Four Ways to Nurture Spiritual Infants

How do you teach, encourage, and nurture new Christians? Very carefully. And very intentionally. 

As I stated yesterday, we can't expect new Christians to grow and mature on their own. So what do they need?

1. They need personal time with the Lord as they read Scripture, study, and pray on their own. 
2. They need to be fed one-on-one (like Paul mentored Timothy). 
3. They need nurturing that comes from being with some other believers (like in Sunday School, mission organizations, Bible study classes, etc).
4. They need the nourishment that comes from being with a lot of Christians through corporate worship and God-inspired sermons. 

Think about it. Isn't that what Jesus did when he was here? Didn't he encourage the apostles to have personal relationships with the Father? Didn't he teach them one-on-one? Didn't he teach in small groups (Jesus with the twelve)? And didn't he preach to the masses?

So if we want our new believers -- the spiritual infants in our churches -- to grow and mature, then we need to purposefully encourage these relationships. That will mean our getting involved. 

Are you up to the challenge?

Can you provide the personal attention that they need?

It is fun and very rewarding but sometimes a little challenging to know where to start. How 'bout I give you some specific ideas tomorrow about how you can help to direct a new believer in your church? Stay tuned.