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Becoming a Beloved Disciple

Everyone knows that John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. At the Last Supper, he sat closer to the heart of Jesus than anyone else. Wouldn’t you love to be that close to Jesus?

You too can be one of His beloved disciples! He has made a way for everyone to be as close to Him as they want to be. You determine how close you will be, not Him.

Some want it badly enough to give everything to have it, laying aside anything that hinders their intimacy with Jesus. They will have what they seek. He draws near to those who draw near to Him.

Perhaps you haven’t been satisfied for a while now. It’s not that He’s not enough, or that you are ungrateful, but you can sense there is MORE – more of His glory, more of His love, more of His untapped vastness – that you are not yet experiencing.

This study is for thirsty souls who are determined to follow Jesus. He is calling you out of stagnation and “church as usual.” He is calling you away from the shores of spiritual mediocrity and complacency, and into the depths of a more victorious life. He’s calling you to a life filled with His Spirit. He’s calling you to be powerfully awakened to your destiny and purpose. He is asking you to make room in your life for Him to show up. He is asking you to sit at His feet and hear His words of love cascade over you. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Come to Me and I’ll show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” 

You have the same invitation John the beloved disciple had – to call yourself “the one Jesus loves.” In this study, you are invited to really believe it and to live your life from that perspective. Anything less is just dry old religion.

Think of a caterpillar. It doesn’t know it can transform into something entirely new—a butterfly that soars on the wind and sees the entire world from a completely different perspective.

Like the caterpillar, you were born to be something—someone—beyond anything you can imagine. A new creation. You see yourself as a caterpillar, but Jesus sees the butterfly. And He asks if you are willing to say yes to His calling, knowing it will radically change the way you experience God, yourself, and the world.

Do you want to say yes? Then I invite you to join me in this online study, Becoming a Beloved Disciple. This journey will transform your life from the inside out and show you who you were always meant to be.

10 Steps to a Deeper Relationship with Jesus

This study provides ten steps to become a beloved disciple, but it’s not about a program or a method. It’s about building a progressively deeper relationship with Jesus. The steps require reaching for more than you have already grasped. No matter where you are in your walk with Jesus, there is always room to grow. Throughout this journey, you will:

Surrender to Him – Steps 1, 2, and 3

Jesus laid down his life for you. You will now be invited to lay down your life to demonstrate your love for Him. Steps 1, 2, and 3 are about surrendering your “old ways” and cutting ties that bind you to other things. He is looking for disciples who put their own world on hold for the sake of the Kingdom – those who lay down their agendas, plans, and decide to be “all in” for Jesus.

Bear Fruit for Him – Steps 7 and 8

Once you are firmly established, you will be better able to discern His plans and purposes for your life. You will begin to care about what He cares about. He chose and appointed you to bear fruit – fruit that will last. You will be invited to join His Kingdom work in ways you’ve never experienced before. Steps 7 and 8 help prepare you to make a difference in this world. Living a deeper life dedicated to the Lord will activate your destiny and purpose for eternity.

Surrender to Him – Steps 1, 2, and 3

Jesus laid down his life for you. You will now be invited to lay down your life to demonstrate your love for Him. Steps 1, 2, and 3 are about surrendering your “old ways” and cutting ties that bind you to other things. He is looking for disciples who put their own world on hold for the sake of the Kingdom – those who lay down their agendas, plans, and decide to be “all in” for Jesus.

Wait upon Him – Steps 4, 5, and 6

Going beyond the norms of religious ritual and duty, you will become immersed and saturated in His abiding presence and power. You will learn more about Jesus as you spend more time with Him. You will be invited to pray and worship at a deeper level than you’ve known before. Steps 4, 5, and 6 are about waiting on Him – intertwining your life with His Spirit and establishing a firm foundation. These steps require you to form new habits; to put on “new ways.”

Wait upon Him – Steps 4, 5, and 6

Going beyond the norms of religious ritual and duty, you will become immersed and saturated in His abiding presence and power. You will learn more about Jesus as you spend more time with Him. You will be invited to pray and worship at a deeper level than you’ve known before. Steps 4, 5, and 6 are about waiting on Him – intertwining your life with His Spirit and establishing a firm foundation. These steps require you to form new habits; to put on “new ways.”

Abide in Him – Steps 9 and 10

He is the vine; you are the branch. You must remain in Him – apart from Him you can do nothing. You will be invited to experience His peace, contentment, and rest like never before. Steps 9 and 10 represent a life lived with a strong, calm balance that only the Lord can provide. This is the result of allowing Him to satisfy every area of your life to its fullest.

Bear Fruit for Him – Steps 7 and 8

Once you are firmly established, you will be better able to discern His plans and purposes for your life. You will begin to care about what He cares about. He chose and appointed you to bear fruit – fruit that will last. You will be invited to join His Kingdom work in ways you’ve never experienced before. Steps 7 and 8 help prepare you to make a difference in this world. Living a deeper life dedicated to the Lord will activate your destiny and purpose for eternity.

Abide in Him – Steps 9 and 10

He is the vine; you are the branch. You must remain in Him – apart from Him you can do nothing. You will be invited to experience His peace, contentment, and rest like never before. Steps 9 and 10 represent a life lived with a strong, calm balance that only the Lord can provide. This is the result of allowing Him to satisfy every area of your life to its fullest.

Each Step Includes:

workbook questions

powerful prayer

worship playlist

verse to memorize

spiritual marker

Chapter Outline

INTRODUCTION – FREE PREVIEW ACCESS

Read the Introduction

UNIT 1: Surrender to Him

UNIT 1: Surrender to Him

Surrendering yourself is an essential part of becoming a beloved disciple. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” It is in dying to self that He begins to truly live in you! And is it really “dying” when a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly? Bottom line: you can’t have more of Him until there is less of you.

Step 1: Your Life is Not Your Own

You may feel you have already surrendered your life – after all, you’re a Christian, right? When you became a Christian, you confessed that you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Now God wants your life – all of it. Real life begins when you surrender yourself completely to Jesus Christ.

Step 2: Lay Your Isaac Down

Are you really committed to become a beloved disciple? He will not be satisfied with half-hearted devotion and the leftovers of your life. This chapter is about undivided loyalty and commitment. Your faith may be real – but is it permanent? Have you answered the question in your own heart and mind whether the loss of anything could ever make you turn away from Him? 

Step 3: Forgive 70 x 7

Growing up in a Mennonite farming community in rural Nebraska was a beautiful, sheltered life – until the day my sister was murdered. Having been saved at an early age, I wish that I could say that as a good Christian it was simple and easy for me to forgive. But it wasn’t. I clearly understand struggling with forgiveness, but also realize the necessity of it for mental, physical, and spiritual health. And no matter what your circumstance, forgiving is not beyond your capability with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is the only way to advance in your relationship with Jesus.

UNIT 2: Wait Upon Him

UNIT 2: Wait Upon Him

Waiting is often God’s preparation for a great mission. But it is not wasted time! He is shaping His precious vessels on the Potter’s wheel. He is slowly transforming the caterpillar into a butterfly in ways that can’t be seen. He is carefully tending the soil so that newly planted seeds can sprout successfully. You will now enter a phase of gentle growth – also known as “waiting.” 

Step 4: Pray Without Ceasing

Before you can bear fruit in the future, God must first teach you to pray. For Him to use you greatly, He will need you to pray greatly. The Bible is a book of prayer. God said His temple was to be a “house of prayer.” You are called to be a house of prayer.

Step 5: Count Your Blessings

In becoming a beloved disciple, you are seeking deeper intimacy with Jesus. Psalm 100:4 says the best way to get there is through praise – “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” Arrive at His feet with praise on your lips! He finds your praise irresistible. 

Step 6: Worship in Spirit and in Truth

Worship is far more than music; it is an attitude of the heart. It is about falling in love with Jesus. All your praying, studying the Bible, and reading books about God will lack intimacy if your heart is not in awe of Him. Not only should you take care that your relationship with Him is right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. You will become an instrument of praise in His hand.

UNIT 3: Bear Fruit for Him

UNIT 3: Bear Fruit for Him

Bright, colorful, summer annual flowers are beautiful. They don’t need much time to mature and produce their showy blossoms. But they are here today and gone tomorrow. Strong, fruit-bearing trees require much more time to grow and mature. God is concerned about your maturity. Here, the complete renewal of your mind is at stake. Eternal destinies will be impacted by your faithfulness and obedience to His direction.

Step 7: Put Your Armor On

Christians are often described as soldiers fighting an enemy. Paul wrote to Timothy and encouraged him to “wage the good warfare,” “fight the good fight,” and “endure like a good soldier.” We aren’t fighting a physical enemy; we are constantly engaging in battle in the spiritual realm. You are going to need to put some armor on!

Step 8: Go and Make Disciples

Jesus has been training you for a reason. As His beloved disciple, you do not simply become pious and holy – you become interested in His interests. He has called you for a divine assignment, a divine plan, a divine placement, a divine destiny. Ephesians 2:10 says that you were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.”

UNIT 4: Abide in Him

UNIT 4: Abide in Him

Work can easily shift your focus away from God. Jesus doesn’t call us to work – He calls us to Himself. The only requirement for a fruit-bearing life is that you abide in Jesus the same way a branch remains securely attached to the vine. You have come a long way, but don’t think for a moment that you need His support any less!

Step 9: Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord

Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples to be humble. Instead, they argued multiple times over who was the greatest. These disciples loved Jesus and had forsaken all for Him. But deep down was this dark, deceptive need for their own power and glory. So it is today. We find ministers, missionaries, public servants, teachers, and evangelists who sincerely love the Lord but eventually fall prey to personal pride. Beloved disciple, you are not yet humble. I am not yet humble. That is why we are so strongly encouraged to pursue it.

Step 10: Rest Beside Still Waters

You have traveled long and far. Now it is important to rest. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Don’t miss His precious presence by frantically trying to please Him. He will use you, yes, but not destroy you in the process. You may destroy yourself if you lack discernment or fail to listen to His guidance about which burdens to bear. Only He can replenish what the world takes from you. You will need times of intimate rest as He has deeper lessons to teach you. It is not a place of stagnation, but a place of glorious unfolding. You will emerge stronger, braver, and more loving than before.

One disciple was beloved.

Beloved means “rare and precious.”

It is indeed a rare thing to be as close to Jesus as John was.

But maybe that’s because you didn’t know how…until now.

SELF-PACED PROGRAM

It’s a self-paced study, so you decide how fast or slow you want to complete the course. You get instant access to all the content, so you can go through the course material when it’s most convenient for you. 

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDANCE

This step-by-step practical study will guide you in becoming a beloved disciple. Each chapter includes workbook questions and exercises you can immediately apply to your life. 

WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION

Because this is an online digital course, it is available worldwide. 

ONLINE SUPPORT COMMUNITY

Once you join the study, you will be part of a supportive online community where you can interact with other members and hold each other accountable in applying what you have learned. 

LIFETIME DIGITAL ACCESS

When you purchase the course, you’ll receive an email with instructions and access to the content. You can start the course at any time you’d like and go at your own pace. If you decide you want to go back through the course again the moment you finish, go ahead! In fact, your membership gives you lifetime access to the course material. 

ENROLL NOW

When life begins to get busy, we can sometimes lose sight of what we need to truly thrive — especially spiritually. Sometimes we need a little help and guidance to grow stronger in our faith. No matter how hectic life gets, you deserve to live the abundant life God has planned for you! Start your journey of personal and spiritual growth today —>

Single participant access

$24.95

Small group access

(up to 20 participants)

$249.95

Large group access

(up to 50 participants)

$799.95

* for groups >50 participants, please contact drstefani@leadinghigher.com

About Dr. Stefani Yorges

At Leading Higher, I partner with people who want to rise to their full potential so they can have an increasingly greater impact on others. As a professor, consultant, and coach, I provide the education and tools to help others thrive. I received my Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Purdue University in 1996 and have worked with thousands of students and clients for the past 25 years.

My mission is to reach as many people as possible with the truth of God’s Word through online studies, practical resources, and lifestyle tools. I hope to inspire you to wholehearted devotion to Christ. I believe the 10 steps outlined in Becoming a Beloved Disciple are worth taking. I can help you start wherever you find yourself today and grow a deeper relationship with Jesus. This study will help you discover who God created you to be and move forward into your amazing destiny.

I am so excited to begin this journey with you! You will be diving deep into God’s infinite love for you. I hope that this study will convince you of one thing: by surrendering yourself totally to God’s purposes, He will bring you the most pleasure in this life and the next. I hope it affirms your desire for “more of Jesus,” even as you live in a culture where most feel they have “enough of Jesus.” What God has prepared for you is more than your ears have heard before, more than your eyes have seen before, and more than your mind could possibly conceive!

For further questions, contact drstefani@leadinghigher.com. Statement of faith can be found here.

ENROLL NOW

When life begins to get busy, we can sometimes lose sight of what we need to truly thrive — especially spiritually. Sometimes we need a little help and guidance to grow stronger in our faith. No matter how hectic life gets, you deserve to live the abundant life God has planned for you! Start your journey of personal and spiritual growth today —>

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