Six Ways to Kill a New Believer
Yes, “kill!” It’s not too strong! When a victim of Satan clutches Jesus Christ, it’s a miracle! It took all heaven can give to win Round One! A church and pastor who quit fighting for their Christian newborns as soon as they're baptized are guilty of wasting the cross!
"A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.” (John 10:12-13, NLT)
Here’s how:
Never visit their home again. Wherever the Bible Study took place is a safe house. When you were there, the enemy fell back. Don’t give up that blood-soaked turf! Go back.
Don’t assign a spiritual guardian. On their own, the devil fangs of old friends, profane media, and secularization will go for their throat! New converts must have a spiritual friend.
Don’t give them a job. Putting their gifts to work for Jesus is essential! Being used by God is the perfect replacement for being abused by Satan.
Don’t send them to the New Member Retreat. Theological jargon needs translating. Denominational structure needs to be demystified. These retreats are often freebies! Why would you leave them floundering in a new environment?
Don’t warn them about extremists. The tender contriteness of a new member’s sincerity is the perfect site for the super-religious to inject the venom of judgmentalism! Let them know it’s out there.
If they move, don’t tell the pastor there about them. Two or three weeks out of church will do them in! It only takes 3 minutes on a website or phone to alert the pastor on the other end.
Launch day for Apollo 13 was the zenith of astronaut Jim Erwin’s career! All of his aspiration and preparation were coming true on the same day. Belted into the top of a metal tube set afire on the other end, he was going to heaven! Like so many Baby Christians, Erwin's dream come-true had a "tummy ache, a sour stomach" that sabotaged the joy-ride before it had even lifted off. In her morning shower, James' wife Mary Ellen bumped the little soap tray which held her wedding band. Desperately grabbing and stomping to save the little gold circle without help, she could only watch it follow soap suds down the drain. Too many converts are lifted into spiritual realms by a red hot beginning only to be let-down when they're unable to sustain a joyous consistent walk with Jesus on their own.
They need us. Leaving them to the multiplied downers of life without spiritual help is handing new believers back to the enemy! Who wants to be responsible for that?!
Working with you for HIM, Dave
