Following Jesus: Teaching
Last Updated on January 15, 2025 by Rocklyn Clarke
Contents
This page was written to guide you in the following teaching scenarios:
- You are going through the “Following Jesus” training – perhaps for the first time.
- You are learning how to lead the “Following Jesus” training.
- You are learning how to lead the “Training Page” training.
Going Through The “Following Jesus” Training
Most, if not all, of the lessons in this curriculum include a section titled “Training assignment” appearing as follows:
Training assignment (do this yourself, and use it to help train someone else):
They are designed to deepen your understanding of the material. The person discipling you will use the assignments to guide you into a deeper understanding of God’s Kingdom and the life of following Jesus. This will typically involve the following:
- Listen to God.
- Set aside a daily time to spend with God when you won’t be disturbed.
- Use this time to pray. Ask your discipler to teach you how if necessary.
- Keep a notebook that you can use to write down what the Lord says to you during this and other times.
- Review what God says to you with the person who is discipling you.
- Read some Bible passages.
- Watch some videos.
- Discuss answers to some relevant questions.
The discussion is an important part of the growth process. The relevant questions will often include the following:
Standard Discussion Questions:- What did this passage teach you about God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)?
- What did this passage teach you about people?
- In what ways does this passage apply to your own life?
- How are you measuring up to what God is requiring of you?
- How can we help you in this area?
Later, this will help prepare you to train others.
Before You Lead
The next two sections cover scenarios in which you are leading the class through training. Before you do that you need to . . .
Relax!
- This is not a research project! This is not a term paper! This is not a final exam!
- This is NOT a sermon! It is not even a formal Bible study. It is a chance for you to discover how well you understand the material and how well prepared you are to present it to someone else.
- It should not take you more than 30 minutes to prepare for a lesson!
Remember – you are building a new set of skills!
You will get better as you keep teaching!
Let’s persevere – living by faith and not shrinking back! – Hebrews 10:32-39
Don’t Shrink Back!
Leading The “Following Jesus” Training
As part of the “Following Jesus” training, students will be asked to take turns teaching lessons from the curriculum. This will typically begin after the class has completed Matthew 10 – the chapter in which Jesus sends the disciples out to preach the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons. Once the class crosses this threshold, the class will be conducted in 3 parts:
- Part 1
- One of the students will lead the class through material from the “Training Page“.
- Part 2
- One of the students will lead the class through a lesson from “Following Jesus” that they’ve already heard being taught – starting with lessons from the following:
- We do this so that the students will gain experience in teaching this material to someone else. This makes them better prepared to carry out the ultimate goal of this material: discipling another believer (i.e. bringing another believer to spiritual maturity). We have the students start with Matthew 1 so that they will be handling material that they’ve already seen being taught in class.
- Part 3
- We will continue working through the rest of the Gospel of Matthew which the students have not yet covered.
Here are some things to keep in mind when your turn to teach comes up:
Relax (see above)!
Prepare (basic preparation – 30 minutes)
- Review the lesson that you’ve been assigned and write down any questions that you have.
- Plan to take about 10 – 20 minutes for your presentation and invite questions afterwards.
- If the lesson is on a main Bible passage, read the passage in multiple versions. The Bible Gateway web site is an excellent tool for this purpose. Try the following translations:
- New International Version (NIV)
- English Standard Version (ESV)
- New Testament For Everyone (NTFE)
- New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
- New Living Translation (NLT)
- New American Standard Bible (NASB)
- Young’s Literal Translation
- The Message
- Don’t freelance! Don’t rely on Google! Use the notes, books, videos, and other resources that we have provided or linked on this web site. There is a lot of information available on the web, but the sources (even the well-known ones) aren’t necessarily aligned with the perspectives and approach that we use in this class.
- Most lessons include both of the following sections:
- Checkout the following – These are usually brief video or audio files suitable for showing during the lesson. There are often more videos available than would be practical to show during the lesson. Choose 1 or 2 videos to show.
- Additional resources to check out – These are usually web sites or longer video or audio files that are usually appropriate for review after the lesson.
- Read the relevant section of the “Matthew For Everyone by N. T. Wright commentary (available in Life Church Discipleship Resources Amazon.com List)
Experience (what to expect)
- Your goal is to learn how to lead someone else through the material in a way that allows them to experience what God wants them to learn.
- When you teach, for the first time, material that you plan to present to someone else, you will often encounter the following:
- Expressions or terms that you’ve been taking for granted, but realize that you don’t understand well enough to explain to someone else. This is normal and is an opportunity for learning on your part.
- Questions you have that you haven’t thought to ask before. This is also normal and is also an opportunity for you to learn.
Follow Up (after your lesson)
- Review any material from the “Additional resources to check out” section of the lesson.
- Watch the relevant video from Tim Mackie’s video sermon series on Matthew
- Go over your questions with one of your classmates or with the class instructors.
Ongoing Study (over time)
- Finish working through the preliminary material:
- Watch the relevant videos from
Leading The “Training Page” Training
As part of the “Training Page” training, students who take this class will be asked to take turns teaching lessons from the page.
- Part 1
- One of the students will lead the class through material from the “Training Page“.
- Part 2
- One of the students will lead the class through a lesson from “Following Jesus” that they’ve already heard being taught – starting with lessons from the following:
- We do this so that the students will gain experience in teaching this material to someone else. This makes them better prepared to carry out the ultimate goal of this material: discipling another believer (i.e. bringing another believer to spiritual maturity). We have the students start with Matthew 1 so that they will be handling material that they’ve already seen being taught in class.
- Part 3
- We will continue working through the rest of the Gospel of Matthew which the students have not yet covered.
Here are some things to keep in mind when your turn to teach comes up:
Relax (see above)!
Prepare (basic preparation – 30 minutes)
- Review the lesson that you’ve been assigned and write down any questions that you have.
- Plan to take about 10 – 20 minutes for your presentation and invite questions afterwards.
- Don’t freelance! Don’t rely on Google! Use the notes, books, videos, and other resources that we have provided or linked on this web site. There is a lot of information available on the web, but the sources (even the well-known ones) aren’t necessarily aligned with the perspectives and approach that we use in this class.
- Review the training categories and determine which one best describes you.
- Choose one of the following for your class presentation:
- Discipleship Lesson 1: Overview
- Discipleship Lesson 2: Detail
Review each of the different components in turn and lead a discussion on its importance. - Discipleship Lesson 3: Individual Skills
- Work through the skills in each category (personal, life group, or harvest) and, for each skill, lead a discussion on its importance and how to develop it.
Experience (what to expect)
- Your goal is to learn how to lead someone else through the material in a way that allows them to experience what God wants them to learn.
- When you teach, for the first time, material that you plan to present to someone else, you will often encounter the following:
- Expressions or terms that you’ve been taking for granted, but realize that you don’t understand well enough to explain to someone else. This is normal and is an opportunity for learning on your part.
- Questions you have that you haven’t thought to ask before. This is also normal and is also an opportunity for you to learn.
Follow Up (after your lesson)
- Go over any questions you have with one of your classmates or with the class instructors.
Ongoing Study (over time)
- Finish working through the preliminary material:
- Watch the relevant videos from
Skill Development – Examining Your Progress
What follows are a couple of different approaches to evaluating your progress. These two approaches will be more useful for the skills development lessons than it will be for the Bible passage lessons.
I have provided this material primarily for the benefit of the person doing discipleship training to give you additional perspective on the process people go through incorporating major changes into their lives.
Transtheoretical Model: Stages of Change
Transtheoretical Model: Stages of change
The transtheoretical model construct stages of change is used in the recovery movement with regard to an action like deciding to eliminate use of addicting substances. Many thanks to Al Copeland for introducing us to this concept!
- Precontemplation (“not ready”) – “People are not intending to take action in the foreseeable future, and can be unaware that their behaviour is problematic”
- Contemplation (“getting ready”) – “People are beginning to recognize that their behaviour is problematic, and start to look at the pros and cons of their continued actions”
- Preparation (“ready”) – “People are intending to take action in the immediate future, and may begin taking small steps toward behaviour change”[nb 1]
- Maintenance – “People have been able to sustain action for at least six months and are working to prevent relapse”
- Termination – “Individuals have zero temptation and they are sure they will not return to their old unhealthy habit as a way of coping”[nb 2]
In addition, the researchers conceptualized “Relapse” (recycling) which is not a stage in itself but rather the “return from Action or Maintenance to an earlier stage”.[16][nb 3]
Levels of Transformation
These Life Church Levels of Transformation are adapted from EHS Five Levels of Transformation:
Emotionally Healthy Discipleship: Why Transformation Takes So Long!
1- Aware.
People hear about a concept for the first time (e.g. Sabbath, slowing down, past’s impact on the present, grieving, learning to feel).
2- Ponder.
People think about it, trying to understand or sort through issues as they gather more information. At this point they don’t have a clear inclination for or against it. (e.g. They continue reading, listen to messages, go through a course, learn a few skills, talk about it with others).
3- Value.
People think it’s important, find value in it, and commit to it, saying, “I really believe in this concept.” They begin to do a few new things such as related exercises, a daily or weekly practice, incorporate the concept into some relationships, or lead a course or a group.
THE ACTION/BEHAVIORAL GAP
4- Prioritize.
This is the largest, most important shift for people (assuming they get over the action/behavioral gap). Now they have to shift their time, schedule, and energy to make the concept a priority in order to live consistently with their new value.
5- Own.
At this point, they live the concept consistently. All their decisions and actions are based on it. Their life and values are now congruent and they have become “unconsciously competent.”
For further information on Bloom’s seminal work on how people learn, go to:
