FAQ

Love The Lord discipleship course

  1. Introduction | How was the Love The Lord discipleship course developed?
  2. How to benefit | How can each disciple get the most out of Love The Lord?
  3. Leader training | How can group leaders get trained to teach this discipleship course?
  4. Facilitation | What is the best way to facilitate discussions?
  5. Group size | What is an optimum size for a discipleship group?
  6. Solo | Can I do the course on my own, if I don’t have a small group to meet with?
  7. Demographics | Is this course applicable to all ages and demographics?
  8. Frequency | What is the suggested frequency of group meetings?
  9. Maturity | Do disciples need a certain level of spiritual maturity to take this course?
  10. Cost | How much do the course materials cost?
  11. Results | What can disciples expect to gain from the Love the Lord course?
  12. Sponsors | Who supports this ministry financially and who are your sponsors?

 

1. How was the Love The Lord discipleship course developed?

Love the Lord is a small-group discipleship programme that helps participants to uncover the common lies, fears, and spiritual strongholds that hinder their walk with God. Based on over a decade of research and the testimonies of hundreds of believers, ranging in age from their 20’s to their 60’s, this course seeks to equip followers of Jesus with biblical teaching and practical insights into how to love God and others as Jesus commanded, with the help of the Holy Spirit. For a list of the 40 topics covered, please refer to the Course materials.

Luke 10:27-28 ESV  And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 

Please refer to About Us for our beliefs.

Back to top

 

2. How can each disciple get the most out of Love The Lord?

Discipleship is not merely about behaviour modification, but being transformed in heart, mind, and soul to become like Jesus, through God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Each disciple is encouraged to invite the Lord to open and transform their hearts and minds, as they watch each lesson and prepare their homework (one hour is recommended) before meeting with their small group for discussion and prayer. Please do not skip over any lesson because each lesson builds on teachings from previous ones.

John 4:23-24 ESV  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Gather with other like-minded disciples who desire to seek God with all their hearts. Share candidly and confidentially with each other, praying for and holding one another accountable to walk faithfully with the Lord in love, humility, and obedience.

Back to top

 

3. How can group leaders get trained to teach this discipleship course?

This discipleship course offers interactive videos that encourage disciples to study, reflect, and seek the Lord on their own. This makes it easier for small group leaders, as their main role is to facilitate conversations on what the Lord has shown each participant during their time with Him. Participants can also take turns to lead discussions for different lessons.

Back to top

 

4. What is the best way to facilitate discussions?

The best way to lead discussions is to ask questions and to listen, and to pray for one another to seek the Lord for His will. No one should dominate the discussion. Every disciple has different needs and comes from different backgrounds, and a good facilitator will not only observe what is being said, but also what is not being said. Facilitators will also initiate safe, open, and authentic confessions, by starting with their own.

Back to top

 

5. What is an optimum size for a discipleship group?

An optimum size for a discipleship group for Love The Lord is no more than six disciples per leader. This helps facilitate intimate discussions on sensitive topics.

Back to top

 

6. Can I do the course on my own, if I don’t have a small group to meet with?

It is possible to do this discipleship course on one’s own, but the full potential for one’s spiritual growth may be limited. It will also take more self-discipline to finish all the lessons in a timely manner.

Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Back to top

 

7. Is this course applicable to all ages and demographics?

This course is applicable for young adults and older. It is best for discipleship groups to be of the same gender, to allow more intimate sharing and confession.

Back to top

 

8. What is the suggested frequency of group meetings?

Consistent weekly discipleship meetings are suggested.

Back to top

 

9. Do disciples need a certain level of spiritual maturity to take this course?

The Love The Lord discipleship course benefits both new and mature believers. It is recommended that new believers who take this course are paired with more mature believers who have studied the Bible and are not likely to mis-quote God’s Word or mislead God’s sheep.

Back to top

 

10. How much do the course materials cost?

There is no charge for the course materials.

Back to top

 

11. What can disciples expect to gain from the Love the Lord course?

Participants report that they have a better understanding of themselves and what blocks them from experiencing peace, rest, and intimacy with God. They also learn to develop crucial spiritual disciplines, such as repentance, fasting, listening to the Holy Spirit, and reading the Word of God for themselves. Please refer to the testimonies below.

Back to top

 

12. Who supports this ministry financially and who are your sponsors?

The ministry is supported entirely by those who have gone through the course themselves. Previous participants provide either financial help or time as volunteers.

Back to top

 


Testimony 1 – Love The Lord course

I took the Love The Lord course back in April 2019 because a close friend had highly recommended it. 

Initially, I thought many things were not relevant to me. My parents are Christians, all except one of my grandparents are/were also Christians. We are a very loving family, we never did those occult things at home. I was really just blessed to have that growing up and to be honest, I had it pretty easy. I was positive that I did not have any childhood hurts / trauma / generational curses that I had to deal with. 

But to my surprise, the course brought to light some things in my heart that I had to deal with that I was not aware were there before. 

One of the things was that despite having gone to church my whole life, I had a very warped view of what God is like. I saw him as a strict, disciplining father. If something bad happened to me, I would tend to think that God is trying to punish me for something that I did. For example, a few years back, I had to get surgery done, and I thought that God was trying to punish me, perhaps for dating a non-believer at the time. I really resented God for it. I do still struggle with this image I have of God sometimes, but when I find myself falling prey to these lies from the enemy, it is really helpful to go back to the basic truths I learned from this course about God’s character and my identity in Him. 

So when I pray now, I try to start with praising God for who He is, and it also helps me to fix my eyes on Him, rather than my problems / desires / wants.

The relationship with a non-Christian that I mentioned earlier lasted for almost six years and had a profound impact on me. In fact, I was still dating him when I took the course. When we got to that chapter about ungodly soul ties, I just wanted to skip it. I almost skipped class that week because I didn’t want to face the topic. What I didn’t want to hear at the time – but also turned out to be true – was that yoking with a non-believer is serious because it has an impact on your soul. 

In hindsight, it was a toxic relationship, filled with anger and negativity, even though he was willing to go church sometimes, God wasn’t in our relationship. Eventually, we broke up a few months after the course and I cut ungodly soul ties with him and felt a change in my heart. It’s a bit hard to describe except that it is sort of a sense of lightness. 

People around me also commented that I became happier, more relaxed, and less easily irritated.

The other discovery that I had from taking the course, which was the biggest surprise to me, was that I actually resented my sister. My sister was born with a disability, she had a pretty tough childhood, being bullied in school. She struggled academically and had some anger issues. I didn’t think my parents were playing favourites but naturally, they had to spend more time on her growing up, not only dealing with these issues, but also going in and out of the hospital, and taking her to physiotherapy because of her condition. 

All these years, I never really blamed anyone. I thought that it was logical that my parents had to spend more time on her. At the same time, I never had a good relationship with my sister. I couldn’t put my finger on it for the longest time, but we just didn’t get along. This always bothered me too. We were like strangers living under the same roof.  

During one of the prayers, the other disciples were pretty convinced that there were things that needed to be dealt with when it came to my sister. I was a bit frustrated with them at one point – I was like, “Guys can you stop harping on this point, I don’t resent or hate my sister, or blame my parents. She has a disability, that’s what they had to do.” But because they were so insistent, I sort of acquiesced, and was like, “Fine, I don’t think there is anything there but I’ll repent anyway, just in case.”

The strangest thing happened when I started to verbalise my emotions towards her. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that deep down, I felt neglected and hurt growing up. I also thought that she made my parents’ lives very difficult when she was younger. It was heartbreaking for me to watch, especially watching my mom. And because I felt that my feelings were not justified, I suppressed them. That resulted in bitterness and resentment. 

In my renewal prayer, I was guided to see my sister in a different light. Instead of seeing her as burdensome and angry all the time, I was able to see her how God sees her – she was happy, carefree, and very lovable.

One thing I want to encourage you is that a lot of these changes that I have experienced did not take place during the course, or right after the course.

For me, the renewal of my heart and my mind took place more gradually and that could be the case for you too. I found myself going back to the truths that I learned in the course. I became more aware of how the enemy tries to lie to me and when I’m faced with spiritual attacks, I recognise them and I have a better handle on how to tackle them. 


Testimony 2 – Love The Lord course

I have been a Christian for two decades, but many of those years, I was just a churchgoer, not seriously committing myself to the Bible, to church, nor to God.

Only when I had children did I begin to think of how I wanted to raise the kids differently. I knew I wanted them to know God personally, but that would require me to do the same too, and so I began the journey of finding out who God was. My kids and I began Bible Study Fellowship. I served in the Children Ministry as well as the worship team at church, and I would attend weekly Life Groups, participate in outreaches, mission trips…everything. But marital, parental, and extended family relationships were all a struggle for me.

I had heard of Love the Lord (LTL) from a couple of friends from church and how it helped them so much. When my church elder suggested I take the course, I thought he must think there was something wrong with me. I was under his tutelage at church for 10 years so he knew where I was spiritually. He said the course would change the way I look at many things and that it would hasten my spiritual growth. He said that the commandment is to “love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength”, but what does that mean? The journey in LTL will help me to know what hinders me from an intimate relationship with God. I trusted his recommendation and without considering too much, I went ahead, in July 2021, with full confidence that this is where God wants me to be.

Love the Lord taught me that my parents are the first people who teach me what love is and more often than not, their expression of it may be corrupt. For me, the way my parents loved on me was very practical, uncommunicative, and neglectful. They had both been through World War II and lived with very limited resources so they did the best they could under the circumstances. But how we view our parents could manifest into how we see God, and that is just not who God is. I also recognised that if I learned what love is from my parents, then as a mom to a tween and a teen, I have the same authority and impact. I am relieved that this self-awareness prompts me to love on them in a different way, one that hopefully reflects the love of our Heavenly Father.

Growing up, I had very few friends who I truly confided in. I did not have mentors or any other kind of guidance. Relationships were shallow and unsatisfying. I now know that every time my mom said ‘no’ to a wish I had (to learn ballet, to learn piano, to have a sleepover, to attend my high school graduation party), or each time I got rejected or ridiculed or bullied, a layer is added upon my heart. And after repeated hurts day in and day out, well, you have a pretty big onion, filled with layers and layers of pain and anger. God desires and is able to give me a new heart by peeling away one layer at a time. LTL is an inner healing prayer ministry that is scripture-based—every week, the scriptures reveal a deep and overwhelming love that God has for me.

When people dismissed or looked down on me, I would make an inner vow to work hard to be better than them. My mom was overprotective and controlling when it came to my education and social life—I made a vow to never be that kind of a mother with my future children. LTL taught me that all these inner vows became our ungodly truths and strongholds, which we need to be free of, if we are to live and love freely.

Each of our days is filled with so many words and thoughts. How do we test whether these words and thoughts come from the Holy Spirit or from the enemy? Knowing the difference is critical because it drives our actions toward flesh and death, or toward peace and life. LTL showed me how to recognize the difference and how to break the built-up patterns, so that I can take captive every thought and make them obedient to Christ.

One of the breakthroughs experienced during LTL was how the Holy Spirit convicted me in my seventh week of the course to stop yoga cold turkey after practicing it for twenty-plus years. Though many have questioned, warned, and urged me to abandon yoga years ago due to its roots in Hindu idols, I continued and convinced myself that it was purely exercise and stretching and that I do not partake in the meditation nor chanting portion of yoga. I now know I was deceiving myself and that I was unknowingly honoring the Hindu gods, which grieved the Holy Spirit. When we say our allegiance and commitment is totally to God, our lifestyle and choices should reflect only that. Nothing more, nothing less. The most incredible miracle which happened right after I made this decision to stop yoga was that my irregular heart palpitations I had been experiencing for more than half a year also stopped.

LTL has been so beneficial not just for myself but being armed with the knowledge of how we are all shaped by our parents’ warped expression of love, our accumulated hurts and offences, soul ties that have not been cut from the occult, ungodly places, and idols, I can be in a better position to walk with and empathize with others in their brokenness.

A bonus from taking the LTL course is being able to share with a group of ladies, intimate details of our struggles and burdens. The leader shares openly, which encourages us to also be open, honest, and non-judgmental toward one another. We strengthen and edify one another.

So, would I recommend this course and who would I recommend it to?

The answer is absolutely and it is for anyone who is wanting to take his/her relationship with God to the next level, reconciling with Him on all offences—past and present, known and unknown to you—so that you can engage and partner with Him intimately. Whether you are a new believer or have been a Christ-follower for a long time like me, there is still so much to learn about yourself, about God’s love for you, and be blessed and enriched by this course.

Having been a believer for two decades, I thought I understood God and that I was a seasoned Christian. I had the right intentions, the godly outlook and though pride would set in from time to time, I was overall on good terms with God. But God wants so much more than just to be on good terms with me. LTL taught me that God wants to reach to the deepest part of my heart, get to my core and cleanse me from the inside. There are no prerequisites for this course—just an open, humble, and trusting heart, ready to be healed and transformed