What do sheep need to eat?

Yesterday I noted that the spiritual infant should be encouraged to be:

• alone with God
• one-on-one with a mentor 
• one-with-some in a small group
• one-with-many in corporate worship

Did you notice the common food in these settings? The bread of life --Scripture. 

Does the new believer have a Bible they can understand? Do you need to help them find a different translation (perhaps the one the pastor uses from the pulpit) or a study Bible?

Do they need for you to show them how the Bible is organized? Do they understand, for example, the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament or how to find a verse referred to in church?

• Suggest that they start reading the gospel of John at their own pace.
• Introduce them to a quiet time. Did you know that there's a difference between a quiet time and a Bible study? A quiet time should happen every day and should take 10-20 minutes. It is based on a verse or two of Scripture. 
• Encourage them to begin regular Bible study. Bible study can happen once or twice a week or more and should be more in-depth, lasting 45-60 minutes.
• Every believer needs corporate worship where the Scripture tends to come alive. 
• Memorization of scripture is important for those times that we don't have the Bible at our fingertips but we needs its words. 
• Meditation on scripture is where we savor its flavor and goodness and contemplate its meaning. 

Now I'd imagine that if you were to walk up to a young infant and explain to them the basic food groups and take them to "Texas Roadhouse" for some meat and potatoes (and peanuts), you'd probably get a bit of a blank stare in return. So it is with the new believer. If you present them with the list of ways to devour the Scriptures listed above, they would likely be a bit overwhelmed. So take it easy. The Lord will guide you regarding the pace you should go. 

There are lots of other things that the new believer needs over time in order to grow and mature. But this is the basic foundation of it all -- Scripture. 

And don't forget to have your new believer journal about everything along this journey. Quiet times, Bible studies, sermons, and personal questions should all be put into their own words. It's really cool for them to flip back through the pages a year later, for instance, and see just how far they've come. 

Nurturing a new Christian is a joy and a God-ordained responsibility. 

Recall that Jesus commanded for us to go and make DISCIPLES of all nations. 

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Feeding His sheep and nurturing young believers is something all God's people should actively do. Are you involved in this? If not, why not? Pray about it. And contact your Education Minister, Youth Minister, or Pastor to find a hungry sheep.