What Does the Christian Life Actually Look Like — Day by Day?

Most Christians know that following Jesus matters. They know that the gospel changes everything. But in the ordinary, busy, sometimes confusing reality of everyday life — with its pressures of work and money, its struggles with prayer and Bible reading, its questions about suffering and church and what faithfulness really looks like — the gap between what we believe and how we live can feel very wide.

Life with Jesus by Tim Chester is a 12-session discipleship course that bridges that gap. Practically, biblically, and with the warmth and clarity that has made Tim Chester one of the most trusted writers on Christian discipleship today, it takes the great truths of the gospel and shows — concretely and specifically — how they shape every area of Christian life.

This is discipleship as it was always meant to be: not abstract theology, not a list of rules, but the gospel worked out in the actual texture of real Christian living.

For Every Christian — New Believers and Mature Alike

One of the most valuable features of Life with Jesus is the breadth of its usefulness. It includes plenty of material to engage mature Christians as well as new believers, with an emphasis on practical, real-life application to help people follow Jesus in every area of their lives. Life Is Story

This is a genuinely rare combination. Most discipleship courses are pitched at one audience or the other — either introductory enough for new believers but thin for mature Christians, or substantive enough for mature Christians but inaccessible for those newer to faith. Life with Jesus manages both because Tim Chester's approach is consistently grounded in the gospel itself — a foundation that is always the starting point for new believers and always the returning point for mature ones.

It is a great introduction or refresher on living the Christian life — a life-giving relationship with Jesus, biblically grounded, clearly explained, and solidly applied to real life. It will help readers to get going or keep going in following Jesus. Life Is Story

A Course You Can Use in Multiple Contexts

The sessions are designed to be used flexibly in different contexts — and this flexibility is one of the course's most practically useful features. Each of the twelve sessions can be completed in around an hour, making them achievable without requiring significant restructuring of existing small group or discipleship meeting schedules. Goodreads

The course works effectively in three distinct contexts:

Small groups — the discussion questions are designed to generate genuine, substantive conversation about the practicalities of following Jesus, and the group format allows participants to encourage and challenge one another in the application of each session's material

One-to-one — the course is equally well-suited to a discipleship pair or mentoring relationship, where the discussion questions can be engaged with more personally and the application can be tailored to the specific situation and needs of the person being discipled

Individual study — the course can also be worked through alone, with the Bible study and reflection questions serving as a structured personal devotional engagement with the material

The Twelve Sessions — The Gospel Shapes Everything

The course looks at how the gospel and God's grace can shape our attitude towards church, Bible reading, prayer, suffering, how to use our money, and many other aspects of life. Goodreads

The twelve sessions are structured in two parts:

Part One: A New Life

Session 1: Gospel — We Share the Victory of Jesus
Session 2: Grace — We Enjoy the Welcome of Jesus
Session 3: Church — We Belong to the Family of Jesus
Session 4: Bible — We Hear the Word of Jesus
Session 5: Prayer — We Talk with Jesus
Session 6: Suffering — We Share the Sufferings of Jesus

Part Two: A New Way of Living

Session 7: Work — We Serve in the Kingdom of Jesus
Session 8: Money — We Manage the Resources of Jesus
Session 9: Mission — We Share the Message of Jesus
Session 10: Community — We Love the People of Jesus
Session 11: Growth — We Become More Like Jesus
Session 12: Hope — We Wait for the Return of Jesus

This structure — moving from the foundations of the new life in Christ to its practical outworking in every sphere of daily living — gives the course a theological coherence and a practical comprehensiveness that make it genuinely useful as a complete discipleship framework.

Built-In Structure for Every Session

Each of the twelve sessions follows a consistent structure that makes the course easy to lead and easy to engage with:

An imaginary anecdote — a short story that helps participants connect the session's topic to a recognisable real-life situation
Scripture reading and explanation — close engagement with a biblical text that grounds the session's teaching
Comprehension questions — helping participants understand what the text says
Discussion questions — thought-provoking questions designed to move from understanding to application
Suggested action steps — concrete, specific ways to live out the session's teaching in the coming week

This built-in structure means that every session is complete and self-contained — requiring minimal preparation from a leader while still generating rich, substantive engagement from participants.

What This Course Covers

The gospel as the foundation for every area of Christian life — not just the entry point but the ongoing shaping force
Grace — what it means to live in the welcome and acceptance of Jesus rather than performing for it
Church — why belonging to and contributing to a local church is essential to the Christian life
Bible reading — how to engage with God's Word in a way that is regular, fruitful, and genuinely life-shaping
Prayer — what prayer is, why it is hard, and how the gospel makes it possible
Suffering — why Christians suffer, what God is doing in it, and how to hold on to hope
Work and money — how the gospel shapes the way Christians approach their careers and their finances
Mission — what it means to share the message of Jesus in everyday life
Community — how to love the people of God genuinely and practically
Growth and hope — what becoming more like Jesus looks like and what we are waiting for

What Participants Will Gain

A clear, gospel-grounded, and practically useful framework for discipleship in every area of life
Confidence that the gospel is not just the starting point of the Christian life but its continuing and comprehensive shaping force
Practical application — specific, concrete ways of living out each session's teaching in daily life
Rich, substantive discussion — whether in a group, a one-to-one, or alone — that moves from understanding to genuine engagement with how to follow Jesus
A complete twelve-session discipleship framework that can be used repeatedly in different contexts across a lifetime of ministry
Material that works for new believers wanting foundations and mature Christians wanting renewal and refreshment

Who Should Use This Course

Churches wanting a reliable, flexible, and biblically grounded discipleship course for new members, small groups, or one-to-one relationships
Pastors and elders wanting a course to run with new believers or to use in pastoral discipleship relationships
Small group leaders wanting a complete, well-structured discipleship framework with built-in discussion questions
Individual Christians wanting a structured, gospel-centred way to reflect on how their faith shapes every area of their life
Churches in India wanting a discipleship course that addresses the full breadth of Christian living — including work, money, suffering, and mission — in a theologically serious and practically applicable way
Discipleship pairs and mentoring relationships looking for a shared framework to work through together
Those wanting a useful baptism or confirmation gift — a complete discipleship course is one of the most practically useful gifts a church can give to someone taking a significant step of faith Crossway
Anyone who has ever sensed a gap between what they believe and how they live — and wants a structured, gospel-grounded way to close it

What Endorsers Are Saying

"This is the discipleship course I've been waiting for!" — Reader, The Good Book Company Life Is Story

"A great introduction or refresher on living the Christian life — a life-giving relationship with Jesus. Biblically grounded, clearly explained and solidly applied to real life." — Graham Beynon, Head of Local Ministries, FIEC, UK Life Is Story

About the Author

Tim Chester is Lecturer in Historical Theology and Spiritual Formation for Crosslands Training and has written over 40 books. He has a PhD in theology and a PgDip in history, along with 25 years of experience in pastoral ministry. He is a pastor at Grace Church Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire and co-founder of Porterbrook Seminary. He is one of the most prolific and trusted evangelical authors writing today, known for combining careful biblical scholarship with genuine pastoral warmth and a consistent commitment to practical, gospel-centred application. His other contributions to The Good Book Company include Titus For You and Exodus For You in the God's Word For You series, as well as numerous other widely-read books on Christian community, discipleship, and everyday faith.