{"id":31731,"date":"2022-09-10T15:41:51","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/6-mistakes-the-church-often-makes-with-new-believers\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:41:51","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:41:51","slug":"6-mistakes-the-church-often-makes-with-new-believers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/6-mistakes-the-church-often-makes-with-new-believers\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Mistakes the Church Often Makes With New Believers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash<\/div>\n

By Daniel Darling<\/em><\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve been under a rock, you\u2019re aware by now that rapper Kanye West has openly professed faith in Christ, hosting Sunday services featuring gospel preachers, and has released an album, Jesus is<\/em> King<\/em>, full of Bible references.<\/p>\n

West\u2019s apparent conversion has provoked all kinds of reaction from Christians from jubilation to skepticism. Some have compared his conversion to that of the Apostle Paul. Others have compared it Johnny Cash\u2019s or Bob Dylan\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Most of us won\u2019t ever meet Kanye West, but hopefully we\u2019re constantly engaging with people who have professed newfound faith in Jesus Christ. Too often we meet such professions of faith\u2014especially when they come from the mouths of people we least expect\u2014with deep skepticism.<\/p>\n

But what we owe new believers is not a clenched fist, but an open hand. So instead of eye rolls, let\u2019s offer biblical responses. Here are six things the church often gets wrong when a new believer comes into the fold.<\/p>\n

1. Responding to a new believer with a lack of joy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Just as parents greet the entrance of a new baby into the world with joy, so should fellow believers greet the entrance of a new Christian\u2014a new birth\u2014into the body of Christ.<\/p>\n

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Luke 15:10 says that all of Heaven rejoices when a sinner comes home. Think about this. What lights up Heaven is that one more image-bearer has been rescued from the clutches of darkness. One more prodigal has come home. If we are truly living for Heaven, we should rejoice at what makes glad the heart of God.<\/p>\n

2. Missing awe over the miracle of salvation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Skepticism is one thing. But surprise is another.<\/p>\n

My friend Bryan Loritts recently wrote, \u201cLike any miracle, conversions shock us.\u201d That\u2019s exactly right. A conversion is always a surprising work of God, whether it takes place at 5 or 50, in a pew or a prison.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a miracle that I\u2019m a believer. It\u2019s a miracle that you\u2019re a believer. We who were dead have been made alive. God by his Spirit woos the hearts of sinners and gives them new birth in Christ.<\/p>\n

3. Losing patience as a new believer stumbles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A new believer articulates enough understanding that he or she is a sinner desperately in need of grace, abandoning idols and self-righteousness at the cross.<\/p>\n

But that may be all they know.<\/p>\n

Those of us who\u2019ve spent years studying and teaching the Bible shouldn\u2019t expect new converts to be as knowledgeable as we are. Paul says of his work among the people of Thessalonica, \u201cBut we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children\u201d (1 Thessalonians 2:7).<\/p>\n

This kind of gentle care of a new convert requires spiritual maturity. In a social media age, where we stand ready to mock wrong answers in order to get clicks, we need to resist this and patiently work with those who are new to the family of God.<\/p>\n

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See also  8 Ways to Persevere in Ministry<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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4. Not allowing them to grow in wisdom before they assume a leadership role<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Paul urges Timothy to not put a \u201cnovice\u201d in leadership. Too often we\u2019re tempted to give a new believer leadership roles before they are ready, particularly if they are a celebrity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting to see someone\u2019s natural gifts and talents and automatically thrust them into leadership roles for which they aren\u2019t spiritually prepared. This not only hurts the church; it hurts the person pushed into prominence prematurely. We should go slow and let some sanctification and discipleship take root.<\/p>\n

Ironically, Paul\u2019s words to Timothy were born out of his own experience. Before he was commissioned by the early church, he spent three years in obscurity in Arabia, learning and growing (Galatians 1:17).<\/p>\n

5. Failure to adequately encourage a new Christian<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We\u2019re wise to watch a new convert over a long period of time to see if they\u2019re truly regenerated. But at the same time, our first response shouldn\u2019t be cynicism or wish they were \u201cour kind of Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not saved into parochial tribes; we\u2019re baptized into the body of Christ. So a new believer doesn’t need our Phariseeism, but our encouragement. They need a new family, not a new group of accusers.<\/p>\n

6. Not welcoming them with a posture of humility<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a tendency to disbelieve conversions happened, especially when they come out of a hedonistic or antagonistic life.<\/p>\n

Some in the early church doubted Paul\u2019s conversion, because he was the least likely person to be saved. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we\u2019re the kind of people God wants to save.<\/p>\n

But the grace that God applied to us is just as scandalous as the grace He applies to others. My salvation cost God as much as much as anyone else\u2019s because the \u201cwretch\u201d in Newton’s Amazing Grace<\/em> refers to me, not just those “other” people.<\/p>\n

God is in the business of saving people, from celebrities like Kanye West to ordinary folks in your part of the world.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s rejoice, like Heaven, every time a sinner crosses the threshold of mercy. And let\u2019s not miss an opportunity to welcome a new brother or sister into the family of God.<\/p>\n

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Daniel Darling<\/h2>\n

@dandarling<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dan is the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Seminary. He is the bestselling author of several books, including The Characters of Christmas<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n