Discipleship Course

Discipleship Course

April 2022

Watch this space for further details regarding our discipleship course!

September 2021 – December 2021

This Autumn 2021 teaching term, we will be looking at End Times – what does the Bible actually say? Jill will be teaching on Thursday mornings and Cheryl will lead the more informal discipleship session on Friday mornings, which will also be available on Zoom. All our teaching is available on YouTube.

April 2021 – June 2021

WHO I AM – Who I Am? TERM 3:  “By their fruits you shall know them”

This term we will be continuing to explore the 5-fold ministry as a foundation for our teaching as detailed in Ephesians 4:11-12 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…”

January 2021 – April 2021

WHO I AM – Who Am I? TERM 2:  “By their fruits you shall know them”

Last term we started to explore the 5-fold ministry as a foundation for our teaching as detailed in Ephesians 4:11-12 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…”

We will see from Scripture, drawing on our personal experience how your calling operates and then it’s homework time!  Do you feel you know your deep rooted gifting or how it manifests?  Following on from the first term of our WHO I AM discipleship course, we will continue to explore who we are and who He has made us to be.

September 2020 – December 2020

WHO I AM – Our new programme for this season is fresh and dynamic.  It combines teaching, practical application, worship and prayer woven together to help people step into taking hold of all God has made them to be. We focus on ENCOUNTER with the Godhead, knowing the Father’s heart of us; ENGAGING the fullness of Christ in us, and walking day by day with Holy Spirit, our comforter and helper; ENABLING us to be unique and comfortable in who we are, and free to embrace our destiny; ESTABLISHING us firmly in lasting faith, and a lasting relationship to free us to go and make disciples.

From this we will explore the anointing for five fold ministry: the Apostolic anointing, the Prophetic anointing, the Evangelist anointing, the Teacher anointing and the Pastoral anointing. Through this we will seek a deeper understanding of our own role and calling and it is only as the Holy Spirit of the Sovereign Lord enables us for works of service. We will offer a very different perspective from what is so often taught.

Discipleship Course Prayer: Posted 29th December 2020

Journey into ‘Who I Am’: Changing our Perspective

Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2)

To be transformed by the renewing of our mind, we need to change our perspective; how we perceive things to be.

Scientists have a technical term for what the Bible revealed to us thousands of years ago; it is called neuroplasticity. This means that our brains have the ability to change from a present condition into something entirely different. When we renew our minds and change our thinking, we enter into Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:17: I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation to know him through your deepening intimacy with him (The Passion Translation).

The ability to think is phenomenal. Our brains change as we think (neuroplasticity) and grow new brain cells (neurogenesis). Using the incredible power of our mind, we can persist and grow in response to life’s challenges. Scientists have discovered that every time we think a thought, it creates a small line in the brain. The initial line is so small that it cannot be seen with the human eye. But, whenever we re-think the same thought, that same neurological pathway is travelled again, and the line becomes more established. If we think the same thoughts over and over, then the line develops a deep groove that supports a fixed way of thinking.

When wrong thoughts have been established, we must re-train our brain to establish new neural pathways that are in agreement with the Word of God. Neuroplasticity allows us to do this; to renew our mind.Our minds are powerful, and as born again believers we have access to the most powerful mind in the universe. 1 Corinthians 2:16 promises that we have been given the mind of Christ.

“Father God, I come before You in prayer in the mighty name of Jesus, and give You glory and honour and praise. I thank You that I have the mind of Christ abound to me and hold the thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart allowing me to make divinely directed decisions. I declare that every thought that is contrary to the Word of God and that contradicts the person of Christ is cast down, dismantled and demolished henceforth. I take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and speak that every satanic infrastructure erected in my mind must come down and every incriminating thought, reasoning, logic or accusation that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ is cast down, and every emotional stronghold in my life is nullified by the power and blood of Jesus. Amen.”

Praise and thanksgiving: Be in awe before His majesty. Be in awe before such power and might! Come worship wonderful Yahweh arrayed in all His splendour, bowing in worship before His holy beauty. (from Psalm 29 in The Passion Translation).

When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples this question, ’What are the people saying about Me, the Son of Man? Who do they believe I am? They answered, ‘Some are convinced You are John the Baptiser, others say You are Elijah reincarnated, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets’. But you – who do you say that I Am? Jesus asked. Matthew 13-15.

This is the question that Jesus would ask each one of us, ‘Who do you say that I Am’?

Do we believe that He is our healer, our provider, our protector, our peace, our righteousness, our Saviour, everything that we would ever need Him to be?

Whatever we need Jesus to be for us we can find in the Word of God. Every promise in the Word is “yes and amen” in Christ.

Praying the Word of God, the promises of God will invoke the glory of God and bring change to any situation we may be facing, because God is inseparable from His Word. When everything around us points to defeat and despair, God reminds us of His unfailing truth that forever His Word is settled in heaven.

‘One of the keys to winning the battle for your mind, will and emotions is never to let your circumstances affect your revelation of the goodness of God. Instead allow your revelation of the goodness of God to affect your circumstances (Robert Hotchkin).

Activation: Find the promises in God’s Word for the situations you find yourself in and meditate on the truth of the Word until it becomes all you need it to be, remembering that He is everything we need Him to be.

God’s responsibility is to perform what He promises in His Word. Our responsibility is to trust and believe that He will. Real faith is not feeling, not seeing, not understanding and not knowing, but still choosing to trust and rely on Him. It’s being convinced that no matter what is happening in our lives, no matter what we understand to be true and no matter how we feel, God will be faithful to His Word and perform His promises to us in His timing and in His way, because the power of His Word will always fulfil the promises of His Word. As we do this we will be equipped more fully to fulfil the great commission of Matthew 28:15. We will be equipped to go and make disciples.

Discipleship Course Prayer: Posted 24 November 2020:

Journey into ‘Who I Am’. The Priesthood.

Luke 3:3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptised to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

John’s message of repentance was revolutionary, for the religion of the day taught that forgiveness could only be found temporarily by offering sacrifices in the Temple. The corrupt priesthood at that time failed to see what John was saying and doing.

The cohanim were the priesthood of Israel, the sons of Aaron. John the Baptist was born to the cohanim, to the house of Aaron; a child that was not only a priest, but one descended from Aaron on both his father’s and mother’s line, a pure blooded priest.

The cohanim presented the lamb’s for sacrifice. It was John who presented the Lamb, Messiah, the final sacrifice to Israel. It was the cohanim who identified the sacrifice and certified that it was acceptable to be certified. So it was that John was the first to identify Messiah as the acceptable sacrifice. He was the first to identify Messiah as the sacrificial Lamb.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Almighty God made sure to have a priest of Aaron to certify the Lamb. That means that ALL our sins are completely and certifiably taken away for ever by the Lamb that came with priestly certification.

Under the Old Covenant, when a worshipper brought a lamb to the tabernacle to be sacrificed, the priest did nor examine the worshipper in order to determine whether he or she was worthy. No, he examined the lamb to ensure that the sacrifice was perfect and unblemished. Jesus was and is our perfect, faultless Lamb, sacrificed to secure our forgiveness and to establish our righteousness. Because of this as beloved children of God, we need to know that Father God is not angry or disappointed with us, because all our sins have been judged and punished at the cross.

Prayer: Father God, in the name of your Son, my Saviour Jesus Christ, I thank You for loving me and for sending Your Son to die for me. Today I receive Your complete forgiveness in my life, and I choose to forgive myself for all my sins, mistakes and failings. I place them at the foot of the cross and I decree that in You I am completely forgiven, free, accepted, favoured, righteous, blessed and dearly loved. Amen.

Praise and thanksgiving: With my whole heart, with my whole life and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before You, the Holy God. Yahweh, You are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you’ve done for me? You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease. You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life. You’ve crowned me with love and mercy and made me a king. (From Psalm 103 The Passion Translation).

‘It is not possible that we can ask in vain with God when we plead the blood-sealed covenant. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the power of the blood of Jesus with God can never fail. It speaks when we are silent and it prevails when we are defeated. Let us come boldly , for we hear the promise in our hearts’. (Charles Spurgeon).

Prayer: Father God, thank You that I can enter Your gates with thanksgiving and come into Your courts with praise. Thank You for the blood of the Lamb that gives me my birthright as a son and qualifies me to eat at my Father’s table. I declare that I walk in the fullness of God, because I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus. I am a king and a priest unto the Most High God after the order of Melchizedek, and on the authority of Your written Word, I receive breakthrough in every area of my life. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Being designated and recognised and saluted by God as High Priest after the order (with rank) of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5: 10) AMP.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by Him. But John protested strenuously…..But Jesus replied to him, permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for (both of) us to fulfil all righteousness (that is to perform completely whatever is right). Then he permitted Him. (Matthew 3:13-15) AMP.

For reflection: In the Jordan that day there was a transference from the priesthood of Aaron to that of Messiah, and so Messiah’s ministry, His priesthood, is inaugurated by John to fulfil all righteousness. As the two priests stand in the waters of the Jordan, the two priests of the two covenants, there is a transference of the priesthood.

The Aaronic priesthood began in water as Moses washed Aaron in the waters of cleansing and so again with water begins the new priesthood as John dips Jesus into the waters of the Jordan.

And so the torch is passed, the cosmic changing of the guard is complete and the priesthood of Messiah begins. It begins that we might be saved, healed, delivered, and washed of all sin.

Activation: ‘Behold the Lamb of God’.

Take time to ‘behold the Lamb’. Behold His grace. His forgiveness. His love. His provision. His healing and so much more.

As we meditate on these things we start to behold His beauty and the wonder of who He is. We start to feel His presence and His love, a love that draws us into the epicentre of His being and we are changed from one degree of glory to another.

I declare that as I behold with open face the glory of the Lord, I am changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Amen.

We are sons and daughters of the God of the universe; we are empowered with wisdom, commissioned with power and have the authority to make a profound difference in our own lives, our families’ and to the world. We are the ‘church of the firstborn’, and therefore have the rights and privileges of the firstborn.

And as members of the church of the Firstborn all our names have been legally registered as citizens of heaven! And we have come before God who judges all, and who lives among the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect in his eyes. Hebrews 12:23 The Passion Translation.

Within us is the infinite power that can lift us up, heal us, inspire us, guide us and direct us and set us on the road to freedom, peace of mind and the joy of a fulfilled and triumphant life.

We were born to win and to triumph over all the obstacles of life. Almighty God by His Spirit dwells within us; Holy Spirit is the life principle within us as our teacher and guide. We are a channel for the Divine and we are here to see the kingdom of heaven manifest in the earth realm. We were born for a time such as this to reproduce all the qualities and attributes and aspects of our Creator God, as we step into our kingdom authority. That’s how wonderful and important we are but the enemy thwarts the purposes of God with his lies about who we are, about others and about our Father God. To win, to triumph in life we need to align ourselves in thought, word and deed to kingdom truths.

Prayer: Father God, in the name of Your Son, my Saviour Jesus Christ, I ask that You would wrap me in Your presence, letting Your love wash away anything I have believed about myself that doesn’t agree with how You see me. I thank You that Your love for me is unconditional. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body, and you loved me. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious are Your thoughts O God. How vast the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake I am still with You. I sing Your praises for You will never leave me or forsake me. Thank You, You are always with me, even until the end of time. Amen and Amen. From Psalm 139.

We can conquer and overcome; we are not victims but over-comers through Christ who loves us. He has the key codes to our destiny.  Being in a battle does not make us a victim, but one of His triumphant warriors. We were born for a time such as this, to succeed and to manifest the kingdom of God on the earth. The world needs who we are. We are a vital piece of His eternal plan and our lives can touch others in a way that no-one else can. We are called to bring the systems of this world into divine alignment with the protocols of heaven, and pull down the law of heaven and decree it to be the law on earth. We are unconquerable, clothed in His righteousness, and covered with His love.

Prayer: Father God, I come before You in the mighty name of Jesus, as I declare and decree, that I am not a victim of my circumstances, but an over-comer because of the power of the cross. I repent of wrong mind sets and today pick up the victor’s crown that Christ has placed on my head. I am a child of the King, anointed and appointed for a time such as this and equipped to be part of the Lord’s end time army. I choose to believe that the enemy is not attacking me; I am attacking him. I am not losing ground; I am taking territory. I will persist in faith and in the power of Christ and persevere and overcome. I declare this kingdom truth as I submit to the Word of the Lord which says, ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven’. Amen.

All authority had been given to Adam and Eve in the garden, but was lost when they were deceived and forfeited their authority to Satan. At Calvary Jesus won back the authority that was lost. Jesus now has all authority in heaven, on earth and under the earth. We are made in His image and can now rule and reign with Him and through Him.

What happened two thousand years ago at Calvary surges with power into our lives today. Jesus lifts every burden we could ever have and takes it to the place where all suffering has been paid; He takes it to the cross.

For Reflection: Jesus will meet our needs for significance, identity, love, purpose and self worth. As we take our burdens to the cross and become more like Jesus, we become a gateway between heaven and earth, a gateway through which His love flows. His will is for us to be fully alive in Him, to live the abundant life he won for us at the cross.

Activation: Lies, deception, misinformation, half truths and false beliefs are the root of a great deal of human suffering because they take away our kingdom authority and give way to distorted thoughts.

When we meditate on who God is we bring our thoughts into alignment with our Creator. The voice of God is peace, truth and boundless love. He is divine wisdom, and perfect peace.

Some Biblical truths to meditate on.

The Lord loves me with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

The Lord rejoices over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

I am precious in the sight of God (Isaiah 43:4).

I am the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8).

I am forgiven, perfected forever and free from condemnation because of the cross of Christ (Romans 8:1 Corinthians 5:21 Hebrews 10:14).

Praise and Thanksgiving: God’s high and holy praises fill their mouths, for their shouted praises are their weapons of war! These warring weapons will bring vengeance on every opposing force and every resistant power – to bind kings with chains and rulers with iron shackles. Praise filler warriors will enforce the judgement- doom decreed against their enemies. This is the glorious honour he gives to all his godly lovers. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord. From Psalm 149 TPT.