NURTURE -- Follow-up
Christian growth after believing in Jesus 

WHY SPEND A DAY ON THIS? 
1.  Many people come to Christ but then fall away because of a lack of follow-up.
          
Example – Book on Conversion. 
2.  Besides the normal need for follow-up, those from another religion have special needs.
3. Understanding follow-up allows us to keep it distinct in our minds from evangelism, so we don’t 
     a.  let the magnitude of the follow-up problems keep us from evangelizing, and
     b.  so we don’t mix follow-up concepts with evangelism concepts. 

COMMON FEATURES OF NORMAL FOLLOW-UP

   CONCEPTS 
      Assurance
      Position in Christ
      Baptism Preparation
          Creed concepts,
          baptism concepts,
          communion concepts 
      Christian Life 

CONTEXT
     Caring
     Listening
     Counseling
     Modeling
     Praying

INTRODUCING
     Christians as new social basis
     Incorporation into church
     Finding Christian resources 

SPECIAL FEATURES OF FOLLOW-UP FOR THOSE CHANGING RELGIONS

Family Rejection
     Leave house, punishment

Loss of Social Support System
     Weddings? Funerals?

Loss of Job or Status

Rejection and Persecution 
     Martyrdom -- where today?

What to do with previous religious concepts?
     a.  some must be discarded
     b.  some can be adapted to Christianity
           Western Church: music, organization
     c.  some will be controversial

CONTEXTUALIZATION
How to “do” Christianity in the CONTEXT of your culture. 
    
It is deeper than INDIGENIZATION, which was used previously, and means
How to “translate” western Christianity into local words and customs. 

AREAS FOR CULTURAL DECISIONS
     1.  Worship 
     2.  Life-passage Rites 
     3.  Religious customs and concepts:
             create new world-view 
     4.  Socio-economic pressures 
     5.  Theology.

These fit into coming lectures: 
     Strategy 
     Dialog 
     Third World Theology

NOTE Your oral report is about evangelism and you do not need to include follow-up.

INDIVIDUAL STANDPOINT  
Drawn to Jesus 
Count the Cost 
Confess Faith publicly 
Face Doubt – needs normal follow-up 
Face Rejection – needs special follow-up 
Face Death 

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?  
1 Peter – entire book 
Written to people being killed
        1:2 “sprinkled with His blood 
Encouragement but no lessening of ideals
     3:9 “don’t return evil for evil 
Better off than before
     1:18 “ransomed from futile ways”
Sharing Christ’s sufferings 4:12-19; 5:6-10.

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