Discipleship Directors Handbook PDF

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES
Hebrews 5:12
A Practical Bible Study
and Discipleship Course
For New Christians
Directors Handbook
Let all things be done decently and in order.
1 Corinthians 15:40
Discipleship Directors Name: ____________________________
Discipleship Directors Handbook
Copyright Information
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome!
Summary of Course
How to Teach Discipleship Making Disciples
The Discipleship Team
How to Use the Answer Key
Discipleship Record Information
Welcome To New Student
Discipleship Leader Qualifications and Assessment Sheet
Discipler List
Disciple List
Discipler-Disciple List
Disciplers Weekly Schedule
Disciple Tracking List
Student Information Cards
Student Information Sheet
Prayer List
Section Test Score Record
Student Score Cards
Help And Support Information
Suggestion Form
The Next Step After Discipleship
Award System
Certificate of Completion
Certificate of Achievement With Honours
Whats On the CD?
Order Form
Discipleship Notebook
Doctrinal Statement to be Accepted by the Director
Rights Concerning Modifying the Contents of this Discipleship Programme
2
3
4
6
10
12
14
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
40
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers,

ye have need that one teach you again which be
the first principles of the oracles of God.

Hebrews 5:12
An Educational Ministry of
This entire Study Programme has been written by Pastor

Craig Ledbetter, and is copyrighted 1994-2007. But any
portion of this Study may be copied in part, but not in its
entirety without the written permission of the publisher
(Romans 13:7) and as long as there is no charge except for
the cost of production. The entire MS-Word document is
available for sale to churches upon special request. The
Study is also available for download from the internet at
www.biblebc.com in both HTML and Adobe PDF file
formats. For information concerning these and other
publications, please contact info@biblebc.com. It is also
available on CD upon special request.
For further information about rights concerning modifying
the content of this teaching Programme, see the last page.
Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig, Ireland

Pastor Craig Ledbetter, B.A., Th.G.
Unit B, Enterprise Park
Innishmore, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
Telephone within Ireland: (021) 487-1234
From USA: 011-353-21-4871234
Intl: ++353-21-4871234
E-Mail: discipleship@biblebc.com
Web: www.biblebc.com
US Contact Address: c/o PO Box 849, Rossville,
GA 30741 USA
Bible Baptist Church In-House Publications (09/20/07 06:08 ) Printed in Ireland.

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries
Welcome!
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Welcome!
Discipleship is critical to the establishment of new believers
in the word of God, and in the fellowship with other believers.
Your effective coordination of this program and all its
participants is critical to its outcome. This Handbook is your
guide to making Discipleship in your church work like our Lord
designed it to, and that your church would grow. Your attitude with both the Disciplers and their new
Disciples will make or break their vision for growth, so please keep excited about what this programme
will do and is doing in your church. Always remember that you may think that much of the truths in
the Discipleship Programme is "old hat" to you, but to those who just got saved, the Bibles truths are
exciting and adventurous!
Some Things You Must Do:
Stay on your Disciplers so that they maintain good and frequent relationships with their
disciples. They need to befriend them, and help them grow with lots of interaction and
fellowship dont just interact at Church only. Use Discipleship time as a time to fellowship
too if possible.
Stay on the Pastor so that he keeps the need for everyone being discipled in front of the church
members in the Church services.
Use your Churchs Bulletin to advertise Discipleship, and send out mailings to members who
have not yet taken discipleship training asking them to come.
Keep accurate and up-to-date records both on paper and in the designated computer databases.
Be innovative! Always present any new ideas about discipleship to the pastor, and encourage
your Disciplers to communicate any feedback to you about Discipleship.
Make sure problems are resolved quickly and prayerfully make much of prayer in this
ministry!
Some Things to Have on Hand
King James Bible not a New King James, or another modern version. This version of the
Bible is the foundation for all the teachings of a Christian. A Believer is commanded to be able
to speak the same things as other Christians (1Corinthians 1:10) concerning doctrine, and
cannot do that if everyone has different versions of the Bible that have been edited and
corrupted.
You will want to have other versions of the Bible for comparison other versions will be
referenced and explored to see just how corrupt they are.
A large pad of blank paper for drawing out diagrams and illustrations that will help the student
see what you are trying to teach.
Grow With Your Disciples!

Never stop growing and learning in your personal study yourself as the Director! The truths of the
Scriptures MUST stay fresh and life changing in YOU if they are going to be attractive to the new
babes in Christ (2Peter 2:2). Be always open to God showing you new and helpful truths even as youth
teach what you think you already know all too well!
Summary of Course
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Summary of Course
The First Principles Bible Study Course
When the Lord Jesus was on this earth, He spent three and a half years teaching His disciples all the
things we need to know to find forgiveness and full life in the kingdom of God. By setting aside
time to study His word, you are showing God that you too wish to become a follower of Jesus
Christ. The First Principles Bible Study Course was established to equip believers to live for Jesus
through the study of God's word just as Jesus taught.
What's on Offer
The First Principles Discipleship Study Course provides a complete set of Bible lessons to help
everyone know Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, and to thoroughly learn God's word. The Study
Course includes the Bibles teaching on the following subjects:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Biblical Salvation - What Is It?

Eternal Security of the Believer - Can you lose your Salvation?
Believer's Baptism - What does Baptism mean?
The Word of God - Can we Trust the Bible?
Bible Study Techniques - How To Study the Word of God, and How We Got the Bible!
The New Testament Church - What is the Difference between all the Churches and
Religions of the World?
Bible Memorization - How do I memorize God's word and benefit most from it?
Knowing God - How Well Can I Know God?
Praise and Worship - How Can I Worship the Lord Like I Should?
The Lord's Supper - What does the Bible say about Communion and the Lord's Table?
Prayer - How Do I Get Answered Prayer?
The Will of God - What is God's Will for my life?
Spiritual Warfare - How Do I Deal With Sin and Temptation?
The Christian Family - How to have a Christian Home
Finances The Bibles answer to Money Headaches
Personal Evangelism - Who Needs to Know Jesus, and How can we show them His
Salvation?
The Christian and Work - How to be a Christian on the Job
Wine and Strong Drink - What the Bible teaches about Drink and Drinking
Creation and Evolution - Which theory is Really Scientific?
The Future - What Is Mankind's Future?
Discipleship - What is God's next step for Me?
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of Almighty God. We further believe
that God's word is perfect in every way, and that it has been preserved in the English language in the
King James Bible. Our aim is simply to learn the Bible and apply its truths to our lives, not to
correct it, or think we can improve upon it. The goal of learning the Bible is for it to correct, and
improve us! To use this Study Programme, the Discipleship Director should believe that the Bible is
the very word of Almighty God, perfect, and without error.
Requirements for a Persons Enrolment in the First Principles Study Course

All a person has to do to enrol is simply request to join the First Principles Bible Study Course by
filling out a request form provided on page 19 of this handbook. They will need a Discipler assigned
to them that they will meet regularly with, and become accountable to. That Discipler needs to be
above reproach and accountable to both the Pastor of your Church, and the Discipleship Director.
Once the student receives their first Study Lesson they are officially enrolled in the Course. Each
student will need a Bible to complete the courses. Expect each student to complete every lesson, and
encourage them to complete all twenty one lessons!
Summary of Course
Costs for the First Principles Study Course

The Church should charge a minimum amount for each student to pay for either each lesson, or the
entire Study Course. This makes the student work harder at completing the Course than if it was just
given to them. The Church and the Discipleship Director has the freedom to freely give away the
Course depending upon the situation.
How Long Does the Study Course take to Complete?

Depending upon the student, the Study Course is usually completed in less than two years. It can be
done quicker, but with less depth, and it can take longer, if there are lots of questions.
What is the Fruit of the Study Course?

An unsaved person will thoroughly learn how to be saved, and usually will get born again; A new
believer will get on fire for God, and get trained to study their Bible and stand for the Lord;
backslidden Christians will get encouraged to get right with God, and get back in the spiritual battle
for souls; and nominal believers will get on fire for the Lord because they will be back in the meat
of Gods word, where they should have been all along..
FIRST PRINCIPLES
How to Teach this Study Guide, and What to Expect
This Bible Study Guide is just that a guide. The real instruction is provided by the teacher, or the
Discipler. The Study guide keeps you and the student on track so-to-speak, and provides a wealth of
Scriptural principles to study, and discuss as you go through each lesson. The list of Scriptures
presented for each subject are in no way exhaustive, but can be added to as you see the need to study
further a given subject. It is important that you do include as many other Scriptures as necessary to
enable the Disciple to fully understand, and thereby believe the truth as presented in Gods word.
The instructor, or Discipler needs to have already learned the entire Discipleship course, and has
sought the counsel of the Pastor to determine if he or she is ready to begin teaching another new
Christian. Most people will need some basic pointers about how to teach. Here are a few:
Have a plan. Thats what this Study Course is a prepared course that you just need to work
your way through with your disciple
Dont be rough or impatient with any student it takes time to grow out of most of our lifes
situations the Lord finds us in
Listen to the student they may be totally misunderstanding what you are saying
Talk to your discipler get insights on how your teacher taught you
Pray every day for your disciple!
Make the time you spend teaching your disciple, your ministry it is not just something you
are doing because you are needed, but it is a God given task that needs Gods help so that it
brings God all the glory
Use the discipleship programme to win people to the Lord your disciple may not be saved, so
dont over-look the opportunity to see people saved as they learn about the Lord Jesus!
Prepare your disciple to one day teach the Bible themselves that was the goal of our Lord
when He commanded us to teach all nations (Matthew 28:19)
Dont teach too many people at once
Teaching a Lesson How to go through the Discipleship Course, page by page, line by line.
Normally spend about fifteen minutes to an half hour at the beginning of session chatting and
having tea or what ever. Use this time to be warm and friendly. Find out how they are. Ask them if they
have any prayer requests. Then pray for those requests and for the study.
Start with prayer and make sure they have their Bible, study and a pen. Remind them of the
memory verse they are to be learning and ask them to quote it from memory. Remind them to learn it
off by heart. Read out the introduction to the lesson, and the lesson verse. Explain that this verse is the
key verse for the lesson. Then ask each person in turn to read a few lines of the discipleship, and go to
each Scripture reference listed. Tell the students where to find each verse and whether the book is
found in the Old or New Testament. Left or right of John, Hebrews, Psalms etc. The disciple will need
to explain each verse in their own words to make sure they understand how it connects with the truth
being presented in the Discipleship lesson. It might be necessary to explain some words for them. Ask
if they understand what was said. In the study there are words to be filled in. Ask the students to find
these words from the Scripture. Ask him to read over again until he gets it.
Unless you are teaching just one student, do not let one person read all the time. It is better to pass
the reading around to all the students.
If a student has a lot of reference Scriptures to look up and read, break them up and change over to
another student. He may well get tired, especially if he is not used to looking up verses.
At the end of a study mark the finishing point in the discipleship. Explain that next time you will
continue on from where you left off. Ask if there are any questions. There might be a need to go over a
few verses again. Ask one of the students to pray and thank God for the study and for what we learned.
The next time start off the same way. Encourage the students to learn the memory verse by next
week. Review and repetition will be the key to their remembering Gods word, and letting it work on
them in their daily lives.
Example of Teaching a Page

What follows is an example of how to teach through a
page of the Discipleship. Refer to page 5, and go
through the following items.
1. First of all, makes sure the student is on the
same page as you, and has their Bible handy.
2. Read out-loud Roman Numeral V, What is
Truth?
3. Then read out Lets Compare John 18:36-38
with John 17:17.
4. Help them find the places in their Bible, and
then read out-loud those Scriptures.
5. Return to the Study Course and continue
reading out-loud. At any point, if you think
your student wouldnt mind reading him or
herself, then have then read a paragraph,
looking up the Scriptures and reading them
also out-loud, and then you reading the next
paragraph, looking up the associated
Scriptures and reading them aloud.
6. As you read, challenge your student with extra
questions, to make sure they are understanding
what they are reading.
7. Try and remember what it was like to be
taught this stuff, and see if you can improve
on the way it is presented for the benefit of your disciple.
Teaching One-on-One and to Small Groups
With a group of people there will always be interruptions to the flow of the study. Any unusual or
hard questions will usually take up a lot of time. Be prayed-up, and studied-up so that you can answer
the questions simply and adequately the whole reason why those people are letting you tech them is
because they want some answers, so be ready to give them loads of answers from the Bible! If the
questions take too long, you should suggest that you will deal with that question next week, and ask if
you could continue with the lesson. This is normally fine with that person. You and your students will
find that some of their questions will be answered later on in the course itself. Simply ask the person to
hold on for a few more sessions and all will be revealed.
There usually will be comments by your students on all type of things, usually politics and any
recent current event. These justify some small comment but as the Discipler, you need to get things on
track again as quickly as possible.
Try to give equal time to every one and value their input to the study
Concerning Section Tests
Every section ends with a test, that presents questions concerning the previous five lessons (or in
the case of the fourth section, it covers the previous six lessons). These tests ought to be taken by the
student on their own, on their time, and then the following week, at the beginning of the discipleship
time, the answers reviewed, and corrected by the Discipler and the Disciple together.
What follows is a Basic Scope and Sequence outline of each lesson, and how long to expect to take
teaching each lesson. The recommended time needed for each teaching session is at least 1 hour, but no
more than 2 hours. It is best to keep it short enough so that the student does not get too much
information and become over-loaded. The measure of how difficult each lesson might be for the
student to grasp is a generalization, and may not be true for all students. It is just intended to give you
an idea of the ease of teaching each lesson.
Most students will be taught best by going through each lesson as presented in this Study guide.
But some students may have needs that ought to be addressed by covering specific materials in later
lessons, and then returning to the normal sequence. Feel free to jump around to other lessons as
needed, but it is recommended that you at least try to keep with the laid-out sequence of lessons, as
most as possible.
Generally, if you spend about an hour and a half each time you meet, you will get in about one
hours worth of study, and about a half hour of discussion. If you can stay kind of close to the time, and
to the notes in the study, you should be able to complete a Discipleship Course in about a year and a
half, to two years.
There may be shorter programmes available, but none will answer as many questions, and deal
Biblically with as many modern issues as the First Principles Discipleship Study Course.
Using The My Daily Journal
Included in the Discipleship Programme, is a My Daily Journal for everyone, including the
Director, to be working through on a daily basis.
TEACHING TIME AND EFFORT TABLE

Lesson
Introduction
1 - Biblical Salvation
2 - Eternal Security
3 - Believer's Baptism
4 - The Word of God
5 - Bible Study Techniques
Section 1 Exam
6 - The New Testament Church
7 - Bible Memorization
8 - Knowing God
9 - Praise and Worship
10 - The Lord's Supper
Section 2 Exam
11 Prayer
12 The Will of God
13 Spiritual Warfare
14 The Christian Family
15 Finances
Section 3 Exam
16 - Personal Evangelism
17 - Wine and Strong Drink
18 - My Job and Employer
19 - Creation and Evolution
20 - The Future
21 - Discipleship
Section 4 Exam
Totals
Normal
Duration
1 hour
2 hours
2 hours
2 hours
4 hours
5 hours
1 hour
6 hours
1 hour
8 hours
3 hours
3 hours
1 hour
3 hours
2 hours
4 hours
6 hours
3 hours
1 hour
2 hours
5 hours
2 hours
5 hours
4 hours
2 hours
1 hour
78 hours
No. Pages
2
6
2
3
6
14
2
10
2
8
4
4
2
3
3
4
12
5
2
5
10
5
12
6
4
2
146
Difficulty
Level (1-5)
1
1
1
2
2
3
2
3
1
2
2
2
3
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
2
4
2
2
3
Average 2
The above table shows the various lessons along with approximate time that needs to be allowed
for with straight-forward teaching times. Those times are not set in stone, but will usually be longer for
the new Discipler, and depending on the Disciple/Student, questions and other interactions can make
the lesson times stretch-out a whole lot longer than intended. Be careful to not allow yourself to chase
down too many rabbit-trail type questions. Keep to the Study Course, but allow for ample questions to
make sure they are adequately learn the subject matter.
Also, the levels of difficulty related to a given lesson are described as follows:
Level 1 can be done usually by a Disciple on their own it is best to have a Teacher, but the
material is simple enough for a new believer on their own.
Level 2 needs teacher/discipler interaction because the material requires testing during the
teaching, and questioning to make sure the material is understood.
Level 3 needs extra resources to be brought in to the lesson teaching time, like various other Bible
versions, or concordances, etc.
Level 4 requires the Discipler taking a lot of time to go through the study materials because they
can be easily misunderstood.
Level 5 involves loads of preparation on the part of the Discipler before the lesson is actually
taught. This Study Course has been designed so that level of work does not exist in any
teaching session.
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Our Lord taught us to work in teams (Matthew 18:16; Luke 10:1) no one individual can
accomplish the tasks that God designed for a Church to do together. In Discipleship, there is a team
that needs to be put together to train all believers in the truths of the Bible. That team consists of:
Pastor, Discipleship Director, Church Secretary, Disciplers, and Disciples.
The Pastor (Ephesians 4:11,12)

God ordained the leadership of a church to be in the hands of a Bible believing pastor, who shepherds
his flock as Jesus would. That includes feeding them, and guiding them spiritually through faithfully
preaching and teaching the word of God. Discipleship begins in the pulpit, from the top down through
to every hearer of the word of God. The pastor is the one ultimately in charge of discipling every
believer, and making sure that they are in unity speaking the same thing (1Corinthians 1:10). Help
your pastor fulfil the Great Commission by training new believers to trust and obey the word of God
through discipleship!
The Discipleship Director (Acts 6:3)

No single pastor can disciple everyone in his congregation, and still be able to do all the other areas of
ministry that he is so often called upon to do, so there needs to be a faithful man who will lead this
Discipleship Ministry. He is called the Discipleship Director. His job is to help the pastor disciple the
believers in their church by organising and coordinating the discipleship-related activities of the church
to enable the most people possible to get discipled, and become disciplers themselves. This is no easy
task, but very rewarding. The Discipleship Director is appointed by the Pastor to run the programme
and to make sure that everyone is growing spiritually, and becoming thoroughly prepared to lead and
stand for the truths of the word of God.
Church/Discipleship Secretary
This person helps out the Discipleship Director in maintaining the discipleship records, and making
sure that all the forms are filled out correctly and that teaching materials are always on hand. The
Church Secretary is usually quite capable of doing this, but another volunteer would be welcome to
make this their ministry. Just make sure they are trustworthy because some of the information kept is of
a personal nature.
Disciplers (Matthew 28:19,20; 2Timothy 2:2; 2:24-26)

This is the strength of the Church being used to strengthen the rest of the believers. To become a
Discipler, these men and women first must be discipled themselves, and have a grasp of how to teach
the materials in the programme. They do not have to be very smart just burdened that other Christians
get strong in the word of God. These men and women need to be very committed to both STARTING
and FINISHING their teaching of new believers so that those discipled believers become themselves
Disciplers!
Disciples/Students of the Word (Acts 11:26; Philippians 4:9; 2Timothy 3:14)

Every person, even just slightly interested in the Bible and the things of God is a potential disciple of
Jesus Christ. They dont have to be saved as of yet because discipleship is all about learning how to
follow Jesus and none of the disciples were saved at their calling to following Him. These students will
be changed form sinners to believers, and from believers to Disciples, and ultimately, as they learn to
faithfully live for their Lord, they will be called Christians Christ-like! Now that is the great goal
of Discipleship!!!
10
The Chain of Command

It is important to have a chain of command. This lightens the load on the Discipler. If he or she is
unsure of something that they are teaching, he or she should be able to call on the Discipleship Director
for help, and if need be call on the Pastor for help. It just good to be able to talk to some one else for
encouragement.
Occasionally there might come to light some problem which should be referred to the Pastor. The
disciple should naturally have trust in you and may well believe you know it all. This where prayer and
study comes in. The Holy Spirit will get you through many a difficult question. The truth is that you
usually will be more Bible literate than the student. There is a respect that should develop between you
two. Therefore be brave and speak with authority when you are teaching. Prayerfully you will not make
too many errors. You will especially learn a lot by being a Discipler, and teaching this course.
11
FIRST PRINCIPLES
The information in the Answer Key section of the Discipleship Course looks kind of cryptic, but is
just an easy way to list the answers to the blanks in this kind of a study. The first thing you will notice
is the Chapter Title and Heading (i.e., Lesson One Biblical Salvation). Following that, on each line
is the location of the question blank, as follows:
VI.A.1.b.
hand
The first part locates where the blank is Section VI. Each roman numeral (I, II, III, IV, etc.) is
used in the study outline as a main topic. Find the part of the lesson that starts with the roman numeral
VI (six), and then look down until you find the paragraph starting with capital A.. Under that, the
paragraph marked 1. will have a sub-paragraph marked, small b. at its start. In THAT paragraph, is
the statement with the blank you are checking your answer against. Now, thankfully, not all of the
answers are in sections so deep, with so many sub-sections, but you see how it works. There can be a
few blanks that are actually not part of a paragraph that is numbered, so, the previous section number
will be used.
Two other points need to be made concerning answers.
1. Usually there is only one answer that is correct for the fill in the blank, so one answer will be
listed. But if another answer would be acceptable, it will be listed in parenthesis brackets
().
2. If there are more than one fill in the blank in a paragraph for you to locate answers for, the
answers will simply be separated by semi-colons (;).
Study Introduction
PARAGRAPH
V.A.1.
V.A.2.
V.A.3.
V.B.3.
VI.A.
VI.B.
VII.A.
VII.B.
ANSWERS
Truth
truth
word
true
believe
know
grow
unfruitful
Each lesson is in the above format and is

clearly identified, with the answer matching
the blank lines in the paragraphs marked in
the outline.
Please Note if you are only looking in the
Answer Key for the answers to the fill in the
blanks of the Study Guide, you are looking
in the wrong place. The answers are found
in the Bible, in the Scripture location
referred to in the Study. Always look there
first! The answers in the Answer Key could
be wrong, so make sure you know what the
Bible says, and not just what the Answer
Key says.
12
How much lee-way does an instructor have when the disciple offers another answer than what is
expected? Lets look at another example, still using Lesson One, but this time, lets see multiple
possible answers in the Answer Key, and learn how to deal with them.
Lesson 1 - Biblical Salvation
Turn to page 13 in the Discipleship
Course, and notice how that some of the
answers have semi-colons ; in them that
are answers to more blanks on that line. If
there is something in parentheses (), it
is offering other possible answers to a
question.
IX.A.
IX.A.1.b.
IX.A.2.
IX.A.2.b.
IX.A.2.c.
IX.B.
X.A.
X.B.
X.C.
X.D.
X.E.
X.F.
X.G.
X.H.
X.I.
X.J.
No
hand
chastising
loves
bastard (thats a real Bible
word)
Confess it as a sin and forsake
it right away
saved; hell
Bible
Lamb; sins
our sins
death (or blood)
internal
mine (or all people of the
world)
it is instant (or straight away)
(the answer is up to the
individual)
(the answer is up to the
individual)
It will be up to your discretion to allow for a different answer than provided in the Answer Key. Just
dont give too much lee-way. Sometimes, a wrong answer by your disciple is an indication to you that
he or she is not understanding the question.
13
FIRST PRINCIPLES
This information is for the Discipleship Director and the Discipleship Secretary
DISCIPLESHIP DOCUMENTS
Coordinator's Handbook
A copy of this manual that you are currently reading. If any

pages of this document need to be reprinted, this document
can be accessed by locating it on the Discipleship CD and just
opening up the file and printing it from Adobe or MS-Word.
This Handbook contains most of the pages and documents and
information to run the Discipleship Programme.
Directors Notebook
This ringed-binder will contain specific pages copied out of

this Handbook (see page 15 for the layout) and will be added
to as more Disciplers and Disciples are included in the
programme.
Training Schedule
A schedule of the current training series with dates and times

for each subject that will be taught. To access this document
for modification or printing, look for it on the Discipleship
CD.
First Principles Study Course
A complete copy of the First Principles document. To printout

any of the pages, or the entire document, you will just need to
locate it on the Discipleship CD and print out the correct
edition.
Student Information Records
Student Information Form (pg 24)

Student Information Cards (pg 23)
Prayer list (pg 25)
Disciple Lesson Tracking List (pg 22)
Student Score Cards (pg 27)
Section Test Score Record (pg 26)
Certificate of Completion Awards Two awards are presented to those who have completed the
Discipleship Training Program and are ready to disciple: 1)
The Certificate of Completion (for those who have
completed all 21 lessons, but have an average score of less
than 85%), and Certificate of Achievement (for those who
accumulated an average better than 85% in the Section
Exams).
DISCIPLESHIP DATABASE INFORMATION
The following is a detailed listing of information describing the various databases used to track
Discipleship Training, and Implementation. This database can be in either MS-Excel, or any other
Database that you may be comfortable working in. An MS-Excel database example is provided on
the Discipleship CD.
Discipler List
Disciple List
Discipler to Disciple Matching List
Example Mail-Merge Letter to the Disciples in your programme
14
How the Discipleship Directors Notebook should be laid-out

The following pages of this Handbook will need to be printed and placed in a ringed binder to keep
records of your Discipleship Programme.
Page 36
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 26
Page 29
Cover Page
Discipler List
Disciple List
Student Test Score Record (keeps a copy along with every Discipler)
Suggestion Form to make suggestions on how to make the Programme better
Print out the following pages on heavy card stock, and then cut out the cards. These cards are to be
kept by the Discipleship Secretary.
Page 23
Page 27

Student Score Cards
How each Disciplers Notebook should be laid-out

The following pages of this Handbook will need to be printed and placed in a ringed binder to keep
records of your Discipleship Programme.
Page 36
Page 16
Page 21
Page 24
Page 25
Pages 12,13
Page 29
Cover Page
Welcome Sheet (to be given to every new disciple)
Disciple Tracking Page
Student Information Sheet (print out a page for every Disciple)
Prayer List (print out a page for every Disciple, to follow after every page 18)
Explanation how to use the Answer Key
Suggestion Form to make suggestions on how to make the Programme better
15
FIRST PRINCIPLES
WELCOME TO THE STUDY OF
THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE WORD OF GOD!
This study series is intended to establish you in the foundational truths of the Bible, and to
instruct you on how to study Gods word for yourself! There are twenty one study lessons that are
intended to be gone through with a Discipler (a teacher). For those who are unable to meet with a
Discipler, there is a tape series available that instructs the Disciple (the student of the word of God)
through all the materials of the lesson series. Please take a moment and review that materials that you
have received. Make sure that you have a Bible that you can read, and study as the lessons direct you.
Each study session should take about 45 minutes. Your pace through the entire Study Course may
differ based upon your interest, and current understanding. The best idea is to go at the rate that you
feel comfortable, always making sure that you fully understand each subject lesson before going onto
the next.
When the Lord Jesus was on this earth, He spent three and a half years teaching His twelve
disciples all the things that we now have written in the Bible. By you setting aside dedicated time to
study the Bible, you are demonstrating to God that you too wish to become a disciple (learner) of Jesus
Christ. We are dedicated to the goal of providing materials to people that will enable them to
personally know Jesus Christ as their Saviour first of all, and then secondly to enable them to grow in
His grace and knowledge as disciples of Him! The ONLY way that this goal can be achieved though is
by encouraging interested people to turn back to the only Book that changes hearts and lives from the
inside out.
The studies that are included in the First Principles Discipleship Course are intended to instruct
you in the foundational subjects of the Bible. They are in no way exhaustive, and yet they are also not a
superficial skimming of the surface so to speak. We have developed this course with both the novice
and intermediate level student in mind. There are Twenty One Lessons altogether covering subjects that
range from what Biblical Salvation is, to Knowing the Will of God, How to Pray the Bible Way, some
Bible Study Techniques, and Knowing the Future. The entire series is divided into Four Sections of
five lessons each, each having a primary goal of you understanding a foundational principle. It is those
foundational principles that will change your life! These lessons will equip Sunday School teachers,
youth workers, soul-winners, parents, young and old alike to better serve our great God and Saviour
Jesus Christ! You are in good company!
You now are beginning a fantastic journey through the Bible that wont end until you meet the
Author of its pages face to face one day. Take your time and thoroughly learn each Lesson, but make
sure that you make the time because so many things will come up to distract you.
As you complete each section of five lessons, you can opt to take the appropriate Section Test.
You do not have to take these tests. These four tests will however provide you with the opportunity to
see whether you have adequately learned the material of that Section. Once you have completed the
entire Course, you will be contacted about receiving your Certificate of Completion or Certificate of
Achievement based on your scoring!
You will truly enjoy your trek through the glorious wonders of Gods Holy Word as you study it,
and apply its eternal words to your life, and begin to live as Christ intended you to live! May God bless
your journey through His marvellous word!
16
FIRST PRINCIPLES
The Discipleship Director and all Disciplers have the Biblical obligation to be in submission to, and in
agreement with their Pastor.
It is recommended that the Discipleship of children under 16 will not take place in a one-on-one setting
they will only occur when there is another adult present.
It is also recommended that men teach men and boys, and that ladies teach other ladies and girls. If
there is a mixed crowd, a lady may teach younger boys and girls, but men should lead the discipling of
older boys and girls.
Discipler Information
This information is to be obtained from a person that has finished being discipled, and wants to
now begin to teach his or her own new convert.
Todays Date __________________
Discipler Name ____________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________
City ________________________ County/State _______________ Post/Zip _________
Telephone ________________________ Mobile _______________________________
Birthday ____________ Age _____ Sex _____ Marital Status ___________________
Salv Date ________________________ Baptism Date ___________________________
Date Completed Discipleship ______________________ Average Score ____________
Church Ministries you have been involved in, and what you have done in those ministries:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Notes __________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Signatures acknowledging this person is trustworthy, and ready to train people in the
Discipleship Course:
Pastors ____________________________________________ Date _______________
Discipleship Directors ________________________________ Date _______________
The following information must be obtained if this person is going to be teaching children:
[__]
[__]
[__]
Background Check
Personal interview by the Pastor or Director Who: ___________ Date: _________
Self-Declaration Form must be filled out and accepted
Checked by: _____________________
Date: ________________
17
Discipler List
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Discipler List
For the Discipleship Director, Please make sure that as you add Disciplers to this list, that the computer
database is kept up-to-date. Make as many copies of this page as needed and keep in your Master
Folder. These are the key people that you as the Discipleship Director need to be praying for every day.
Discipler Name
Age
Sex
Date
Completed
Discipleship
Telephone
Notes
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
18
Disciple List
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Disciple List
Discipleship Director, Please make sure that as you add Disciplers to this list, that the computer
database is kept up-to-date. Make as many copies as needed.
Disciple Name
Age
Sex
Date
Requested
Discipleship
Telephone
Notes
19
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Coordinator, Please make sure that as you add people to this list, that the computer database is kept upto-date. If there are any changes, those changes need to be made in the database also.
Discipler Name
Disciple Name
Date
Discipleship
Started
Date
Discipleship
Completed
Date
Certificate
Awarded
Notes
20
FIRST PRINCIPLES
This schedule is to be filled in by each Discipler listing when each discipleship session is scheduled,
and with whom. The Discipleship Director may want to keep a copy of this schedule, but it is not
necessary.
Time
Morning
Person(s)
Time
Afternoon
Person(s)
Time
Evening
Person(s)
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Sun
Total
People
Additional people that are potential disciples:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
21
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Discipler Name: ___________________________
Please make sure that as you add Disciplers to this list, that the computer database is kept up-to-date.
How to Use this Form: The name of each Disciple is added to the list, and the date they began their
study. Every time they complete a lesson, that lesson number will be marked with an X under that
number, across from their name. When they have completed a Section Exam, place an X under which
exam number they just finished. The P at the end is for marking when they are Presented with their
Certificate (if they have fully completed the study), and the B is to mark when they have completed
reading their Bible all the way through!
Disciple Name
Joe Christian
Date
Began
Date
Completed
02/10/05
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X X X X X X XX X X X X X X /
Make as many copies of this form as needed, and place them into your Discipleship Notebook.
22
FIRST PRINCIPLES
This page should be copied onto heavy card stock paper and then into individual cards to be filled in
by every new Disciple. The cards need to be turned into the Discipleship Director.
First Principles Discipleship Course

Student Information Card

The following Student Requests to begin the First

principles Discipleship Course.

Mr. Mrs. Miss Todays Date

__________
Your Name _____________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Post Code _____________ Country __________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Mobile ________________________________
E-mail _________________________________
Church ________________________________

__________
Your Name______________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Mobile _________________________________
E-mail _________________________________
Church _________________________________
For Office Use

Discipler ___________________________
Date Enrolled _______________________
Completed __________________________
Exam Average Score __________________
For Office Use

Discipler ____________________________
Date Enrolled ________________________
Completed ___________________________





__________
Your Name _____________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Mobile ________________________________
E-mail _________________________________
Church ________________________________

__________
Your Name______________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Mobile _________________________________
E-mail _________________________________
Church _________________________________
For Office Use

Discipler ___________________________
Date Enrolled _______________________
Completed __________________________
For Office Use

Discipler ____________________________
Date Enrolled ________________________
Completed ___________________________
Make as many copies of this page as needed, and cut out the cards to be filled in.
23
FIRST PRINCIPLES
For the Discipler: This form is to be kept up to date for each of your disciples.
Discipler Name _____________________________________ In-House [_], By-Post [_]
Disciple Name _____________________________________________ Age _________
Address _____________________________________________________________
City ________________________ County ________________ Post/Zip _________
Telephone _______________________ Birthday ____________ Aniv ___________
Salv Date ______________________ Baptism Date _________________________
Notes ______________________________________________________________
Notes ______________________________________________________________
Discipleship Edition Being Taught: is it the US [_], European [_], or Concise [_], Year [________]
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Date
Lesson
Began
Introduction
Salvation
Assurance
Baptism
Word of God
Bible Study
Section 1 Exam
Church
Memorization
Who is God?
Worship
Lord's Supper
Section 2 Exam
Prayer
Will of God
Warfare
Family
Finances
Section 3 Exam
Evangelism
Wind and Drink
My Job
Creation
The Future
Discipleship
Section 4 Exam
Read the Bible through?
Date
Completed
Overall Exam Score:

Date Turned In to Discipleship Director
Certificate Qualified for:
Date Certificate Awarded
Notes
Score:
Score:
Score:
Score:
___________
__________________________
Certificate of Completion [__], or Achievement [__]
__________________________
24
Prayer List
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Prayer List
For the Discipler:
This form is to be inserted into your own personal First Principles Discipleship Notebook following
the MASTER CHECKLIST, and kept up to date for each of your disciples. When completed, make
sure that you keep a copy of it, and hand this in to the Discipleship Coordinator.
Your Name _____________________________________________
The Disciples Name ______________________________________________
Date
Prayed
Prayer Request
Date
Answered
25
FIRST PRINCIPLES
This form is for recording the Section Exam scores of each of the Disciplers students. Place the date
above the score for each Section Exam. Make as many copies of this page as are needed for all your
students. Make sure you fill in the Student Score Cards for each student and turn them in to the
Discipleship Director.
Discipler Name ___________________________________ Date Begun ______________________
Students Name
EXAMPLE
Mr. John Christian
Disc
Edition
2006
Section 1
Date/Score
1/5/05
86%
Section 2
Date/Score
17/9/05
92%
Section 3
Date/Score
20/2/06
80%
Section 4
Date/Score
19/10/06
82%
Total
Score
85%
26
Student Score Cards
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Student Score Cards
This page should be copied onto heavy card stock paper and then into individual cards to be
filled in by every new Disciple. The cards need to be turned into the Discipleship Director.
Student Exam Score Card
Todays Date
__________
Student Name ___________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Todays Date
__________
Student Name ___________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Discipler ___________________________
Section Exam Number _________________
Date Test Taken ______________________
Exam Score _________________________
Discipler ____________________________
Date Test Taken ______________________
Exam Score __________________________
Todays Date
__________
Student Name ___________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Todays Date
__________
Student Name ___________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Discipler ___________________________
Date Test Taken ______________________
Exam Score _________________________
Discipler ____________________________
Date Test Taken ______________________
Exam Score __________________________
Todays Date
__________
Student Name ___________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Todays Date
__________
Student Name ___________________________
Address ________________________________
City ___________________ County _________
Telephone _____________________ Age _____
Discipler ___________________________
Date Test Taken ______________________
Exam Score _________________________
Discipler ____________________________
Date Test Taken ______________________
Exam Score __________________________
27
FIRST PRINCIPLES
There are several ways of getting help with teaching the First Principles Discipleship
Course. We will endeavour to help you with any queries or needs, and look forward to helping
you train believers in the Bible!
Internet/Web: www.biblebc.com
E-Mail:
discipleship@biblebc.com
Telephone:
Telephone within Ireland: (021) 487-1234
From USA: 011-353-21-4871234
Intl: ++353-21-4871234
Mail/Post:
Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Paul Layton, Course Dean
Innishmore, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
US Contact Address: c/o PO Box 849, Rossville, GA 30741 USA
Any feedback is VERY appreciated!

As you study and teach this Discipleship Programme, you might come up with ideas
about how to better teach a portion of the study maybe you will come up with a helpful
diagram, or a good illustration send it on to us, and we will consider adding it to a later
edition that may bless and help someone else down the line!
28
Suggestion Form
PRACTICAL DOCTRINE
Suggestion Form
Use this form to make suggestions for improvements and corrections in the Discipleship programme.
Discipleship Director Name ______________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________________
City __________________________ State/County _______________ Zip/Post _____________
Telephone _____________________________ Email _________________________________
Church Name _________________________________________________________________
Church City _____________________________ State/County __________________________
What Discipleship Edition are you currently using? (It is found on page 2 if it is not clear, please
look down at the very bottom of the page and record the entire last line).
Edition: _____________________________________________________________________
What Changes would you recommend?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Any Corrections? Please provide page numbers:
Page ___
Page ___
Page ___
Page ___
Page ___
Page ___
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Thank You! Please post a copy of this page to:

Innishmore , Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
29
PRACTICAL DOCTRINE
So, What Do You Do Now?
The next stage of your growth
involves either the study of individual
Books of the Bible, or the next series of
Lessons that are available called Practical
Doctrine. Contact your pastor or the
International Discipleship Director on the Help and Support Information page for more
information.
What the Practical Doctrine Course Offers
(To be provided)
30
Award System
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Award System
There are two awards for students who complete the First Principles Discipleship Course:
1. An Official Certificate of Completion for those who at least completed the
Discipleship Course
2. An Official Certificate of Achievement with Honours for those who complete the
Discipleship Course with a better than 85% scoring in all four Section Tests.
Examples of the Actual Awards are provided on the following pages and the documents
to produce them are provided on the Discipleship CD. These awards can be modified to reflect
your own Discipleship Programme, and Church Name, etc.
If a student has applied themselves through the Course, these Certificates prove that the
student has effectively completed the equivalent of a basic First Year Bible College/Bible
Institute study course, and may therefore easily pass any entrance exam that may allow them to
skip several courses and advance into the next years courses! If the student has scores less than
85% though, they may not adequately qualify for skipping Bible College courses. It is very
important to emphasize to every student the need to study and learn these great truths as
presented in the Discipleship Study Course.
31
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Below is an example of the Certificate of Completion that is awarded to the student who
completes the entire twenty one lessons but has earned less than 85% in their overall test scoring from
the Section Tests. It is not the actual award, but just a scanned in image. If the student has completed
the course and earned higher than 85%, they have qualified for the Certificate of Achievement with
Honours that is shown on the next page.
32
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Below is an example of the Certificate of Achievement with Honours that is awarded to the
student who completes the entire twenty one lessons, and earned at least 85% in their overall test
scoring from the Section Tests. This graphic is not the actual award, but just a scanned in image.
33
Whats On the CD?
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Whats On the CD?
If you have ordered the Discipleship CD, the following items are included on the CD in various file
formats:
Document
Examples of Discipleship Flyers and
Advertisements
in US Sized Format (8 x 11)
in European A4 Sized Format (8 11 )
in European A5 Sized Format (8 11 )
Certificate of Accomplishment
Introduction to the Practical Doctrine Course
Example of Discipleship Database
You Can Do It Bible Study Course
MS-Word
PDF
YES
YES
Other
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
MS-Excel
Mp3 Audio
Remember, these items are for your use, or for your Churchs use, and are not for distribution to any
other organisation than the one that ordered them. They are copyrighted, and protected under copyright
law from re-selling. If someone or some other Church wishes to obtain their own copy of this CD and
these Discipleship materials they can contact:
Innishmore, Ballincollig, Cork
Ireland
discipleship@biblebc.com
34
Order Form
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Order Form
Your Name ________________________________________ Date ______________
Address ______________________________________________________________
City _____________________ State/County _______________ Country __________
Post/Zip Code ____________________ Telephone ___________________________
Email ____________________________
Church Name _________________________________________________________
City ___________________________ Country ______________________________
Item Description
US Dollars Euros
Entire Discipleship Programme on a CD
(Includes a printed Discipleship Course Book)
(Licensed for use by an individual Church)
$160
100
(Doctrinal Agreement Form must be signed and included with this order)
Total Cost
[_______]
Discipleship Course Book (165 page book)

When ordering more than 10 Books
$15 each
$12 each
10 each
8 each
[_______]
[_______]
Each Individual Lesson by Post/Mail
$2
[_______]
Each Individual Lesson by Email/Web Download FREE
FREE
POSTAGE:
Postage to Ireland Address
Postage to UK and Europe Address
Postage to USA Address
Postage to Anywhere Else in the World
2
4
5
8
$3
$5
$6
$10
TOTAL THIS ORDER
[_______]
[_______]
[_______]
[_______]
[_______]
Note: These prices are subject to change.

All payments must be made using a Bank Check in either Euros, or US Dollars. Personal checks will
not be accepted. No Credit Card orders will be accepted. Payment is to be made out to Bible Baptist
Church. Please do not send cash.
Bulk orders may require more postage costs to be added to the overall bill. Please email us requesting
final shipping costs if you are making a bulk order.
Mail the payment and this order form to:
Innishmore
Ballincollig, Cork
Ireland
Expect your materials to arrive within two weeks.
Any questions or queries, email: discipleship@biblebc.com
Phone in Ireland: 021-4871234
From elsewhere, ring: 00353-21-4871234
35
THE FIRST PRINCIPLES

Hebrews 5:12
A Practical Bible Study
and Discipleship Course
For New Christians
Discipleship Notebook
Let all things be done decently and in order.

1 Corinthians 15:40
Name: ____________________________
FIRST PRINCIPLES
A. The Word of God. The only thing in this universe that is perfect (Ps 19:7), pure (Ps 19:8; 119:140), without
error (Ps 12:6,7), and capable of directing men to God (Jn 20:31) is the written word of God, the Holy Bible - the
collection of sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, as preserved for English speaking people in the King
James Authorized Version (KJV of 1611), and duplicated in other languages by translations that match both the
faithfulness of the King James Bible, as well as its fruit (Matt 7:16).
B. God. We believe that the Scriptures present its Author as the One, and only One living (Josh 3:10), true, and
eternal God (Isa 45:21; Deut 6:4). We believe that even though the God of the Bible is completely outside of this
physical universe (Jonah 1:9), as well as outside of time (Deut 33:27), He has been, is, and will be completely
involved in human history (Heb 1:1-3) in order to bring to pass His plan for the ages (Eph 1:9,10). We believe that
God is inherently one person, and yet three individual Persons (2 Cor 13:14; 1 John 5:7), and that they are both
separate and individual from each other, and yet indivisible as the Godhead (Rom 1:20).
C. God The Father. We believe the first Person of the Godhead is God the Father, and that as the Father of all
creation (Isa 45:25,26), He is interested in revealing Himself to His creation (Jn 17:1-3).
D. God The Son We believe God revealed Himself to His creation in not only His written word, but also about
2,000 years ago through His living Word (Jn 1:1-3), His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord (Heb 1:1,2). We believe that
Jesus Christ is God in flesh and bones (Jn 14:9), and was as a human, but without a sinful nature (Luke 1:35; 1 Pet
1:19; 3:18) by virtue of His virgin birth (Matt 1:18-25) as described in the Scriptures, and that He is now in
heaven as our High Priest (Heb 7:25,26) interceding for sinners. We believe that He is the Messiah of the Old
Testament, and that His only purpose in coming to this planet as a man was to save sinners (Luke 19:10), and give
them "life, and that more abundant" (Jn 10:10).
E. God The Holy Spirit. We believe the third Person of the Godhead is the Person of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3,4).
We believe that God the Holy Spirit is every Christian's Teacher and Guide in life (Jn 14:26), and that His role is
that first of a Convictor of sin (Jn 16:8-11), then that of Comforter (Jn 14:16), and Intercessor when a Christian
prays (Rom 8:26,27). The Holy Spirit provides gifts to born again Christians for the distinct purpose of winning
people to Jesus Christ, and the edification of the local church (1 Cor 13:27-31; Eph 4:11,12).
F. Creation. We believe that the Scriptures plainly teach a literal six day creation of this present universe as
written in the account in Genesis 1:1-28, and that the account is completely, and scientifically correct.
G. Man. We believe that man was created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28) as described in the accounts in
Genesis, and that that image was marred (Col 3:9,10) by wilful disobedience (Gen 3:6; Rom 5:19) when the head
of the human race, Adam (Rom 5:12), voluntarily transgressed God's clear commandment, therefore marring the
image of subsequent generations until the virgin birth of a Second Adam that would make a way to have the image
restored (1 Cor 15:45-49). By "image", we are referring to man's tri-part being: a body, a soul, and a spirit, and
that these three parts match God's Trinity of Persons (1 Thes 5:23). By "marred" we mean that the spirit of man at
birth is "dead" (Eph 2:1), and in need of regeneration by the new birth; that man's flesh is corrupt and cannot serve
God (Rom 8:5-8); and that man's soul is tied to his sin until it is freed from the flesh by spiritual circumcision (Col
2:11-13). By human race, we mean all humans born in every corner of this planet from the time of Adam through
to the end of time (Rom 3:23; 5:12,18). By "wilful disobedience" we mean that Adam knew exactly what he was
doing when he disobeyed a direct order from God (1 Tim 2:14). The Soul of Man is eternal, and immortal because
it alone is what was made in the image of God in Genesis 1:26,27, and 2:7. It is called the hidden man or the
inner man (1 Pet 3:4; Rom 7:20-23; 2 Cor 4:16-18) and is associated with the heart, will and emotions - not the
body and the flesh.
H. Hell. We believe in a literal, physical place called hell that Jesus Christ referred to more often than He did
heaven. We believe that this place is a place of darkness (Matt 8:12), of unquenchable fire (Matt 3:11-12), of
excruciating pain and torment (Luke 16:23-26), of continual death, and yet never being allowed to die (2 Thes 1:79). We believe that hell was not created for humans, but rather for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41), and
therefore that humans will only go to hell because they deliberately choose to reject the finished work of Jesus
Christ on the cross (Rom 2:8,9) which was the only acceptable payment to God for their forgiveness from sin. We
believe that the judgement of hellfire is forever (Rev 20:14), and that there is no annihilation of the soul - Those
who do not get saved will join the devil (their father, John 8:44) in the lake of fire and will be tormented with
him forever and ever (Matt 25:46; Rev 14:10; Luke 16:22,23).
37
I. Heaven. We believe that God has a reward (Matt 5:11,12) for those who are His people (Heb 12:22,23), and
that that reward is composed of an eternity with Jesus Christ in a place called the New Jerusalem, more commonly
known as "heaven" (Rev 21:2-27).
J. Salvation. We believe that all men, women, and children are sinners (Rom 5:12), and that all humans who are
old enough to know the difference between right and wrong (Jonah 3:11), are accountable to God for every sin that
they commit and must atone for every one of them somehow (Rom 6:23). We believe that man's sins do not make
him or her a sinner, but that he sins BECAUSE he is a sinner (Rom 5:19). Man's sinful state separates him from
the holy God that created him (Rom 8:7,8), and will keep him out of heaven unless he acts to change his destiny
(Luke 13:2,3). We believe that God ordained that man's sins could not be paid for in any other way than through
the sacrifice of an innocent lamb (Ex 12:5). From Adam's fall all through the Old Testament, regular, bloody
animal sacrifices were required to approach God (Heb 9:6-13). These sacrifices of the Old Testament enabled man
to meet with God at a blood-sprinkled Mercy seat (Exod 25:21,22), but required a priestly order to continually
maintain the sacrificial system. This system involved sinful humans and was flawed in that it was limited to man's
imperfections (Heb 9:6-9). Then, "in the fullness of time" Jesus came, as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sins of the world" (Jn 1:29). We believe that Jesus Christ is THE ONLY way to get forgiveness of sins, and to go
to heaven when a person dies (Jn 14:6). We believe that Jesus Christ paid for ALL the sins of the past (by
redeeming them through His blood [Eph 1:7]), and future, by making a perfect, and eternal "once-for-all" sacrifice
on the cross (Heb 10:12). We believe that a man is saved by faith alone (Eph 2:8,9) in the finished and completed
work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Col 1:20,22), and that His blood cleanses a soul from the penalty of sin by
having paid for each and every sin committed by the human race. We believe that salvation consists of three parts:
1) recognizing that every individual is responsible for their sins, to a Holy and Just God, 2) that Jesus took the
responsibility for those sins on the cross, even though He wasn't at fault, and 3) that by accepting Jesus Christ's
offer to take my place in judgment for my sins, I am allowed to go free (as Barabbas was allowed in Matthew 27)!
K. The Security of the Believer. We believe that a born again believer is completely secure in Christ (John
10:27-29; 1 Pet 1:23), and that there is absolutely no way whatsoever that that person can affect their relationship
with God the Father (2 Tim 2:13; 1 John 5:13; Heb 12:5-11; Eph 1:4,5) because their salvation is based upon what
Jesus Christ did (1 Pet 3:18; Jude 24), and not what they did. We believe that a Christian can affect his or her
"fellowship" with God by disobeying clear Biblical commandments and not confessing them and forsaking them as
sin (1 John 1:8,9).
L. Satan. We believe that the Scriptures plainly reveal a spiritual being whose sole desire is to deceive mankind
(Rev 12:9; 19:20; 20:3,8), and turn them away from the simple plan of salvation, and force them to live in the
darkness of their sins, until they join the devil in his eternal judgment (Matt 25:41).
M. The Church. We believe Jesus Christ commanded every born again Christian to assemble together in local,
physical, visible places (Matt 18:20; Heb 10:25) for the purpose of worship, preaching, gathering of tithes and
offerings, sending out missionaries (Acts 13), evangelizing (Matt 28:19,20), baptizing new converts, and
edification. We believe that all Christians are part of Jesus Christ's "body" (Rom 12:5; Col 1:18), which is also
called "the church", but that that "body" has not assembled yet, but will, in heaven (Heb 12:22,23). We believe
that the Lord Jesus Christ gave Christian churches three fundamental ordinances (commandments of our Saviour,
just to believers): Believers Baptism (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-38), for public identification with His death,
burial, and resurrection; the Lord's Supper (1Cor 11:20-34), for remembrance of what our salvation cost Him;
and the task of loving one another (John 13:34; 1 John 3:23).
N. Baptism. We believe baptism is the act of obedience to the command by Jesus Christ (Matt 28:19,20; Acts
2:41,42) to fully submerge a believer into water, in order to identify the believer with Christs death, burial, and
resurrection (Rom 6:3,4), and to testify to the world that that believer is a new creature because of salvation.
Generally speaking, Believers Baptism, by context, means to go into and then come out of water (Matt 3:16;
Mark 1:9,10; Acts 8:38,39), as in complete immersion, and by definition is the only thing that can picture a burial,
whereas all other definitions (i.e., sprinkling, dipping, etc.) cannot picture this. We believe that baptism associates
the believer with the doctrine of the church administrating it (1 Cor 10:1-4), and therefore is the method ordained
by Jesus Christ to keep the church pure from false teacher who may want to enter the church as ravenous wolves,
not sparing the flock (Acts 20:28,29).
O. The Lord's Supper. We believe the Lord's Supper is a serious reminder that the local church, as a body of
believers regularly partakes of in order to remind its members of the cost of their salvation, as well as for spiritual
cleansing, that the church may keep itself pure from carnality (1 Cor 11:28-30).The Lords Supper is simply a
memorial a time to remember what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. (1 Cor 11:24,25). It is not either a
continuation of the crucifixion, or a repeat of the sacrifice of the cross. Only saved individuals, Scripturally
baptized as a profession of their faith in Christ, and living in a godly, Christian manner as members of a local
church, have a right to, or can properly partake of the Communion of the Lord's Supper in our Church. This means
38
baptism is a prerequisite to the memorial supper and the local church can judge the qualifications of those who
enjoy its privileges.
P. Membership. We believe that a local church is to be composed of only born again believers (1 Cor 12:13), that
have chosen not only to obey Jesus Christ's command of baptism (Acts 2:41), but also, have decided to join
together with an organized body of believers for the expressed purpose of soul-winning and discipleship based
upon the doctrines of the word of God (Acts 2:42).
Q. Separation. We believe that the Christian's body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor 6:19,20), that God
owns the body of the Christian, and that God judges the Christian according to how he or she treats God property!
God commands Christians to be different from the world (2 Cor 6:17; 1 John 2:15-17), and to not only be
"peculiar" (1 Pet 2:9) but to be so "peculiar" that they are "foolish" in the eyes of the world (1 Cor 1:18). We
believe that the Bible teaches that Christians are not to marry non-Christians (1 Cor 6:14), and that they should not
look like them, talk like them, or even live like them in areas of promiscuous and immoral dress, or vulgarity of
conversation (1 Tim 2:9; 4:12; 1 Pet 3:1-9). The area of a Christians music and entertainment must be very
conservative and sober (Col 3:16,17; Eph 5:8-11). We also believe that Christians have different levels of maturity
(we are not all the same), and ought to be given time to grow and mature (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18).
R. Missions. A world-wide program of missionary evangelism in accordance with the New Testament principles,
methods, and doctrine. Baptists have always known that the whole world is lost, and in need of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and we have always endeavoured to proclaim that Gospel locally, and throughout the world at all costs.
The mission of the local New Testament Church involves winning souls, baptizing them, training them into a
Biblical culture, and reproducing themselves in their local area (Jerusalem), then in their Judea, and then in their
Samaria, and in the uttermost parts of the earth as well (foreign missionaries) (Matt 28:19,20; Acts 1:8).
S. Giving. God's people are commanded to bring their tithes (1/10th of their gross income) into the storehouse
(Mal 3:6-10) on a regular basis, on the first day of the week (Sunday; 1 Cor 16:1,2) when the local church meets.
The tithes are for the payment of the expenses and maintenance of the Church, and its activities. Extra giving in
addition to the tithe is used to support missionaries, and for various other evangelism.
T. The Second Coming. We believe the only hope for this world as a whole is the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ. We believe that there will be only a downward trend in human depravity (2 Tim 3:1-9), that will only be
broken by the intervention of the physical return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign on this planet (Rev 19:11-16).
We believe the next event on God's calendar is the "catching away" of Christians who are alive at the Rapture (1
Thes 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:51,52; 2 Tim 4:8; Rev 22:12,20). After the Rapture, Satan will reveal his anti-christ, and a
one-world government will be set up during a seven year period of time called the Tribulation. At the end of the
Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to this earth, and defeat the anti-christ's army, regenerate the earth to be like it
was in the garden of Eden (Isa 11:1-9), and bind Satan for 1000 years. After a 1000 year reign, Jesus Christ will
loose Satan for a short time just before casting him into the lake of fire forever (Rev 20:10). At that time, this
present heaven and earth will pass away, and God will create a new heaven and earth for His people for all eternity
(Rev 21:1).
U. Godly Works. We believe in righteous living and godly works not as a means of salvation in any sense, but as
its proper evidence and fruit in the life of a Christian; and therefore as Christ would do, we do everything with the
goal of presenting the Gospel to a lost world for their salvation; therefore we endeavour to love the unlovely, care
for and meet the needs of the poor, and reach-out with compassion on all who would seek, or who need the mercy
of God Almighty, through Jesus Christ the Lord (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:1,2; Matthew 11:5; Mark 14:7; Luke
4:18; 7:22; 2 Corinthians 9:9).
V. The Ministry Of Spiritual Gifts. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all his gifts; and that
the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the growth and maturity of the Christian saints
today; that the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and
their authority became established; that the gift of tongues was never the required outward demonstration of either
baptism or the filling of the Spirit of God; that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith in accord with His
own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 Cor 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Cor 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-16; James
5:14-16; 1 John 5:14,15).
I, _________________________, have read, and agree with the above Doctrinal Statement, on
this date, __________________. Signed: _________________________________________
39
Discipleship Directors HandbookRights Concerning Modifying the Contents of this Discipleship Programme
Rights Concerning Modifying the Contents of this Discipleship Programme

The First Principles Study Programme was developed and written by Pastor Craig
Ledbetter, and is copyrighted 1994-2007. But any portion of this Study may be copied in
part, but not in its entirety without the written permission of the publisher (Romans 13:7) and
as long as there is no charge except for the cost of production.
The Study is available for download from the internet at www.biblebc.com in both HTML
and Adobe PDF file formats. For information concerning these and other publications, please
contact info@biblebc.com. It is also available on CD upon special request.
The entire MS-Word document is available for sale to churches only upon special request.
The MS-Word document is provided to churches with the following conditions accepted by
both the author and the purchasing church:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The programme shall always be called The First Principles Discipleship Course.
The Course can be modified to meet the needs of the purchasing church in any way
deemed necessary without further permission by the author. No other individual, or
organisation is allowed to modify the contents of the Course without prior written
permission by the author.
Neither the course, nor the modifications made by a purchasing church may be sold
on to another church without prior written permission by Craig Ledbetter, or the
Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig, which holds the rights to the content of the
Study Course.
The contents of the official First Principles Discipleship Study Course can and will
change without prior notice. All previous editions will continue to be made
available upon request, but the most recent edition will be the one supported by the
Creator, and the International Discipleship Coordinator.
Any errors in the First Principles Discipleship Course may be due to printing
problems, or may just be unintentional. The content is up for review regularly, and
any suggestions are welcome for needed changes.
Any further questions about content, modification rights, or support can be directed to the
International Discipleship Director at discipleship@biblebc.com
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THE FIRST PRINCIPLES

Discipleship Directors Name: ____________________________

Discipleship Directors Handbook

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers,

the first principles of the oracles of God.

This entire Study Programme has been written by Pastor

Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig, Ireland

Bible Baptist Church In-House Publications (09/20/07 06:08 ) Printed in Ireland.

Discipleship Directors Handbook

Some Things to Have on Hand

Grow With Your Disciples!

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

Biblical Salvation - What Is It?

Requirements for a Persons Enrolment in the First Principles Study Course

Discipleship Directors Handbook

Costs for the First Principles Study Course

How Long Does the Study Course take to Complete?

What is the Fruit of the Study Course?

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

How to Teach Discipleship Making Disciples

Discipleship Directors Handbook

How to Teach Discipleship Making Disciples

Example of Teaching a Page

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

How to Teach Discipleship Making Disciples

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

How to Teach Discipleship Making Disciples

TEACHING TIME AND EFFORT TABLE

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

The Discipleship Team

The Pastor (Ephesians 4:11,12)

The Discipleship Director (Acts 6:3)

Disciplers (Matthew 28:19,20; 2Timothy 2:2; 2:24-26)

Disciples/Students of the Word (Acts 11:26; Philippians 4:9; 2Timothy 3:14)

Discipleship Directors Handbook

The Discipleship Team

The Chain of Command

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

How to Use the Answer Key

Each lesson is in the above format and is

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

How to Use the Answer Key

2007 Bible Baptist Church Discipleship Ministries

Discipleship Directors Handbook

Discipleship Record Information

A copy of this manual that you are currently reading. If any

This ringed-binder will contain specific pages copied out of

A schedule of the current training series with dates and times

First Principles Study Course

A complete copy of the First Principles document. To printout

Student Information Records

Student Information Form (pg 24)