Mitch — Bible Study Prep Guide

Built on Frank's Jesus First series (jesus_first.md), shaped around what we already know about Mitch.

Diagnostic: where Mitch likely is

From what you've shared and what Frank flagged, here's the working diagnosis:

• He believes he's already saved. He told you he is "a Christian and needs to be baptized." In NT theology those two phrases can't both be true the way he's using them. Salvation lands at baptism (Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3–4; Col 2:11–13) — it's not a post-salvation rite.
• He has no moment of conversion. "Saved → not saved → saved" with no point is a fingerprint of a false conversion, not necessarily of unbelief. He probably prayed a sinner's prayer or had an emotional encounter that was framed as salvation, lost it, then re-prayed.
• He's borrowing convictions from his sister. That's how he got to your church. Good fruit — she has some doctrinal seriousness. But it also means his own footing is shallow. He's standing on her studied position, not his.
• He's open. He came. He shared his life. He's asking for baptism. The Spirit is already at work.

From Frank's "Veils the Spiritually Dead Face" page, three veils are likely operative:

1. The veil of confusion about baptism — almost certainly the biggest one.
2. The veil of false conversions (Matt 7:21–23; Rev 3:14–20).
3. Possibly the veil of belief that they are good (Mark 10:17–20; Rom 3) — depends on his background.

Frank's instinct ("I don't think he has a clue what the gospel is") is consistent with this picture. Don't fight Frank on it. Plan accordingly.

The first meeting: ask before you teach

Frank's doc has a page titled "The Most Important Study: Asking the Right Questions." That's literally where you start. Don't skip to Study #1 yet.

Bring your Bible but don't open it first. Open it once you've heard him.

The questions to walk him through (from Frank's framework)

His story:

1. How did you grow up spiritually?
2. How were you saved?
3. When were you saved?

Opening the door to the gospel: 4. Have you ever heard of the Gospel message? If yes — what is it? 5. Do you believe human righteousness and good deeds are enough to be saved? 6. How and when does a person receive the Holy Spirit?

Exploring his beliefs: 7. Do you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God? If yes, why? 8. Do you believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God? If yes, why? 9. Do you believe Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, and was raised from the dead on the third day? If yes, why? 10. Do you know the difference between a Christian and a disciple from the Bible's perspective?

What you're listening for

• Does his "gospel" include death, burial, resurrection? Or is it about him saying a prayer / "accepting Jesus" / "always believing"?
• Does he locate the Holy Spirit's arrival at conversion, or vaguely / not at all?
• Does he distinguish Christian from disciple? (He almost certainly doesn't — Frank's doc notes "Christian" appears in the NT only 3 times; "disciple" hundreds.)
• Where is the moment in his answer to "when were you saved?" If there isn't one, name it gently: "It sounds like there isn't a specific moment — let's look at what scripture says about that."

Don't argue. Ask follow-ups. Take notes.

You're not trying to win an argument; you're trying to understand where the veil is and which study will land hardest. Tell him you want to think about everything he said and pray about it before you start.

End the meeting with: "Can we open up the Bible together starting next time? I want to look at what scripture says about each of these things alongside you, and let it speak for itself." Then open Study #1.

Study-by-study notes (Phase I: Engage)

These are working notes on each study from Frank's series, focused on what Mitch in particular will likely need to wrestle with.

Study #1 — The Word of God

Heart: Establish scripture as authority before anything else.

Why this matters for Mitch: He has an existing conviction that he's saved. The only way to disrupt that is if he agrees that scripture — not his memory, not his sister, not his prior church — is the standard. If he won't grant that, no later study will land.

Land this question hard: "Will you agree to make the Bible — the Word of God — the standard of your life?" (It's the third closing question in Frank's study.) Don't move on until he answers yes with conviction.

Anchor passages: 2 Tim 3:15–17, 2 Pet 1:20–21, Acts 17:10–12 (the Bereans — examine everything against scripture, even what I tell you).

Study #2 — Repent and Believe the Good News

Heart: What the gospel actually is — the arrival of the King and His kingdom, calling for repentance and faith.

Why this matters for Mitch: Frank's whole point. Most evangelical-tradition "gospels" leave out the kingdom and reduce it to "Jesus died for your personal sins, accept Him, you're saved." Frank's framing here is bigger and harder: Jesus is King, He's reclaiming the world, and repentance is reorientation of allegiance.

Watch for: Whether Mitch can distinguish regret (feeling sorry) from metanoia (change of mind that changes direction that changes life).

Key passages: Mark 1:14–15, John 3:1–8, Revelation 1:5–20.

Study #3 — Sin, Sorrow, and Death

Heart: Conviction of sin. No one is righteous. All have fallen short.

Why this matters for Mitch: If he believes he's already a Christian, he probably hasn't reckoned recently with the seriousness of sin. Romans 3, Matt 5:21–28 (anger = murder, lust = adultery), James 2:10 (break one, break them all). These passages should land hard.

The Grand Canyon illustration in Frank's doc is worth using. No one jumps it. Everyone falls short. A good moral life doesn't save you.

Study #4 — The Gospel of the Kingdom According to Paul (the central study)

Heart: Grace, faith, and baptism work together as one. This is where the baptism conversation has to happen.

Why this matters for Mitch: This is the study that, more than any other, addresses the question he came in with. Walk slowly:

• Eph 2:1–3 — the human condition. We were dead.
• Eph 2:4–9 — Who saves us (God by grace), what saves us (through faith), when are we saved (when God raises us up with Christ — Eph 2:6).
• Col 2:11–13 — what does "raised with Christ" mean? Baptism. Not a work of humans, but of Christ. Buried with Him, raised with Him.
• 1 Cor 15:3–8 — true saving faith content: died, buried, raised.
• Acts 22:6–16 — Paul himself. "Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on his name."

The line Frank's doc lands on:

"Many try to separate grace, faith, and baptism. This is not the Gospel."

If Mitch has been taught that baptism is a separate symbolic act after salvation, this is the study that will challenge that head-on. Don't preach at him. Read the passages and let him answer the questions. Especially: "What happens in baptism according to Colossians 2:12?"

Study #5 — The Cross, the Tomb, the Resurrection

Heart: The cross is central. Love and justice meet there. It confronts the most insidious sin: pride.

Practical: Read Matthew 26–28 or Mark 14–16 together. Then the Medical Account of the Cross in the appendix. Then watch the Cross video Frank references.

Watch for: Godly sorrow vs. worldly sorrow (2 Cor 7:10). The cross should produce the former.

Study #6 — Disciples of Christ the King

Heart: A disciple is a learner / follower / apprentice who surrenders to Jesus as King.

Why this matters for Mitch: Surfaces the difference between "Christian" (cultural / Romans coined it as a slur) and "disciple" (the word Jesus actually used). Luke 14:25–33 — count the cost. Does Mitch want to be a disciple, or just feel saved?

Study #7 — The Ekklesia

Heart: The church is family, not a building or an event. Identity before activity. Mission flows from identity.

Key passages in Frank's study: Col 1:15–18 (Jesus is the head), Eph 2:19–22 (foundation: apostles + prophets, Christ the cornerstone), 1 Pet 2:9–10 (chosen people), Heb 10:23–25 (spurring one another on).

Tie-in to his sister: This is the right study to talk about why being committed to one local body matters, and how his sister can be a real part of his journey even if she's not in your city. Acts 2:42 — devotion to apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer.

Study #8 — To the One Who Is Victorious

Heart: Victory isn't a moment, it's a life that endures. Count the cost. The four soils (Mark 4) — which soil is Mitch?

Anchor passages: Col 2:18–19, Col 3:1–10, Mark 4:13–20.

This is the final pre-baptism study. If he hasn't been honest about which soil he is, push there. The shallow-soil hearer is the one who responds with enthusiasm but has no root and falls when trial comes. He needs to know what he's walking into.

Use the Romans 6:23 visual

The appendix of Frank's doc has a one-page visual gospel tool built on Rom 6:23. It contrasts the WAGES side (sin → death) with the FREE GIFT side (eternal life IN Christ). Each phrase circled and walked through. It ends with the four diagnostic questions:

• Who saves you? God by His grace.
• What saves you? The gospel and true saving faith in who Jesus is and what He did.
• When are you saved? When by faith you confess Jesus is Lord and follow Him into baptism — His death, burial, and resurrection.
• Why are you saved? For His glory and to live as His.

This is a great tool for the bridge between Study #4 and Study #5. Use it as a recap, not a substitute for the study.

The sister question

She brought him here. Don't compete with her — partner with her where you can.

Practical:

• Ask Mitch early on: "Does your sister know we're studying the Bible together? Would she want to be in the loop?" If yes, that's a green flag.
• At some point ask: "If something you came to from scripture differed from what your sister believes, what would you do?" His answer tells you whether he owns his faith or is outsourcing it.
• If he uses her as a trump card to avoid a hard study point, gently name it: "It sounds like you're hoping she'll have the answer. Let's look at scripture first and you can talk to her after."
• Pray for unity between his journey and hers. If she's right with God, she'll rejoice — even if he goes further than where she currently is.

Prayer guide

Daily (especially this weekend on the trip)

• That God softens his heart and removes every veil (2 Cor 3:14–16; 4:3–4 — these are the passages Frank cites for the veils).
• That the Spirit prepares his understanding of Jesus before you ever open a Bible together.
• That his sister's influence works for the gospel, not against it.
• That you would not outrun the Spirit. No timelines. No agenda except his salvation.
• For yourself: humility, patience, no defensiveness when he pushes back, clarity in the studies, and that you would not be intimidated by his existing convictions.

Before each study

• That the specific veil you suspect is operative would lift in that study.
• That you'd ask better questions than you'd give answers.
• That God would give him language to be honest about where he actually is.

Specific scriptures to pray over him

• John 16:8–11 — the Spirit's job is to convict re: sin, righteousness, judgment. Pray that the Spirit does that, not you.
• Eph 1:17–19 — that God would give him a spirit of wisdom and revelation so he may know Christ better.
• 2 Tim 2:25 — that God grants him repentance leading to knowledge of the truth.

Pacing and red flags

Pace

• Don't try to do two studies in one sitting. Frank's series is 8 studies, each ~45–60 min. A reasonable pace is one per week, maybe two if he's hungry and the previous one landed.
• Don't drag past 3 months without a baptism decision unless he's genuinely wrestling. The "spiritual window" doesn't stay open forever.
• Pause when conviction is happening. If a study lands hard, sit with it. Maybe the next meeting isn't the next study — it's just talking through what God's doing.
• Don't move on when he hasn't engaged. If Study #1 didn't land scripture as authority, you can't do Study #2. Go back.

Red flags as you go

• He keeps deflecting to his sister or his prior pastor instead of engaging the text.
• He agrees verbally with everything but can't answer the closing questions of a study in his own words.
• He's enthusiastic but not actually reading between meetings. (Mark 4 — shallow soil.)
• He starts angling to skip past studies straight to baptism. Wait. Frank is right — better that he understands and obeys the actual gospel than that you baptize him into the same confusion he came in with.

Green flags

• He starts bringing his own scriptures to the meeting.
• He volunteers a sin he hasn't talked about yet.
• He asks questions about scriptures between meetings.
• He starts changing his language — drops "I'm already a Christian" and starts saying things like "I need to think about that."

When you get stuck

If a study isn't landing and you're not sure why:

1. Pray with him in the room, mid-study. Not a closing prayer. Stop, pray for the Spirit to give him understanding, then keep going.
2. Loop Frank in. He sent you the series. He cares. A call to him after a hard study isn't weakness — it's the right move.
3. Don't fake-resolve. If something is unresolved, name it: "We didn't land that today. Let's sit with it and pick it up next time."
4. Sometimes the right move is to slow down, not push. If he's wrestling, that's the Spirit. Let Him work.

A note on your own posture

Frank wrote you a kind, swamped reply that ended with a prayer that God would remove all veils to the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ. That's the right prayer.

Walk into every meeting believing:

• Jesus is King.
• The gospel is the power of God for salvation.
• You're not the one saving Mitch — the Spirit is.
• Your job is to declare it clearly, correctly, courageously, and compassionately.

"How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" — Romans 10:14

Mitch is hearing because you are willing to sit down with him. That's not nothing. That's the work.

Quick reference — Frank's series at a glance