Daily Devotional: August 22

 

 

 

 

Helping New Christians Get a Good Start

 

² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

 

 

1 Peter 5:2-9

“THE APOSO-WHAT?” stammers a kid in the front row of the Sunday school class.
“That’s ‘apostle,’ stupid,” Austin corrects. “As in ‘the apostle Paul.’ An apostle is an official representative sent by God to preach the gospel and often to teach churches in more than one location.”
The kid in the front row squirms. Austin shakes his head at the raw dumbness of the rest of the class. They’re spiritually clueless, he figures, and after thirteen years as a Sunday school regular, he’s too cool for Sunday school.
Of the non-Christian kids you might lead to Christ, fewer and fewer will come from a religious background or understand any Bible basics. Learning the nitty-gritty of the faith from a kind, patient teacher is one of their greatest needs. Believe it or not, you can be a teacher to friends you bring to Christ.
One of the best ways to teach others is to meet with new Christians, with three goals for being together-study, fellowship, and prayer. Invite your new Christian friends to join a small group with other young Christians. Or ask your youth pastor how you can meet and teach them one-on-one at least once a week. Whatever you do, don’t miss these four key pieces of a weekly get-together:

1. Share. Talk about what’s going on in your lives. Focus on what you see God doing and how you are growing in him.
2. Study. Put a significant part of your time into Bible study. You can pick a prepared study that will help your friends with their basic growth as Christians. You can also teach them how to study the Bible on their own.
3. Ask and answer. Your friends might have loads of questions. Give them plenty of time, and don’t feel you have to be able to answer everything. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know; let’s figure it out together,” or “I don’t know, but I’ll do some studying so we can talk about it next time.”
4. Pray. When you pray together each week, it’s a chance to show firsthand how to pray. Teach that prayer is simply talking to God about your thoughts, feelings, and needs.

New Christians desperately need Christian friends. Instead of bashing them for not knowing much about God, be there for them.

REFLECT: Do you feel inadequate to teach people the basics of the faith?

PRAY: Say thanks that the Holy Spirit is present in you to empower you and touch others through you.