Intermediate discipleship is for those who have received basic spiritual training. Most Christians, sad to say, never get beyond this point.

This intermediate stage of discipleship, like adolescence, is a temporary stage involving tremendous growth. The phrase 'never grew up' can be aptly used to describe many Christians who never received training at the intermediate stage. Perhaps one can call them worldly, but one thing is clear. They face all sorts of unneeded difficulties in life.

What difficulties? Worry, bad relationships, bitterness, lack of patience, loneliness, sickness, lust, addictions, poor marriages, problems raising children and tempers are just some of these troubling points. These problems can be deep-rooted in our hearts. 

Sometimes, they manifest themselves in physical symptoms, and we often seek doctors and psychiatrists for healing. God has a clearer way. They do not need to experience these any more!

John the Elder knows that God wants to bring every Christian through these different problems that they face in their lives. As the Spirit uses God's Word to bring them to victory over their sins, the Christians begin to grow in faith. They learn how to use God's Word to overcome problems which can then be used to help them in other areas of their lives. And, of course, they can share what they have learned with others.

Do others want to hear? Sure, they do. Those who have experienced God's powerful Word at work in their lives share personal testimonies on how the Lord led them from defeat to victory. And so with each victory, they are touched more and more by God's love and find freedom and desire to serve others.

Most Christians, unfortunately, have no clue that they can overcome these things. God makes them aware of their problems that they might seek Him for answers. But all they hear are things like,

"What do you expect? You are human, aren't you?"

And so, they just accept these problems as normal rather than areas needing breakthrough.

Many Christians today do not have the stamina or motives to serve. They are fighting too many problems in their own personal lives or at home to 'take on' anything else at church. Or they just lack the faith to step into service. They feel very insecure about their defeated Christian lives. This is, perhaps, all they know and feel. Who can blame them for lack of commitment?

This intermediate stage is a process. Many different things are happening over a period of time. The basic training can take place in just a few months, but this intermediate stage will take a few years depending on their training and receptivity. But the changing point happens when they can see their faith grow by how God has led them into victory over their sins. God, their Savior, is really alive and personal by rescuing them from the influences of sin in their lives.

There is so much more to share about how God helps us grow and how we actually use God's Word to find that victory. Worship for the new Christian is based on forgiveness of sin through Jesus. But the Christian in this stage will find a fuller sense of worship because they are constantly reminded how their loving Lord led them out of their personal sins that brought pain wherever they turned.

Our books, videos and articles powerfully show how God's Word, under the leading of the Spirit, brings His people into victory where previously, there was only defeat.

The confusing part is that there are so many areas in our lives that we need to grow in and learn how to apply the power of God’s truth to. The key is to focus on one area at a time and keep pursuing growth in that area by using God's Word. Once a man or woman has been brought through this stage, they are not easily defeated by the evil one. Of course, there are temptations as long as we are on earth, but they are of a different nature.

This is discussed more in the #3 Advanced Discipleship stage. Those that have seen the powerful work of the 'sword of God' (the Word of God) are not easily cowered into a corner. They have learned to fight!

Biblical Foundations for Freedom (BFF) has a lot of materials discussing discipleship at the basic level as well as at the intermediate and advanced levels. We even have a diagram that shows the flow of discipleship from one stage to another. But now we briefly introduce the wealth of materials available here free of charge at the Intermediate Discipleship stage. We do not charge for the use of these materials.

Our burden is to equip Christians to grow. We recognize that many around the world do not have the many materials we have available around us so we have made them free to get, use and adapt for teaching purposes. We thank the Lord for grace to be able to maintain this vision.

BFF has many sets of intermediate discipleship materials as well as individual articles. They are designed to train the Christian how to use God's Word to have victory in each area of their Christian lives. More can be said, but we hope sufficient material can get you growing in any area of your life.

We have mentioned God's Word several times. As Elder John has said, it is key to gaining victory. BFF also has many resources on getting to know God more. This is a lifetime pursuit. It is essential to make Bible reading, study and meditation a regular part of your lives. We suggest that after you read a passage or book of the Bible, go to our Bible resources page. And read a bit. Take your own notes of how God is speaking to you. As we grow in God's Word, we will be more able to grow strong in battle.

Be sure that spiritual growth is not possible without the Word of God. We suggest that you go to BFF's topics or Bible reference index. If you do not immediately see your topic, put one or two words in the search box there. You will be surprised to see how many passages and articles that refer to the topic that you are interested in. The truths that these passages bring out are largely those truths that we need to know to overcome temptation, whether it be Old or New Testament. All are important. Without a good grasp of God's Word, you will stand victim to the devil's attacks.

Read on to see read a brief introduction of each set of intermediate discipleship material. As you are reading through, the most important thing for you is to identify for yourself where you are facing problems in your personal walk or areas that you need to grow in (they are associated). As you are reading through, God might prompt you about one category.

Or if you are interested in reading more about discipleship, go to the directory at the bottom of the page. This will lead you to where you want to go. We suggest you start at the Reaching Beyond Mediocrity series first introduced. It is foundational to all the other material.

Don't get lost in the great number of materials here.

And never stop growing!

Reaching Beyond Mediocrity: Being an Overcomer

Think of intermediate discipleship as the time one learns about how to rightly handle God's Word so that you can overcome temptation. We are excited to introduce a whole new D2 Intermediate Discipleship book, and all the resources of worksheets, handouts, audios and videos. All the following materials are built on top of this general introduction. Don't skip over it! It is fundamental.

Here are some basic questions that are answered in this series.

• Why am I not spiritually growing anymore? What should I expect?
  
  
• One area of my life holds me back. How can I break through this?
  
  
• I want to grow but just do not know what to do next. What steps should I take?
  
  
• I feel bad about where I spiritually am right now. I am not sure anything can help me. Should I feel this way?
  
  
• I want to disciple others but do not know where to start or what to say. Can you help me?

And do note the introduction of video podcasts into this training. Order the BFF #2 Digital Library to help you keep all these materials organized and ready to use.