10 Lessons for New Believers . . . and Older Ones, Too

My first years as a Christ-follower weren’t easy. I was in my early teens, wanting to be faithful to God but also seeking to fit in with my peers. I wish someone had helped prepare me for the journey. If I were writing today a new believer’s guide today for people like me, I would include a simple “lessons learned” section with at least these lessons:

1. It’s okay to be a baby in Christ. Everybody in my Bible study class knew all the answers, it seemed. Others knew all the song lyrics by heart, and they knew exactly what to do at every church event. I didn’t know any of that – and no one told me that every believer begins as a baby in Christ.
2. The Bible isn’t always easy to read. I was fascinated when I first started reading the Bible. Genesis was great, and Exodus was equally exciting, filled with burning bushes, judgment plagues, dividing seas, and shaking mountains. But, then I reached Leviticus. . . . and I quit reading. I needed someone to help me when the reading became difficult.
3. The Christian life will have ups and downs. Because I didn’t know Christianity has mountains and valleys, I assumed that the “down” moments were the result of a lack of faith or an unconfessed sin. Sometimes that was the case, but sometimes God was stretching and testing my faith. I just didn’t know that.
4. You’re not alone in your struggles. I was sure nobody else battled with temptation like I did. Nobody had sin lurking in the shadows like I did. I was so certain of that truth that I didn’t dare talk to anyone about my struggles. I just battled—and lost—alone.
5. The devil is real. In my young mind, the devil was a Halloween character more than a supernatural enemy against God and His people. No one told me about spiritual warfare, and I was losing a war I didn’t even know existed.
6. Many people don’t pray well. The only prayers I heard then were prayers from the pastor, a deacon, or a Bible study teacher. I was certain I’d never reach that level of praying. Little did I know these same folks often struggled in their prayer life, and perhaps we could have helped each other with this discipline.
7. Some people won’t share your excitement. My Christian conversion was powerful. Because it was so life changing, I couldn’t understand why anybody would choose not to follow Jesus. Had I known then that not everyone listens, perhaps I would have felt less defeated in my evangelism efforts.
8. Churches are not perfect. I was unprepared for the tares among the wheat, the sin in the camp, the arrogance among the redeemed. It took some time for me to learn that the church exists for the sick and the needy – that is, for people like me.
9. You may need to ask for help. I wish older believers reached out to new believers and invited them into discipling relationships—but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, newer believers need to take the initiative.
10. God will always be faithful. Perhaps you learn this lesson only through the years, but I wish someone would have challenged me then to trust – and even memorize – these words: “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread” (Psa. 37:25). God really does take care of His own. Always.

If you know baby believers, send them this list. If you were writing a new believer’s guide, what lessons would you include?