Introduction
Welcome to our Theology Course. We are a global family of churches dedicated to “Word and Spirit” discipleship. Here, we aim to shape both your heart and mind for Christ’s kingdom. Unlike traditional theology programs, we aim to energize worship, prayer, evangelism, care, and discipleship through the study of this material.
For good reason discipleship courses speak more and more about a passion for developing “head, heart, and hands.” The imagery communicates that biblical instruction ought to enrich our minds with knowledge of Christ, expand our hearts with love for Christ, and equip our hands for the works of Christ.
We’ll embrace this three-part description of Christian education, but add to it so that it isn’t interpreted in individualistic terms. We’re not speaking just about my head, heart, and hands. It’s not about me learning, my feelings, and what I do. Biblical education, instruction, learning, and discipleship are always in relationship. We know God as a person. We learn in a family. We are training to become like a Person who lives in community.
From another angle, remember that we’re learning about a person (the Lord Jesus) more than a topic; therefore our learning will be personal. We don’t trust Christ just because he makes the best argument or has the best facts but because we know him and he is trustworthy. Facts, arguments, and proofs factor into our trust of him, but the Person of Christ comes before, during, and after these facts. Ultimately, “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5 NASB).
In light of all this, the Advance Theology Course adopts a particular shape to help express and reinforce our values of word, Spirit, community, and multiplication. 1) Word: The content of this course centers on the Scriptures with everything revolving around their teachings. Expect to read, meditate on, and study the scriptures constantly. 2) Spirit: We believe the Spirit must instruct and apply any truth we come across. He turns it from information into revelation and devotion. Expect to pray, sing, minister, and walk in the Spirit. 3) Community: This course is intentionally designed for the group to grow together in Christ. Expect to pray for one another, discuss the material, and work together toward growth. 4) Multiplication: We receive the gospel freely and are expected to freely give it away to others. Consider this course an activation point for giving away what you will be learning. Expect to communicate the truths you learn, to contribute to the development of the course, and to bring others into the discipleship journey.
The intended audience of this course is current or potential leaders, elders, or church planters. The purpose is to provide biblical and theological foundations to support you and your church’s efforts to strengthen the church and gather the lost.
Course Purposes
Information (Knowledge)—God’s word is truth. If you know and do the truth, the truth will set you free. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for building up people of faith for the work of God’s kingdom. Christianity is a revealed religion; this means we must have revelation from God in order to know him, worship him, and follow him. Knowledge is like the wood we need to build the fire of God. We must have it (and keep adding it), but it’s not enough on its own. (John 17:17; 8:32; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Revelation—Unless a person is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God. We depend upon the grace of God to give us faith, for the power of Jesus to “open our eyes that we may understand the scriptures.” The Spirit of God is the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” We desire that the information we receive would be set aflame by God, a revelation of God’s truth in us. (John 3:3; Philippians 1:29; Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:17)
Devotion—“Eternal life [is knowing] the one true God and Jesus Christ whom God has sent.” The purpose of existence is not simply to “know” truth but to “know God” and to be wholly devoted to him. We desire the information and revelation we receive to strengthen our devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)
Action—“True religion” is defined by actions that imitate the true God. Children of God are known by the ways they imitate their Father in heaven. We cannot be content with simply attaining knowledge or even receiving “revelation”; rather, we press forward to see God’s truth invade an ever-increasing breadth of our daily lives. (James 1:27; Luke 6:35; 1 John 2:5-6)
Course Outline
The Advance Theology Course covers the entire storyline of scripture, summarizes key theological doctrines, and highlights key points in the history of the church. We do all this in only 45 sessions.
Each session requires reading around ten chapters of the Bible or five pages of excerpts, watching approximately 30-100 minutes of video lecture, and engaging in a 1-2 hour group meeting. (When the lecture videos are longer, we have made an effort to minimize the amount of reading so that the total time investment stays to roughly 3 hours/week.)
Material has been broken into 7 modules of 3-12 sessions apiece.
For those who participate in the full Advance Theology Course, a Certificate of Attendance can be issued in liaison with the ATC study group leader (or a Certificate of Completion for those who have completed ATC and successfully written the assignments). For those who wish to reference their ATC participation for consideration of their prior learning when applying to study further at an educational institution, a letter, detailing what ATC covers, can be provided. Please contact david.a@advancemovement.com in this regard.
Course Presenter
The course is presented by Andrew Wilson, who is responsible for much of the preaching and teaching at King’s Church in London, England. Andrew has a PhD in theology, has written numerous books and regularly blogs at thinktheology.co.uk.