Nothing is more thrilling than seeing a student make a decision to follow Jesus. When a teenager in your local ministry or in your small group accepts Christ for the first time, that is always worth celebrating.
However, we do not want to just stop at the celebration. As passionate as we are about giving people an opportunity to say yes to Jesus, we are equally as passionate about seeing people grow in their faith and share their faith with others.
We want to journey with them on a path of growth and multiplication by following up with them and teaching them the basics of their new spiritual life.
Planting Seeds
We can never be certain what will happen when we first share the gospel with someone. Jesus talks about this when He shares the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23.
Jesus says there are four types of people (soils):
- The hard-packed soil of the road – The seed (the gospel) cannot grow, so it is snatched away by birds (the evil one).
- The soil with rocks – The seed starts to grow, but when its roots hit the rock (difficulties), the plant withers in the sun.
- The soil with weeds – The seed grows, but the weeds (cares of the world) grow faster, and it cannot get enough sunlight, so it does not produce anything.
- The good soil – The seed grows and thrives. It produces an abundance at the harvest.
The campus is filled with students who have hearts like the soils Jesus mentions. They may look like good soil. There may even be immediate results. However, we do not always see what is beneath the surface.
Following up with those who say yes is the only way we will know which type of soil we have found. It could be that investing extra time may help cultivate the soil of their heart and create some good soil conditions for that seed to thrive.
Following up with those who say yes is the only way we will know which type of soil we have found.
A Tool for Follow Up
In Cru, our go-to tool for follow up is our Thrive Study Series: Start. We designed it to provide simple and transferable studies to follow up with new believers in Jesus. The goal of this series is to teach the basics for someone just starting out in their faith:
- Confidence – Knowing that our relationship with God is secure because of Jesus
- Reconnect – What to do when we have sinned
- Power – The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live like Christ
- Growth – The ways we continue to grow in our faith
Go through the Start series with new Christians or anyone who wants to know the basics of being a follower of Jesus. Not only does it teach fundamental truths about what it means to be a Christian, it also invites believers to start sharing their faith with others right away.
Creating a Movement
Broadly sowing the seeds of the gospel while faithfully following up those who say yes, has produced multiple generations of disciples. This is the heartbeat of every spiritual movement.
If you are struggling to know where to start, follow our simple path through the Start series. It is designed to allow even new believers to pass on fundamental truths to their friends and family.
So as you faithfully follow up students, keep in mind that the results are up to God. It is not uncommon that He will use these follow-up connection times to turn hearts into good soil.
Call to Action
Visit the Start series and review all four studies. If you know a new believer, invite them to a weekly time to continue learning about their relationship with Christ. Grounding a New Believer and How to Follow Up New Christians provide help as well.
START
