New Christians
A new look at an old problem!
A while ago now, my wife came out with a really profound observation about new Christians and ‘yet-to-be-Christians’.
She said, “Only Heaven will tell how many people we turned off to The LORD, by how we treat the unsaved and newly saved.”
I wonder how many ‘tender new shoots’ have been killed off by over-watering, under-watering, or just plain bad handling?
New Christians are often compared to babies yet often treated with little or no gentleness, nor understanding, nor even very much love.
We all know, however, that ‘babies’ require, nay demand, very careful feeding, nursing, and gentle teaching.
This is all very analogous — so lets cut to the chase here and spell a few things out.
We have some very new and very talented new Christians within our town. A couple of them display an anointing so strong you wonder what The LORD has in store for them!
However, instead of encouraging them in their very obvious talents and, of course, grounding them in their new found Faith, many people are piling pressure and expectation upon them.
“You must do this…. — you must do that…” are typical of the things said.
Then when they do step tentatively out, they get barked at for not understanding rules and guidelines.
No wonder they have become disillusioned, confused, and ultimately frustrated.
Why are so many people so keen to “throw the newcomers in the deep end” and then wring their hands in anguish when things go wrong? Very wrong sometimes!
Sometimes, too often, we expect far too much too soon and then blame these still baby Christians for the mistakes they inevitably make.
Basically, as my wife said, “We put many off their early Christian walk by our attitudes and totally unfair criticism of their mistakes.”
It almost seems that we either try to see them fail just as we did, or we try to live our Christian dreams vicariously through these lovely new Christians by locking into their new-found zeal and pushing them where they neither want to go nor have a calling to go.
And please don’t ask them, as I have heard so often, “What is God saying to you?” — they more often than not have no idea what God is saying to them as they have yet to learn the listening skills.
New Christians and yet-to-be-Christians need nursing, discipling, and growing into the Christian that The LORD has destined them to be.
Like any other growing thing, you cannot and must not rush them.
They can take part in every activity, but not alone nor unsupervised.
Protect them, nurture them, disciple them into maturity.
Not deep end baptisms of fire, nor criticism of mistakes — just loving nurture.
That’s our job while we allow God, through The Holy Spirit, to do His job.
~ Chris G. Bennett
Chris Bennett came to salvation in 1962 but didn’t begin ministry until 2007 — a late-comer! Now mandated by The LORD to prophesy and open old wells of revival in the U.K., but especially in Wales. He has also operated Healing Rooms, and worked with deliverance teams, all with his wife, Linda. Happily now doing whatever The LORD asks of them! Founder, with wife Linda, of their ministry The Upper Room Encounter.
Thank you brother Chris and thank you sister Linda for this teaching, equipping word of wisdom. I loved this: She said, “Only Heaven will tell how many people we turned off to The LORD, by how we treat the unsaved and newly saved.”Now that carries deep conviction and need to pause and say..Show me my heart Lord and help me to be kind to all in my path. In His Love, Sandi
I have reviewed the allegations made against the Gotthard and Luce programs for young people. I did the Gotthard thing but not the Luce. The former are cessationists, the latter “continuationists,” but they both used LAW to control young believers. Perhaps we can learn something — we need to FAST.
I agree that the level of the abuse of children that will be coming in will be astronomical (Epstein, Weinstein, NEXIUM, etc). Witness Lonnie Frisbee and “Jesus Revolution” on steroids. I disagree that gays and other moral failings are beyond God’s grace, but some do not know how to handle them with or without LOVE and MERCY.
Rule #1 – 1 Tim 3:6 (AMP) – and He must not be a new convert, so that he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his arrogance and pride]. Some say gays need 1.5 to 5 years to be free — that sounds like good advice even to highly anointed!
Don, Having never even heard of either of the ‘programs’ you mention, I can only comment from experience. I was raised Anglobapticostal – Anglican and Baptist mixture followed by salvation in a Pentecostal environment. So – I didn’t experience Cessationism until after I had a thorough grounding in the baptism of Holy Spirit including tongues, healing and deliverance – all of which I first witnessed then experienced first hand.
Your comments re promoting new converts too early, gays and other moral failings are spot on and we can only pray for children not to fall into the hands of perverted predators!
God bless you brother
It would be better to have millstone hung around one’s neck than to cause the new and weak christians to stumble. It is one of the most serious charges written in the gospel. But it doesn’t happen just with new christians. Christians constantly compare their standing to others. Presume they are more mature and know better than others who are unassuming. God only knows where each one stands. People think they hear better know better therefore throw around unsolicited advice. Who is to say they hear God better.
Arrogance is another thing that a few believers ’suffer’ from! But then we meet ‘know-it-all’s’ in every part of life. Certainly Christians are sadly not immune to such things but I did hear a very good response to someone who almost shouted at a fellow believer who gave what they heard from God.
“That’s not what God said at all. God did not say that to you!” was the comment.
To which he received the calm reply, “Really, I didn’t realise it was a three way conversation!”
Danke für diese wundervollen Zeilen.
Ja, als Neuling fühlt man sich oft überfordert oder sogar am falschen Platz.
Für heute wünsche ich Ihnen noch eine gesegnete neue Woche.
Herzlichst Elfriede
[ HKP : “Danke für diese wundervollen Zeilen.
Ja, als Neuling fühlt man sich oft überfordert oder sogar am falschen Platz.
Für heute wünsche ich Ihnen noch eine gesegnete neue Woche.
Herzlichst Elfriede” ]
Vielen Dank für Ihre ermutigenden Kommentare. Ich würde gerne glauben, dass ich mit einem neuen Christen noch nie einen Fehler gemacht habe – natürlich habe ich Fehler gemacht, wir alle haben sie und werden sie wahrscheinlich wieder tun. Aber ich hatte auch das Privileg, einen Kurs für neue Gläubige für Erwachsene und Kinder zu leiten. Diese Erfahrung lehrt den Lehrer genauso viel wie den Schüler!
Thank you for your encouraging comments. I’d like to think ive never made a mistake with a new Christian – of course ive made mistakes, we all have and probably will do so again. But ive also had the privilege of running a new believers class for both adults and children. That experience teaches the teacher as much as the student!
So right. We are commanded to let our gentleness be evident to all, but new or failing Christians often meet with judgement, mistrust, bullying, or even control. I’ve seen too many have enthusiasm and joy suppressed, or ask for guidance or prayer and be told they must have unforgiveness, or no revelation of God, or secret sins or other cruel words.
There was an odd comment on another post here some days back and the responses were either total condemnation or passive aggressive bullying like posting links to other prophets confirming the word they’d disagreed with. No spirit words or highlighting real historical facts. Either speak life to their heart or speak truth to the mind so they can choose for themself. To just condemn or try to control their opinion by showing ours is not of God. He loves these little ones in the faith and He wants all to come to Him. And sometimes their naivety, passion and new ways are what He desires!
In teaching a new believers class, it’s often the questions posed to you that give the most problems, and I suspect, cause more misunderstanding and bad theology than anything else. I can only pray that we didn’t cause too much confusion and hurt. At least I can say that we never had anyone lose their newborn faith – at least as far as I know we didn’t lose any!