10 First Steps for the New ChristianНамуна
Step Two
Tell Someone.
After you have been saved, it's important to tell someone about it.
In the Bible we read about Andrew, a man who later became one of Jesus' disciples. When he trusted Jesus as Savior, he took an important first step. He told someone! In fact, he told his brother. John 1:41 says, "He first found his own brother Simon, and said him, We have found the Messiah.'"
His explanation of his salvation was not very long, not very detailed and definitely not very theological. Andrew was a fisherman, not a theologian. Through the years he would learn more about God and become more theologically astute, but at this time he had just been saved. He simply told his brother what he had found.
No one expects you to have all the answers or all the right terminology just after you have been saved. God doesn't expect it of you. All you need to do is to tell someone what has happened to you. Tell that person that Jesus has become real to you, that He has come into your life and has saved you.
This doesn't make you a missionary, but it does make you a witness. Jesus wants us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).
Talking about your salvation may not be easy, and you may not comprehend everything that happened to you when you were saved.
But sharing your new life in Christ with others will help you in a number of ways. It will help clarify your thinking, you'll be able to separate the questions you have in your mind from the facts you know. It will also help solidify in your own mind what has happened to you. And it will bring your friends face to face with God's love for them.
"We have a story to tell to the nations, but it is also a story to tell to the neighbors.'
-Vance Havner
One caution. When you tell someone what has happened to you, do not start an argument. People do not come to Christ at the end of an argument, but they frequently come to Him at the end of a testimony. Be genuine. Be kind. Be patient. Let the love of God that brought you to Him be reflected in the way in which you tell others about Him.
The greatest thing that will happen to you in your life is your salvation. Tell someone about it. Charles Wesley wrote:
"O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace."
We don't have a thousand tongues, but we do have one. Let's use it for the noblest purpose possible--telling our friends, relatives and neighbors about what Christ has done for us. When you do, you have taken another first step for the new Christian.
The Son of God became a man so that men could become the sons of God. Tell someone.
About this Plan
Woodrow Kroll has written an informative primer for new believers, asserting the importance of daily Bible reading and prayer, the necessity of developing friendships with other Christians, the role of the Church in the new life, and more.
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