equip year

Reading: "Prodigal God" by Tim Keller

This week you’ll begin to explore the Parable of the Two Sons from Luke 15. Tim Keller’s book will help you understand the essential message of Christianity, the gospel. The primary target for this module is to learn how the gospel story shapes how Christians view God, sin, and salvation, so that you have a firm grasp on the essential truths of Christian faith.

Reading: "Who Am I" by Jerry Bridges

The idea of “identity” is a hot topic in our culture. There’s much discussion around how our sense of self is shaped. Many people find their identity in what they do, or in what they love, or in their political, sexual, or religious preferences. The gospel re-orients us to God as dependent creatures and gives us a new identity. Our identity as Christians is built on being united to Jesus and all he has done on our behalf. We are new creations in Christ.

Reading: "Thirsty Devotional" by Cru Press.

For this module, you’ll need a copy of Thirsty—a short devotional on living a Spirit-led life—from CruPress (digital copy here or on the Resource Table). The intro says it is designed to be read in 2 weeks, but we usually take 3, working through 1 section each week.

Reading: "You Can Change" by Tim Chester.

You Can Change is all about how the grace of God transforms us day by day, from “one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3.18). For this module, you’ll choose a “change project”—one area of sin or struggle from which you’d like to enjoy greater freedom—and work on that area as you read through the book. By engaging in this process, you’ll learn about the process of grace-centered change.

Reading: "Gospel-Centered Community" by Bob Thune.

Because we are made in the image of God who is triune—He exists in community within Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit—we, too, are made for community. Deep, honest, meaningful relationships are central to human flourishing and central to what Jesus came to restore. Though sin makes community difficult, grace makes community beautiful. When a community is really rooted in the gospel—rather than just in friendship, affinity, or getting our felt needs met—we catch a glimpse of heaven. We are created for community, redeemed for community, and transformed in community.

Reading: "Smooth Stones" by Joe Coffey.

Smooth Stones is a brief resource designed to equip you to think critically about and engage compassionately with objections to faith in Jesus. Faith is never in conflict with facts, reason, and research; knowing why you believe what you believe is always a good idea. This Module will help you engage your own questions and doubts as well as prepare you to be a good missionary in our context, ready to intelligently engage seekers and skeptics alike. In addition to reading Smooth Stones, each week we will ask you to take a specific missional action after you meet with your group and come ready to share and reflect on the experience next time.

Reading: "Ordinary" by Tony Merida.

In this module, we’ll look at 5 simple ways ordinary believers can be involved in the work of justice and mercy today. As we read, consider how God has wired you, the season of life you are in, and how you might be called to engage. While we’re not all wired as activists, we are all called to what James calls “pure religion:” protecting, serving, and caring for the vulnerable.

Reading: "The Gospel at Work" by Traeger and Gilbert.

How does the daily work we do—in our homes, at our jobs, and everything in between—tie into God’s ultimate purposes in the world? While everything we’ve studied up to this point will help you in all of life, this module is designed to help you think about the gospel’s implications for the everyday stuff of jobs, bosses, coworkers, and careers. In addition, we’ll look at how disciples of Jesus balance home and work and how we ought to measure success.

Reading: "Relational Soul" by Rich Plass and James Cofield.

Our final Module is about relational health and emotional intelligence, 2 areas of discipleship to Jesus that are(unfortunately) often overlooked. There are certain “hard” skills of discipleship—knowing how to study the bible, to pray, to preach the gospel to yourself, and to ask good questions, to name just a few. There are also “soft” skills involved in discipleship—things like self-awareness, understanding our own story and what has shaped us, creating healthy relational boundaries, and learning to give and receive love. These soft skills aren’t “extra credit” work for advanced disciples; rather, these are some of the most central aspects of discipleship to Jesus. If the most important commandments are to love God and to love people, then much of our maturing as disciples must include these soft skills! We are created in the image of a triune God, and we are made for deep relationship with Him and with one another.