Effective follow-up involves having clear goals, a plan for accomplishing those goals, a relationship of love with the new believer and the quiet assurance that God is in control of causing the growth.

This chapter discusses the goals of follow-up, the relation between differing components in follow-up, and general principles to remember as you begin to follow-up others.

A. Goals of follow-up.

1. To establish the new believer's confidence in Scripture as the basis of his faith.

2. To help him understand scriptural principles of spiritual growth.

3. To begin building a friendship with him.

4. To introduce him to God's desire that all Christians communicate their faith with others.

5. To begin developing him into a disciple who can be trained to win people to Christ and build them in their faith.

B. Whose responsibility is follow-up?

1. The work of God.

a. His plan: In His infinite wisdom God has chosen, called and given new life to the believer (Ephesians 1:3,4; John 3; 2 Timothy 1:8,9). Yet His work in the new believer's life has only begun. God has a unique plan for his life and He will work to fulfill His purposes for him (Philippians 1:6). Follow-up helps the believer understand what kinds of things God wants to do in his life.

b. Growth: It is through God's Spirit that a person is reborn. God also takes responsibility for growth. "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow" (I Corinthians 3:6,7, NIV). Remember that it is God, and not yourself, who causes the growth. And He can do it!

2. The work of the Word.

A newborn needs two things in particular: loving, supportive care and nourishing food. The Word of God is the believer's food. It contains 100 percent of the nutrients we need to live. "Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow up in respect to your salvation"  (I Peter 2:2).

3. The work of the discipler.

As the discipler, you have the privilege of providing care for the new believer. This involves the impartation of your life as well as the growth principles, and the example of a Spirit-filled believer living supernaturally. "We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:7,8, NIV). God makes us adequate for the task (I Thessalonians 5:24; Philippians 4:13). We can trust Him to work through us. We don't want to overstate our role in follow-up because God ultimately does the work, yet we don't want to understate it because God does use people to help others grow.

4. The work of the church.

The Scriptures tell us, in Hebrews 10:25, that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This is simply because Christians need each other. To maintain a healthy, maturing walk with God, we need the fellowship of other Christians in church and in-depth biblical teaching to be provided there. See also Exhibit, "How to Achieve a Balance Between Evangelism and Discipleship."

5. Spiritual battles

In the parable of the soils (Mark 4:320), we are told that it is possible for the Word to be sown and Satan will come and snatch it away. The period immediately after a person accepts Christ is a crucial time. Periods of doubts, questions, fears, temptations and misunderstandings can occur. Also, pressures from friends about his new spiritual life can cause some wavering. You can be assured that Satan will be attacking him. In John 17:15, we see Jesus was aware of this fact and prayed for His disciples. We need to be aware of the spiritual battle which is taking place, and who the enemy is (Ephesians 6:12), so that we can be of help.

6. The work of the new believer.

No two people grow in exactly the same manner. One may grow quickly while another may become fruitful in the future. People are affected by their environment: the attitude of others around them toward their faith. They may be affected by their religious background: previous exposure to other Christians and the Scriptures. Yet the greatest determining factor will be the believer's own desire to grow. His desire to know God and obey Him needs to be encouraged to develop by you.

NOTE: God generally uses human instruments in both evangelism and discipleship. However, an overly sensitive person may become so concerned over the spiritual growth, or lack of it, of those he introduces to Christ that he may begin to feel, "I don't dare lead anyone else to Christ because I just don't have the time to follow him up." Such an attitude is an insult to God. It falls to realize God's great burden for each person's eternal destiny and suggests that God is incapable of ministering to a person's needs apart from us!

Though person-to-person follow-up with those whom you introduce to Christ is desirable, it is also important to get the new believer involved in some type of group follow-up, while you or another more mature Christian maintains contact.

As the Spirit of God continues to move in the people's hearts, you may be a part of community-wide efforts in which thousands will be introduced to Christ. Therefore, such follow-up will need to be carried out through small group sessions.

In summary, introduce as many as possible to our Lord Jesus Christ and then encourage them to get involved in groups where they can grow and develop in their commitment to Christ.

C. General principles of follow-up.

1. Remember that God causes the growth (I Corinthians 3:6).

Refer back to the introduction to this chapter if you still have any questions about this. Understanding this principle is critical to follow-up characterized by trusting God rather than becoming anxious.

2. Build a relationship with the new believer.

Create an environment of love, encouragement and rapport. Become his friend: spend relaxed time together. Share yourself with him and share how Christ relates to your life. Learn to be a listener - a genuine listener.

3. Create a desire within him to grow spiritually.

Make him aware of his need. Show him how Christ relates to that need by taking him to Scripture that has met a similar need in your life. Get him involved with other believers. Pray for him regularly.

4. Meeting his need is more important than sticking to a schedule.

As you become involved in follow-up, it will soon become apparent to you that, while you may teach everyone the same material, each individual is unique and has different questions. Therefore your follow-up of one individual will never be exactly like that of any other.

5. The person is more important than the program.

Sometimes it may take meeting three or four times to effectively communicate assurance of salvation, while at other times a person may grasp scriptural principles very quickly. Be sensitive to the person and his particular needs. Don't feel you have to fit everything into a rigid structure or schedule.