First, a parable.
Once, there was a man who went out to scatter seed. He threw it everywhere — on the hillside, on the plain, in the valley, in the mountain.
Some of the seed fell on ground that was shallow, and crows came and gobbled it up.
Some fell on ground that was rocky and it shot up like bamboo! But when came the heat of the day, it withered because it didn’t have a deep root.
Some seed fell on soil and grew up very strong — alongside thorns. The thorns wrapped themselves around the plant and choked it!
It never bore fruit.
Now, some seed was spread on good soil. And it took root and grew, slowly but surely. This seed produced a harvest that was a hundred times greater than what was sown.
The seed is God’s word.
The soil, your heart.
That being said, here are some first steps for growing in Christ:
This is step number one. And why so important? Faith must not stay dormant inside your heart. A dormant faith will wilt very quickly. You must share your faith with someone. You don’t need to win ten thousand to Christ in a day, but you need to tell someone about the decision you’ve made.
Confessing Christ is linked with your salvation. You cannot keep this a secret. You’ve believed in your heart, now confess it with your mouth.
“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”The Gospel of John is a good place to start. It tells the story of Jesus from the perspective of one of his close disciples. Pick whatever you want after that; Acts is a good second choice.
Tip: Slow down speed racer. Don’t fly through the Bible. God will speak to you through it, but it helps if you slow down. Chew on what you’re reading. Digest it.
“I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.”You’re not going to find a perfect church, but you need to find a good one. Look for a church that teaches the Bible and honors God.
Potential red flags:
Potential green flags:
Let the church be your trellis — the structure that holds you up while you grow. And in time, learn how to be the trellis for others.
“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.”Jesus commanded it. Your faith is what saves you, but baptism is the Christian’s first act of obedience — a public declaration that you died to your old life and were raised in Christ. Jesus himself was baptized. He told his disciples to baptize.
When you find a church, talk to a leader about it. Don’t put this off.
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”Learn how to pray. Talking to someone you can’t see can take a little bit to get used to, but God wants to hear from you. There’s no wrong prayer and you don’t need beautiful words. Just honesty. God loves to hear from his children.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”Becoming a Christian does not mean your problems are going to go away. You actually might find yourself having more problems than before. Old habits are hard to break. Friends might not understand. You have an adversary whose number one goal is to keep you from Christ.
Congratulations soldier, you’re now a member of the Lord’s army. All of this is normal. More than that, it’s actually evidence that you’ve been born again. Take it in stride.
“I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”When you sin, confess to God right away. Don’t wait. Time elapsed has no effect on a guilty conscience, although it can certainly feel that way. Confession alone cleanses the conscience, even when your feelings say otherwise. The Scripture says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. So don’t wait until you feel less guilty or you feel you’ve done sufficient penance and can now come to God. You can always come.
You should always come.
If you’re in the Richmond area and looking for a church, send us an email:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17