THRIVE
THRIVE
THRIVE is designed to take new Christians to the next step: from believer to disciple.
Many people, especially in America, are “believers” – they believe that God exists; but very few people are disciples. A disciple is a person who makes the teachings of their master their rule for living. A disciple of Jesus makes the teachings of Jesus – the Bible – their ultimate rule for faith and the way they conduct themselves in every area of life.
A disciple goes a lot further than just believing in God: A disciple knows God, obeys what He says, and walks in personal relationship with Him every day. A disciple is a faithful, following learner of Jesus Christ. One of our Core Values here at Tree of Life is discipleship, which is the process by which someone goes from “believer” to “disciple”. Discipleship is very important to us, and we want to see everyone become great disciples of Jesus. One way that we help people become these great followers of Christ is with THRIVE.
Thrive is a sixteen-week, one-on-one course that outlines the student’s personal relationship with God and introduces them to the key points of the Christian faith.
THRIVE students will be paired with a coach who has been through the course and who will work with them for sixteen weeks to see that they successfully complete the program and gain a more thorough understanding of their personal relationship with God. The student generally meets with their THRIVE coach once a week, on a schedule that they work out together for their own convenience. Here are some of the lessons that students cover during their sixteen weeks of THRIVE:
1
Starting New Life in Jesus
2
Knowing God is Always with You
3
Knowing God as Your Father
4
Freedom Through Dependence
5
Spiritual Living
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thrive was authored by US missionary Rev. James Hall, who is a great friend of ours and a wonderful individual. James Hall has spent a lifetime working for the Gospel of Jesus. Much of his childhood was spent in Burkina Faso, West Africa with his missionary parents. He was active in student ministries in high school and the University of Missouri, where he received a BA in English Literature; and graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary in 1970 with a Master of Divinity. He has served as Chi Alpha Director for the Illinois District Assemblies of God (6 1/2 years) and as senior pastor of Urbana, Illinois Assembly of God (9 1/2 years). After several teaching trips to Singapore, Jim and his family spent a year on the pastoral staff of Calvary Charismatic Centre (A/G) in Singapore, where he began writing materials for new Christians.
After years of careful study of the Scriptures, much thought, and countless personal witnessing and discipling exchanges, God birthed these guidelines and lessons in Jim’s spirit and made them available to others under the title The Harvester’s Handbook (recently re-edited and renamed THRIVE – A Handbook for New Christians). God has also called him to travel to churches using these materials to personally train members in personal evangelism and discipling new believers. In March 1992, the Halls received appointment as U.S. missionaries with the Assemblies of God. Their ministry is focused on the major population centers of the U.S., “equipping the saints unto the work of the ministry,” (Ephesians 4:12). Their methods include training in friendship evangelism and discipling, and publishing materials used in the training courses.
Jim and his wife Betty have been married for over forty years, have two children, and three grandchildren. Over the past 20 years, Jim and Betty Hall have placed thousands of Harvester’s Handbooks (now THRIVE) in the hands of harvest-laborers across the U.S. and other countries. The testimonies that have come in are greatly encouraging. To read more about the Halls and their ministry work, please visit www.newchristian.com.