Begin with Jesus

Know Jesus. Grow like Jesus. Go for Jesus.

The Way of JesusRead before you meet · about 5 minutes

What is a disciple?

In Jesus’ day, a rabbi’s apprentices didn’t just learn what he knew. They followed him everywhere, watched how he lived, and learned to do what he did. That is still Jesus’ invitation: to be with Him, become like Him, and do what He did. At Colonial we say it this way: Know Jesus. Grow like Jesus. Go for Jesus.

Look closely at Jesus’ first invitation: “Come, follow Me... and I will make you fishers of men.” Following Jesus and bringing others to Him come in the same sentence. From day one, a disciple is on the way to becoming a disciple-maker.

It starts with good news

Before Jesus asks anything of us, He gives. The gospel isn’t advice about what we must do. It is news about what God has done. Here it is in four movements:

• God. God made us for life with Him, and He loves us (Genesis 1:27; John 3:16).
• Us. We have turned from God to run our own lives. Sin breaks our relationship with God, with others, and within ourselves, and we can’t fix it on our own (Romans 3:23).
• Christ. Jesus, God’s Son, lived the life we couldn’t live, died for our sin on the cross, and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
• Response. We turn from sin, trust Jesus, and follow Him as Lord. “Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). He forgives us, gives us His Spirit, and makes us new (Ephesians 2:8–10).

If you have never said yes to Jesus, this may be the week. If you said yes long ago, this is a chance to say it again, and to learn to explain it to someone else.

Why a pathway?

We are always being formed by something: our phones, our culture, our habits, our wounds. The practices in this booklet (prayer, Scripture, self-denial, fasting, forgiveness, generosity, community) are time-tested ways to make room for the Holy Spirit to form us into the image of Jesus. We can’t change ourselves. But we can show up, and God does the changing. Notice the order in Mark 1:17: follow Me, then I will make you.

When You Meetabout 60 minutes

Who leads: The discipler leads and models.

Connect· 10 min

• Get to know each other. Each take three minutes: Where did you grow up? When did Jesus become real to you, or is He still a question for you?
• What made you say yes to these twelve sessions? What do you hope will be different by the end?

Read· 20–25 min

Read aloud: Mark 1:14–20

• What does Jesus announce, and what two responses does He call for (v. 15)?
• What did Simon, Andrew, James, and John leave behind? What did Jesus promise to make them?
• Notice the order: “Follow Me,” then “I will make you.” What does that say about who does the changing?
• Where are you with Jesus right now: curious, cautious, ready, or already following?

Practice· 15 min

• Walk through How It Works and The Weekly Meeting together. Try the P.R.A.Y. pattern for two minutes.
• Take the Growth Snapshot (Tool 5). Fill in the Start column only.
• Read Our Covenant aloud. Adjust anything you need to, then sign it.
• Look at The Good News on One Page (Tool 1). Talk through the four movements: God, Us, Christ, Response.

Pray & Plan· 10 min

• Each person pray (or read) this: “Jesus, I want to follow You. Teach me. Change me. Use me.”
• Set your weekly meeting time and your between-meeting check-in.
• Each write one name on the covenant page: someone you’ll start praying for as a person you might walk with next.

Live ItThis week's action step

Go deeper (optional): Write the good news in four sentences (God, Us, Christ, Response) in Tool 1, as if you were explaining it to a ten-year-old.

Pass It Onwithin 48 hours

Tell one person that you’ve started this journey, and ask them to pray for you.

Five Days with Jesus10–15 minutes a day

Use R³ each day: Read the passage slowly, Reflect on the prompt, Respond with a short prayer and one line in your journal.

Day 1 · Mark 1:14–20

Jesus, what are You inviting me into, and what might I need to leave?

Day 2 · Luke 15:11–32

Which son am I most like? What does the father’s welcome tell me about God?

Day 3 · John 3:1–17

Write in one sentence what I believe about Jesus.

Day 4 · Ephesians 2:1–10

Circle everything God does. What is grace? What good works has He prepared for me?

Day 5 · John 15:1–11

What would it look like for me to “remain” in Jesus this week?

Awareness: You Are Being Formed

Each day this week, notice one thing that is shaping your thoughts or desires: a feed, a show, a conversation, a worry. Ask: Is this forming me toward Jesus or away from Him?

Ready to Move On?

□I can explain the good news in my own words (God, Us, Christ, Response).

□We’ve signed our covenant and set our meeting rhythm.

□I’ve started a daily time with God.

When you and your discipler agree these are true, move on to the next session. If not, take another week. That’s growth too.