

    Lesson 2: Getting into Christ: Using Paul’s conversion in Philippians 3, Sinclair shows how we are transformed by the Spirit from enemies to co-heirs with Christ.

    Lesson 3: Dimensions of our Union: The defining reality of the Christian life is knowing Jesus and being united in Him.  He is the threefold dimension of our union

    Lesson 4: Adam and Christ: Union with Adam leads to sin/despair/death.  Union with Christ leads to forgiveness, hope, and eternal life.  This offer can’t be ignored

    Lesson 5: A New Creation: Examines how the “old” distorts human perspectives of Jesus; how the “new’ helps explore the glorious realities of His creation in us.

    Lesson 6: Crucified with Christ: Learning what it means to “die to self” is a critical part of becoming radically different as one crucified with Christ.

    Lesson 7: Baptized into Christ: If forgiven, then why not sin?  IF united with Christ in His death, we must live in Christ as we are united to His resurrected life.

    Lesson 8: Set free from sin:  Romans 6 explores the depths of this relationship in Him, and call us to not let sin reign in us, but to live as one who belongs to Christ.

    Lesson 9: Hidden in Christ:  We continue to face struggles in our walk, and Sinclair helps us to understand the “riches” of the gospel that unlock His new power

    Lesson 10: Putting Off Sin, and Putting On Christ:  Christ’s commands are the power to live a rigorous and disciplined life taught in Colossians 3:1-17.

    Lesson 11: The Vine and the Branches: Jesus leads us in a description of how we are connected to Him in John 15, and why this is the most important truth.

    Lesson 12: Sharing in His death and resurrection: Union with Christ needs to be the centerpiece of our existence, including our suffering in His death and resurrection.  This brings together the truths of our faithfulness and sufferings.