The Lifeblood of the Church | 1 Thessalonians 5:11

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT)

 

In today’s devotion, we’re going to talk about the importance of befriending and encouraging new Christians.

It’s always exciting to see children discover something adults take for granted, like the first time they taste ice cream, or the first time they see snow, or the first time they walk on the sand. In their excitement, we rediscover it ourselves.

The same is true spiritually. If a Christian has a life that isn’t welcoming to new believers, then something is wrong. They need us. But we also need them. Why? We will rediscover things that we take for granted. New believers need mature believers to stabilize them. And mature believers need new believers to revitalize them. In the Christian life, we can begin to take things for granted. We perhaps don’t enjoy certain things as much as we ought to.

New believers are the lifeblood of the church, but they are also the lifeblood of older Christians. Some churches grow by church transfer, in which most of their congregants come from other churches. Harvest Christian Fellowship grows primarily through new converts. We are an evangelistic church, without apology.

I believe that Christ died for the whole world, and whoever will believe in Him can be forgiven of their sins. My job is to preach the gospel and invite people to Jesus Christ, and I will keep doing this.

When someone accepts that invitation, their Christian journey begins. The first few legs of that journey are often powered by the excitement of their newfound faith. The joy of having a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. The realization of how deeply He loves us. The certainty of eternal life.

When the newness wears off, however, uncertainty rears its head. Longtime believers sometimes forget just how disorienting it can be to experience such a profound life change. We assume that disciplines such as prayer and Bible study will just come naturally to new believers. But that’s not necessarily the case.

We need to keep in mind, too, that our enemy preys on the vulnerable. There’s nothing he likes more than squashing faith before it has a chance to grow.

What new believers need more than anything else is a friend. They don’t need a Bible scholar. (If you are a Bible scholar, all the better. But new believers don’t need that.) They simply need someone to show them what a real, living, breathing Christian looks like. They need to see fellow believers in different seasons of life. They need a practical example of what it means to live as a follower of Christ.

All believers are called to do this—to come alongside new believers. Yet many of us would admit that we just don’t. If you take a new believer under your wing, not only will you help someone else, but you will also help yourself.

 

Reflection question: What would befriending and encouraging new believers look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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