Love to hear from and know who is listening
I am truly blessed. As a young boy and a teenager my parents drugged me. They drug me to church every week and sometimes multiple times a week! I grew up all my life understanding the ABC's of Christianity. “A” admit that I am a sinner.
Romans 3:23 ESV For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
“B” Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that his death and resurrection provide salvation from sin.
John 3:16 ESV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
“C” Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.
Romans 10: 9-10 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
For many people once they have said “The Magic Prayer” and asked Jesus into their heart they believe they have now entered “Club Christianity.” Congratulations! You have made a life-changing decision! Perhaps you are asking, now what? How do I begin my journey with God? The real unfortunate thing is,... mature Christians put nearly all their effort into evangelism, or more simply said, leading the lost to Jesus Christ, after that they are not given much further attention. Mature Christians have several vital roles after someone first accepts Jesus Christ as their savior. Mature Christians need to focus on discipleship, mentorship, and integration into the church community for the new believer. This involves nurturing them to help them grow in their faith, understand Christian principles, and develop a personal relationship with God.
Ephesians 4: 11-16 ESV And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ultimately, the job of the mature Christian is to help the new Christian grow to a point where they can, in turn, help others who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior come to know the truth. So once your, friend, neighbor, brother or sister has said “The Magic Prayer” and confessed Jesus as their savior your job, my job, as a mature christian is not done,.. it has only just begun! Now we must come along side them disciplining them into a healthy growth and service for God, in the family of God.
