[Audio is better.]
Newborn believer concepts.
Part one
What I want every newborn Christian to understand.
Introduction to True Christianity class 101.
Now that I am born again, what did I just get myself into?
• Truth is from a Person named Truth.
Ephesians 4:21 “… as the truth is in Jesus:”
John 18:37 “Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.”
Truth is generally simple and requires little defense.
Truth is a lion that you just let loose.
• You will now want to stay in clear bi-directional communication with your Heavenly Father, and with your Savior, and with the Holy Spirit from now through-on into eternity and beyond.
There’s a natural hunger for communion and connection … believing that God loves you enough to listen to your mumblings, and murmurings, and confusion, and complaining and all of your thoughts and prayer through every day, every moment, all the way.
• The devil is a master of infant mortality.
He absolutely targets and hates brand new baby believers. You should feel a fresh level of protection from God and simultaneously you’ll experience attacks from the messengers of darkness.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
• Do not be overly enamored with mere mortal ministers.
Those who minister the truth of God to you are simply human at best.
• Teamwork is absolutely vital to your spiritual success.
There are no solo champions here. We are sheep, and we need encouragement from each other.
• Scripture surprises you with endless layers of exploration because it’s alive.
It will speak to you every time you dig in. More pieces of the puzzle fit together as you assimilate the truth of scripture through the audio Bible… The audio Bible is super essential to your spiritual growth; there’s no illustration to compare.
Those who refuse to develop a pattern of receiving God’s Word through audio format, will stagnate their growth before they reach middle school; stuck at elementary level.
You absolutely must regularly consistently nearly daily listen to the audio Bible, where the words are read to you. This is in addition to, and does not replace your physical consumption of the Words by reading through your own eyeballs. But we want the Bible saturating our eyeballs and our earlobes both.
• Despise not prophesying.
Do not hate preaching that compels you to make massive decisions. Don’t shy away or avoid a hearing clarion call to action in the form of Spirit-filled preaching. Preaching is necessary and healthy to keep my will strong for God.
• Do not develop a lazy attitude of dependency on church for your spiritual nutrition and development.
That’s insufficient. Church alone is not enough. You will not grow to maximum maturity in Christ and it become the servant and useful laborer that God intends for you to become if you only show up a couple times a week. Christianity is every day all day.
• You will still be tempted to do even MORE stupid & selfish things.
Your body is still connected to your soul and so you have crazy desires. But now you have the Holy Spirit to help you choose better desires. More fulfilling options.
• The devils absolutely hate and attack purity.
God elevates, and promotes purity. It’s impossible to be pure apart from divine assistance.
• Accusations are satanic.
“for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
• Frustration and confusion and anger open the door to demonic oppression.
Multiple Devils will move in to a vacant house that allows frustration, confusion, and anger to flow freely. Do not allow your spirit to be easily agitated over tiny life events. God so rarely gives permission for His child to express the venom and lava of anger toward a fellow person. Instead, bring anger to God. Let Him be the resolver. Tantrums are for toddlers. Let’s please mature for God.
• The Bible will be attacked.
If the devil wanted Eve to doubt God’s word in the first chapter, then certainly the devil today wants you to doubt the purity and power of God’s main channel of communication.
You must see your opinion of who God is … matches equally your opinion of what God says.
• The devil loves doubt.
It’s one of his favorite weapons. If he can get you to question whether God genuinely loves you and wants to communicate with you, then he can divide that precious father child bond between you and your Heavenly Father.
• You’re going to have enemies.
Anyone who insists on maintaining a healthy walk with God will definitely experience personal opposition through people you did not expect.
• Do not demand to understand everything.
God does not need to conform to our limited logic. If we have to understand it before we obey it, then we’re just not going to take action in time. Do not worship your own intellect. Belief is based on the facts as presented. Don’t get stuck over-thinking the facts or pretending there’s insufficient data upon which to act. Don’t be smarter than God. Just do right.
• We are designed for influence.
Who we hang around definitely influences our outlook and our potential. My friendships definitely do influence my trajectory and measure of completing God’s expectations for my life span.
Bad friends destroy potential.
• Christianity is not 100% about me.
It’s about usefulness. It’s about others. It’s about intaking knowledge and out-flowing helpful knowledge. As much as I learn, should be balanced with how much I teach. Intake and outflow. Breathe in truth and breathe out truth. Those who accept an opportunity to teach others on a consistent basis, will watch their Christian walk develop into a healthy rhythm. Truth cannot be contained. Truth is designed for transfer. We have to be teaching somebody what we’re learning.
• You’re going to need a helper.
Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. Psalm 54
All of us help someone. I need a helper and I am a helper. It’s a mutual team effort. Sometimes I need you and sometimes you need me. But none of us are going alone. Paul developed a team of fellow helpers. 3 John 1:8 “We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.”
• Marriage makes zero sense outside the divine wisdom of Christ expressed in Scripture.
Absolutely don’t even think of marriage unless you’re determined to do it completely God’s way. Not 90%. That’s not going to work. The devil loves to do the exact opposite of God‘s design. The devil wants the kids in charge pushing Mom around who pushes Dad around. The devil abhors the concept of cohesive, comfortable authority functioning together to please God. The devil hates a happy, serving, on-mission spouse who just wants to help her husband be what God called him to be. Marriage is not man’s idea or women’s idea or kids’ idea. Marriage only functions properly when we follow the clear instructions from the Designer.
• The majority quit.
Most Christians are going to get discouraged and not finish. The bulk of freshman Bible college students do not graduate. Most believers cannot continue strong to the finish line. Sadly, human nature lacks the character to submit to God and resist the allure of this old world, the flesh, and the promise of evil.
Success in the Christian endeavor is actually quite rare. Few there be that find the narrow way, and even fewer are those who continue on with Christ. Many fall away. Most people succumb to a lifestyle of ease and alcohol. Most fired up Christians eventually stop witnessing. Most sold-out soul-winners eventually shrug their shoulders and slide into complacency. Sadly, true. Most who start this race do not finish well.
Determine now to not be a casualty in the ditch. Most people are in this thing for the wrong person, and the wrong motive.
The only way you continue a passionate pursuit is determination to please Christ alone.
Realize regularly what Christ did for you. Read it again. Fall in love with rehearsing His suffering as an expression of supernatural love, and that should compel you to enjoy the journey of even suffering alongside with Him and for Him. Of course, it’s not all suffering, but there will be seasons. Don’t be a timid, weak pansy-boy. Let God give you courage to develop into full maturity!
Galatians 6:9
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
2 Corinthians 4:16
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, …
light affliction, which is but for a moment, ….
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are … eternal.”
The great adventure of the Christian opportunity to explore the vast personhood of God and His purpose… and discovering the genuine, authentic, organic purpose of the Designer for His creation … specifically myself, how I fit into His greater design … brings the fulfillment of knowing I’m doing what I’m supposed to do … that’s beyond description.
This is the greatest adventure!!!
From this day forward, you are now as a spiritual soldier, and must wear all nine pieces of armor of the light to stand a chance against the onslaught of devils.
• The vast majority of individuals avoid the true reality of evil, because facing evil demands action.
If I admit that evil exists or has permission to exist on such a pervasive and influential level, then I must rise to the occasion, which is absolutely impossible, apart from divine infusion of the presence of God to help me fight. Evil is stronger than any MMA warrior, and I am yet a child who cannot enter that spiritual octagon apart from carrying the flaming sword of the Spirit and the peace of the presence of God simultaneously in my spirit.
There is no honorable discharge in this war. Zero heroes turn back. Thou shalt not surrender.
Consistent, overwhelming evidence of the impact of intentional evil against people is everywhere, which is a clarion call to join the Light side. As evil rises, listen for the voice of Moses in Exodus 32:26: “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto (him) Moses.”
Are there not 12 tribes and only one tribe stepped up? 8% arose to defeat the evil. Wimpy, flimsy fish do not become strong, yet gentle, Christ-honoring men. Evil demands a proper response. You and I have zero power apart from the armor of righteousness.
Second Corinthians “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, {in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God} in distresses, in stripes, {in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God} in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, {in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God} by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, {in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God} by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, {in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God} by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
2 Timothy 4:5
“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make FULL PROOF of thy ministry.”
Christianity is BOTH a rough and rewarding lifestyle.
No marshmallows succeed in carrying the cross of Christ.
Tough guys only.
Christ was both a man of sorrows and a musclebound, blister wearing, leather-glove-strong handshake carpenter.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Paul wrote these words by direct instruction from the Holy Spirit while incarcerated in an unfriendly prison.
The apostle John, the beloved John, was allowed by God to be dipped and boiled in oil, and then exiled to the isle of Patmos, where he saw the vision of the new Jerusalem, and the revelation of the return of Jesus Christ, as the lion of Judah and the king of ages.
God is not a wimp.
• Avid followers of Christ are typically reviled, criticized, in fact …
Colosseums packed with crazed fans cheered as lions ripped Christians apart live on social media in Rome.
Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
Since I must fight if I would reign,
Increase my courage, Lord!
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
Am I a soldier of the Cross—
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?
In the name, the precious name,
Of Him who died for me,
Through grace I’ll win the promised crown,
Whate’er my cross may be.
Helps for Newborn Believers