11. Help Them Begin Again, with Someone New
Article 11
Help Them Begin Again, with Someone New
Article 11
Someone you have helped follow Jesus may be ready to help someone else. Have you asked them?
They have opened the Bible with you. They have prayed, shared their questions, and taken steps of obedience.
You have given them opportunities to lead.
Now comes a question that can open another door:
“Who could you do this with?”
A friend. A neighbor. A coworker. A family who would welcome a conversation about Jesus.
The next beginning may come through them.
Give what you received
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul tells Timothy to entrust what he has learned to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.
Notice how far Paul is looking.
Paul teaches Timothy. Timothy equips others. Those people teach still others.
The message keeps moving because each person receives it with someone else in view.
That same possibility is sitting across the table from you.
The person you have been encouraging has relationships you may never have. Someone may listen to them who would never respond to you.
Help them recognize that opportunity.
Start with one person
You can begin with a few simple questions:
“Who do you know who might be willing to explore a Bible story?”
“Who has been asking questions or going through a difficult season?”
“Would you pray for that person this week?”
Then help them prepare an invitation:
“I’ve been reading some stories about Jesus with a friend. Would you like to read one together?”
They can begin with the same simple practices they experienced with you: listen, care, open the Bible, ask questions, and encourage a response.
What does this passage show us about God?
What does it show us about people?
What will you do because of what you discovered?
Who could you share this with?
Keep the beginning simple enough to repeat.
Walk beside them
A first invitation can feel frightening. So can the first time leading a conversation.
Practice together. Let them ask the questions while you respond. Help them think through what they will do if someone asks a question they cannot answer.
“I don’t know. Let’s look at the passage again” is an honest place to begin.
If they need you at the first gathering, go with them. Agree beforehand on how they will lead and how you will help.
Afterward, listen.
“What went well?”
“What was difficult?”
“What do you think your next step should be?”
Pray with them. Encourage what you saw. Help them prepare to try again.
Your support can give them courage to keep going.
Make room for another table
We naturally enjoy the fellowship we already have. Familiar people. Honest conversations. A place where we belong.
As someone begins with a new household, keep loving and encouraging them. They need that spiritual family as they learn to care for others.
And help them carry the same expectation into the new gathering.
Someone at that next table also knows a person who needs Jesus.
From the beginning, they can pray for those people, share what they learn, and look for opportunities to invite them.
You may never meet everyone reached through the person you encourage today.
But you can help that person take the next step.
Your step this week
Choose one person you have been helping follow Jesus.
Ask:
“Who could you begin reading the Bible with, and how can I help you get started?”
Pray for someone by name. Practice the invitation. Agree on when you will talk again.
A new beginning needs a first step.
Help them take it.
Want to go further?
All ten ten Zúme discipleship lessons are on my site, free, with the video and the same teaching notes I use when I train leaders in person. Take them on your own, take them with a few friends, or join me live on Zoom and I will teach them to you face to face. When you finish, tell me and I will coach you personally.
Terry Ruff
DMM Catalyst & Zúme Trainer | Missionary at Northside Christian Church
Your gift would be tax deductible and overseen by Northside Christian Church, our sending church. There are many we coach that could use encouragement in small ways to accomplish great things.
Watch on YouTube: 11. Help Them Begin Again, with Someone New · Series Playlist
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