Keys to Effective Follow-Up
1. Ask the Lord
to help you make a friend out of the new believer. It is
vital to help new converts to gain encouragement, love and
trusting relationships with Christian friends. Trust the
Lord to help you involve the new believer in a small group
fellowship of other loving and accepting believers. Help
them to see how mature believers help equip us for the work
of service for the building up of the body of Christ. (Eph.
4:11-16)
2. Help the new believer understand that they are a like a
newborn babe that needs spiritual food, fellowship and
guidance to successfully mature in Christ. (1 Pet. 2:2)
3. Set up a time to meet with the new convert to help them
establish a rich devotional time to praise God, read the
scripture and pray every morning. (Mark 1:35) (Psa 143:8)
4. Help the new believer develop a plan for memorizing and
meditating on the five assurances: a). Assurance of
Salvation - I John 5:11,12 b). Assurance of Forgiveness - I
John 1:9 c). Assurance of Guidance - Proverbs 3:5,6 d).
Assurance of Answered Prayer - John 16:24 e). Assurance of
Overcoming Temptation - I Corinthians 10:13
5. Show the new believer how the Bible meets the four basic
needs: a). Communication - I John 1:3 (fellowshipping with
God) b). Nourishment - The Bible is the key to spiritual
growth - 2 Tim. 3:16,17 c). Insight - The Bible is the key
to wisdom and understanding - I Cor. 2:14 d). Protection -
Spiritual strength, comfort and deliverance - Eph. 6:17
6. Teach the young believer to expect opposition from the
world, the flesh and the devil. (I John 2:15,16) Help the
person learn how to overcome evil with the good of Christ's
power through prayer, the scripture, fellowship and
Christian service. (Rom. 12:21) (I Pet. 5:7-10) Instruct
them in the essentials of spiritual warfare from Eph.
6:10-18
7. Teach the new believer how their salvation is not based
on feelings or performance but on the facts of what Christ
has done for them in providing eternal forgiveness. (I John
5:11-13) (Rom. 10:9,10) (John 1:12,13) (John 10:28,29) Thank
God together for the imputed righteousness that we have been
given through Christ's shed blood on the cross of Calvary.
Praise God together that you can never be separated from His
love. (Rom. 8:31-39)
8. Teach the new believer the nature of positional truth.
(Eph. 1:3), (2 Pet. 1:3,4) (Rom. 6:6) Show how to add
characteristics of godliness, love and virtue to the
positional benefits we already possess in Christ. (2 Pet.
1:5-8)
9. Speak about the differences between religion and true
Christianity. To many religion means rules, boring church
services, critical people, and financial appeals. Help them
to see that Christianity involves fellowship, worship,
prayer, peace, joy, scriptural teaching, service, love,
obedience, witnessing, purpose, new friends, and new
opportunities to contribute to the qualitative and
quantitative growth of Christ's kingdom.
10. Invite your new convert to church activities so they can
develop a wider circle of friends, connections and ministry
opportunities. (2 Cor. 4:5)
11. Pray and help the new believer develop Christian friends
through numerous means.
12. Ask the new believer what they believe are the basic
spiritual needs. Seek to help them find out how to get these
needs met through the Bible, with prayer and with godly
counselors.
13. Help the new believer to learn the essentials of
speaking the truth in love and growing in all aspects in
Christ. (Eph. 4:15) Teach the new believer how to mature
socially, spiritually, cognitively, morally, affectively and
behaviorally.
14. Help the new believer learn the essentials of how to
share the gospel with others. Teach them how to share their
testimony. Some of the best opportunities are found through
the friendships of new believers.
15. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom in designing your
follow-up according to the individual's temperament,
background and special needs. (James 1:5)
Paul Fritz