I placed cross references for this very topic at Hebrews 6:9 in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible for the key words “things that accompany salvation.” More complete still is the note I placed in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge at Hebrews 6:9.

The Bible-based outline includes such topics as:

1. CARING about spiritual things

a. neglect not our great salvation, Hebrews 2:3

b. care for our own steadfastness, 1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 Thessalonians 3:8.

c. our grounding in the faith as a guard against apostasy, Psalm 1:3. Matthew 7:13-27. Luke 8:13. Ephesians 4:14. Colossians 1:23. 2:7. 1 Timothy 4:16. 2 Timothy 3:15-17. 2 Peter 3:18.

d. the steadfastness of others, Hebrews 3:13. Don’t miss the note given in The New Treasury on this text.

e. Our steadfastness in fellowship, Hebrews 10:25, balanced by careful reference to the many cross references I assembled for Romans 15:7, a MUST READ!

f. guard against the danger of willful sin, Hebrews 10:26.

g. cast not away your confidence, Hebrews 10:35-39.

2. OBEDIENCE. Hebrews 5:9. Matthew 7:24-27. Luke 11:28. John 14:15, 23. Romans 1:5. 6:17. 15:18. 2 Corinthians 10:5. 2 Thessalonians 1:8. 1 Peter 1:22. 1 John +2:3. At this last passage I have listed the commands of Christ at length and in detail in a note in the New Treasury; I have placed only the cross references to the commands in the Cross Reference Guide.

3. TEACHABILITY, humility, and contriteness: 1 Samuel +25:17. Psalm +25:9. Isaiah 57:15.

4. Qualities underlying SPIRITUAL MATURITY, Matthew 5:3-12.

5. FRUIT of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:22, 23.

6. Development of the composite qualities underlying TRUE LOVE, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

7. Progress along the STEPS TO STEADFASTNESS, 2 Peter 1:3-11.

8. Regular PRAYER: 2 Chronicles 7:14. Psalm 119:18. Daniel 6:10. 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

9. A CONTINUING HUNGER FOR and increasing knowledge of THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD, Job 23:12. Jeremiah 15:16. Matthew 5:6. John 5:39. Acts 17:11. Colossians 1:10. 2 Timothy 3:15-17. 1 Peter 2:2. 2 Peter 3:18.

10. DAILY STUDY of God’s Word, Joshua 1:8. Psalm 1:2. Acts 17:11.

The “+” symbol means “find more here” for a major study of the topic by means of cross references.

In The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge I share in a note on Hebrews 6:9 exactly how one may profitably learn to read and study the Bible, and I suggest where a person may want to start.

11. The Bible is the true standard of faith and practice; the danger of false standards, Isaiah 8:20.

12. The Bible teaches that it is a written revelation from God that is written to be understood, Psalm 102:18. 119:104, 105. Proverbs 8:9.

13. The Bible is understandable for each individual is deemed competent to recognize false doctrine, Galatians 1:8, and even judge the truthfulness and correctness of the teaching of the apostles, Acts 17:11.

14. We need to learn thoroughly what the Bible teaches about itself, covered in topic numbers 1014-1121 of The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

The ideas I’ve quickly outlined above really do work and produce the lasting results in lives for Christ that we seek, for I used them successfully in public school, in a Bible discussion club, and in my own Sunday school class.

I think it is high time that we all get working on majoring on the majors instead of the minors. I shudder to think what opportunities are missed in our churches and Sunday schools for teaching for discipleship. God has presented so much valuable truth and instruction for us in the Bible. Why is it that almost no one is effectively communicating this truth into the lives God has set before us?

Even the mainstream news has headlines lately on the alleged demise of the Evangelical church, the terrible two-thirds dropout rate from our Evangelical Bible believing Sunday school ministries once young people progress beyond their teen years, and a headline where a former President claims the United States is no longer majority Judeo-Christian.

This ought not so to be!

I’ll quit preaching while the quitting is good before Pastor Cheatham bans me from posting on his blog!

I believe the idea of mixing business leadership into the church is not all bad. There’s definitely principles we need to learn. But when products are so expensive that only the large, wealthy churches can afford them, it makes me wonder why the product was even developed in the first place. Do we really want people to use our products to help facilitate discipleship, evangelism, and church growth…or are we more concerned with making a buck?

Most definitely! I refrained from mentioning names either way in the article for fear of making one camp or the other angry. My thoughts are more with the cost factor and also with “open source” sharing of our work. I would agree that Lifechurch has some incredible resources available. I’ve personally used their “baggage” series for a group of messages I preached a few years back.

Thanks for dropping by the blog!