By Wee Li Li
So, what now?
That’s the first question I asked myself after I accepted Christ.
What should I do?
Go to church every Sunday?
Read the Bible?
Must do things together-gether with other Christians?
But where do I start?
Aiyo!!!
After the initial act of evangelism, the journey doesn’t end. Effective personal follow-up is crucial to ensure that the new believers are nurtured, supported, and integrated into the faith community.
Learning
This year, I learned from Pastor Jeremy’s DMM class on “What’s next after Evangelism” that follow-up is making sure new Christians understand their new relationship with God. They need to know the first steps in how to grow in their relationship with Christ and share their faith with others. It is important to help them establish a habit of meeting with Christ daily and to live the new life of faith.
A few ingredients to follow up with a new believer are:
- Relationship building – mentorship, small groups, community events
- Reading the Word of God – Bible studies, devotional materials, Sunday service sermons
- Doing ministry together – service projects, church ministries, mission trips
Personal follow-up is not a walk in the park. Common challenges include busy schedules, balancing commitments, inconsistent participation, dealing with doubts and waning initial enthusiasm, lack of accountability, and disconnection with the church community. Addressing these challenges require intentional planning, training and a supportive church community to ensure that follow-up efforts are sustainable and effective.
Personal Experience
After accepting Christ, I was blessed to have someone who didn’t leave me alone in my journey. Almost immediately, she arranged to meet with me regularly for one to two hours at a time. During these meetings, we explored Basic Bible Truths for New Believers.
Having rebelled in the past, I was genuinely afraid of backsliding and disobeying God. The study of these basic truths deepened my understanding of my new family, future, nourishment, faith, challenges, master, fellowship, and fruit. Everything felt new as I began my journey with Christ.
It’s easy to follow, but I needed to truly understand Who I was following. Why is having a new family important? What does my new future hold? What is the nourishment that will sustain me? Why is faith crucial? What challenges or battles will I face? Why is it vital to know my new master? And what kind of fruit will enrich my life? These questions guided me as I grew in my faith.
A Call to Persevere
If you are walking alongside a new believer, it can be challenging, time-consuming, and requires patience. But the fruit you bear is rewarding.
For new believers, uncertainty about what lies ahead is natural. Find someone you feel comfortable journeying with. Your decisions will change, your perspective on challenges will shift, and the events in your life will take on new meaning. Your purpose will become clearer, and your faith walk will grow more confident.
Throughout your walk with God, you’ll need the benefit of your new beginnings. You will stumble, fall, fail, and make mistakes. You’ll need God’s grace to start over each time.
Spiritual new beginnings do not mean getting everything right the first time. Rather, the life of faith is a lifelong process. Setting spiritual goals is crucial so you can know exactly what you’re working on each year.
There’s no point in starting over if you’re not growing.
Get Involved
🌲Be a part of the 321 mentoring community.
🪴Another way to grow spiritually is to join a cell group (CG). If you’re looking for one, feel free to get in touch with us, and we’ll help you find a suitable CG to join.