THE WORD

Our goal throughout The Word is to make disciples who follow Jesus, are changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus.

On this page, you will find multiple resources that will help you take whatever your next step is as a disciple. Whether you’ve been a Christian for 5 months or 50 years, there is always a next step you can take as a disciple. Simply select one of the sections below to learn more about how you can take your next step.

If you have additional questions about becoming a disciple or how to take your next step, stop by our Next Steps area on a Sunday morning and discover how you can follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus and join the mission of Jesus.

FOLLOW JESUS

Following Jesus is the most important decision a person can make in their life. It’s the first step a person makes as a disciple. If you are curious about what it means to follow Christ and have a personal relationship with Him, we want to help you take that step! Stop by our Next Steps area on a Sunday morning after one of our worship services so we can talk to you more about following Christ. In the meantime, you can learn more about following Jesus by clicking here.

Also, we would love for you to join us for an upcoming Connection Class. This is a class designed to help you take your next steps as a follower of Christ at Stevens Street. We ask everyone desiring membership to attend this class as well. Click here to see when our next Connection Class is.

BE CHANGED BY JESUS

If you are a follower of Christ, it is important that you take steps to grow as a disciple. Through The Word, we have provided practical ways that you can implement important spiritual disciplines in your life so you can continue to become more like Christ every day.

READ YOUR BIBLE DAILY

Did you know that reading the Bible is the number one spiritual discipline that makes the most impact? The discipline of Bible engagement impacts every other discipline. Throughout The Word, our church will use a Bible reading plan together. Our goal is not to read every verse of the Bible, but to help people develop the spiritual discipline of reading their Bible on a regular basis. 

To help everyone understand their Bible readings better, our messages every Sunday will be based on a passage from our weekly Bible readings. It is all in an effort to help everyone understand God’s Word better and to become a disciple that is changed by Jesus through His Word. Messages for The Word can be found here.

Miss a previous week? Just start attending Stevens Street? Don’t worry about it! Simply pick up wherever we are on the plan and start there.

Got kids? We have a reading plan for them too! Plans for kids are available in our Children’s area as well as here. The Word provide a great opportunity for families to discuss what each person is reading each day.

Need a Bible? We’ve got you covered there too. Stop by our Next Steps area and we would love to give you an ESV Bible so you can follow along with the plan.

MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE

Throughout The Word, we will memorize Scripture together. Our first memory verse provides insight as to why it is important to do so. Psalm 1119:11 says, “I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” By memorizing His Word, it helps us focus on living for God each and every day. At times, we find the Holy Spirit bringing these verses to our mind when we are sharing our faith or ministering to others. Memorizing His Word is another way that our lives as a disciple can be changed by Jesus.

On the last Sunday of every month, we will provide a new memory verse card for the following month. Place this card where you will see it often. Maybe you tape it to your bathroom mirror, place it in your car, or on your nightstand so you see it every day. Use this card as a tool to help you store God’s Word in your heart.

All verses are from the ESV Bible, but we encourage everyone to memorize the verses in a translation they regularly use.

Previous verses will be found here each month so you can continue to review them throughout The Word.

Have trouble memorizing Scripture? We recommend using apps like Versify that use interactive games to make Scripture memorization simple and effective. 

FIND COMMUNITY IN A LIFE GROUP

One of our goals at Stevens Street is to help everyone Find Community in a Life Group. Being connected with a Life Group helps you grow in your relationship with God and with others on a weekly basis through studying God’s Word together. You can learn more about Life Groups here. You can also visit our Next Steps area or Guest Services to get connected with a Life Group on a Sunday morning.

Just like our messages every Sunday are based on a passage from our weekly Bible readings, our Life Group material is as well. Our Life Group leaders facilitate discussion in their groups. Every week, you will be encouraged to know the Word, study the Word, apply the Word, read the Word, and memorize the Word, all in an effort to create an environment where people can become disciples changed by Jesus and His Word on a weekly basis.

PRAY CONSISTENTLY

Another important spiritual discipline every disciple should have in their life is prayer. If you have a hard time spending time with God in prayer on a regular basis, intentionally schedule time every day that you will commit to praying. Use that time to have a two-way conversation with God. Not only can we use prayer as a time to confess our sin, praise God for who He is and what He has done, and asking Him to help us follow Him with our lives every day, but it’s also a time to sit with him and listen. One specific way that you can pray during The Word is to pray for someone you can share your story with or invite to church (more info on that below).

If you struggle knowing what to pray, Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney is an excellent resource that teaches you a way to use your daily Bible readings to specifically pray for yourself and others.

JOIN THE MISSION OF JESUS

Did you know that the gospel came to you so that it could pass through you? When we become a disciple, we aren’t meant to keep everything we learn to ourselves. Instead we should use everything we learn and all of the disciplines we develop to pass it along to others so they can be discipled. We are discipled so we can disciple others so they can make disciples that make disciples. It can’t stop with us.

Below you will see ways for you to take what you have learned through The Word to join the mission of Jesus and pass it along to others.

BE DISCIPLED OR DISCIPLE OTHERS IN A D-GROUP

One way that you can join the mission of Jesus is to join a Discipleship Group (also known as a D-Group). D-Groups are groups of 3-5 believers that meet weekly for a year of intentional discipleship and spiritual transformation. They are designed to take the disciplines learned through The Word to another level of intentionality. We encourage everyone to be discipled in a group or disciple others in a group with the end goal in mind of making disciples who make disciples. 

Check out our D-Group page to learn more about D-Groups and how you can join the mission of Jesus and make disciples who make disciples.

INVITE OTHERS TO CHURCH

Later this year, we will encourage everyone to ask themselves an important question: Who’s Your One? Who is one person that you know that you could invite to church or share your story with so they can know Christ? We encourage everyone to be praying regularly about who they could invite to church. Perhaps it’s a neighbor, a family member, or a co-worker. Or maybe it’s someone you meet in the grocery store or someone you regularly see at the ball field.

You never know when God will provide you the opportunity to invite someone to church! In the near future, we will be providing invite cards that you can give to someone to invite them to Stevens Street.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Every Christian has a story, the story of how they became a follower of Christ. Do you know your story? If not, we want to help you discover it and learn the value of it.

You may have heard people refer to sharing their testimony with someone. Telling your story is the same thing. Use this worksheet to shape your story. Additional copies are available at Next Steps.

If you are looking for ways you can continue the conversation with someone by sharing Christ with them, check out the 3 Circles app. It walks you through the entire process of sharing the Gospel with someone.

Still Have Questions?

We'd love to help you get connected or answer any questions about our journey through The Word.

Contact the church office:
📞 (931) 526-6398
✉️ info@stevensstreet.org