Bible Truth Foundations
Session Notes · Part 1: New Life in Christ
How to read this: Bold = word to land on. Scripture = read aloud. Amber = ask the room. Green = your bridge. Purple = facilitator cue. Red = pastoral / watch-for. Times run from the start of a 30-minute session.
Standing Habits · Every Session
Section A · The Gospel Foundation
Before You Start
Ask the room
"If someone asked you what 'eternal life' means, what would you say? What does the phrase bring to mind?"
John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life..."
Cue
You've heard it many times. Read it slowly. The promise is not just escape from punishment; it is life.
Caution
Reducing the Gospel to "heaven and hell" makes it feel irrelevant to someone struggling right now. Both are real; neither is the whole point.
John 17:3 (NKJV)
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
1 John 5:12 (NKJV)
"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
John 10:10 (NKJV)
"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
Running over?
Drop the Genesis 4:1 point first, then Galatians 1:4. Never cut John 17:3.
Pick 1-2
• Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God. What changes if your faith is personal and intimate rather than formal or religious?
• If eternal life is available now, what would your week look like if you lived as someone who has it today?
• For someone in a genuinely hard season, what is the most honest thing you could say about Galatians 1:4?
Cue
New believers may be quiet. Invite, don't push: "There's no wrong answer here."
Land it
"Eternal life is not a doctrine to hold at arm's length. It is a life to live, starting today." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"Have you ever felt you needed to earn God's approval through something you did? Where did that idea come from?"
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
"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."
Cue
Every phrase carries weight. Ask the room which phrase leaves no room for our contribution ("not of yourselves").
Luke 18:13-14 (NKJV)
"...'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other..."
Caution
Self-righteousness is rarely loud. It sounds like "I'm not as bad as..." or "God owes me for my attendance."
Romans 10:13 (NKJV)
"For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.'"
Running over?
Drop the Greek on "merciful" and John 1:17 first. Never cut the parable or Ephesians 2:8-9.
Pick 1-2
• Both men went to the same place to do the same thing. What made the difference in how God responded?
• Where does self-righteousness show up quietly in everyday life, outside obviously religious settings?
• Is there anyone you have assumed is beyond the reach of Romans 10:13? What does "whoever" say about that?
Watch-for
Someone may be the "tax collector" in the room. Keep the tone warm; no examples that point at anyone.
Land it
"You can't earn a gift. You can only receive it, with empty hands, like the tax collector." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"When you think about standing before God, do you feel you measure up? What do you base that on?"
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Cue
This verse is an exchange. Ask: what moves in each direction?
Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Philippians 3:9 (NKJV)
"...not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."
Caution
This is not God politely overlooking sin. Christ was made sin itself. Galatians 2:21: if righteousness came by the law, Christ died in vain.
Romans 4:3 (NKJV)
"Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Running over?
Drop the Greek (dikaiosyne) and Titus 3 first. Never cut 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Pick 1-2
• Most people hope God judges them on whether they were a good person. How would you respond to that hope now?
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 says you become the righteousness of God in Him. What does it feel like to believe that is true of you today?
• If you fell badly and publicly next week, would your sense of standing before God change? What does your answer reveal?
Cue
Let the last question sit in silence for a moment before anyone answers.
Land it
"Your standing before God rests on Christ's finished work, and it does not move when you do." Close in prayer.
Section B · Knowing God
Before You Start
Ask the room
"What's the first word that comes to mind for God's attitude toward you personally? Where did that word come from?"
Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Cue
Notice the timing. God did not wait for you to improve before acting. Read it again with that in mind.
Genesis 3:9-10 (NKJV)
"Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?' ...'I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.'"
Romans 5:10 (NKJV)
"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son..."
Caution
God did not "become loving" in the New Testament. Same God who pursued Adam sent His Son. The law was a tutor (Galatians 3:24), not His final word on Himself.
1 John 4:8 (NKJV)
"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
Running over?
Drop Genesis 3:21 and the Galatians 3:24 caution first. Never cut Genesis 3:9 or Romans 5:8.
Pick 1-2
• Back to your opening word. After this lesson, has it changed? Why or why not?
• After failure, Adam hid. When have you hidden from God rather than turned toward Him? What makes hiding feel safer?
• What's the practical difference between changing to get God's love and changing because of it?
Cue
Some first words will be negative ("disappointed", "distant"). Thank people for honesty; don't correct them in the moment.
Land it
"God came looking for Adam. He's still the one who comes looking." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"When you read the Old Testament, does God seem the same as the God you see in Jesus? If not, where does the difference come from?"
John 14:9 (NKJV)
"He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"
Cue
Jesus is not describing a likeness. He's saying "look at Me and you have seen Him." Hold that through the teaching.
Galatians 3:24 (NKJV)
"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Caution
Severe consequences in the Old Testament were real. Severity of consequence is not the same as withdrawal of relationship.
Colossians 1:15 (NKJV)
"He is the image of the invisible God..."
Running over?
Drop Romans 5:13 and the Genesis 4 detail first. Never cut John 14:9 or Colossians 1:15.
Pick 1-2
• Does the parent and young child picture help explain the Old Testament, or does it leave questions? Which?
• Which specific thing Jesus did or said shows you most clearly what God is actually like?
• If someone had never read a Bible and you could only use Jesus to describe God, what would you say?
Cue
If someone raises a hard Old Testament passage, acknowledge it: "Good question. Let's talk after." Keep the room on Jesus.
Land it
"If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Every time." Close in prayer.
Section C · Response and Commitment
Before You Start
Ask the room
"Think of a time you were heading the wrong way and had to change course. What made you stop and turn around?"
Luke 15:20 (NKJV)
"...But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
Cue
Two movements in one sentence: a son turning toward home and a father already running. Name both.
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)
"...not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
Caution
Matthew 7:21-23: religious activity without genuine turning is not repentance. Jesus is looking for the real thing.
Running over?
Drop Luke 16 and Isaiah 55:7 first. Never cut Luke 15:20.
Pick 1-2
• How does "a change of direction" differ from how you've heard repentance described? Does the difference matter?
• The father saw the son "a great way off". He'd been watching the road. What does that say about God toward someone who hasn't yet turned?
• What's the difference between religious activity and genuine repentance? How would you know which you had?
Watch-for
Someone may be carrying something specific. Offer to pray one to one afterwards; never in front of the group.
Land it
"The father was watching the road. He'll see you while you're still a great way off." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"Think of the deepest commitment you've made in life. What made you willing to make it, and what has it cost you?"
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
"...you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
Cue
Ask: whose initiative is described first? The call rests on something that has already happened.
Luke 9:62 (NKJV)
"No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Caution
Commitment doesn't earn salvation. Grace first; commitment is its fruit. Equally, grace is no reason to commit to nothing (Romans 6:1-2).
Running over?
Drop Ezekiel 16 / James 4 and John 2 first. Never cut Luke 14:26 or 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Pick 1-2
• What conditions do people commonly attach to following Jesus today? Do you recognise any in yourself?
• Pressure or prosperity: which do you think more often crowds out commitment in church communities?
• "Bought at a price." How does that change what you think you're entitled to do with your time, money and choices?
Cue
Keep it honest, not heavy. The aim is clarity about the "let me first", not shame about it.
Land it
"He didn't wait to see how committed you'd be before He gave everything. He's asking to be first." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"What do you already understand about water baptism? What questions have you always wanted answered?"
Romans 6:4 (NKJV)
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
Cue
Ask: which three events in Christ's story does this map onto? (Death, burial, resurrection.)
Pastoral · say this up front
Sincere Christians hold different views (infant and believer's baptism). "We teach one position clearly; we don't settle the debate."
Acts 22:16 (NKJV)
"And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized..."
Caution
Two errors: "I was baptised so I'm saved" without faith; and treating baptism as optional or endlessly deferrable.
Running over?
Drop 1 Peter 3:21 and the Greek first. Never cut Romans 6 or the "doesn't save you" point.
Pick 1-2
• If someone watched you being baptised and asked what you were doing, how would you explain it with Romans 6?
• How should a church handle a topic where genuine believers disagree? What does unity look like here?
• "Why are you waiting?" Is there something you know you should do but keep deferring? What causes the delay?
Cue
If an unbaptised believer is in the room, follow up one to one afterwards; don't single them out.
Land it
"Baptism doesn't make you new. It tells everyone you already are." Close in prayer.
Section D · Life in Christ
Before You Start
Ask the room
"Now that you believe in Jesus, do you feel fundamentally different from before? What has changed and what feels the same?"
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Cue
"In Christ" appears over 300 times in the New Testament. It describes a real union. Read it again with that weight.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV)
"...may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless..."
Pastoral · framework
This three-part view is the lesson's framework; others hold a two-part view. The practical teaching applies either way.
Galatians 4:6 (NKJV)
"...God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'"
Caution
Two errors: "my spirit is new so sin doesn't matter"; and "I still struggle so the new birth didn't happen." Neither follows.
Running over?
Drop Colossians 1:27 and the Greek words first. Never cut 2 Corinthians 5:17 or the gap.
Pick 1-2
• If you felt largely the same after coming to faith, how did you make sense of it? How does spirit, soul and body help?
• 1 Corinthians 6:11 says "you were washed" in the past tense to a church with real problems. How do you hold that identity when behaviour doesn't match?
• Galatians 4:6 says God's Spirit is in your heart. What difference should that make to prayer, difficulty and decisions?
Cue
Expect relief in the room. Many have quietly wondered if they're "really saved". Let that surface gently.
Land it
"Your performance on a given day is your soul catching up. Your identity is what God settled in your spirit." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"When you pray, do you come as someone accepted and welcome, or as someone trying to earn a hearing? Where does that come from?"
Ephesians 1:4-6 (NKJV)
"...He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love... by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
Cue
Three statements: chosen before the world began; holy and without blame; accepted. Pause after each.
Ephesians 4:24 (NKJV)
"...put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
1 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV)
"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."
Caution
"Too good to be true?" By human merit systems, yes. That's grace. Don't soften the claim; make sure it's believed.
Running over?
Drop Ephesians 3:16-19 and the rooted/grounded point first. Never cut Ephesians 1:4-6.
Pick 1-2
• Which righteousness do you tend to relate to God from: your behaviour or His gift? How can you tell?
• How would you explain "one spirit with the Lord" to a new believer without it sounding abstract?
• Does knowing you're fully accepted make you more or less likely to live well? What does that reveal?
Cue
If resistance surfaces ("sounds too easy"), welcome it. Name it as the place the lesson is meant to land.
Land it
"You were accepted before you said a word. Come from there." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"After you've sinned or failed God, what does your relationship with Him feel like? Do you feel you need to do something to get back?"
Hebrews 10:14 (NKJV)
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
Cue
Point out the two tenses: "perfected forever" is complete; "being sanctified" is ongoing.
Pastoral · say this up front
Sincere Christians disagree on whether salvation can be lost. We teach eternal security clearly; all agree sin matters and the answer is confession and return.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Romans 4:8 (NKJV)
"Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."
Caution
Romans 6:1-2: "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!" Security frees you from fear to love; that produces better change, not worse.
Running over?
Drop teleioo and the Hebrews 10:16-17 detail first. Never cut Hebrews 10:14 or the "what sin does" list.
Pick 1-2
• After sin, do you instinctively move toward God or away? What does that reveal about what you believe?
• If someone truly believed Romans 4:8 in their gut, not just their head, how would daily life change?
• Have you ever waited to come back to God after failure: penance, feeling sorry enough? What moved you out of it?
Watch-for
Someone may be in active sin or recent failure. Offer private follow-up; never press for disclosure.
Land it
"One offering. Perfected forever. Come back immediately; the door never closed." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"When you read the Bible, do you expect it to change you, or does it feel like duty, information or routine?"
Mark 4:26-28 (NKJV)
"...the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head."
Cue
The sower doesn't make the seed grow. Ask: what does that say about God's Word planted in a heart?
Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night..."
John 6:63 (NKJV)
"...The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
Caution
Not every storm is a faith test. Sometimes the right response is to call for help, seek medical care, act practically. Word and wisdom together.
Running over?
Drop Romans 8:5-6 and the Greek on "beholding" first. Never cut the growing seed or the storm.
Pick 1-2
• Have you avoided part of Scripture because you didn't understand it? What does Mark 4:27 say to that?
• What's the difference, in practice, between reading and meditating?
• What do you spend most time beholding: news, social media, worry? How is that shaping you?
Cue
Avoid guilt about Bible-reading habits. Aim for one realistic step, not a reset.
Land it
"You don't have to understand how the seed works. You just have to plant it." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"When something painful happens to you or someone you love, is your instinct to assume God sent it or allowed it for a reason? Where did that come from?"
James 1:16-17 (NKJV)
"Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
Cue
"Do not be deceived" signals James is correcting a common error. God doesn't alternate between blessing and affliction.
Pastoral · say this up front
Christians differ here: some believe God ordains suffering for His purposes; others that He doesn't cause it but redeems it. All agree God tempts no one and is the source of good.
John 10:10 (NKJV)
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life..."
Acts 10:38 (NKJV)
"...who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."
Caution
Two errors: "suffering means you lacked faith" (Paul suffered, 2 Corinthians 11) and anger at God for what He didn't do. He's your ally in the storm, not its author.
Running over?
Drop 1 John 3:8 / Isaiah 53 and the "shadow of turning" detail first. Never cut James 1:13-17 or the Romans 8:28 point.
Pick 1-2
• Where did you learn who sends difficulty into people's lives? How has it shaped how you pray in hard seasons?
• When people are sick or struggling, do most resist or accept? What shapes that?
• Have you seen either error: suffering as proof of weak faith, or anger at God? How did it resolve?
Watch-for
If grief surfaces, stop teaching. Listen, pray, and follow up privately. Never explain someone's loss to them.
Land it
"God is not guilty. He is for you in the storm, not the one who made it." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"When you became a Christian, did anyone tell you there was more available beyond salvation? If not, does that surprise you?"
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Cue
Spoken after the resurrection, before Pentecost. They were already believers. He promised something they did not yet have. Read it a second time with that in mind.
Pastoral · say this up front
Serious, scripture-honouring Christians hold different views here. "We teach one position clearly; we don't settle the debate. Bring your questions to your leaders."
John 20:22 (NKJV)
"He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"
Acts 2:4 (NKJV)
"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
Acts 8:15-17 (NKJV)
"...prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them... Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."
Luke 11:13 (NKJV)
"...how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Pastoral · no second-tier Christians
The new birth is complete and sufficient. Identity in Christ (Lessons 9 and 10) does not depend on this. "There is more available, not less of you." Absence is not rejection.
Running over?
Drop Acts 19 first, then the "baptism = immersion" point. Never cut Acts 8 or Luke 11:13.
Pick 1-2
• Acts 8 shows a gap between salvation and empowerment. What does that say to people years in church who feel something is missing?
• Sharing your faith: does it feel like something you do in your own strength? What would change?
• If Luke 11:13 is true, why have so many never asked, or asked and stopped? What gets in the way?
Cue
Sceptics and the uncertain may stay quiet. Invite, don't push: "Openness, scepticism or something else? All are welcome here."
Watch-for · don't manufacture
No pressure to produce an experience. Offer prayer afterwards with leaders for anyone who wants to ask.
Land it
"Salvation gave you the life of God. The Father gives the Spirit to those who ask." Next lesson: how to receive. Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"Is there a gap between what you believe God has made available and what you experience day to day? What accounts for it?"
Acts 10:44-46 (NKJV)
"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word... For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God."
Cue
Point out: no laying on of hands, no long build-up. And the evidence was something others could hear.
Pastoral · say this up front
This continues Lesson 14's position, plus tongues as the normal New Testament evidence. Other traditions see tongues as one possible sign or as ceased. Hold it clearly and kindly.
Acts 11:15 (NKJV)
"And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning."
Caution
Passivity (waiting without asking or yielding) and manufacture (imitation, repetition). The utterance can't be faked. Ask, yield, speak in trust.
Running over?
Drop the Greek (hosper) and the Gentile background note first. Never cut the four movements.
Pick 1-2
• Is there anything you've relied on as a substitute for a direct encounter with God?
• Speaking before you have the words is a step of faith. Where else in faith are you asked to act before you see?
• Those who've received: what was it like and how did it change your prayer life? Those who haven't: what questions are most alive?
Cue
Let testimonies be short and ordinary. Avoid anything that sounds like a performance to match.
Watch-for · no pressure
Offer to pray with anyone afterwards, with leaders present. Nothing in front of the group unless they ask.
Land it
"Ask. Believe. Yield. Speak. The Father gives the Spirit to those who ask." Close in prayer.
Before You Start
Ask the room
"Have you ever been in prayer without the words to say what you needed to? What did you do?"
1 Corinthians 14:2 (NKJV)
"For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries."
Cue
Paul doesn't dismiss tongues here; he defines what it's for. Direction: upward. Content: mysteries.
Pastoral · say this up front
Some hold tongues ceased (1 Corinthians 13:8-10); others that it continues. We teach continuation, taking Paul at his word in 1 Corinthians 14.
Jude 20 (NKJV)
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit."
Caution
Two errors: making tongues the test of spiritual standing (not all speak, 1 Corinthians 12:30) and dismissing it as embarrassing. Hold it at Paul's assessment.
Running over?
Drop the intercession story and benefit three first. Never cut 1 Corinthians 14:2 and Jude 20.
Pick 1-2
• Those who practise tongues: does it build you up? What has changed in your prayer life?
• When have you not had the words to pray? What would a prayer beyond that limit mean?
• Final lesson of Part 1: which lesson shifted your thinking most, and which truth do you most need to keep working out?
Cue
Leave the last question for the final minutes. It doubles as a Part 1 review.
Land it
"Part 1 began with eternal life as knowing God. It ends with your spirit speaking directly to Him." Close in prayer.