I was reminded of the importance of follow-up from the example of Jonah, (CLICK HERE to see the lesson on Jonah) who didn’t stay around to do any kind of follow-up after his great revival at Nineveh. I couldn’t help but wonder if history had been different if he had but we know he didn’t and they returned to their violent, evil ways and in less than 50 years later brutally conquered Israel.
We can’t do anything about Jonah, but we are responsible for following up with new Christians and for growing ourselves as disciples of Jesus. This tool can help us do that.
This chart is based on resources from the Navigators, a Christian group I learned from in college. These 5 Assurances and the verses that go with them were what they felt were essential for a new Christian to know and have stood the test of time as a helpful foundation for a relationship with Jesus. They had a chart that went with it with each verse on the fingers of a hand. I redid a new one in Canva to fit on social media format and as a graphic you can use in teaching.
CLICK here or on the chart to download it.
The following is a list of the Five Assurances, then a verse that supports each one, and some additional comments I have on it.
1. Assurance of Salvation
Before any relationship can grow, you need to be secure in it. God wants you to be secure, eternally assured that nothing you can do will ever destroy His love for you or cause Him to leave you. Our verse for Assurance of Salvation is:
And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. 1 John 5:11-12, NLT
Once you have trusted Jesus as your Savior—you have Him and he will not ever let you go—and because His life is eternal, you won’t ever really die. One day you’ll simply close your eyes and open them to a world of endless joy.
2. Assurance of Answered Prayer
The foundation of any relationship is communication and our relationship with Jesus is the same. Jesus wants us to talk to Him, anytime, about anything—that is what prayer is. Our verse for the Assurance of Answered Prayer is:
You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. John 16:24, NLT
You can now freely talk to God about anything, any request for yourself and those you care for. God doesn’t always give us everything we want, because He knows what and when is best, but He always hears us and answers.
3. Assurance of Victory over sin
Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you immediately become perfect. Life can be even more of a challenge that it was when you didn’t care how you lived. Our verse for the Assurance of Victory is:
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Cor. 10:13, NLT
You will be tempted just like everyone else, but as a Christian, you don’t have to sin. God will provide a way out and you can say no. God has not turned you into a robot—He hasn’t erased your will and you must still make that decision to say no to sin, but you’ll find you have a new desire and power to do it that you didn’t have before.
4. Assurance of Forgiveness
There are times when you don’t take the way out. You mess up. You sin—but our gracious Savior provided for us when that happens. Here is our verse for Assurance of Forgiveness:
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just forgives our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9
To confess means to name it, call it what it is, to agree with God that you should not have done it and are truly repentant. When you do that God will forgive you. To me it is like stepping into a shower, which washes us clean, ready to go back out into the world to serve Him.
5. Assurance of Guidance
Just because you have become a Christian, doesn’t mean you know how to live as a Christian—it simply isn’t in us, and we need an outside source for guidance. Fortunately God provides what we need. Our verse for the Assurance of Guidance is:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Prov. 3:5,6 NLT
The only way for this verse to become reality is if you get to know God’s Word—the Bible—that is where He will show you what to do, that is where you will get understanding in life; that is where you will find the path to take.
There is NO other way in our current, mixed up, and confused world that you will know God’s will for your life, which is the absolute best way to live the human life, if you don’t get it from God’s Word.
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