First Steps, Becoming a Follower of Jesus Christ

By James D. Quiggle

Self-study Bible course with Teacher’s Guide for group study. This study is designed to assist the new believer in Jesus Christ, who wants to learn the basic teachings of Christianity and take the first steps to living a biblically-based Christian life. First Steps introduces the Christian to his or her life in Christ through the teachings of the New Testament, in the form of a self-paced question-answer course of study. A Teacher’s Guide is included so First Steps may be used as a group Bible study. The course briefly touches on fourteen areas of doctrine and the Christian life: salvation, the Trinity, eternal security, assurance of salvation, inspiration, and interpretation of the Scripture, prayer, ministry of the Holy Spirit, believer’s baptism, rapture of the church, Christian rewards, and the Christian’s life, service, and spiritual growth.
Each of the seven doctrinal lessons is a self–contained unit of instruction. The theme of each lesson is announced in the lesson title. The Scripture and questions in the lesson develop that theme.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James D. Quiggle
• Release date: Jun 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310016905

James D. Quiggle

James D. Quiggle was born in 1952 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He grew up in Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. In the early 1970s he joined the United States Air Force. At his first permanent assignment in Indian Springs, Nevada in a small Baptist church, the pastor introduced him to Jesus and soon after he was saved. Over the next ten years those he met in churches from the East Coast to the West Coast, mature Christian men, poured themselves into mentoring him. In the 1970s he was gifted with the Scofield Bible Course from Moody Bible Institute. As he completed his studies his spiritual gift of teaching became even more apparent. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany Bible College during the 1980s while still in the Air Force. Between 2006–2008, after his career in the Air Force and with his children grown up, he decided to continue his education. He enrolled in Bethany Divinity College and Seminary and earned a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theological Studies.As an extension of his spiritual gift of teaching, he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to begin writing books. James Quiggle is now a Christian author with over fifty commentaries on Bible books and doctrines. He is an editor for the Evangelical Dispensational Quarterly Journal published by Scofield Biblical Institute and Theological Seminary.He continues to write and has a vibrant teaching ministry through social media.

Book preview

FIRST STEPS

Becoming a Follower of Jesus Christ

Self-Study Bible Course

With Teacher’s Guide for

Group Study

by

James D. Quiggle

Copyright James D. Quiggle 2016

Published at Smashwords

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

OTHER BOOKS BY JAMES D. QUIGGLE

AVAILABLE THROUGH SMASHWORDS AND

ITS RETAIL AND LIBRARY CHANNELS

DOCTRINAL SERIES

A Biblical Response to Same-gender Marriage

Adam and Eve, a Biography and Theology

Antichrist, His Genealogy, Kingdom, and Religion

Biblical Homosexuality

Dispensational Eschatology

First Steps

God Became Incarnate

God’s Choices

Spiritual Gifts

A PRIVATE COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE SERIES

Old Testament

Ruth; Esther; Song of Solomon; Daniel, Jonah

New Testament

John 1–12; John 13–21; Ephesians; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; John’s Epistles; Jude

WITH DAVID R. HOLLINGSWORTH

Old and New Testament Chronology

A timeline of events biblical and secular from Adam to AD 395, with comments and appendices discussing matters critical and interesting.

(Also available in separate volumes: Old Testament Chronology; New Testament Chronology)

Visit me at https://www.facebook.com/BooksOfQ

Questions/comments? Contact the author at [e-mail], subject: First Steps.

First Steps, Becoming a Follower of Jesus Christ

Copyright © 2016 by James D. Quiggle. All rights reserved.

Published by James D. Quiggle, 2016 in print and ebook formats.

Scripture translations are from the New King James Version (NKJV) ®. Copyright © 1982, 1983 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph by James D. Quiggle of his personal NKJV Bible, pages 1366–1367, with his handwritten notes and highlighting.

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or media, by any means ancient or modern.

Contents

Part One, Self-Study Bible Course

Course Introduction

Course Lesson One, God, the Gospel and Salvation

Course Lesson Two, The Bible and Prayer

Course Lesson Three, Christian Obligations

Course Lesson Four, The Holy Spirit

Course Lesson Five, The Fruit of the Christian Life

Course Lesson Six, Consistency and Service

Course Lesson Seven, The Future

Course Lesson Eight, Biographical Character Studies

Course Lesson Nine, Old Testament Chronology

Course Lesson Ten, New Testament Chronology

Course Conclusion

Part Two, Teacher’s Guide

Teacher Introduction

Teacher Lesson One, God, the Gospel and Salvation

Teacher Lesson Two, The Bible and Prayer

Teacher Lesson Three, Christian Obligations

Teacher Lesson Four, The Holy Spirit

Teacher Lesson Five, The Fruit of the Christian Life

Teacher Lesson Six, Consistency and Service

Teacher Lesson Seven, The Future

Teacher Lesson Eight, Biographical Character Studies

Teacher Lesson Nine, Old Testament Chronology

Teacher Lesson Ten, New Testament Chronology

Teacher Conclusion

Part One

Self-Study Bible Course

Introduction

As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. 1 Peter 2:2. This study is designed to assist the new believer in Jesus Christ, who wants to learn the basic teachings of Christianity and take the first steps to living a biblically-based Christian life. First Steps introduces the Christian to his or her life in Christ through the teachings of the New Testament, in the form of a self-paced question-answer course of study. About 1,000 New Testament verses (about 1/8 of the New Testament) are referenced. A Teacher’s Guide is included so First Steps may be used as a group Bible study.

Individuals using First Steps as an independent study should not look at the answers and comments in the Teacher’s Guide until after completing each weekly lesson. Think for yourself before finding out what others think.

If every verse is read, the student will have read out of every New Testament book except Mark, Philemon, and 3 John, and from the Old Testament books of Genesis, Numbers, Psalms, Isaiah, and Jonah.

Every Christian, whether newly born-again or a long time in the faith, should have an understanding of the Bible in three broad areas: doctrinal, biographical, and chronological. This course is an introduction to those areas.

The course briefly touches on fourteen areas of doctrine and the Christian life: salvation, the Trinity, eternal security, assurance of salvation, inspiration, and interpretation of the Scripture, prayer, ministry of the Holy Spirit, believer’s baptism, rapture of the church, Christian rewards, and the Christian’s life, service, and spiritual growth.

Each of the seven doctrinal lessons is a self–contained unit of instruction. The theme of each lesson is announced in the lesson title. The Scripture and questions in the lesson develop that theme. The student should, as a minimum, look up and read the first verse in each question. In general, the first verse contains the answer to the question. However, students are encouraged to read every verse. Memory verses in each lesson should be learned.

The course was written using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible. The answer to a question may be a specific word used by the NKJV translation. Other translations, for example the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), New International Version (NIV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), English Standard Version (ESV), or New Living Translation (NLT) may use different wording to communicate the same concept. Reading each verse listed may be necessary to discover the most correct answer.

To introduce the student to Scripture biography, a short biographical sketch of the apostle Paul is developed in lesson eight using the question-answer format. The questions may be applied to develop a biographical sketch of any person in the scriptures. This is followed by a very brief chronology of the Old Testament, then the New Testament.

The goals of this course are:

Lay a foundation of basic biblical facts

Develop good Bible reading habits

Encourage devotional reading

Example basic Bible interpretation

Provide basic doctrinal, biographical, and chronological information to form the foundation for further Bible study.

At the end of this course the student should be able to:

Locate most of the books of the Bible

Maintain a consistent reading/devotional time

Maintain a consistent prayer time

Be able to study the Bible for him or her self

To reach these goals the student should do a little work every day, completing one lesson each week.

The print version of this book has blank lines after each question in which to write the answer. Ebook versions do not have these blank lines. The print version also has two blank pages with the heading Personal Notes. Ebook versions do not have these blank pages.

If you have found this book useful, please consider a giving a review at the place of purchase.

Course Lesson One

God, the Gospel, and Salvation

Memory Verse: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9)

Instructions: In lessons one through seven look up at least the first book:chapter:verse reference listed. The idea, concept, or word that answers the question is usually in the first verse. Other verses listed support the answer and may add more information.

A. YOU BELIEVED THE GOSPEL

1. Before salvation every person is? Romans 3:23; 3:10; 5:12; 6:23; Galatians 3:22

2. What did