9 Lessons for New Christians . . . And Old Ones
By Chuck Lawless
It’s been a long time since I became a Christ follower (39+
years ago), but I still think about what I wish I had known back then. You see,
my first years as a believer were not easy. My family was not a Christian
family. I was in my early teens, wanting to be faithful to God but also seeking
to fit in with my peers. My church loved me, but discipleship was not
intentional. I wish someone had helped prepare me for the journey.
If I were writing a new believer’s guide today for people like
me, I would include a simple “lessons learned” section with at least these
lessons:
1. It’s okay to be a baby in
Christ. Everybody
in my Bible study class knew all the answers, it seemed. I watched as others
found the Bible passage while I pretended to know the right page. Others knew
the song lyrics by heart, and they knew exactly what to do at every church
event. I didn’t know any of that – and I was both awkward and ashamed. No one
told me that every believer begins as a baby in Christ.
2. The Bible is not always
easy to read. I was fascinated when I first started reading the Bible.
Genesis was great, because I knew nothing about the beginnings of the world.
The book of Exodus was equally exciting, filled with burning bushes, judgment
plagues, dividing seas, and shaking mountains. But, then I reached Leviticus. .
. . and I quit reading. I needed someone to help me when the reading became
difficult.
3. The Christian life will
have ups and downs. We usually learn this lesson the hard way. Because I did
not know Christianity has mountains and valleys, I assumed that the “down”
moments were the result of a lack of faith or an unconfessed sin. Sometimes
that was the case, but sometimes God was stretching and testing my faith. Even
the obedient believer can wrestle with a thorn – but I didn’t know that.
4. You are not alone in your
struggles. I was sure nobody else battled with temptation like I did.
Nobody had sin lurking in the shadows like I did. Surely every other believer
had conquered sin – at least, it seemed that way on Sunday. I was so certain of
that truth that I didn’t dare talk to anyone about my struggles. The result in
my life was continued failure and increasing defeat.
5. The devil is real. In my young mind,
the devil was a Halloween character rather than a supernatural enemy against
God and His people. Because I didn’t recognize the reality of the devil, I
thought I could win spiritual battles in my own power. Prayer was not
important, and cries for the power of God were non-existent. I was losing a war
I didn’t even know existed.
6. Many people don’t pray
well. The
only prayers I heard then were prayers from the pastor, a deacon, or a Bible
study teacher. The petitions were polished, eloquent, and deep (or so I thought
then). I didn’t always understand the words used, and I was certain I’d never
reach that level of praying. Little did I know these same folks often struggled
in their private prayer life, and perhaps we could have helped each other grow
in prayer.
7. Some people won’t share
your excitement. My Christian conversion was powerful. A friend had shared
Christ with me, and I couldn’t wait to tell others about Him. I was at times
obnoxious with my evangelism. Rude, even. I just couldn’t understand why
anybody would choose not to follow Jesus. Had I known then that not everyone
listens, perhaps I would have felt less defeated in my evangelism efforts.
8. Churches are not perfect. I was unprepared
for the tares among the wheat, the sin in the camp, the arrogance among the
redeemed. It was years of discouragement before I realized that Jesus Himself
had a fake in His group, and the apostle Paul loved a church as messed up as
the church at Corinth. It took some time for me to learn that the church exists
for the sick and the needy – that is, for people like me.
9. God will always be
faithful. Perhaps
you learn this lesson only through the years, but I wish someone would have
challenged me then to trust – and even memorize – these words: “I have been
young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his
children begging for bread” (Psa. 37:25). God really does take care of His own.
Always.
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