Starting Points is a 10 week spiritual disciplines course taught by Pastor Matt White beginning January 20th, 2024.
It's about time you invested in your spiritual life.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Starting Points is a perfect combination of classroom immersion, online instruction, and project-based assignments to give the student a solid foundation in the content and practice of the seven spiritual disciplines covered in the course. It is 10 weeks long, just long enough to be thorough and challenging, but not too long to become an overwhelming burden to fit into your busy lifestyle. You can do it.
The three Saturday in-classroom sessions are strategically placed before, middle, and at the end of the course to prepare the student for a great start, a mid-course boost, and a strong finish. The four-hour sessions provide time for intense instruction and student participation.
The weekly online sessions offer convenience and the opportunity for the instructor to go deeper into the weekly topics and clarify project requirements. The student can share their successes and challenges, ask questions about the coursework, and connect with the teacher and students. See the course calendar here.
3 Saturday Sessions: Three 4-hour Saturday classroom sessions.
6 Online Sessions: Six 1.5-hour online sessions plus one 1-hour intro.
Projects and Homework: Estimate 2-3 hours per week over the 10-week course.
(3) Saturday Workshops: 12 hrs
(7) Online Sessions: 10 hrs
Projects and Homework: 20+ hrs
TOTAL COURSE TIME: 42+ hrs
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be equipped to:
Identify the spiritual disciplines and their purpose to promote spiritual growth and intimacy with God.
Inspire a more authentic and intimate relationship with Christ by developing and practicing the spiritual disciplines.
Increase the effectiveness of the spiritual disciplines through the study of best practices, strategies, techniques, tools and resources.
Create and Implement an action plan to make the spiritual disciplines a part of the daily lifestyle and life-long journey of the believer.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Starting Points introduces the student to seven spiritual disciplines and habits practiced by all great men and women of God since Biblical times. These spiritual disciplines are vehicles of God’s grace through which the Holy Spirit promotes intimacy, spiritual growth, and godliness. Their purpose is to produce within the believer an authentic and dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.
Some of the topics the course covers:
The Spiritual Disciplined Life
Marks of Spiritual Growth
How to Recognize When God Speaks
Prayer that Moves Mountains
How to Fast for Breakthroughs
Meditation that Opens up Revelation
Effective Bible Study Methods
Strategies for Scripture Memorization
The Spiritual Retreat
The Purpose and Rewards of Journaling
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Interactive technology, Multi-media, Lecture, Online video conferencing, Workbook assignments, Q & A, Student-led inquiry and Discussion, Projects, Bible study.
COURSE SYLLABUS
For a more detailed explanation of the course and requirements, click here.
The Disciplines of STARTING POINTS
The Apostle Paul writing in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 explains that Christians are to "examine everything carefully." We will be examining a variety of biblical, time-tested spiritual disciplines. In 1 Timothy 4:7 Paul says, "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." He goes on to say "we labor and strive" (v. 10) , "give your attention to" (v. 13), "Take pains with these things" (v. 15), "Be absorbed in them" (v. 15), "Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching" (v. 16), "persevere in these things" (v. 16).
Therefore we will be disciplined to practice what we have examined and learned and embrace the spiritual disciplines as part of our upward call in Christ Jesus.
The Goals of STARTING POINTS
When we practice the spiritual disciplines they promote
Intimacy,
The psalmist declared, Psalm 73:25 "Whom do I have in heaven but You? And with You, I desire nothing on earth." And also in Psalm 73:28 "But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;"
Spiritual maturity,
Peter explains that we "are being built up as a spiritual house" 1 Peter 2:5. Paul commanded us to "be imitators of God" in Ephesians 5:1 and also in Romans 8:29 he says we are "to be conformed to the image of His Son".
and holiness in Christ.
Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:15 "be holy yourselves in all your behavior". Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 6:11 that we "were washed, and sanctified (made holy), and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."
