What’s in It for You?
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24–25)
A funny thing about very small children is that when they are hungry, they can’t say they are hungry. Nor can they feed themselves. So they just start crying, and you are trying to figure out what the problem is. Then you realize they are just hungry.
A lot of times new believers just need to be fed. They need to be given the Word of God.
When children start to eat, they obviously start with nursing or a bottle. Then they move on to baby food. Then they move on to little bits of food. You don’t give a child a porterhouse steak to begin with. A child needs help in being nurtured.
The same is true of new believers. We need to help them as they are starting to dig into the Word of God. That means sitting down them, reading the Bible with them, and explaining it to them.
And let me tell you something: This is a fringe benefit. As you watch a new believer discover God’s Word for the first time, you will rediscover it for yourself. Sometimes we have heard things so many times that we start to take them for granted. Oh, yeah . . . yeah . . . yeah . . . I have heard about that. Oh, yeah . . . I know the definition of justification. Oh, yeah . . . I know all about forgiveness. Oh, yeah . . . I know about the Rapture and the Second Coming. I know all of this stuff.
They don’t. And when you tell them about it, they are saying, “What? Are you kidding me?”
New believers will energize you as you stabilize them. Discipling others—that is our job as followers of Jesus Christ.
Summary sentence: Discipling others—that is our job as followers of Jesus Christ.
Tags: discipleship, new believers
Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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“We can’t allow our emotions to dictate our worldview; rather, we must base our worldview on absolute truth. And the only place where you can find that absolute truth is in the pages of Scripture.” —Greg
You can receive your own copy of Worldview: Learning to Think and Live Biblically in appreciation for your gift today to Harvest Ministries. This resource outlines the principles for you to build or rebuild a proper biblical foundation for your life.