Many of us know that the gospel has to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, talks about "good news," and uses terms like "salvation," "grace," and "eternal life." But those words often carry only vague meaning for us. We fail to experience the connection between the terminology and daily life.

In Exploring the Essentials, you will wrestle with what the gospel is and what implications it has for you personally. As you look at what the Bible says about who we are, what God is like, who Jesus is, the reasons for the Cross, what it means to be part of God's Kingdom right now, and what we set our hopes on, you'll see what practical difference the work of Christ makes to the situations you face every day.

The THINKING THROUGH DISCIPLESHIP Series: Discipleship is not just learning information, having a quiet time, and being good. Being a disciple has to do with walking as Jesus did. That means that a disciple's goal is to walk through his home, his workplace, the grocery store-everywhere-talking, acting, and thinking like Jesus.

Thinking is the key. Christ wants not only to change what we outwardly do and say, but (more importantly) to transform the core attitudes, values, and motives behind what we say and do.

In the THINKING THROUGH DISCIPLESHIP series you won't find pat answers or sure-fire formulas for Christian growth. Instead, the studies in this series address real issues that people struggle with in their effort to know God, understand His heart, and see their own lives changed. Each study is designed to help you in the process of becoming more like Jesus on the inside.