NEW BELIEVER TIPS (Holiness.com
Response)
Pastoring is like being a shepherd, it cannot be done
most effectively from a remote location, the shepherd must be
amongst
the sheep to see after their needs. Let us say for example
that your
marriage is falling apart and your spouse is about to leave
you. You
need all sorts of help (maybe even counseling); and you need
it right
away - the marriage & family counselors on the radio (if you
can reach
them) will only hear 30-60 seconds of your problem before
giving you
counsel (which may, or may not be suited to your particular
circumstances - most of which circumstances they don't have
the time to
delve into). Even if a pastor does not do all of the
counseling, you can
rest assured that a good pastor has hand picked individuals
that are
more likely capable of giving you the help you need.
Let me also say that attending a different church every Sunday
is also a
mistake. That would be like passing a baby around each night
to a
different set of parents in the community. No matter how good
all the
parents are, the baby needs to be assigned to one household or
it will
grow up confused and emotionally deficient.
I would like to advise you to select mentor(s)/close
confidants who are
mature Christians from among those at your church or in your
community.
If your closest confidants and bosom friend(s) are ungodly
people, you
are likely to be swayed in a direction away from Christ. II
Corinthians
6:14 says: " Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what
communion hath light with darkness?"
Let me back up just a moment. I am presuming that you have
established a
relationship with a church that adheres to the fundamental
teachings of
Christianity; see the Holiness.com, DOCTRINE PROCLAIMED page
for help on
what the fundamental teachings of Christianity are. If you
have not
found a church that believes in the fundamentals, please do so
as
quickly as possible. Ask God to lead you if you need a good
church, and
make sure to find out what they teach before joining; don't
just go on
emotion in selecting a church. The fact that five generations
of your
family may have attended a particular church, of itself, is
not a good
reason to join. Some individuals have allowed family ties to
literally
trap them in churches that are cultic in their beliefs.
Also, As a new Christian, it is particularly important that
you attend a
church where each soul is highly regarded. For example, if you
don't
show up at church for a month, will someone notice and take
care to find
out if you have fallen sick, died, or fallen into a spiritual
slump.
Tip number 2 is that you establish a habit of reading the
Bible
everyday. The Bible enables us to understand who God is; it
helps us to
understand our relationship to God; and the Bible teaches us
how to live
successfully as God's children. II Timothy 3:16 says "All
scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
One more
thing about studying the Bible: commit to faithfully attending
the Bible
classes at your church. God has specifically called and
specially gifted
certain persons in the body of Christ to be teachers to help
train
other believers in the Word of God (see I Corinthians 12:28).
If you
stay faithful to these classes it will help you maintain a
right
interpretation of the Scripture. I have encountered so many
church
people who hold to erroneous teachings because they failed to
stay
faithful to a sound Bible class. Let me be perfectly clear:
when I speak
of Bible class attendance, I don't mean jumping from
convention to
convention, learning the latest cute church-lingo (phrases).
By Bible
class, I am referring to classes such as your Church's Sunday
School,
where you are systematically led through cycles of studying
the Old
Testament and New Testament books of the Bible in an in depth
study of
the Scripture.
Next Page
|
