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MentorNet #55 Keeping New Believers Faithful Copyright © 2008 by Galen Currah, George Patterson
and Edward Aw Those
who engage in evangelism and church planting find that many folk eagerly
respond to the Good News and start coming to a church. However, in new
ministries, the drop-out rate can prove high. Many
folks who started well lose interest, become discouraged or abandon their new
faith. Jesus warned that this would be the case, because of temptation,
persecution and worldly allurement (Matthew 1.
Baptise
new believers straight away. “Love
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”
(1 Corinthians 13:7). Show God’s love and your love to
those who repent, and baptize them. Many will not believe that God has
forgiven and accepted them, until you accept them in the way that Jesus
commanded (Matthew 28:19). Baptise without undue delay. The
apostles often baptized the same day that folks expressed their repentance.
They taught the meaning and implications of baptism afterwards. Remember, the
command to baptize was given to you, not to the new
believer. Waiting a long time before baptism will discourage most new
believers. Some will fall away, but, then, even some long-time believers fall
away, too. DO NOT delay baptism unless there is a good reason for doing so,
such as winning other family members so they can be baptised together. Baptise amongst friends. If you baptise
new believers with no witnesses, then they will often feel isolated and
lonely. Only baptise in secret if the new believers’ life would be in danger
otherwise. New believers will often
bond with the place where you baptise them. Thus, if you take them into a
chapel or another church and baptise them there, then the newly baptise will
often consider that church to be their spiritual family, and may soon lose
interest in your simple church or cell group. 2.
Bring
them into a culturally suitable church. New
simple church plants can prove just as foreign and unnatural as big,
traditional mission-planted congregations. The very
foreignness of churches can discourage new believers who respect their own
culture. Some adult new believers will find your simple church frivolous or
accommodating only to women or youth. Speak their heart language.
Most folks will more deeply sense God’s love for them,
more clearly understand God’s Word and more readily obey Jesus’ commandments,
if they learn in their own language and culture. With new believers, coming
into a culturally-comfortable church proves more
important than making a social statement by attending a culturally-mixed
congregation. Thus, most new, simple churches should be
planted with a single ethnic, linguistic and economic community. Employ imitable methods of worship and evangelism. If
new believers cannot participate in worship and evangelism from the start of
their new faith, then they may never consider those practices their
responsibility. Methods should be chosen that prove
culturally acceptable, immediately available, and affordable to the poorest.
To do so, avoid bringing new believers into churches that are
dominated by outsiders and employ foreign worship practices. From the
start, let new believers explain the Good News to their friends and family in
ways that they find natural, and plant new churches in the homes of adult men
whenever possible. 3.
Serve
the Lord’s Supper often. Just
as baptism is for bad people who have repented, so the Table is for bad
Christians who need frequent forgiveness. Allow new believers to obey the
Lord Jesus’ command frequently to celebrate His supper, and empower all new
churches to do so from their start. Whether or not there is a capable speaker
or competent teacher, let new churches celebrate the Table every time they
meet. Communion is often the only way, besides prayer, that new congregations
can sense that they have entered into the awesome presence of God. Teach and practice its biblical meanings. The
Lord’s Supper provides a mystical participation in the body and blood of
Christ (1 Corinthians Provide frequent forgiveness of sins. Even
though they have repented from sin and turned to the Lord, most new believers
will still be involved in many sinful practices and relationships that they
have not yet overcome or abandoned. As they become aware of personal and
social practices that dishonour the Lord, they will hurry back to the Table
to be assured of the Lord’s forgiveness. If you do
not provide the Table often, then they will carry their sense of guilt or
shame and become discouraged. Many will not feel good enough to stay in your
church or cell. 4.
Ensure
joyful fellowship in the church. Most
newly repentant believers still have many friendships and social groups where
they feel welcome. If the church does not provide healthy relationships, then
many new believers will return to godless groups where they can enjoy friends
who accept them. When possible, win entire families to Christ and bring them
into the church together; new believers seldom fall away when they are accompanied
by their closest friends and family members, All meet each other’s needs. New
and old simple churches must remain highly participative, allowing all
participants to speak and to prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:3, 24-26). In both
the formal time and the informal times, older believers show love and concern
for the new believers, including them in all the activities they feel
comfortable with. Allow the new believers to express
their joy, their faith, and their needs. Let others respond to them. When
they have material needs, find ways in which the church can help. All serve with spiritual gifts.
Even the newest believers have received the Holy Spirit and have spiritual
gifts. Thus all have something to say or something
to do to serve one another. Help believers to recognize and employ their
gifts from the start. Guide believers to serve one another according to their
strengths and gifts. Avoid assigning tasks to new believers for which they
are neither gifted nor motivated. Being left alone,
ignored or assigned unwanted drudgery work can discourage new and old
believers alike. 5.
Teach
loving obedience to Jesus. All new believers’ heart has been flooded by the Holy Spirit with the
Father’s love for them, and they easily express their new love for Jesus.
Obeying Jesus expresses one’s faith and must never be confused with ‘legalism’ which is a futile attempt to please God by
following the Law. Follow Jesus’ Commandments. In
a simple church plant, base all that you do on the commandments of Jesus,
especially those illustrated in Acts 2:37-47. Always be willing to abandon
any practice that is not commanded by Jesus or is
not in the New Testament. God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Jesus, filling
even new believers with joy and strength (John 14:15-17; Acts 5:30-32). If
your church practices are dictated mainly by church
traditions and unbiblical rules, then its legalism will prove lifeless,
loveless and discouraging. Continually make disciples. As
simple churches and cell groups mature and multiply, there will always be
room to grow and develop as disciples. Within the church, slowly introduce
the New Testament “one-another” practices according to current needs and
opportunities. Empower new believers to make new disciples from the start.
New believers will often prove the most zealous and winsome in drawing others
to Christ. New believers who are growing rapidly in obedience will often
prove the best simple church planters and shepherds. Mentor, coach and train
them as soon as they are willing to follow instructions by leading others to
Christ and to lead new simple churches. Otherwise, many will come to feel
useless and unwanted. 6.
Model response to persecution. Jesus
warned that the world would hate his followers as much as it hates him. Part
of evangelism is asking folks to count the cost; part of disciple-making
is to provide new believers with ways in which to cope with intolerance,
bigotry and persecution. Otherwise, many will fall away to avoid public
shame. Teach Jesus’ warnings. A basic need
of every new believer remains a way to respond to insults, opposition and
persecution from unbelievers and from tradition-bound believers. Remind them
that Jesus himself was misunderstood, maligned, falsely accused, even
murdered. It has been given to believers both to
believe in Jesus and to suffer for him. However, just as Jesus humbled
himself, and refused to insult his persecutors, so we believers are to humble
ourselves (1 Peter Promise help from the Holy Spirit.
Those who work to advance the Kingdom of Jesus must be ready to tell the
truth when asked and to depend on the Holy Spirit to give an answer when
brought before authorities (Matthew 10:16-32). Learning to hear from the Holy
Spirit is a privilege of every believer, especially of those who must suffer
opposition, as Jesus did. Those who have suffered and stood their ground grow
very bold in the Lord. This works as well for new believers as it does for
others. 7.
Provide
pastoral care. New
believers have many bad habits, attitudes, and vices that they will soon want
to overcome. God gives to every church apostles, prophets, evangelists,
shepherds and teachers to help all the saints grow more like Christ
(Ephesians 4:11-13). Deal with personal and family problems.
Pastoral leaders of simple churches must visit new believers and provide
biblical guidelines for overcoming sins, ignorance and evil cultural
practices (1 Thessalonians 2:7; Protect from false teachers. Jesus
warned against false prophets who would lead many astray (Matthew 4:11), and
Paul warned the elders at Ephesus about false teachers and about church
leaders who would seek to draw the disciples after themselves, requiring that
elders take special care of the church (Acts 20:28-30). Warn the new believers
about false teachers and give them instructions in how to respond to such. If
you do not, then some will be led away from your
church even a few weeks or months after they have repented.
Reproducible Pastoral Training, to multiply churches, O’Connor: Free CP training software “Come, Let Us Disciple
the Nations”: <http://www.Paul-Timothy.net>. Free mentoring tools and resources: <http://www.MentorAndMultiply.com>. Free training materials for new leaders &
missionaries: <http://www.Paul-Timothy.net>. Free materials that combine pastoral training with
church planting: <http://www.Paul-Timothy.net>. Train & Multiply®, pastoral
training, church planting. <www.TrainAndMultiply.com>. Order Church Multiplication Guide from
a bookshop or via <http://www.WCLbooks.com>. To subscribe or to download earlier MentorNet
messages: <http://www.MentorNet.ws>. |