For New Followers of Jesus - 30 Bible StudiesSample

Introduction

Now that you have decided to follow Jesus

Hundreds of thousands of people are saved every year. The church's first responsibility towards these converts is to follow up with them and make disciples of them. Approximately 80% of all converts will fall away within three months if they are not followed up and made disciples immediately. (This means they stop following Jesus or stop engaging with any faith community.) When new converts are not discipled for a year, only 4 out of every 100 converts will still continue to engage with a faith community or follow Jesus.

The 30 Bible Studies in this reading plan are designed to help new followers of Jesus grow as disciples and become disciple-makers.

1. This material is written for new followers of Jesus: It can be used by the person who became a follower of Christ or the evangelist who helped someone become a follower of Jesus. It is recommended that the new convert work through it with two or three friends.

2. Ask the Lord for someone who can embark on this spiritual journey with you and help you become and be a disciple of Jesus. Disciple-making can be one-on-one or a small micro-group of 3-4 people. Get together weekly (for more or less 60-90 minutes) to read the Bible, discuss questions with one another, pray together, and talk together about how to obey the Scriptures you have studied practically.

3. Obedience-based: Many sermons and Bible Studies focus on information, but do not necessarily lead to obedience. The 30 Bible studies in this reading plan are not information-based but obedience-based. To foster obedience, a small group is essential because it allows individuals to hold one another accountable and provide mutual support.

4. 30 Bible Studies: This series comprises 30 Bible studies on various topics, teaching the fundamental principles of who Jesus is, how to live in a relationship with Him, and how He desires us to live. It can be completed within 30 days, but I do not recommend it. There are different options. If you cannot do it differently, do one per day or one every other day. If you can get together a small micro-group of 3-4 people, do one study per week. Or you can do one study per week as a group and another on your own. It will then take you approximately 15 weeks to complete the studies. Develop a plan that can work for your group.

5. Don't do these studies on your own: Get at least one person to work through these Bible studies with you. People grow very little when they study the Word on their own. The best option is to do it with a micro-group of 3-4 people. In such a micro-group, you can support one another, hold each other accountable, and pray together. People usually grow faster when they study the Word together with others. Working together through the Scriptures and sharing your experiences with the group strengthens people, making the experience more meaningful.

6. It is good to have a mentor (a follower of Jesus with more experience) for a one-on-one relationship or as part of a group.

7. Start a small WhatsApp group for your micro-group of 3-5 people. Use this group only for essential communication about the discipleship process.