Essential Provisions

Beliefs, Virtues, & Practices For The Spiritual Journey

by Various Authors on May 17, 2022

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The Christian life is not a destination. It’s a journey to growth and maturity in Jesus Christ. Along the way, certain truths, character qualities, and disciplines prove especially vital to your spiritual walk. While only God can bring about life transformation, purposeful pursuit of these competencies can help sharpen your focus, plot your course, and give you benchmarks for what it looks like to love God and love your neighbor. Essential Provisions guides you through 31 Core Competencies—a set of central beliefs, virtues, and practices for growing as a fully devoted disciple of Jesus Christ.

Read it online here or order a print copy.

1

Essential Provisions Preface

Article · 2 min read

The 31 Core Competencies described in Essential Provisions help form us into more fully developed followers of Christ.
2

Introducing the Core Competencies

Article · 9 min read

An overview of the central beliefs, virtues, and practices that make up the 31 Core Competencies for the Christian life described in Essential Provisions.
3

Authority of the Bible

Article · 4 min read

As God’s people we have determined that God’s Word will be the ultimate authority in our lives because we believe that Scripture is set apart and inspired.
4

Church

Article · 4 min read

One of God’s foundational pieces of his work and movement in the world, across all of history, is in his creation of the Church.
5

Eternity

Article · 4 min read

Every person who has ever lived is experiencing some form of eternity. The promise of eternal life with Christ enables us to hold on in hope and persevere through trials.
6

Holy Spirit

Article · 6 min read

We cannot be the people God wants us to be apart from the Holy Spirit’s constant work of transformation in our lives.
7

Humanity

Article · 3 min read

God loves all people—all of whom need Jesus Christ as their Savior.
8

Identity in Christ

Article · 4 min read

As a people who believe in God as the Author of life, we look to our Creator to determine our fundamental identity.
9

Jesus Christ

Article · 4 min read

Jesus, the Son of God, is God who came to earth to live among us and offers the only way to life with God forever.
10

Life Purpose

Article · 4 min read

God is the only one qualified to define and give us life purpose.
11

Personal God

Article · 4 min read

God is actively engaged in the affairs of people, wooing and calling us into a deeper relationship with him.
12

Salvation by Grace

Article · 4 min read

Our right standing with God has nothing to with us but instead has everything to do with his grace, generosity, and love.
13

Faithfulness

Article · 4 min read

Our rewards from God have nothing to do with the results we produce, but rather with the faithfulness with which we steward what He has given us.
14

Gentleness

Article · 3 min read

Jesus could show gentleness because he completely trusted in God’s sovereign care and justice.
15

Grace

Article · 3 min read

When we get what we don’t deserve, we’re recipients of grace. When we act graciously to others we honor God.
16

Hope

Article · 3 min read

Jesus alone is worthy of our hope because he alone is faithful and unchanging.
17

Humility

Article · 4 min read

As redeemed children of God, we now have the power of Christ to be humble before God and others.
18

Joy

Article · 4 min read

Joy is the byproduct of a person’s pursuit of God. It’s the glad reward of abiding in Christ.
19

Kindness/Goodness

Article · 4 min read

Followers of Christ should show kindness not out of obligation or in the spirit of tolerance, but out of the overflow of love that Christ has shown us.
20

Love

Article · 4 min read

Based on the amazing, unfailing, and unconditional love that God has for us, his children, we are called to sacrificially love and forgive others.
21

Patience

Article · 4 min read

Patience is included in God’s own description of himself, making patience a key player in sharing God with the world.
22

Peace

Article · 3 min read

Peace is not simply a fleeting feeling or distant desire but is rooted in intentionally giving our challenges over to Jesus and choosing to trust him.
23

Self-Control

Article · 4 min read

Self-control is less about our ability to control ourselves and far more about our ability to surrender to God’s Spirit within us.
24

Bible Study

Article · 4 min read

The Bible is the only tangible resource we have that conveys God’s power to save, sanctify, and equip its readers to serve him and others.
25

Biblical Community

Article · 4 min read

Believers were not created to go through this life alone.
26

Compassion

Article · 4 min read

Compassion on display communicates the love that God desires from his people.
27

Disciple-Making

Article · 4 min read

Believers are called to disciple, to intentionally help other believers grow in Christ and multiply godly beliefs, virtues, and practices in others.
28

Evangelism

Article · 4 min read

Just as firmly as we hold to the truth of the gospel, we need to be devoted to a gracious approach. Being right rarely draws people to Christ, but showing God’s love does.
29

Generosity

Article · 4 min read

Trust God in your giving and you will be truly generous. And, by being truly generous, you will lose nothing and gain everything in return.
30

Prayer

Article · 5 min read

Prayer leads to a closer relationship with our gracious and generous Father in heaven, the source of our relief and rescue.
31

Single-Mindedness

Article · 4 min read

The primary orientation of our lives is meant to be bent toward the purposes of God.
32

Spiritual Gifts

Article · 4 min read

You are a unique part of the body of Christ. You have a purpose and a calling in God’s work in the world, and your spiritual gift is a part of your equipping.
33

Worship

Article · 4 min read

We have an opportunity to worship God in everything we do.

Contributing Authors

Nathan Beltran, Jenny Black, Tom Bulick, David Daniels, Manny Fernandez, Brett Hansen, Ryan Rasberry, Jon Rhiddlehoover, Roger Sappington, Libby Slaughter, Stephanie Thomas, Johnathon Valdez, and Toney Upton

Collection Topics

Discipleship (Spiritual Growth ) Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Growth ) Core Competencies (Central Bible Church) Devotional Collection (Spiritual Growth )

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Time spent in conversation with God leads to a closer relationship.

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My favorite Psalm is Psalm 91

In Philippians 4:6 we are called not to be anxious.

In Phil 4:6 we are called not to be anxious.

In Phil 4:6-8 we are called not to be anxious and if anything is excellent or praiseworthy to think about such things.

God's commandments serve as a template for godly living today. Exodus 20:3-17,22-25

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Essential Provisions

Beliefs, Virtues, & Practices For The Spiritual Journey

by Various Authors on May 17, 2022

Devotionals

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Collection Topics

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Scripture References

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