Real Grace: Disciples Making Disciples

By Brian Kruis

Share your burdens, celebrate your joys as you learn from Jesus and experience His life-changing grace. Real Grace will help you invest significantly into your walk with God and into the lives of others. Enjoy Jesus’ overflowing presence in your life as you live out His passion to make disciples.
“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon vs 6

Real Grace: Disciples Making Disciples addresses the need of the church today to help individuals and small groups reach the world around us. Part one lays out practical, user friendly, lessons that disciple-makers can use to fulfill the Great Commission. Part two of Real Grace helps Christians move forward by discussing: why God wants us to make disciples; how to get started; a biblical model for disciple-making; and strategies for successful disciple-making. Real Grace will challenge and motivate every believer to move forward in their adventure with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian Kruis
• Release date: Feb 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781470002671

Brian Kruis

Brian Kruis grew up as the youngest of nine children in Northwestern New Mexico. Brian’s parents, Rich and Mae Kruis, who were missionaries with the Navajo people had a courageous evangelistic spirit and a passion to share God’s love with those who didn’t know Jesus. They inspired Brian to show others the love of Jesus. Brian and his wife, Sheila Kruis, have spent most of their adult lives serving in education and missions. It was while serving with the Zuni people, that Brian learned how to help others grow in their faith through disciple-making. This part of Brian’s journey helped Brian to grow in his walk with God. God has given Brian a passion to pass this blessing on to others. Brian’s purpose in writing Real Grace is to equip believers in the role of disciple-making. God has blessed Brian and Sheila with five beautiful children. In recent years the Kruis family has been active in foster care and coordinating support and training for adoptive families in Gallup, New Mexico. Brian and Sheila are also active in helping people with wellness as they share with others about a nutrition science company that has blessed their lives significantly. It is Brian’s desire that Real Grace will bless you and your friends, and that you will have the time of your life as you join God in the adventure of disciple-making.

Book preview

Real Grace

by Brian Kruis

Copyright 2012 Brian Kruis

Smashwords Edition

International Standard Book Number: 978-1470002671

Cover Art & Diagram Design by: Theo Bremer-Bennett

Book Design by: Eric Fritzius

http://www.realgrace.org

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All Scripture quotations, in this publication are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION NIV Copyright 1984 (unless otherwise noted) by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

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An immensely practical and useful guide for those called to make the greatest investment in a person's life. As a true teacher, Brian offers sound lessons on how to fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples.

—Dr. Timothy S. Stuart, Co-author of Children At Promise and Raising Children At Promise, High School Principal at Singapore American School.

It is obvious the Holy Spirit led you in writing Real Grace. We so often leave people where they begin in their walk with the Lord. May God use it for His glory and purposes in equipping the church to make disciples!

—Carolyn Newhof, Co-executive Director, Cary Christian Center, Cary, Mississippi.

Real Grace is worthy…for one-on-one discipling or a small Bible study group, from middle school kids on up.  It's Doctrine 101 explained plainly, with Bible passages that support claims.  Its best feature is showing how biblical knowledge should lead to communicating the Gospel so that believers can be influential witnesses in the world.  You can tell Kruis has teaching experience; he whets a reader's appetite and then delivers solid food.  He challenges readers to apply the truth in each lesson to walking as a disciple and leading others to Christ.

—Dan Vander Ark, retired Executive Director, Christian Schools International.

Growing up in Mississippi, I have had to learn how to deal with issues of grace and justice. Real Grace, gives a framework to live out Grace and Justice in the context of discipleship. We all need to learn from this book how to live our lives experiencing Real Grace! It is both practical and biblically-centered, and I encourage others to read it as well.

—Dr. Dolphus Weary, President of R.E.A.L. Christian Foundation and author of I Ain’t Comin Back.

Real Grace gives practical advice on how to fulfill the Great Commission given by Christ in Matthew 28. It has convicted me to be more intentional in seeking relationships in which I can disciple others.

—Kevin Zwiers, High School Bible and Band Teacher and Coach, Rehoboth Christian High School.

Real Grace is an awesome resource, especially for men's Bible studies because of the no-nonsense format. Highly recommended.

—Mike Yorkey, co-author of the Every Man's Battle series and his latest World War II novel, Chasing Mona Lisa.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

How to Use Real Grace

Phone Index and Instructions for Phone Audio Lessons

Book 1: Real Grace for Life's Journey

Stage 1: Lessons to Transform our Minds Through God’s Love and Grace

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection for Us

The Gift of Grace

Our Identity in Christ

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

The Gift of God’s Word

The Gift of Prayer: Talking with and Listening to God

The Body of Christ – the Gift of the Church

The Gift of Faith

Stage 2: Lessons to Allow God’s Power to Transform our Lives

Accountability

Brokenness and Justice

Victory in Spiritual Battles

Attitude and Behavior Checks

Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Confronting in Love

Current Issues – Media, Entertainment, Dating, Etc.

Stage 3: Lessons for Becoming Transformers

Sharing the Greatest News

Becoming Disciple-makers

Book 2: Sharing Real Grace

Chapter 1: Becoming a River of Life

Chapter 2: Un-damming the River: Getting Spiritually Unstuck

Chapter 3: Counting the Costs of Disciple-making

Chapter 4: Initiating Contact: Bringing our Neighbors to Christ

Chapter 5: Living in Christ’s Extra-ordinary Strength

Chapter 6: Milk not Meat

Stage 1 of Disciple-making: Transforming the Mind through God's Love and Grace

Chapter 7: Flying Upside Down

Stage 2 of Disciple-making: God’s Power to Transform our Lives

Chapter 8: Getting out of the House

Stage 3 of Disciple-making: Being Spiritual Transformers, Parents in Christ

Chapter 9: Singing in the Rain (Lessons to Help You Share the Greatest News Ever)

Chapter 10: Practical Tips for Disciple-making

Acknowledgments

About the Author

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Introduction

Playing no touching ground tag with my brother in the living room sure was fun . . . until the antique love seat—the one handed down from my grandmother, the one my mother loved—cracked down the middle from the weight of our jump. The fun ended, the fear began. Of course my parents were not home, so we waited for their return, wondering what their response would be, wondering how we could or should greet them. It wasn’t easy. We met them with our piggy banks in hand, offering our guilt and sorrow. I don’t even remember the consequences, for they surely happened, but I remember being forgiven—what a relief! Real Grace brings forgiveness and freedom from guilt.

My sister Trudy lay sick, dying of Leukemia in the hospital. My parents left the mission field to bring our family to Bethesda, Maryland because of a research hospital there. My mother sat by my sister’s bedside praying for comfort, trying to ease the pain. All the while she laid her concerns at Jesus’ feet—God, how will we feed our six other children through this time, how will you provide?

My father, not finding good work, but needing to feed the family would drive past the hospital, longing to be by his daughter’s side. He’d look at the window of her room with tears in his eyes, begging God for release from this nightmare, begging for my sister’s life, praying for good work.

Groceries would show up on my parents’ doorstep. Neighbors and church members would help. People were praying. God later used these difficult times of Trudy being sick and dying to allow my parents to minister to other parents whose children had died. Through the pain, God restored. Real Grace helps us through the traumatic times of life.

My son—when he was not yet my son—a few days old and just a few pounds of struggling life, lay in a hospital bed with tubes in his nose, grey looking skin, shaking for the need of more drugs to ease the pain of the addiction he lived through during pregnancy. God had His people watching over him—a doctor from our church delivered him, a nurse from our church cuddled him and loved him and cared for him in his first hours of life, and social services asked my wife and me to take him into our home. God and God’s people sustained us for the next three to six months of 24/7 care during withdrawal. God healed him, mind, body and spirit. Now he is our son—legally in the eyes of man, as well as God—and a happy, healthy, energetic part of our family. He is one of the greatest joys of our lives. Real Grace reveals God’s protection, love and blessings for us.

We live in an awesome and beautiful world where there is so much potential for happiness. We also live in a world broken by sin: addictions, broken relationships, loneliness, poverty, hunger, disease, injustice, and death. Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the fullest (John 10:10). He died to pay for our sin and give us victory over sin. He calls us to let His Grace and His Word guide us into wholeness and then become restorers, bringing a message of hope to a broken world. I can think of no greater privilege than to bring light into the darkness—Real Grace brings restoration to a hurting world and helps us understand the good gifts of God.

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6).

As you read and share Real Grace, God will change your life forever. It is unavoidable. God knows the joys and the pain of your life. When you come face to face with our God, who loves and knows you to the depths of your being, scum and all, you cannot help but be changed. When God speaks, light pierces darkness, violent storms become peaceful, worlds are created, bodies are healed, death is conquered, bitter winter turns into spring, captives are set free, and life begins. This book is full of God’s powerful Word. The Almighty God of this universe cares about you and He wants to bring His restoring presence into every area of your life. God has a plan and purpose for us through the struggles and victories of life.

God gave His very life to pay for our sins, to bring us into relationship with Him so that we can enjoy a relationship with Him and pass His blessing on to others. Until I understood that sharing Christ’s love and life and investing significantly into the lives of others was a part of God’s great plan for me, my Christian walk was becoming a stagnant pool instead of a flowing river. I loved God and I knew Him, but my relationship with Him had grown old. I didn’t enjoy church anymore. I felt like reading the Bible and prayer was more of a routine than a conversation with God. I was missing out on the Real Grace that God intended for me through investing in others’ lives as Jesus did.

Real Grace will help you grow in your journey with God. If you do not know much about God, you will be amazed at what He has in store for you. If you have grown up in the church and know God and His Word well, but have not learned how to communicate God’s great plan in the context of meaningful relationships, you will be blown away as God’s life in you flourishes. If you have already been investing significantly into the lives of seekers and believers, you will be blessed with another great tool to share with others.

It is quite amazing that the God of this great universe doesn’t need our help but He calls us to participate with Him in building His Kingdom.  We have the honor of participating in breaking the power of sin and darkness by sharing the life-giving good news of hope in Jesus Christ with a hurting world.  Not everyone is interested in numbers.  Maybe it’s a guy thing because we have this drive to make an impact.  Maybe it’s the math teacher coming out in me, but it boggles my mind that if one Christian disciples just one person a year and that person turned around and discipled another person each year (and this would keep duplicating), in thirty years, over five million people would deeply understand the love, grace and purpose of our God. Do the math, check it out! That is just with one person helping one other person grow in their walk each year.  What if one person in each city or each church grabbed hold of Jesus' call to make disciples?  Real Grace is a tool to help us live out the Great Commission and participate in transforming lives! 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).

How to use Real Grace

Real Grace is two books in one. Book one is: Real Grace for Life's Journey. It has practical, user-friendly lessons that were written and intended to help you start discussions in the context of relationships that will help reveal God’s plan and purpose to transform our lives. Each lesson is packed with passages from God’s Word. The lessons in this course follow a biblical model laid out in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 for helping seekers and believers:

First, understand the transforming power of God's grace and love.

Second, discover how God's guidelines bring true freedom.

Third, learn to live out God's call in our lives to share Real Grace with others.

This book was written to be shared with a friend (or small group) who desires to grow in his or her walk with God. Pray and ask God to show you with whom to meet: someone new to your church, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, or a relative. Ask them to partner with you once a week for a few months for 30-60 minutes, either over the phone or in person. Distance does not need to be an issue.

As you meet together, you can:

Share what has been going on in your lives.

Pray about specific concerns and joys that you want to bring before God.

Review the lesson from the previous week—one or two review questions from the previous lesson.

Listen to the recorded mp3 audio lesson download found at www.realgrace.org or you can listen to the audio lesson on your phone. These lessons are 3-8 minutes long. For phone calls, use the phone index and instructions after the introduction.

Discuss the lesson you read this week. Ask questions and share how the lesson applies to your life. Then plan to continue with this lesson or assign a new lesson for next week. During the week, you can read the lesson for your next time together.

Book two, Sharing Real Grace, was written to help Christians understand in greater depth about God’s plan and purpose through disciple-making. It outlines why God wants us to make disciples, how to get started, a biblical model for disciple-making, and strategies for successfully investing in the lives of others. If you have been a Christian a long time, you may want to first study Sharing Real Grace individually or in a small group and then use Real Grace for Life's Journey with a friend or small group.

It is my hope and prayer that this book will equip you and your church to more effectively carry out the Great Commission. May God bless you abundantly as you read this book and explore God’s adventure for you in making disciples of all nations.

Phone Index and Instructions for Phone Audio Lessons

Call 1-641-715-3800 - the access code is 10242#. During the introduction, press the extension you need for each lesson.

Extension 0 - Introduction

Extension 1 - Jesus’ Death and Resurrection for Us

Extension 2 - The Gift of Grace

Extension 3 - Our Identity in Christ

Extension 4 - The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Extension 5 - The Gift of God’s Word

Extension 6 - The Gift of Prayer: Talking with and Listening to God

Extension 7 - The Body of Christ – the Gift of the Church

Extension 8 - The Gift of Faith

Extension 9 - Accountability

Extension 10 - Brokenness and Justice

Extension 11- Victory in Spiritual Battles

Extension 12 - Attitude and Behavior Checks

Extension 13 - Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Confronting in Love

Extension 14 - Current Issues – Media, Entertainment, Dating,