Journey of a Lifetime: A Basic Guide to Discipleship for the New Believer in Jesus Christ our Lord

By Michael A. Milton

In "Journey of a Lifetime: A Basic Guide to Discipleship for the New Believer in Christ Jesus our Lord," author Michael A. Milton offers a beacon of light to guide the fledgling steps of new believers embarking on the most significant expedition of their lives – the journey of faith in Christ. In this book, crafted with sagacious yet accessible prose that transcends a mere guidebook, Milton invites readers into a world where faith and understanding are intertwined in the dance of discipleship.

Imagine, if you will, a path freshly illuminated, where the complexities of Christian doctrine are distilled into a clear, navigable course. Milton, with a pastor's heart and a teacher's clarity, addresses those standing at the threshold of faith, extending a hand to those seeking the foundational truths of Christianity. The book is a compass for the soul, pointing unwaveringly to Christ as the true north.

For pastors and teachers, this guide is a valuable resource in their sacred task of nurturing the nascent faith of new converts. It speaks with a voice that resonates with the wisdom of experience yet hums with the empathy of one who remembers his first steps in faith. Milton's work is not just a manual; it is a companion for the journey, offering reassurance and direction in equal measure.

For the seasoned Christian, this book is a refreshing return to the bedrock of belief, a reminder of the joy and simplicity of our first faith. It's a call to witness the transformative power of grace and truth in the lives of those new to the fold.

"Journey of a Lifetime" navigates through essential Christian doctrines, personal applications, and the rich tapestry of grace woven through the life of a believer. It confronts, with gentle firmness, the challenges faced in the early stages of Christian life, offering scriptural wisdom and practical insights.

His prose echoes with a resonance that speaks both to the intellect and the heart, engaging readers in a dialogue that is as deep as it is accessible. Includes an introduction to resources in worship, prayer, fellowship, witness, and scripture.

This book is a clarion call to a journey of eternal significance. It's an invitation to walk in the footsteps of Christ with assurance and joy, a guide for those who seek to understand their faith more deeply and live it more fully. "Journey of a Lifetime" is more than a guide; it's a gateway to a life transformed by the power of the Gospel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bethesda Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224642632

Michael A. Milton

American Presbyterian minister, educator, Chaplain (Colonel), U.S. Army, Retired, consultant, author, and composer. Ph.D. (University of Wales); MPA (the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill); M.Div. (Knox Theological Seminary); Doctor of Ministry (Erskine Theological Seminary). Resides with his wife, Mae, in western North Carolina, USA.

Book preview

Journey of a Lifetime

Also by Michael A. Milton

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Involved with Mankind: A Theology of Chaplain Ministry

The Pastoral Decision-Making Model

Renewing Your Commitment to Christ’s Call

Suffering for Christ: Wounds of War

Walking the Tightrope

The Cape of Good Hope: The Chaplain as Missionary to the Secular Age

Theological Higher Education

A Seminary Professor’s Plea for Christian Scholarship

The Disciple as Seminarian

Standalone

Journey of a Lifetime: A Basic Guide to Discipleship for the New Believer in Jesus Christ our Lord

How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place: Why I Love the Church

Watch for more at Michael A. Milton’s site.

Journey of a Lifetime

A Basic Guide to Discipleship for the New Believer in Jesus Christ our Lord

Michael A Milton

Bethesda Publishing Group

Copyright © 2024 by Michael A. Milton, PhD

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

For Aunt Eva and my wife, Mae

Acknowledgments

During my ministry spanning over three decades, I have been humbled and blessed to receive the support of some remarkable women of God who have served as pastoral administrative assistants. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards these faithful, gifted, and godly colleagues who have walked alongside me in spreading the Gospel of God’s grace.

Mrs. Jeannie Adlington, Redeemer PCA, Overland Park. Thank you, Jeannie, for your wisdom and boundless energy. You are a blessed gift to the Body of Christ.

Mrs. Aggie Cooper, Kirk O’ the Isles, Savannah. Thank you, Aggie, for your faithfulness and unconquerable spirit. Always remember that you are used by God to advance His kingdom.

Mrs. Martha Miller, First Presbyterian Chattanooga. Thank you, Martha, for your graciousness and warmth. Martha, you made ministry possible. God bless you.

Mrs. April Gordon, First Presbyterian Chattanooga. Thank you, April, for your incredible insight and cheerfulness. We could never get over how blessed we were to have you in that chair.

Miss Helen Holbrook, First Presbyterian Chattanooga, RTS Charlotte, and RTS System. Thank you, Helen, for sharing your wealth of biblical study and your friendship. Helen, you are one of the most remarkable women of the Word I have known. Thank you for sharing ministry with me.

Miss Wendy Simmons, RTS System. Thank you, Wendy, for your incomparable work ethic, attention to detail, and prayerful presence. I deeply appreciate your conscientiousness and dutiful work as unto the Lord. Thank you, Wendy.

Mrs. Christine Hartung, Interim Pastorate at Church of the Redeemer, Indian Trail, NC; Faith for Living; Erskine Seminary; D. James Kennedy Institute; Trinity Chapel Weddington, NC. Thank you, Christine, for your warm and supportive presence, daughterly devotion, and Christ-like kindness, particularly on days when physical difficulties challenged our mission. Christine, you appeared at a time when I had been lowered by the afflictions of the body. Your encouragement helped me to go on. Thank you.

I say to each of you that you have fulfilled this command:

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man (Proverbs 3:3-4).

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,

believe also in me. In my Father's house are many

mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go

to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a

place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto

myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And

whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas

saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest;

and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I

am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto

the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should

have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye

know him, and have seen him.

Jesus of Nazareth in John 14:1-7

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1. The Question

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

2. A Most Personal Journey Begins

What God Starts, God Completes

And What of the People in My Life?

1. First, this passage teaches that God must begin the work—not you.

2. Second, it is comforting to note that God begins the work of salvation in you —that is, God works through ordinary sinful and broken folks who turn to him in repentance and faith.

3. Third, this passage teaches that God will complete it. God will see you through your every trial.

What Does All of This Mean?

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

3. Grace

Growing in Grace

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

4. Knowledge

Growing in Knowledge

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

5. The Person of Christ

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

6. The Way

The Means of Grace

Word

Sacrament

Prayer

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

7. How to Share Your Faith in Christ

Share Christ from the Scriptures

The Five Scriptural Facts of the Gospel Message

Heaven is a free gift. It is not earned or deserved.

Man is a sinner and cannot save himself. That is the condition we are in without God.

God is a God of love, but he is also a God of justice. The Bible declares that God will punish sin.

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

8. Assurance

Once Saved, Always Saved?

Assurance of Salvation Is Based on Christ’s Person

Assurance of Salvation Is Based on the Holy Spirit’s Power

Some Assurance Passages

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

9. The Essentials for Devotion

Affirmation of Faith Resources

The Lord’s Prayer

The Ten Commandments

The Apostles’ Creed

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

10. Ever Growing

The Bible

Commentaries

Confessions of Faith and Catechism Documents

Worship

Prayer

Fellowship

Witness

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

11. A Journey with Purpose

Mark 6:7-13 (ESV)

A Crisis Revealed in My Life

First, we need to make sure we understand that a true disciple of Jesus is called by Jesus.

Second, we need to make sure we understand that a true disciple of Jesus is taught by Jesus.

Third, we need to understand that Jesus sends a true disciple.

Go.

Go Together.

Go with authority.

Go with authority over evil.

Genuine disciples, like the Twelve, are sent with a Command.

Faithful followers, like the Twelve, are sent with a Communiqué.

Conclusion

Questions for Discussion or Personal Reflection

Addendum I

Addendum II

Books Recommended

Bibliography

About the Author

Foreword

To live in a Western country is to live in a society still utterly saturated by Christian concepts and assumptions. This is no less true for Jews or Muslims than it is for Catholics or Protestants. Two thousand years on from the birth of Christ, it does not require a belief that he rose from the dead to be stamped by the formidable – indeed the inescapable – influence of Christianity.

— Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (2019)

When British scholar Dr. Tom Holland wrote those words, he was, by all accounts, an unbeliever. He was merely stating the obvious: that even if Christian morals are declining, the only reason we know they are declining is that Christianity is the standard for Western Civilization. Holland reminds us that concepts like human rights and even the Beatles’ All You Need is Love are living vestiges of a Christian worldview. In many ways, we do see our generation living off the seed corn preserved by those who came before. To speak of the influence of Christianity in society is one thing. It is quite another to ask, Do you know Jesus Christ as the living Lord and Savior of your life? This book is about that question. More to the point of our publication, this book is about what to do next when you believe. You will find nothing new in my presentation. But it might be new to you. I pray that you will read with a prayer, even if you don’t normally make a habit of prayer. That prayer might be:

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to read this book with my heart open to the possibility that You will speak to Me through Your Word. Prepare me, now, to receive Your truth and open my life to the reality of Your presence in my study. Through Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Now, let’s begin the journey of a lifetime.

Introduction

This book is written for you. You have recently been awakened by the Spirit of God to see your spiritual poverty and Jesus Christ's wealth. Or you may be someone else. You have turned to Him as the resurrected and reigning Lord and Savior of your life. It may be that you trusted in Christ Jesus as a little boy or a little girl. That was many years ago. In between the child-like faith of your Confirmation or Profession of Faith or baptism and your awakening and recommitment today, there is a trail of broken promises, broken relationships, and broken dreams. Behold, the old has passed away, and all things have become new. New days are the ruling motif in the Christian life. The Son truly is the sun of our lives forevermore.

He is the Sun of optimism for living and dying. He is the sun of new hope in an otherwise hopeless world. Jesus Christ is the sun that radiates a glorious new light that beams its way through the old clouds that brought shadows to living. The clouds are being pushed out by a fast-moving front of refreshing life. Christ is life. That life is