Follow-Up
Follow-up means helping someone who has made a profession of faith in Christ to get started. It is very important in firmly establishing a new believer in the faith.
What: Spiritual encouragement and practical counsel by a more mature believer of the same sex following a profession of faith in Christ; involves a series of simple Bible lessons for beginners but also includes prayer, counsel, and other needed help; usually takes an hour one day of the week, supplemented by telephone contact.
Why: Good follow-up conserves the fruit of an evangelistic contact by helpful assistance to the newly regenerated person. It may also reveal a premature or false profession which needs to be converted into a true relationship with Christ.
How: The responsible follow-up helper needs to be a friend and encourager, not just someone who checks up on answers. The lessons are merely tools to use. Quality work by the helper is the most important factor. It will help you to bear in mind the following suggestions:
1. Be interested in them as a person, not a work project.
2. Strengthen your relationship so the professed convert can trust you.
3. Pray aloud with them, showing them how to pray.
4. Show them by example your own confidence in God’s Word as trustworthy and vital to growth.
5. Plan ahead for your meetings, to use the time to best advantage.
6. Be sure you have reviewed the lesson to be studied.
7. Make clear that faithfulness in completing these lessons and meeting with you as scheduled is an indication of their serious attitude toward the Lord.
8. Verify their commitment to break free from such things as drugs, alcohol, immoral relationships and destructive influences. They can and must be allowed to grow in areas such as patience, self-discipline and personality defects.
9. Restitution and forgiveness are a part of new life in Christ. Briefly discuss any areas that may need attention: Do stolen things have to be returned or confessed? Do old wrongs and bitter feelings need to be forgiven? Can relationships be restored?
10. Major issues in family life probably will require discussions. Be careful not to burden them with too much advice. Let the Holy Spirit prompt them to needed change.
The outcome of follow-up will depend more on the convert’s desire toward God than on yours. Keep this responsibility where it belongs. Do your best but do not assume the burden of their success or failure.
Guidelines For Use In Doing Follow-Up Lessons
For the person helping another who has professed faith in Christ.
Lesson 1 - Becoming A Child Of God
1. The questions are formed to see if the one answering truly understands the Gospel. If they do not understand, clarify their understanding. Do not go beyond this lesson to others until this question is settled.
2. Memorize Romans 10:9 together.
3. Emphasize the need to break cleanly with any sinful practices. If there is a need to make restitutions, urge them to do it (Luke 19:8).
4. Make sure they are not relying upon the fact that they said a prayer to God to make them right in His sight.
Lesson 2 - Assurance Of Salvation
1. Begin by reviewing what has been happening in their lives since you last met (we suggest a one-week interval). If there have been difficulties, go over them. Pray together.
2. Memorize 1 John 5:13 together. Emphasize the word know (not think, hope or imagine); that God wants us to know that we now have eternal life as His free gift through the Lord Jesus.
3. The fact that we can know is based upon a solid understanding of the Gospel and our acceptance of His finished work on the Cross, His resurrection and present indwelling within us (John 1:12). It is not based upon the fact that we prayed and asked God to forgive us. Make all of this as clear as possible.
Lesson 3 - Baptism
1. The lesson is based on the assumption that you are among Christians who accept the doctrine that baptism ought to follow saving faith in Christ, as an outward, public confession.
2. Memorize Acts 2:41 and Matthew 28:19 together, showing it is Christ’s command to be baptized as an outward sign of an inward change. Review Romans 6:3-5 for the symbolism of baptism as being buried with Christ and raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
3. Stress the importance of a life of obedience in following Christ that we might live what might be called a “baptized life.” Be sure that the remnants of our old lifestyle, sometimes called “graveclothes,” are left behind.
Lesson 4 - Spending Time With God
1. We should have made clear from the first meeting that each day the newly professed believer should be reading a short portion of God’s Word and seeking a personal application or to have a better understanding of God. John’s Gospel is usually recommended for their first study book. However, the First Epistle of John is also very good.
2. The purpose of this lesson is to establish in their minds that it is absolutely essential for them to be in communication with God each day, preferably in the morning. This involves hearing from God (Matt. 4:4) something from His Word, and speaking to God (Psa. 5:3) our prayers, praises and intercession for others. This is our sustaining lifeline to God.
3. Memorize Joshua 1:8 and Mark 1:35. The practice of the Lord Jesus was to rise early and spend time with His Father in prayer. If it was necessary for Him, it must be essential for us. Your day will go much better when you begin this way.
4. Let it be known that each week you meet you will both share what God has been speaking to you about from the Word.
Lesson 5 - Learning To Pray
1. The lesson is to establish the importance of a consistent, effective prayer life. It will teach the conditions and hindrances to effective prayer in a simple way. It should also show the varieties of prayer (praise or adoration, thanksgiving, confession, intercessions [for others] and petition for personal needs).
2. Memorize together Matthew 7:7. Point out that the verb tense indicates continuous asking, seeking, knocking.
3. Pray together with them, out loud, to help them learn how to pray by example.
Lesson 6 - Living The Christian Life Victoriously
1. Remember to keep discussing each week the developments in their lives as believers so you can encourage and counsel as needed. One area is that of living the abundant life that the Lord promised.
2. Memorize together John 10:10b and 1 Corinthians 10:13.
3. Although there is provision for failure in the Christian life (1 John 1:9), the normal life of a regenerated (born-again) believer is victory, which is based on Christ’s victory on our behalf. It is our union with Him and His life. It is also supported by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9,11), as well as the Lord’s intercessory prayers for us (Heb. 7:25).
Lesson 7 - Fellowship With God
1. This lesson is to test the reality of the person’s profession of faith in Christ, with special reference to such verses as 1 John 2:3-5 and 1 John 3:4-10. Make sure they understand that the words used apply to the practice of sin, defined as lawlessness, rather than single action sin. The purpose is not to teach sinless perfection but to avoid thinking that carelessness about the way we live is of no real concern.
2. Distinction is also made between relationship with God as a child and fellowship with God in terms of walk or life.
3. The means of restoring fellowship is repentance which is genuine, indicated by turning to God and away from what is clearly wrong. It is important to learn how to accept God’s forgiveness and then to extend forgiveness to others.
4. Memorize together Proverbs 28:13. Continue to discuss progress, or lack, in their daily lives and consistency in daily devotional practice.
Lesson 8 - Obeying Your Lord
1. The lesson is designed to emphasize the necessity of practical acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ over our lives by obedience in applying the Word to every area.
2. We want to stress the importance of day-by-day yieldedness to the will of God in what may seem to us to be relatively small things. Sensitivity to God is very important in character growth.
3. Memorize together Luke 6:46. Discuss how this is being applied in daily life.
Lesson 9 - Your Spiritual Family, The Local Church
1. The lesson is to emphasize the importance of the local church, or fellowship of born-again believers, as God’s appointed means to care for His people. It is called “the pillar and ground of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).
2. What is involved in participation or function in the local church? See Acts 2:42. Are we regularly and actively participating?
3. Memorize together Acts 2:42.
Lesson 10 -
Sharing With Others The Way Of Eternal Life
1. Each believer is responsible to share the Gospel with those in his or her own immediate circle who will listen. It is also essential that we live a transformed life before them so that our testimony is believable. We are not to depend alone on meetings to bring those that are lost to Christ.
2. Every believer should be able, in a simple way, to open the Bible and show the way to be saved to anyone who wishes to know. They should be able to give a simple testimony of how Christ has changed their lives.
3. Memorize together 1 John 5:12 and Acts 1:8. The first verse is our responsibility. The second verse is the simplest one telling us what is necessary to be saved.
Lesson 11 - Controlled By The Holy Spirit
1. Each believer should understand God’s provision of the Holy Spirit, a distinct Person of the Godhead, to live within us.
2. Indwelling of the Spirit does not guarantee control by the Spirit, expressed as “filling,” in which we yield fully to His direction and will. That depends upon obedience, yieldedness and desire to follow the Lord in all His ways.
3. Memorize together Romans 8:9 and Ephesians 5:18, noting that the verb tense on Ephesians 5:18 indicates continuous action, not a one-time experience. 4. Discuss the workings of God in the person’s life and the ways in which they may be either yielding to the Spirit or subtly resisting Him.
Lesson 12 - Doing The Will Of God
1. Most believers have varied questions as to what is the will of God for their lives, especially in circumstantial matters and daily decisions. It is important for them to have divine principles as a basis for such decisions.
2. Most of the will of God is in the Bible. Therefore, it is important to stress the need for knowing and obeying the Word, rather than making decisions on the basis of subjective ideas occurring to the mind, which may or may not be of the Spirit. God’s Word interprets our experiences rather than experience telling us what to do and then trying to twist the Word, or explain it away, in order to conform to our desires.
3. Memorize together Proverbs 3:5-6. Discuss the need to want to do God’s will by obeying His Word as an essential condition of knowing His will.
Lesson 1 Becoming A Child Of God
Salvation brings us into a personal relationship with God. Just as we become a part of an earthly family by birth, so we come into God’s family by spiritual or new birth. Then, truly, we can call Him Father.
1. What did Jesus tell a religious man? (John 3:3)
God uses two things to bring us to new birth, the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23) and the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). The Apostle Paul wrote to believers in Corinth and Greece about a message he preached to them that brought them to salvation. It was called the Gospel, meaning good news (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Verses 3 and 4 give us the ABC’s of this good news: (A) Christ died for our sins; (B) He was buried; (C) He rose again.
2. What did the Corinthians believe (receive) to be saved? (1 Corinthians 15:1-2) Write each point of this three-part message.
3. What is the condition of every person on earth? (Romans 3:23)
4. What alone can pay the debt of sin? (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20)
5. What has Christ done to deliver us? (1 Peter 2:24)
6. What part do good works play in earning a place in heaven? (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The central person of the Gospel is the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, therefore, centers on Him.
7. Who is Jesus Christ? (John 1:1,14)
8. What must a person do to become a child of God? (John 1:12)
9. What must accompany faith in Christ? (Acts 3:19)
10. What is true of a person who has the Son of God? (1 John 5:12)
Ask yourself these questions:
When did you hear and believe the Gospel message, thus being sealed with the Holy Spirit? (Ephesians 1:13)
In what way did you repent of your sins (Luke 13:3) and then confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? (Romans 10:9)
In what way does your life show a definite change since you received Christ? (1 Thessalonians 1:9)
Memorize Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus as Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
Lesson 2 Assurance Of Salvation
As a child of God, we have a Father who cannot lie and His words are always true: “Thy Word is truth.” Because He is always consistent with what He says, we can rely on His word totally; we can be sure about a matter that He has stated.
1. We need to be certain of what is true. In court this is established by the testimony of a witness who swears that he knows certainly that something is true.
Who is the witness concerning the Son? (1 John 5:9)
Where is the record of this witness to be found? (John 5:39)
What does the record (witness) promise? (1 John 5:11)
These verses teach us that we can be certain of our salvation through what God’s Word (the Bible) says.
2. If you hear and believe God’s Word concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, three things are promised. What are they? (John 5:24)
What you have now:
What you will avoid in the future:
What has happened already:
3. Christ calls those who believe “my sheep.” He knows them. They hear His voice and follow Him. (John 10:27-30)
What do they have?
What will not happen?
Who keeps them safe?
The Word of God can make us sure of salvation. However, there is something else that makes us safe from the judgment of God. It is not your works, your prayer, or your baptism. It is what the Lord Jesus accomplished on the cross.
4. What is the one thing that redeems us (buys us back) to God and keeps us from the judgment of God? (1 Peter 1:18-20)
5. Forgiveness can only be based on one thing. What is it? (Hebrews 9:22)
Ask yourself these questions:
How can you be sure of salvation?
What makes us safe from eternal judgment? In what are you trusting for your salvation?
Review Romans 10:9
Memorize 1 John 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Lesson 3 Baptism
Our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ is likened in Scripture to the marriage bond (Romans 7:4; Ephesians 5:30-32). No honest husband or wife would attempt to conceal the fact that he or she is united to another in marriage. It is our glorious privilege to announce to anyone who will listen that we are linked to our wonderful Lord in an eternal union. Think of being one with the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords! There is no proper reason before God to hide this fact. To attempt to do so would be insulting to him.
1. What must we do if Christ is to acknowledge us in Heaven? (Luke 12:8-9)
2. What will He do if we fail to do this? (Matthew 10:32-33)
Those who believe in the Lord Jesus are commanded to show their association with Him by an outward ceremony which is a type of public initiation.
3. What two things did Jesus command His disciples to do as they went throughout the world? (Matthew 28:19)
4. What did Peter command those who believed the Gospel message? (Acts 2:38-41)
5. What is the necessary condition to being baptized? (Acts 8:36-37)
6. What comes first, believing or baptism? (Acts 10:47; 18:8)
7. How is baptism in water performed? (Acts 8:38-39)
8. What is symbolized in baptism according to Romans 6:3-5?
Ask yourself these questions:
When and where did you clearly confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior before others?
When did you pass through the waters of baptism after becoming united with Him in salvation?
How has your life as a baptized Christian demonstrated that you have truly died with Him and are risen again to walk in newness of life?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13
Memorize Acts 2:41, “So then those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Lesson 4 Spending Time With God
It is natural to spend time as God’s child with the One from whom our blessings flow. He is the Source of strength and wisdom. If you love the Lord you will want to spend time with Him. It will not be a burden but a delight to your soul (Psalm 63:1). We need His fellowship daily. It is reasonable to set aside a time each day for personal, intimate fellowship with Him, sometimes called “Quiet Time.” This is a daily devotional period in which you pray and study God’s Word. Believers for hundreds of years have found this an essential element for a life of fellowship with God.
Great men of God in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, had a practice of building an altar, a sacred place for worshipping God (Genesis 12:7; 13:4). Meeting with God each day can be like establishing a spiritual altar.
You will need:
Time set aside daily
Place free from distraction
Plan to consecutively study the
Bible
Goal of obedience to Christ
1. What time did the holy men of God meet with God? (Isaiah 50:4)
2. Where did the Lord Jesus go to spend time with God the Father? (Mark 1:35)
We fellowship with God today by getting alone with Him for prayer and meditation on His Word. In prayer we speak to God. In reading God’s Word we seek to hear what God is saying to us. Here are some important things to remember when we study the Scriptures or holy writings:
3. What should be the prayer of the believer before reading God’s Word? (Psalm 119:18)
4. How should we respond to the Word of God? (Psalm 119:34,97)
5. What will be accomplished in my life through the Bible? Psalm 119:11
6. For what four purposes did God give us His Word? (2 Timothy 3:16)
7. How can we be successful in daily living? (Joshua 1:8)
8. What caused the disciples to ask the Lord to teach them to pray? (Luke 11:1)
9. List at least one thing we can pray for other than a personal request that the Lord Jesus gives in the pattern of prayer He gave to His disciples in Luke 11:2-4.
Ask yourself these questions:
When have you determined before God to spend time with Him each day in reading His Word and in prayer? For how long a period of time?
What plan do you have for consecutively reading the books of the Bible? (Begin with the Gospels, John and Mark first, then the letters of Paul, Peter and John, then the Psalms and Proverbs, then Genesis, the foundational book of the Old Testament. Seek to read through the entire Bible, but concentrate on knowing the New Testament first.)
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19
Memorize Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
Mark 1:35, “And in the early morning while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there.”
Lesson 5 Learning To Pray
Children need to know that they can speak freely with their parents. Our heavenly Father provided this opportunity for His children. God emphasizes that He wants us to draw near to Him as a cleansed people (Hebrews 10:22) with boldness and confidence to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Questions arise about this privilege.
1. Does prayer do any good? (James 5:16)
2. What is His command and His promise? (Matthew 7:7-8)
3. Are there any conditions to prayer?
4. Our prayers should include worship (praise), thanksgiving, confession, intercession for others, and then personal needs. Write down which area is mentioned in the following verses:
Psalm 100:4 (two things)
5. What importance did Samuel place on praying for others? (1 Samuel 12:23)
6. God answers prayers in ways other than directly and immediately. What was the Lord’s way of answering these prayers?
7. What should we do when inclined to worry? What replaces worry? (Philippians 4:6-7)
8. What is the storehouse from which God supplies our needs? (Philippians 4:19)
Ask yourself these questions:
When you come to God in the Name of the Lord Jesus, how can you be sure He will hear and respond?
Have you set aside time to pray in a regular, consistent way? When?
What has been your most significant recent answer to prayer?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35
Memorize Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.”
Lesson 6 Living The Christian Life Victoriously
It is a great joy to us that in His wonderful love, God has made us one of His children (1 John 3:1). He has made us a new creation. All things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). We are not to continue a sinful life (1 John 3:9). He wants us to have a great new life and has made this possible for us. Believers have strength and help from God they never had before (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
1. What is our source of power for the new life? (Romans 8:11)
2. What must we do that God might work in us unhindered? (Romans 6:13)
3. What is the source of spiritual food for growth? (1 Peter 2:2)
4. The Bible speaks of eating God’s Word as taking it into our inner beings (Jeremiah 15:16). How can we do this?
The Bible tells us that we have three enemies working against our new life. These are the Devil (1 Peter 5:8), the evil world system in which we live (1 John 2:15-16), and our fleshly or sinful nature (James 1:14). Our Lord and Savior has won such a great victory at the cross that He has defeated our enemies.
He overcame the world (John 16:33)
He broke the power of Satan over us (Hebrews 2:14), the one who had once dominated our lives (Ephesians 2:2-3)
He broke the power of the sin nature over us (Romans 6:6)
5. Read the above verses. What application do these have to your living victoriously?
In spite of this defeat given to our enemies, we must still face them. What does God tell us to do for victory?
6. 1 John 2:15
7. James 4:7
8. Romans 13:14
When Jesus died on the cross in our place, we died with Him as far as God is concerned (Colossians 3:3). When He was raised from the dead in new life, we rose with Him (Colossians 3:1). God always sees the believer as being one with Christ and therefore accepted in Him (Ephesians 1:6-7).
9. Name three things in 1 Corinthians 6:11 that are true of every believer in Christ. What does this tell you about your acceptance by God?
Ask yourself these questions:
What major sources of help has God given you for a new and overcoming life?
How do you know that as God’s child you are accepted completely in Christ?
How can you show loving appreciation to the Lord for the wonderful things He has done for you?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35; Matthew 7:7
Memorize John 10:10b, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”
1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”
Lesson 7 Fellowship With God
God has called us to walk in close fellowship with Himself all the days of our life. In His infinite wisdom He knows that there will be times when we fail. Only one sinless person ever walked the face of this earth, the Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest of all God’s men failed at some point or another. Not one of us is likely to be better than they were.
1. What does God say is a false statement? (1 John 1:8,10)
God has provided a means of restoring broken fellowship. This is not the same as relationship. As believers, we have been born into the family of God (1 John 5:1,11-13). When we sin, we are not ejected from the family; rather, there is a break in our walk with Him. This needs our immediate attention. What do we do? First, we are not to despair. Our Father wants His erring children restored. How? We should make sure that we truly have a relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you really been saved?
2. What may indicate that you are not born again? Note the continuous action of the verb. (1 John 3:9)
3. Consider your answers to the first two questions. What is each verse stressing? (What is true of a believer? What cannot be true of a believer?) What do you see is the difference between the two verses?
4. A sincere person will pray what to God? (Psalm 119:33-34) For what purpose?
5. Who will not do so well in God’s eyes? What two things are needed to make things right? (Proverbs 28:13)
6. In 1 John 1:9, what is the believer’s responsibility and what is God’s promise?
7. What is the basis of all forgiveness by God? (Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 1:5b; Hebrews 9:22b)
Believe God’s promise and accept His forgiveness without doubting. However, do not take a light attitude toward sin. Sin is destructive and its cost is high, the death of God’s Son.
8. If you are truly saved, what will you do? (2 Timothy 2:19b)
9. What is the basic teaching of 2 Corinthians 6:14-17? What is the danger in violating this command?
Ask yourself these questions:
What way has God provided for the time when you may fail?
How do you get back into fellowship with your Father when you have turned away?
How can you avoid breaking fellowship with God?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35; Matthew 7:7; John 10:10b; 1 Corinthians 10:13
Memorize Proverbs 28:13, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”
Lesson 8 Obeying Your Lord
When we believed the Gospel message we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We confessed Jesus as Lord before others (Romans 10:9).Like the disciples of old we know Him as “The Lord.” When we see Him in heaven we will bow down and call Him Lord. That is how we speak to Him now in prayer if we have observed carefully what the Bible teaches. This is a very important truth. Making it a practical reality in our experience is essential for growth and blessing.
1. Who is Jesus? (Acts 10:36) Is He lesser than any other being in heaven or on earth? (Revelation 17:14)
2. What two things did Thomas call Jesus? (John 20:28) What does this mean practically in your life?
3. What must everyone do sooner or later, even in hell? (Philippians 2:10-11)
4. What does Jesus rebuke? (Luke 6:46) Why is the action contradictory or inconsistent?
5. As believers, we profess to love Jesus. If so, what does He say that we will surely do? (John 14:15) How have you done this?
6. For whom should we live our lives and why? (2 Corinthians 5:15)
7. What is the plea to the believer in Romans 12:1? In what way have you responded?
8. What should happen in our lives if we are doing this? (Romans 12:2)
Ask yourself these questions:
When and how did you make Jesus Christ the Lord and Master of your life?
How has this resulted in a day-by-day obedience to His Word?
How does your conduct, your time use, your money use and your talent use support what you say?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35; Matthew 7:7; John 10:10b; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 28:13
Memorize Luke 6:46, “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
Lesson 9 Your Spiritual Family The Local Church
When early believers placed their faith in the Lord Jesus, they were joined by God to one another as well as to Him. “Together” was the word used to describe them (Acts 2:44,46). Fellow believers need one another just as we need the Lord Jesus. We need to live and share our life in Him. As the family of God, we are a spiritual community. Each one of us is a part, or member, of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). This is true in a sense that involves all believers everywhere. It is also intended to be expressed in local church fellowships.
1. When the people were saved and baptized, to what were they added? (Acts 2:41) Why was this so, in your opinion?
2. What were the four primary things early believers did together? (Acts 2:42)
3. On what day did the believers meet and what did they always do at their meetings? (Acts 20:7)
4. Believers are collectively called the church, a word meaning “those called out.” In what way were they called out? (1 Peter 2:9)
5. The church was often called by the name of the town. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, what is the name of the church?
6. Groups of local churches were called by the name of the province (or state) where they were located. In Galatians 1:22, what were they called?
7. Who is the Head of the church? (Ephesians 5:23)
8. What are the local church leaders called? (Acts 20:17; Titus 1:5)
9. What attitude should members of the church have toward the leaders? What responsibilities do the leaders of the church have? (Hebrews 13:17)
10. What warning is given to Christians in Hebrews 10:25? Why is this warning necessary?
Ask yourself these questions:
When did you become a part of a local church fellowship after you were saved and baptized?
In what practical way are you functioning in that fellowship?
How can you more specifically improve that function?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35; Matthew 7:7; John 10:10b; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 28:13; Luke 6:46
Memorize Acts 2:42, “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Lesson 10 Sharing With Others The Way Of Eternal Life
You have taken a stand as a follower of the Lord Jesus. You are one of the few people in the world that has eternal life now and is now on the road to heaven. All others are on the broad road leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Surely you are concerned about those who are now lost. The Lord Jesus has called you to be His witness in the courtroom of the world (Acts 1:8). As a witness you can tell others what Christ has done in your life and how others can have Him as Lord and Savior. Can you show someone how to be sure of going to heaven?
The following questions and verses are designed to help you work through a presentation of the Gospel with someone in an orderly way.
The Problem
Never show others how to be saved until you have first confirmed that they know why they need to be saved.
1. Who is a sinner and how is sin defined? (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6)
2. What is the penalty of sin? (Romans 6:23)
3. Physical death means separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual or second death separates the soul from God (Revelation 20:11-15). In verse 12, what is in the books? What is in the Book of Life? What is the second death?
The Remedy
Most professing Christians cannot answer intelligently the question, “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” Even if they answer, “He died for our sins,” it may be a case of saying words without understanding their meaning. Let’s go through a series of questions:
4. What is God’s provision for bringing people to salvation? (Romans 1:16)
5. What are the three parts of the message? (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
6. What is the heart of the message? (1 Corinthians 1:18)
7. Carefully read 1 Peter 2:24. Who is the sin-bearer? Whose sins were borne?
What two effects are mentioned?
8. Write out the phrases from Isaiah 53:4-5 which parallel the above answers.
Who struck Jesus for our sins?
In what way is the truth of Ephesians 2:8-9 related to the above facts?
The Requirement
Only when you have verified a person’s understanding of the problem and the remedy should you seek an active response.
9. What is necessary to be saved that accompanies faith in Jesus Christ? (Acts 20:21)
10. What must I do with Jesus Christ? (John 1:12)
11. Who is Jesus Christ? (John 1:1,14)
12. What is the promise of John 5:24 and 1 John 5:12?
Ask yourself these questions:
Are you living the life of a true believer (not a hypocrite)? How are you taking the initiative in speaking to others?
What verses have you memorized so you can show someone else the way to heaven?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35; Matthew 7:7; John 10:10b; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 28:13; Luke 6:46; Acts 2:42
Memorize 1 John 5:12, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”
Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Lesson 11 Controlled By The Holy Spirit
When we live daily under the authority of Jesus as our Lord, we do whatever He wants (Luke 6:46). Obedience to Him shows that we love Him (John 14:15). The results of this obedience will demonstrate how much He loves us and wants what is best for our lives (John 14:21,23). To live for God rather than self requires a superhuman power. This comes from Him. Without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). He has made a wonderful provision for us to live a growing, fruitful and overcoming life.
1. Who is the Helper promised by the Lord Jesus? (John 14:16-17)
2. When and how does the Helper come? (Ephesians 1:13)
3. Where does the Helper live? (Romans 8:11) Why is this an advantage to us?
4. What does Scripture say regarding the idea that it is possible to be a believer and not have the help of the Spirit? (Romans 8:9,11)
5. What does this make the body of every believer? (1 Corinthians 6:19) How should this affect our attitude?
6. What special warning is given to those whose body is this Temple? (1 Corinthians 6:18) How do we have victory over fleshly desires? (Galatians 5:16)
7. What are we commanded to do as believers? (Ephesians 5:18)
8. What does alcohol do to a drunken man? What does the Spirit do to a yielded believer in the comparison of Ephesians 5:18?
9. What can a believer do to the Helper? (Ephesians 4:30) Can you suggest some examples of what might cause this in your life?
10. List the results of this control in the believer’s life. (Galatians 5:22-23) These are what God wants in us.
Ask yourself these questions:
In what way have you laid hold by faith of this great spiritual power within?
What are the practical evidences that the Holy Spirit is working in your life?
What are the hindrances in your personal life to full control by the Spirit of God? (Bad habits, questionable relationships, stubborn attitudes, unforgiving spirit, things needing to be made right.)
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35; Matthew 7:7; John 10:10b; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 28:13; Luke 6:46; Acts 2:42; 1 John 5:12; Acts 1:8
Memorize Romans 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
Ephesians 5:18, “Be filled with the Spirit.”
Lesson 12 Doing The Will Of God
Good parents wish to guide their children in a path of wisdom. They love them and want to help them. At the same time the children must be willing to receive and follow their direction. When this is so, things will go much better for all. Our Father in heaven is the best parent of all. Although we were created for His pleasure, not our own (Philippians 2:13), He wants nothing but good for us (Jeremiah 29:11). The wise child of God will want to know God’s will for his daily life (Ephesians 5:17). God has the advantage of knowing the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). We can know His guidance.
1. In John 7:17 Jesus said that if anyone were willing to do the Father’s will he would know if His teachings were of God. In respect to this verse, what is the first question to ask yourself?
2. What should be your first concern? (Matthew 6:33)
3. How should you begin to seek His will? (James 1:5)
4. What will He do? (Psalms 32:8)
5. How can we be sure? (1 John 5:14-15)
6. Where can we look for guidance or principles? (Psalms 119:105)
7. To whom shall we look to teach us? (1 Corinthians 2:12; John 14:26; John 16:13)
8. What is the problem with simply doing what seems best to us? (Isaiah 55:8)
9. What will help in experiencing His direction? (Proverbs 3:5-6)
10. In what other way can you know the right path? (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22) Who should these “counselors” be? (Hebrews 13:17)
Ask yourself these questions:
What might hinder you in really desiring to do God’s will in your daily life?
What will motivate you to follow godly counsel if the direction is not what you would prefer?
In general, what course will you take if you are still not sure of God’s will?
What part do feelings have in obeying God’s will?
Review Romans 10:9; 1 John 5:13; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19; Joshua 1:8; Mark 1:35; Matthew 7:7; John 10:10b; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 28:13; Luke 6:46; Acts 2:42; 1 John 5:12; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18
Memorize Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”