Steve Needs Our Encouragement
What a difference a year has made. Steve’s friend had invited him to attend an outdoor music festival called Amplify with him. He usually didn’t attend this type of event, but he knew one of the groups performing. And, best of all, it was free. Aside from the August heat, the different artists and the event atmosphere were better than he had anticipated. But what was life-changing was the message. It came through from many of the artists, but most from the speaker, Nick Hall. He clearly presented the good news of Jesus Christ. Steve realized he had never trusted in Christ, and that night, he decided to follow Him.
William and Kayla came to Amplify for the first time after hearing about it on social media. At the festival, they went to the prayer tent to ask for prayer. They shared how William had lost his job, lost his truck, and they were in danger of losing their home. After praying for these needs, the prayer team leader asked them if they knew Jesus as Savior and Lord of their life. After a conversation about what this meant, they were asked if they wanted to be sure they knew Jesus. They said, “Yes,” and prayed to receive Him. They were encouraged that someone from a church would be reaching out to encourage and explore next steps to continue growing in their faith.
Steve, William, and Kayla represent just three of the 1,700 people who responded to the gospel message that weekend at Amplify. Each person has a unique story, but they all share at least one thing in common. They are new to the faith or at a vulnerable place in their spiritual journey and need the help of a spiritual community to grow and mature.
A New Opportunity
On August 8th and 9th, thousands will hear the gospel clearly proclaimed at this year’s Amplify. Hundreds, maybe thousands, will respond. One crucial question is, “How will the body of Christ in Central Arkansas steward opportunities to come alongside those who have made a decision and help them to continue following Jesus?”
At the end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20 NLT).
There are two parts to his primary command “to make disciples.” The first part is to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is what we refer to as the evangelism aspect of discipleship. The second is to teach a Christ follower all that Jesus commands. This means that after the Amplify event has ended, the discipleship process for many will have just started.
I am confident God will accomplish His purposes in the lives of every new believer. Or as Paul writes: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Phil. 1:6 NLT). My prayer is that many churches across Arkansas will experience the joy of participating in this exciting opportunity.
Learning from Paul’s Example
How can we prepare to participate not only in the harvest at Amplify but also in the work of establishing new believers in the faith? Paul’s letter to recent converts in 1 Thessalonians gives us helpful insights. Consider the following.
He prayed for them.
“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (1:2)
“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (3:12-13)
He was relationally connected with them and lived in a way that demonstrated his concern for them.
“You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” (1:5)
“But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
“For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.” (2:7-9)
He observed and commended them for the evidence they showed of their conversion.
“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1:6–9)
He treated them as family.
“But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
“For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (2:7,11)
He enlisted others to assist in the process of strengthening their faith.
“Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.” (3:1–3)
Three Essential Practices to Follow
How might we follow Paul’s example as we follow up with someone who has decided to follow Christ at an event like Amplify or in any setting where the gospel has been proclaimed? Approaches will vary depending on the situation, but here are three essential practices to consider.
Connect with them relationally.
Whether you’re reaching out to someone you know or a stranger, start by listening. Ask questions. Learn their story. I’ll admit, I’ve sometimes seen response cards as tasks instead of people. If the connection feels hard, will we persevere to build a relationship?
A vital part of that connection is confirming their understanding of the gospel. Clarify that salvation is by grace through faith, not through works or church attendance.
Invite them into your church family.
Invite them to be baptized as a step of obedience and a public declaration of their faith in Christ. Invite them to your church’s new member class. Invite them to participate in environments in your church where they can develop relationships and grow in their faith. Trust God’s timing, but don’t give up on people.
Establish them in the faith.
Provide an intentional and ordered growth path that will establish a person in the essentials of the faith. One resource widely used internationally and by churches in our state is The First Principles Series, developed by BILD International. For more information on this excellent tool, contact Lauren Linz at [email protected] or visit the BILD International online store.
Praying and Preparing for the Harvest
What if 2,000 people or more respond to the gospel at Amplify?
May we, as churches, pray that God will open the hearts of those who attend. May we encourage our people to be prepared and serve by relationally connecting with those who respond, inviting them into our church families, and implementing effective plans to establish every new believer in their faith.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:11-16
To get tickets to this year’s Amplify or learn how your church can get involved, visit amplifyfest.org.
