introduction

The purpose of One Step Disciples is to help people come to know the truth of Jesus Christ and God's love for them, and learn to walk as He walked.

The word disciple means a learner or student who follows a teacher. A disciple of Jesus is more than someone who learns about Him. A disciple follows Him, learns to trust Him, and puts His teachings into practice.

The lessons of One Step Disciples bring together important biblical truths to help us follow Jesus His way, not our own way. Although there are many truths to learn, they all point us toward one central purpose: to know Jesus, trust Him, and live as His followers. 

The apostle John expressed this simply: “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” — 1 John 2:6 ESV.  This is the heart of discipleship. We are not called merely to know what Jesus taught, but to live as He lived, allowing His truth to shape our thoughts, choices, attitudes, and relationships.

The One Thing is simple: follow Jesus by learning to walk as He walked.

Being a Christian means more than identifying with a religion or agreeing with a set of teachings. It means placing our faith in Jesus and learning to live in a way that reflects what we profess to believe. Our beliefs and our lives are meant to come into alignment with God's Word.

Faith is not simply a feeling or an intellectual agreement. Genuine faith involves trusting God and responding to His truth. We learn to walk by faith as we rely on Jesus and follow His leading. Our faith rests in Jesus Himself—not in church leaders, religious traditions, or human opinions. These may help us learn about God, but Jesus is the One we follow. His teachings provide the foundation for how we understand truth and how we live.

This affects every area of life. Our thoughts, beliefs, decisions, and responses to others are all opportunities to trust Jesus and put His truth into practice.

There are many things that can distract us from Him. We can become caught up in our worries, desires, responsibilities, opinions, and attempts to control our circumstances. Before we realize it, these things can begin to direct our lives more than our trust in God.

Jesus calls us to a different way of living. As we learn to trust Him, surrender our own understanding to His wisdom, and obey His teachings, we grow in our relationship with Him. Instead of trying to manage life entirely on our own, we learn to depend on Him one step at a time.

This is the One Thing: to follow Jesus, trust Him, and learn to walk as He walked.

These teachings provide a roadmap for a journey into a new life—a life that increasingly reflects the life of Jesus. Paul describes this life as something of lasting value: “Thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” — 1 Timothy 6:19 ESV

Jesus described the life He came to give us this way: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” — John 10:10 ESV This abundant life begins with the new life God gives us through Jesus Christ. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we learn to depend on the Father, trust His character, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

This does not mean that every difficulty disappears or that we will never experience fear, worry, or discouragement. It means that we can learn to face life's challenges with a growing trust in God, experience His peace in difficult circumstances, and find freedom from the guilt and condemnation that once held us captive.

As our relationship with Jesus deepens, the Holy Spirit works within us to transform our character. We increasingly learn to respond with love rather than anger, trust rather than fear, forgiveness rather than resentment, and humility rather than pride. Jesus is our example, and becoming like Him is the goal of our journey. “It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.” — Matthew 10:25 ESV

We are not called simply to know about Jesus or understand His teachings. We are called to live His truth. That means learning to know the truth, believe the truth, and live the truth. Trust and obedience are essential parts of this journey. As we surrender our lives to Jesus and put His teachings into practice, the Holy Spirit works in us to develop the character of Christ. We will not become like Jesus overnight.

 It is a lifelong journey of learning, trusting, obeying, and allowing God to change us from the inside out.

The journey into the life Jesus offers does not come simply through wishful thinking, making a decision for Jesus, attending church, or participating in religious activities. These things alone cannot produce the new life God desires for us.

The foundation of the Christian life is faith in Jesus Christ. We must believe God's truth—not merely agree that it is true, but trust Him enough to live according to what He has said.

There is an important difference between knowing something is true and believing it in a way that shapes our lives. We may know that God is trustworthy, for example, yet still respond to uncertainty by worrying and trying to control everything ourselves. We may know that Jesus teaches us to forgive, yet continue holding on to resentment.

In these moments, the issue is not necessarily that we lack knowledge. We may need to learn how to trust God's truth and put it into practice.  Biblical belief involves more than agreeing with facts. It includes placing our confidence in God and responding to Him through our choices and actions. Our obedience does not earn God's love; rather, it is a response to the love and grace He has already shown us.

This is why understanding faith and believing is so important. We can sincerely think we believe God's truth while our everyday responses reveal areas where we are still learning to trust Him. These lessons will help you understand faith and believing, recognize the difference between knowing truth and living it, and learn how to put your faith into practice in everyday life.

As you learn to trust Jesus and live according to His Word, you will grow as His disciple and experience the transforming work He desires to accomplish in you.

As we learn to trust Jesus and live according to His truth, our relationship with God deepens and our lives begin to change. We discover that following Him is not simply a matter of learning more about the Christian life. It is learning to live in a new way, depending on Him rather than relying only on our own understanding.

As the Holy Spirit helps us understand God's character and put His truth into practice, we can experience greater peace, renewed hope, and freedom from patterns of thinking and living that have held us back. We learn to face uncertainty with greater trust, respond to others with greater love, and turn to God when life becomes difficult.

This growth does not mean we will never struggle or that every problem will disappear. We are still learning, and some lessons take time to put into practice. When we recognize an area where our lives do not reflect Jesus, we can bring it to God and allow Him to teach and change us. The goal is not simply to feel better or make our circumstances easier. It is to grow in our relationship with God and become more like Jesus in the way we think, choose, and live.

As we experience this change, we can also encourage others by sharing what God is teaching us and how we are learning to live His truth. Our lives can become a testimony to His goodness and a reason for others to want to know Him.

One of the clearest ways to recognize growth in the Christian life is to look at our character. Jesus showed us what God's character looks like in everyday life. His love, compassion, humility, patience, faithfulness, and obedience to the Father provide our example.

As His disciples, we are learning to reflect that same character in our thoughts, attitudes, choices, and relationships. We want to become people who show love, grace, mercy, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and humility.  Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit. These qualities are not simply behaviors we try harder to produce through our own effort. They are evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives as we learn to walk with God and follow His leading.

Everyday circumstances often reveal where we still need to grow. A frustrating situation may reveal impatience. A disagreement may expose pride or an unwillingness to forgive. Uncertainty may show us how much we still depend on our own understanding instead of trusting God.

These moments are opportunities to learn, not reasons to condemn ourselves. Recognizing a weakness does not mean we have failed as Christians. It helps us see where we can turn to God, receive His truth, and learn a different response.

The Holy Spirit transforms us as we surrender to God, renew our minds with His truth, and put that truth into practice. We may need to make the same choice many times before a new response becomes more consistent, but each step gives us another opportunity to trust Him.

Our aim is not to appear Christlike on the outside while remaining unchanged within. We want our hearts and character to be transformed so that the way we live increasingly reflects Jesus. Christlike character, then, is more than one subject among many. It is a compass for our entire journey. As we learn to trust God and live His truth, we become more like the Master we follow.

These teachings are not intended simply to give you more knowledge about the Christian life. Their purpose is to help you live God's truth so that your life increasingly reflects the life of Jesus.

As we grow, God's Word challenges our thinking and reveals beliefs and attitudes that need to change. Some of the things we believe may seem perfectly reasonable to us until we begin to see them in the light of God's truth. We may discover that we have been relying on our own understanding rather than trusting God, or responding to people and circumstances in ways that do not reflect Jesus.

Life itself often reveals areas where we still need to grow. Our responses to disappointment, conflict, uncertainty, and difficulty can show us where our thinking and beliefs need to change. We may also encounter spiritual opposition that challenges our trust in God. Whatever we face, we can turn to Him for wisdom, strength, and direction.

The goal is not to become discouraged by what we discover, but to bring those areas to God and allow His truth to guide us. Following Jesus involves surrendering our own understanding and desires to Him and allowing Him to renew our minds. Romans 12:1–2 reminds us to offer ourselves to God and be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

As we learn to trust God's truth rather than depend entirely on our own understanding, our thoughts, choices, and responses can increasingly reflect His character. Over time, as we continue to trust Him and live according to His Word, we grow in godly character and become more like Jesus.

Approach this journey with an open heart and a willingness to let God teach you. Ask Him to help you recognize where His truth applies to your life and to give you the faith and willingness to follow where He leads.

Discipleship means following Jesus and learning to live according to His teachings. Jesus connected being His disciple with continuing in His Word:

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” — John 8:31–32 ESV

Following Jesus is a lifelong journey, and having someone walk alongside us can help us grow. A more experienced disciple can encourage us, help us understand God's Word, and share lessons learned through years of following Jesus. Sometimes another person's questions or perspective can help us recognize something we might not have seen on our own.

Discipleship is not just about receiving help, however. As we learn to live God's truth, we can help others take their next steps, too. We do not have to know everything or have all the answers before we can encourage someone else.

We can share what we are learning, talk honestly about how we are putting God's truth into practice, and help others discover what Scripture teaches. We can walk with them as they learn to trust Jesus and follow Him in their own lives.

This is how disciples help make disciples: we follow Jesus ourselves and help others learn to follow Him. We do not need to be perfect or know everything. We simply need to be willing to keep learning, living His truth, and sharing what He is teaching us.

Whether you are just beginning your journey or have followed Jesus for many years, there is always another step to take—and someone you may be able to help take theirs.

The lessons of One Step Disciples explore the truths that help us follow Jesus and live the life He calls us to live. They are not intended simply to increase our Bible knowledge. They are opportunities to know God more deeply, learn to trust Him, put His truth into practice, and become more like Jesus.

Here are some of the areas we will explore together.

Know God and His Love

We begin by learning who God is, what He is like, and what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. We will explore God's love, His character, His salvation, and what it means to be born again and enter into a personal relationship with Him.

Leart To Trust Him

Knowing what the Bible says is important, but we must also learn to trust the God who speaks through His Word. We will explore what faith and believing really mean, how to trust God in uncertainty, how to discern His will, and how to rely on His wisdom rather than our own understanding.

Learn To Live His Truth

We will examine how God's truth applies to everyday life. This includes learning to obey Jesus, pray, study Scripture, forgive others, love God and our neighbors, renew our minds, and respond to difficult circumstances in ways that reflect His character.

Experience a Changed Life

As we learn to trust God and live His truth, we will explore how He helps us grow in Christlike character and experience greater spiritual freedom. We will address struggles such as fear, worry, anger, destructive habits, relationship difficulties, temptation, and other barriers that can interfere with our walk with Him.

Help Others Take Their Next Step

Following Jesus also means helping others learn to follow Him. We will explore what discipleship means, how to encourage others in their faith, and how to share what we are learning to live.

These areas are not rigid steps that we complete once and leave behind. They overlap and build on one another throughout our lives. As we grow, we often return to familiar truths and discover new ways to trust God and live what He has taught us.

The central purpose remains the same: to know the truth, believe the truth, live the truth, and become more like Jesus.

This journey is not about learning every biblical truth, agreeing that each one is true, and then moving on to the next. Knowing truth is important, but lasting change comes as we learn to live what we know.

The approach we encourage is simple: learn one truth at a time and focus on putting it into practice until it becomes a more consistent part of your life. You do not have to live it perfectly before you can recognize growth. The goal is to keep learning to trust God and respond to His truth more consistently.

It can be tempting to read through all the lessons, recognize how much there is to learn, and decide to work on everything at once. That can quickly become overwhelming and discouraging. You may begin to focus on how far you have to go instead of the next step God is showing you.

Remember, this is a lifelong journey, and you are not expected to change everything overnight. When a truth speaks to an area of your life, pause and consider how God wants you to put it into practice. Ask Him for understanding and help, and look for opportunities to live that truth in your everyday choices.

As you practice it, you may begin to notice changes in your thinking, your responses, and your relationships. Some changes will come quickly; others will take time. When you struggle, return to God, learn from the experience, and continue taking the next step.

The pattern is simple: Learn the truth. Live the truth. Take one step at a time. Then help someone else do the same. Do not measure your progress by how many lessons you have completed or how much information you have gathered. Pay attention to how God's truth is shaping the way you live.

Becoming more like Jesus is a lifelong journey. Learning a truth is only the beginning; we must continue practicing it until it increasingly shapes how we think, choose, and live. We will not get everything right, and we will not grow in every area at the same pace. But as we continue trusting God, surrendering our own understanding and desires to Him, and putting His truth into practice, the Holy Spirit works in us to develop godly character, experience His peace and joy even in difficult circumstances, and discover greater freedom in our walk with Him.

As these truths become more evident in our lives, others may see the difference and want to know what God is doing in us. We can then share what we are learning to live and help them begin their own journey of following Jesus.

This is not a course we complete or a set of lessons we finish. It is a way of life—a lifelong journey of knowing Jesus, trusting Him, surrendering to His leading, believing and living His truth, and becoming more like Him. We take one step at a time, one truth at a time, continuing to follow Him throughout our lives.

Brother Michael