How to Help New Christians
Pray together., Point him or her to reading the Word of God, the Bible., Make sure the new believer knows a few of the basic teachings., Get the new believer involved in church activities and community events., Consider making a notebook for...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pray together.
Leading in a prayer is a great place to start because it's easy, requires no materials and can be done anytime, anywhere for any reason.
Address in prayer any problems that either of you are going through.
Ask for His guidance as the new believer begins the journey, and encourage your friend to add something to the prayer, if desired.
As far as the conception that prayer isn't allowed in public school, that's nonsense.
It was only ruled that prayer couldn't be led by a school official or be mandatory, but if you want to pray alone or with others on your own time, you have the right to do so.
Some schools have a club for Bible study, similar to any other school club.
Suggest making a habit of praying at a regular time each day
-- not just when help is needed.
Point out that it's okay to pray at awakening, after dinner or before bed depending on what fits ones schedule. -
Step 2: Point him or her to reading the Word of God
This is to get into a habit of doing daily, but it's a little harder than prayer because the Bible seems as mysterious as it is amazing.
If your friend doesn't already have a Bible, advise picking one with helpful features at a place with a wide selection like the Family Christian Store.
Even though it's first, don't recommend starting off by reading Genesis because it's a rather long book and contains more history than teachings.
It's still important, all of the Bible is, but there are other parts that are easier to start with.
Since they're shorter and contain the words of Christ himself, recommend starting with the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
Acts, Romans, 1st
-- 3rd John, and Proverbs would be good places to branch out from there.
Alternatively, you could focus on parts that center around a particular subject or use one of many Bible reading plans online.
Bible-reading.com has a very good 52 week plan that alternates between different books to keep things interesting; it is highly recommended.
Offer a few of your favorite verses to help out, see 'Tips' for a few suggestions, and consider getting a good devotional book like TouchPoints.
These are great because you can find verses for almost any concern you have. , They should become familiar with the Ten Commandments, the story of creation, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and salvation through accepting Jesus, for starters. , Depending on the size of your church, you may have a wide or limited selection of activities, but there's bound to be something one can do.
Volunteering to be of service to those in need and donations are also great because in the Gospels, Jesus emphasizes the importance of helping others and giving up things you don't need.
Since showing love is made so clear as a command by Christ himself, being charitable should be a high priority for Christians.
He said: "This command I give to you: 'Love one another'." and "You have heard love your neighbor, but I tell you, 'Love your enemy'!" We try, but we can not love perfectly; so, one must depend on God's grace and mercy, as always. , Obviously, it will be the other person's job to fill this out, but seeing how far one has come can be very encouraging.
Give praise for making improvements, being supportive
-- and don't give up because God doesn't give up on anyone. , These include gay marriage, evolution and other things where Christians often clash with non-believers as well as each other.
The older the new believer is, the more likely one already has a definite opinion on these subjects, and you may or may not like it.
You can say what you think and offer verses that reinforce your opinion, but make sure you're disagreeing with the idea and activity, not against the person.
Whatever you do; don't make insults or act like you're better because of your position, as it's not your place to judge; that's God's job.
If your ideas really clash
-- or you feel an argument may ensue
-- it may be best to avoid talking about these areas entirely, for the sake of peace. , These are two of the biggest challenges for new believers, especially if one has non-religious family, a skeptical mind or both.
There's a world of difference between being open to hearing other experiences or ideas
-- and compromising your own beliefs.
The more he or she experiences God working in lives, the stronger new faith will grow, but seeing events this way isn't in your control.
You can provide encouragement and reinforce God's truth, but it's ultimately up to each one to not let differing views faze us. , Jesus didn't send the Apostles to spread the Gospel until a few years after he began leading them in his ministry.
Paul goes in depth on sending others and going out personally, in the books he wrote in the New Testament.
Evangelism is one of the most rewarding aspects of Christianity, but takes time to mature into mastering this
-- and is often considered a quite challenging part of helping new Christians.
Understand there are many forms of evangelism.
One is lifestyle evangelism, showing your love of God through your actions and way of living, which is often very effective because it goes beyond struggling with words, in helping one grow toward more mature living, in faith.
However, many Christians do this very directly in conjunction with open-air, door-to-door visitation
-- or less directly by online evangelism, which are all sharing the word of God with others.
With more direct methods, offer to accompany another to provide support and encouragement because many of us find this hard at first.
Praise their work when they do a good job
-- and don't let it get them down, if people evangelized about faith resent the personal attention.
If you're witnessing to other people you know, it pays to keep in mind how interested they may be in what you have to say.
Many non-believers have no problem with people being Christian, but find personal evangelism annoying and may say you are "confronting" them.
Above all, show respect
-- not acting self-righteous, not saying veiled insults, making others feel that you see them personally as unacceptable or inferior for not belonging to your religion.
This kind of behavior is a huge turnoff for many people and so non-believers begin to have problems listening to or receiving the plan of God. , The Book of Matthew clearly states that Jesus was baptized through immersion in water and this is how many officially declare Him as their Lord and Savior.
It may be a good idea to have this discussion with your pastor, who's very familiar with the process and has done baptisms before.
They may ask questions as to whether the new believer is ready, so be prepared to answer questions and if need want to talk one-on-one at any given point, let them be.
Offer to help make their baptism special, prepare for the ceremony and maybe give them a gift to commemorate the occasion. , This doesn't mean you can't be a confidant, offer advice or be their friend, but the whole point of this is to help them get to a certain point.
When that day finally arrives, you may go to bed with an immense feeling of satisfaction. , Anybody can say that they're a Christian, but many don't demonstrate the character of one and even use it as an excuse to bully people.
Such bad behavior is why many good Christians fear being labeled 'hateful'
'bigots' or 'close minded'
even if that's not the reality at all.
Faith, hope and love are the big ones, but love is the most important of them all.
Read 1 Corinthians to learn more about what Christian love is while keeping in mind that God is love.
Demonstrate other good character traits like respect, courage, kindness and inner strength.
Try to model the behavior of Christ as depicted in the Gospels and the book of Proverbs is a very good resource of wisdom and character. -
Step 3: the Bible.
-
Step 4: Make sure the new believer knows a few of the basic teachings.
-
Step 5: Get the new believer involved in church activities and community events.
-
Step 6: Consider making a notebook for tracking progress.
-
Step 7: Be careful with the sensitive subjects and social issues.
-
Step 8: Help him or her learn how to deal with doubt and discouragement.
-
Step 9: Wait for progress in the individual's faith before sending the new believer straight forward into evangelism.
-
Step 10: If they haven't done this already
-
Step 11: encourage them to get baptized.
-
Step 12: When they've got the hang of everything
-
Step 13: you may step down as a teacher.
-
Step 14: When it comes to lifestyle
-
Step 15: lead by example all the way through.
Detailed Guide
Leading in a prayer is a great place to start because it's easy, requires no materials and can be done anytime, anywhere for any reason.
Address in prayer any problems that either of you are going through.
Ask for His guidance as the new believer begins the journey, and encourage your friend to add something to the prayer, if desired.
As far as the conception that prayer isn't allowed in public school, that's nonsense.
It was only ruled that prayer couldn't be led by a school official or be mandatory, but if you want to pray alone or with others on your own time, you have the right to do so.
Some schools have a club for Bible study, similar to any other school club.
Suggest making a habit of praying at a regular time each day
-- not just when help is needed.
Point out that it's okay to pray at awakening, after dinner or before bed depending on what fits ones schedule.
This is to get into a habit of doing daily, but it's a little harder than prayer because the Bible seems as mysterious as it is amazing.
If your friend doesn't already have a Bible, advise picking one with helpful features at a place with a wide selection like the Family Christian Store.
Even though it's first, don't recommend starting off by reading Genesis because it's a rather long book and contains more history than teachings.
It's still important, all of the Bible is, but there are other parts that are easier to start with.
Since they're shorter and contain the words of Christ himself, recommend starting with the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
Acts, Romans, 1st
-- 3rd John, and Proverbs would be good places to branch out from there.
Alternatively, you could focus on parts that center around a particular subject or use one of many Bible reading plans online.
Bible-reading.com has a very good 52 week plan that alternates between different books to keep things interesting; it is highly recommended.
Offer a few of your favorite verses to help out, see 'Tips' for a few suggestions, and consider getting a good devotional book like TouchPoints.
These are great because you can find verses for almost any concern you have. , They should become familiar with the Ten Commandments, the story of creation, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and salvation through accepting Jesus, for starters. , Depending on the size of your church, you may have a wide or limited selection of activities, but there's bound to be something one can do.
Volunteering to be of service to those in need and donations are also great because in the Gospels, Jesus emphasizes the importance of helping others and giving up things you don't need.
Since showing love is made so clear as a command by Christ himself, being charitable should be a high priority for Christians.
He said: "This command I give to you: 'Love one another'." and "You have heard love your neighbor, but I tell you, 'Love your enemy'!" We try, but we can not love perfectly; so, one must depend on God's grace and mercy, as always. , Obviously, it will be the other person's job to fill this out, but seeing how far one has come can be very encouraging.
Give praise for making improvements, being supportive
-- and don't give up because God doesn't give up on anyone. , These include gay marriage, evolution and other things where Christians often clash with non-believers as well as each other.
The older the new believer is, the more likely one already has a definite opinion on these subjects, and you may or may not like it.
You can say what you think and offer verses that reinforce your opinion, but make sure you're disagreeing with the idea and activity, not against the person.
Whatever you do; don't make insults or act like you're better because of your position, as it's not your place to judge; that's God's job.
If your ideas really clash
-- or you feel an argument may ensue
-- it may be best to avoid talking about these areas entirely, for the sake of peace. , These are two of the biggest challenges for new believers, especially if one has non-religious family, a skeptical mind or both.
There's a world of difference between being open to hearing other experiences or ideas
-- and compromising your own beliefs.
The more he or she experiences God working in lives, the stronger new faith will grow, but seeing events this way isn't in your control.
You can provide encouragement and reinforce God's truth, but it's ultimately up to each one to not let differing views faze us. , Jesus didn't send the Apostles to spread the Gospel until a few years after he began leading them in his ministry.
Paul goes in depth on sending others and going out personally, in the books he wrote in the New Testament.
Evangelism is one of the most rewarding aspects of Christianity, but takes time to mature into mastering this
-- and is often considered a quite challenging part of helping new Christians.
Understand there are many forms of evangelism.
One is lifestyle evangelism, showing your love of God through your actions and way of living, which is often very effective because it goes beyond struggling with words, in helping one grow toward more mature living, in faith.
However, many Christians do this very directly in conjunction with open-air, door-to-door visitation
-- or less directly by online evangelism, which are all sharing the word of God with others.
With more direct methods, offer to accompany another to provide support and encouragement because many of us find this hard at first.
Praise their work when they do a good job
-- and don't let it get them down, if people evangelized about faith resent the personal attention.
If you're witnessing to other people you know, it pays to keep in mind how interested they may be in what you have to say.
Many non-believers have no problem with people being Christian, but find personal evangelism annoying and may say you are "confronting" them.
Above all, show respect
-- not acting self-righteous, not saying veiled insults, making others feel that you see them personally as unacceptable or inferior for not belonging to your religion.
This kind of behavior is a huge turnoff for many people and so non-believers begin to have problems listening to or receiving the plan of God. , The Book of Matthew clearly states that Jesus was baptized through immersion in water and this is how many officially declare Him as their Lord and Savior.
It may be a good idea to have this discussion with your pastor, who's very familiar with the process and has done baptisms before.
They may ask questions as to whether the new believer is ready, so be prepared to answer questions and if need want to talk one-on-one at any given point, let them be.
Offer to help make their baptism special, prepare for the ceremony and maybe give them a gift to commemorate the occasion. , This doesn't mean you can't be a confidant, offer advice or be their friend, but the whole point of this is to help them get to a certain point.
When that day finally arrives, you may go to bed with an immense feeling of satisfaction. , Anybody can say that they're a Christian, but many don't demonstrate the character of one and even use it as an excuse to bully people.
Such bad behavior is why many good Christians fear being labeled 'hateful'
'bigots' or 'close minded'
even if that's not the reality at all.
Faith, hope and love are the big ones, but love is the most important of them all.
Read 1 Corinthians to learn more about what Christian love is while keeping in mind that God is love.
Demonstrate other good character traits like respect, courage, kindness and inner strength.
Try to model the behavior of Christ as depicted in the Gospels and the book of Proverbs is a very good resource of wisdom and character.
About the Author
Ashley Phillips
A seasoned expert in lifestyle and practical guides, Ashley Phillips combines 4 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Ashley's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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