What is 'Freedom in Christ'?

Christians can be held back by baggage from the past: personal and spiritual conflicts; wrong ways of thinking; sin-confess-sin-confess cycles; or simply an inability to live out what they believe. They know that Jesus meant it when He said He would set them free but somehow they don't seem to be able to connect with that truth in practice.

The Freedom in Christ Discipleship Course helps Christians resolve these issues by understanding the truth about their identity in Christ and the spiritual battle they are in.

The Course is rigorously biblical using a proven methodology for discipleship. This consists of a programme of discipleship teaching in a similar format to the Alpha course (but for Christians rather than "not yet Christians"), and a process called The Steps To Freedom in Christ, during which individuals deal with conflicts from the past that have been holding them back.

The courses run at Rising Brook cover most of the following (depending on how many sessions make up that particular course:

Key Truths

Jesus said that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free! In the first three sessions we look at some of the key truths we need to know about what it means to be a Christian.

Where Did I Come From?

When Adam and Eve were created, they had life in all its fullness. God met all their needs. They were perfectly accepted, secure and significant. In the Fall they lost their relationship with God. The result for us is that we were born physically alive but spiritually dead and with a huge need for acceptance, security and significance. Jesus came to restore the very same life, acceptance, security and significance that Adam and Eve had originally.

Who Am I Now?

Many Christians think of themselves as simply “forgiven sinners”, but in fact the Bible makes it clear that, because of what Jesus has done for us, we are new creations in Christ. Knowing that we are children of God who can come boldly into God’s presence without condemnation changes everything.

Choosing To Believe The Truth

Everyone lives by faith, even those who are not Christians. It’s who or what we put our faith in that determines whether or not it will be effective. As Christians, it’s essential that what we believe is in agreement with what God has revealed in His Word.

The World, The Flesh And The Devil

Every day we struggle against three things that conspire to push us away from truth. Understanding how the world, the flesh and the devil work will enable us to renew our minds and stand firm.

The World’s View Of Truth

Depending on where and when you were brought up, you will have learned to look at the world in a particular way that seems right to you. But is it? You may also have come to believe that there is no such thing as absolute unchangeable truth. But is that right? When we become Christians we need to make a radical decision to stop looking at the world in the way we used to and start seeing it from God’s perspective by adopting the Biblical worldview.

Our Daily Choice

Christians have a new heart and a new spirit, but we still struggle with many of the unhelpful ways of thinking and behaving that we grew up with (a primary characteristic of what the Bible calls “the flesh”). However, we don’t have to give in to the flesh. We can choose day by day and moment by moment whether to live according to the flesh’s urges or according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Demolishing Strongholds

The environment in which we grew up, traumatic experiences in the past, and giving in to temptation have led to the development of “strongholds” in our minds, which prevent us living according to the truth. Becoming a Christian does not instantly change the way we have learned to think, but we can demolish strongholds by choosing actively to renew our minds to the truth of God’s Word.

The Battle For Our Minds

It’s important to understand that we are in a spiritual battle, which makes dismantling strongholds less straightforward than if it were simply a question of learning to think differently. Every day we face a battle for our minds. However, understanding how Satan works and our amazing position in Christ will equip us to win.

Breaking The Hold Of The Past

God does not change our past but by His grace He enables us to walk free of it. In this section of the course we look at how we can take hold of what Christ has done for us in order to do just that. This section includes going through The Steps To Freedom In Christ.

Handling Emotions Well

We can’t control our emotions directly but they are, in a general sense, the result of what we choose to believe. If we don’t have a proper understanding of God and His Word, and who we are in Christ, it will be signalled to us through our emotions. Failure to handle emotions well may make us vulnerable to spiritual attack. The more we commit ourselves to the truth and choose to believe that what God says is true, the less our feelings will run away with us.

Forgiving From The Heart

Our relationship with others must have the same basis as our relationship with God. Nothing keeps you in bondage to the past more, or gives the enemy more entrance to your life, than an unwillingness to forgive. The crisis of forgiveness is not so much between you and the person who has offended you, but between you and God. Learning to forgive from the heart sets us free from our past and heals our emotional pain. It’s really for your sake that you do it.

Walking In Freedom Every Day

Our success in continuing to walk in that freedom and grow in maturity depends on the extent to which we continue to renew our minds and train ourselves to distinguish good from evil. Walking in freedom needs to become a way of life. In this session we look at strategies for renewing our mind and resisting Satan’s attack. Participants will learn how to deal with faulty ways of thinking that The Steps To Freedom In Christ process uncovered.

The Steps To Freedom In Christ

This is the "ministry" component of the course. Participants will be led through a repentance process using The Steps to Freedom in Christ, so that they can resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts by submitting to God and resisting the devil, and thereby experience their freedom in Christ (James 4:7). It is a straightforward process that is kind and gentle. During the process participants will uncover strongholds that have developed in their thinking that they can work on in the future.

Malcolm, 06/02/2009