The following six week programme has been developed to ground a new convert in the faith. A leader should make an appointment to visit the new convert at an appropriate time. Please note that the aim follow-up is not just to transfer information to the convert, but to help them develop skills for developing their relationship with Christ. During the first visit there are three goals:
1. Seek to Establish an Initial Relationship with Them
The first goal is to get to know the person. It would be helpful to find out something about them and their background. Be sure to come across in a way that shows that you are interested in being a friend and not just their teacher.
2. Help the Person Develop Assurance of Salvation
Next, give the person a chance to talk about their conversion experience. Show them from the Bible that their assurance of salvation rests on what God has done in saving them, and not on what they have done. If they have placed their trust in Christ as saviour they can know with assurance that they are a child of God. Scriptures to share with them include: John 1:12; John 6:47; 1 John 5:13; Phil 1:6. You may like to hint at this point that it is God’s desire that they grow spiritually: 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18. The way they will grow is in developing a relationship with Jesus.
3. Help the Person Experience a Relationship with Jesus
When someone gives their life to Christ they need to start experiencing a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since this is a relationship, we will explore five things that make any relationship work:
A. Learning To Read What God Has Written
1 Peter 2:2 and 3 talks about new born babies developing this great desire for the milk of the word of God. The new believer must have a time, a place and a book to read. To get the new believer into God’s word there is a three-step plan: (a) Meet a person - do not read a book, meet a person; when you are reading what a person has written, you are being with them. (b) Make a connection - to something that you are facing in your life that day. (c) Write it down - get them to keep a “Jesus Journal” from day one of following Christ, so they have a written record of their activity of Jesus Christ and His activity in their life.
B. Learning To Talk To God
Philippians 4:6 and 7 invites us to not worry but to bring all our requests to God with thanksgiving. The new believer should be encouraged to write a letter to God. The following headings can be used: (a) “Dear, Lord, I love you ...”; (b)”Thank you for ...”; (c) “Lord I am sorry for ...”; (d) “Please ...”; and (e) “I promise ...” Have them write a letter to God every day for the next week and to speak it out to God.
C. Learning To Be With God’s Friends
God’s friends are found in a place called the church. Hebrews 10:23-25 talks about not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together because we need to be encouraging one another.
D. Learning To Do What Pleases God
In John 14:23 Jesus says “If you love Me, you will obey Me”, ie. If you love me, you will do the things that make me happy. Now that they have Jesus in their life, they are going to begin to see the things that make Him happy, and the things that do not make Him happy, and they are going to want to change those. Give them a card and have them write this down: “One thing I think Jesus would like for me to change in my life is ...” and “One part of me I think Jesus would like for me to change is ...” For the next seven days have them every morning when they get up, surrender that issue to the lord.
E. Learning To Talk About Your Relationship
The new believer needs to learn to talk about their new relationship with Jesus. We need to teach them to start to look for and pray for natural opportunities to talk about the One who has loved them more than anybody else ever did. Teach them the three open prayer: “Lord, open the heart of one of my friends so that there is a natural opportunity to talk about You, open the opportunity and open my mouth.”
The next step in dealing with the convert is to arrange to meet for the following five weeks and each week to focus on one of the five aspects of growing a relationship. Each week take each of the aspects and share in greater detail what is involved in developing the relationship and give them specific strategies to work on in the coming week. Start each week with a review of the past week’s assignments.
1 Peter 2:2,3 talks about new born babies developing a great desire for the milk of the word of God.
A. To Grow Closer to God You Need:
(1) A Time - You need to set aside a regular time to relate to God through the Bible - the time should suit you. In Mark 1:35 we see that Jesus set an example of getting up early each morning to meet with his Father.
(2) A Place - You need a place where we will not be disturbed or interrupted. That place should become your regular place of meeting with God.
(3) A Book - Finally, you need a book to read. God has given us the Bible to help us grow spiritually. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read how the Bible has been given to help us become more like God.
B. To Get into God’s Word You Need To:
(1) Meet a Person - Do not read a book, meet a person; when you are reading what a person has written, you are being with them. While you read the Bible be conscious that you are doing so to spend time with God.
(2) Make a Connection - To something that you are facing in your life that day. Ask yourself: “How does this verse or passage relate to what I am going through in my life right now?”
(3) Write it down - You should keep a journal so you have a written record of the activity of Jesus Christ in your life.
During the coming weeks I want to help you get into reading and studying the Bible for yourself. Spend the first day reading the introduction section of the document: How to Study the Bible. Then do one of the studies in the book of John during the remaining time until we meet together again.
A. The Right Attitudes for Prayer (Matthew 6:5-8)
(1) Be Real - Don't try to impress God or Others
"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men." (vs. 5)
(2) Be Relaxed
"But when you pray go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (vs. 6)
(3) Be Revealing
"Don't recite the same prayer over and over as the heathen do, who think prayers are answered only be repeating them again and again. Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need before you ask Him! (vs. 7-8 LB)
B. Write Your Prayers Out
Philippians 4:6 and 7 invites us to not worry but to bring all our requests to God with thanksgiving. If you have not done a lot of praying in the past, it would be helpful to start by writing a letter to God. Write one every day for the next week and speak it out to God. The following headings can be used:
(1) “Dear, Lord, I love you because...”
(2) "Lord I am sorry for ...”
(3) "Thank you for ...”
(4) "Please help me ...”
C. Use the A.C.T. S Prayer Model
The four parts of the prayer you wrote and said to God is based on four aspects of prayer which are called: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Each day, as you spend time in devotions with God, you should use ACTS as a prayer outline. Here is some more insights into each:
(1) Adoration ... ”I praise you God because ... ”
Give thanks to the Lord and pray to Him. Tell the nations what He has done. Sing to Him. Sing praises to Him. Tell about all the wonderful things He has done. Be glad that you are His.” 1 Chronicles 16:8-9
(2) Confession ... “I ask for forgiveness for ... ”
“But if we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins. We can trust God. He does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrongs we have done.” 1 John 1:9
(3) Thanksgiving ... “I’m thankful for ...”
“Oh, how grateful and thankful I am to the Lord because He is so good.” Psalm 7:17
(4) Supplication ... “I ask you for ... ”
“Do not worry about anything. But pray and ask God for everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks. And God’s peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that God gives is so great that we cannot understand it.” Phil. 4:6-7
D. Extra Material on the ACTS prayer model
(1) Adoration
Why should we praise God? Jeremiah 32:17; 1 John 4:10; Philippians 1:6.
What is the best way for you to show your gratitude toward God, and your faith and trust in Him in all circumstances (Philippians 4:6)?
What would you conclude that God expects of us (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)?
If you sometimes find it hard to praise God, read some of the Psalms (Psalms 146-150 in particular).
How do you communicate your adoration to God?
(2) Confession
Read Isaiah 59:1,2. What will hinder fellowship with God?
Psalm 51 was David's prayer after he had fallen out of fellowship with God. What did David conclude that God wanted of him (Psalm 51:6,16,17)?
Read Psalm 32:1-7. What was David's observation about confession? What was David's observation about not confessing his sin (verses 3,4)?
What should you do when you find that your fellowship with God is broken (1 John 1:9)?
What sin in your life is keeping you from fellowship with God?
How will you deal with that sin?
(3) Thanksgiving
How often should we give thanks (Hebrews 13:15)?
For what should we praise Him (Ephesians 5:20)?
Why (1 Thessalonians 5:18)?
What about a situation that seems adverse (Romans 5:3,4)?
How do you practice thankfulness when you pray?
Make a list of each problem, disappointment, heartache, or adversity that concerns you. Begin to thank God for each one. Doing so demonstrates your trust in Him.
(4) Supplication
Intercession
An example of intercession is provided in Colossians 1:3. What was Paul's prayer for the Christians of Colosse?
List the requests you have for God to work in people’s lives.
Spend time bring each request to God.
Petition
Why should we expect God to answer our prayers (Matthew 7:9-11; Romans 8:32)?
According to Psalm 84:11,12, what has God promised to do?
What part does belief have in our prayers (Mark 11:24; James 1:6,7)?
Faith is necessary for answered prayers. What else is required (Matthew 6:9,10; 1 John 5:14,15)?
Why will God not answer some prayers (James 4:3)?
How does this relate to your prayer life?
Explain 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 in light of Romans 8:28. What does this passage teach us about apparently unanswered prayer?
On the day that you became a Christian you were joined with other believers into an organism that the Bible calls the Church. The word church comes from a Greek word ekklesia which means: "called-out ones". The word was used when a meeting of people was called in the community. It also includes the idea of being gathered together. So, the church is made up of people who have been called out and brought together. The bible uses several figures of speech to picture what the church is:
1. Body
Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 refer to the church as a body to show how that as believers who have been called together we are each unique, but connected to the rest. We cannot survive without help from each other. When one person is happy the other can laugh with them, when one is sad the others can cry with them.
2. Building
1 Peter 2:1-10 and Ephesians 2:19-22 refer to the church as a building to show that we need to grow together. The individual stones that make up the building need to have their rough edges smoothed off. We become a building in which God lives by his Holy Spirit.
3. Bride
2 Corinthians 11:2 and Ephesians 5:21-33 refer to the church as the bride of Christ to show that we need to view ourselves as joined to Christ in a faithful love relationship. The central idea here is that just as marriage shuts a man or woman off from other sexual relationships, so the church should be separated to Christ.
So far we have looked at what the church is, but what does it do? In Acts 2:42f we find that the New Testament church in Jerusalem met together daily for fellowship, prayer, sharing in the Lord's Supper, and study of the Word of God. God has arranged people in the local church. Each one has been gifted to handle one part of the work. We are one body but many members - read about this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. You need to discover your spiritual gift and find a place in the body where you can use it.
The strongest passage on our need weekly meeting together with other believers for fellowship and spiritual encouragement is Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." We are asked to consider "how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds." Then we are given the means to do it: by "not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some." One way to minister and be ministered to is by cultivating the pattern of frequently and regularly meeting together for fellowship with other believers. We are not simply to get together socially, but to encourage one another. One of the primary purposes of assembling together then, is to hear the Word taught and expounded. It comforts, exhorts, and encourages us in our walk with the Lord. The exposition of the Word along with the personal encouragement of one another become the means of encouragement and comfort which promotes love and good deeds.
Make a commitment to attend church regularly.
In John 14:23, 24 Jesus says: “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching...He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” Here Jesus is saying that if we love him we will do the things that make him happy. Now that you have Jesus in their life, you are going to begin to see the things that make Jesus happy, and the things that do not make Him happy, and you are going to want to change those.
Can you see from these verses that the proof of whether you love Jesus is determined by your desire to obey him? You are not saved because you obey him, but once you are saved you want to obey him.
Complete the following sentence and for the next seven days, each time you have daily devotions, either add a new item to the list, or remind yourself about the item and then, in prayer, surrender it to the Lord:
One thing I think Jesus would like for me to change in my life is ...
One way to learn how to obey Jesus is to ask yourself a simple question each time you encounter a situation that requires a decision. The question is: What Would Jesus Do? Think about what Jesus would do if he were you. How would he react to the situation. Allow this to help you live in a way that will please him.
During your prayer time each day, look back over the day and identify situations in which you chose not to obey God. Admit your failings in these areas and ask God to help you obey him more in future.
“Dear God, I am sorry that I let you down by....Please give me the strength to obey you in future. Amen.”
1 Peter 3:15,16 and Matthew 5:14-16 both say that telling other about what God has done in you life is a natural response to what God has done. As Christians, it is our duty (Rom 1:14; Matthew 28:19-20) and our pleasure to witness for Jesus - to tell those around us about God's salvation for those who do not know him (John 3:16).
You need to learn to talk about you new relationship with Jesus. If people care about somebody, they talk about them. Have you ever met a grandparent. They don't even give you their name. They say, "Would you like to see my grandchildren?" It is amazing, they do not say, "I have not talked about my grandchildren for a couple of months; I suppose I should tell somebody about them." You do not have to go long to get parents talking about their kids. Girls talk about the guy they love; guys talk about the girl they love; you naturally, instinctively, talk about the person you love.
You have discovered a love affair with somebody - with Jesus - I am sure you want to talk about. How? You need to start to look for, and pray for, natural opportunities to talk about the One who has loved you more than anybody else ever did - so much in fact, that he gave his life for you!
I would like you to learn the following prayer: “Lord, open the heart of one of my friends so that there is a natural opportunity to talk about You. Secondly, I want You to open the opportunity - open the door, and thirdly, open my mouth.”
You should pray it every day for a week. You could pray it like this: “Lord, open up the heart of one my friends to somehow say something that will give me a chance to talk about You. Secondly, open the door - open that natural opportunity - get their heart ready; open the door, and open my mouth."
Next week we will talk about whether God did anything with that prayer of yours.
When we look at how people in the Bible witnessed we find that there is an approach suited to every personality type: (1) Confrontational - Peter was a confrontational person who revealed who Jesus was (Matthew 16:15); challenged Jesus; walked on the water and confronted people with the fact that they had crucified the Messiah (Acts 2). (2) Intellectual - Paul was highly educated; an intellectual who presented a well-reasoned argument to the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17). (3) Testimonial - The blind man Jesus healed had something worth talking about (John 9) - he did not enter into theological debate with people, but spoke from his own experience. (4) Interpersonal - After Matthew was called to be a follower of Jesus he put on a banquet for his tax collecting friends (Luke 5:29), inviting them into his home. He cared about them and wanted to influence them towards considering the claims of Christ. (5) Invitational - After the woman at the well had encountered Jesus, she went into the town and brought people to hear Jesus for themselves (John 4). She invited them to an event where they could hear the gospel. (6) Service - Dorcas was a woman well-known for her loving acts of service which she performed in the name of Christ (Acts 9:36). She used a service approach to evangelism as she made clothing for widows and needy people in the town.
Note: I received insights and inspiration for developing this course from interaction with Ron Hutchcraft and from listening to a tape by him entitled: Nurturing New Believers.
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