Basics of Christian Growth

I'm making this page on basics of Christian growth because many people today have repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their savior, but go no further in their Spiritual life. But being saved is only the first step.

IF YOU HAVE NOT made this important first step, or you are not sure if you have, or are not sure what a Christian is, please DO NOT go further on this page, but go now to my other hub on the way of Eternal Salvation, or what it really means to be a Christian.

Many Christians may not be familiar with the basic things needed for growth or even be aware of it's necessity. Accepting Christ as Savior assures one of heaven, but it is also the start of a wonderful journey in this life. When you first become a Christian by accepting Christ through faith, you are born again (see John 3:3). So you are just like a newborn baby, Spiritually speaking, and just as a baby needs to grow physically, so you need to grow in your Spiritual life. The things I list below are just the bare basics--what you need to simply get started in the Christian life. That's why the URL for this page is christian-growth-101. .

But, you may want to first check out the valuable resource listed bleow.

Just as a baby needs food to grow, you need to feed on the word of God (the Bible) daily. If you have any doubts at this point that the Bible is the Word of God, as it claims to be, check out this hub on apologetics. But, assuming we are agreed that the Bible is indeed the Word of the living God, allow me to quote a few passages. In Jeremiah 15:16, the prophet says: "Thy words were found and I did eat them." And Peter says in I Peter 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow by it." A newborn baby can't eat meat, so you are not ready for the deep things of the Word as yet, but you need to feed on the simple basic truths - the milk of the Word. But, where to start? Some Bible teachers suggest starting with the Gospel of John. On the other hand, a good daily reading devotional, like the one below can be of great help.

Knowing where to start or how to apply certain verses may be a problem at first, but a good basic daily devotional could really help. There are many good devotional guides available, but only a few, like the excellent one, from eBay, listed below, designed specifically for new believers. :

Just as a baby needs air to live, you need to pray. Prayer is the breath of your Spiritual life. Jesus didn't have to command his disciples to pray, but rather, in Luke 11:2, he begins by saying "WHEN you pray (thus it was assumed that they did pray.) In I Thes.5:17, Paul admonishes us to "Pray without ceasing." It doesn't mean that you are to be praying constantly, but breath a prayer as you go about your daily activities. But there should also be a daily time of concentrated prayer, and you could make it immediately after your daily Bible reading. Don't feel intimidated by the idea. Praying is just talking to God. You don't need to use fancy words or phrases. Just tell Him how you feel. In fact, there is a simple formula for complete praying-It's an acrostic, easily remembered by the word ACTS:

Adoration--tell Him how worthy He is

Confession--tell him how sorry you are for your sins. (if you can't think of any ask the Holy Spirit to show you).

Thanksgiving--tell him how much you appreciate all He's done for you.

Supplication--ask Him for your needs and those of your loved ones and other.

Of course, Jesus also left us a model prayer, which we call "the Lord's prayer." He intended it to be just that -- a model -- NOT to be prayed word for word necessarily, although it is not a bad idea to close our personal prayers by reciting it. It has the same elements as the above model although in different order, It starts with adoration of God and acknowledging who He is and then goes on to supplication first for His will and kingdom and then for our daily bread (our needs), and finally gets to the pleas for forgiveness, before once again centering on the majesty of God. .

These models are guides for you to have an idea what to include, but the important thing is just to talk to God from your heart. You can learn more, however from the valuable resource below which presents, in a refreshingly simple way, the basic essentials of prayer and answers questions common to new believers about the discipline of prayer.

Just as we humans need to relate to other humans in order to survive mentally, so Christians need to fellowship with other Christians in order to survive Spiritually. If you just got saved, you need to find a good Bible preaching church and start attending. But, the word "fellowship" is not just two fellows in the same ship. In other words, it's not just getting together to share a meal or light snack. The Greek word is "Koinanea" and has the idea of a deep sharing of ideas. So you need to also find out if the church has any small groups or Bible studies you could join and participate in. If you can sing, join the choir. Use the Church directory, and get to know fellow beliers of your age group or those who share your interests. There's nothing like the help and caring of other brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, the Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. Learn more about Christian fellowship from the basic resource listed below. It offers a challenge to the individualistic faith proffered by many churches today, and also deals with discipline and order in the church.

Just as a child will eventually need to exercise, so you will need to witness or share your faith with those who do not know the Savior. In John 14:27, Jesus told his disciples that would bear witness. You don't have be a theologian. All you need to do is share with others what has happened to you, as the blind man did in John 9:25 ("Once I was blind, but now I see." = "I once was lost but now am found."). It may help to write out your testimony in advance, but always put it in your own words and make it seem natural. You can include a few basic scripture verses relating to the way of salvation, such as Romans 3:23 and 6:23. You can say something like "I realized I was a sinner in need of a savior, so I decided to trust Jesus as my savior." The resource below should also be a great help in witnessing.

Here are the 4 basics steps which I have outlined explained further by evangelist Rick Eisman after his introduction. Then at the end, the pastor explains one further aspect: using the Word of God to overcome temptation.

.Here's a handy little book of "Basics for Believers." I'm sure you'll find well worth the price. It's a valuable handbook for new believers, who will find it a helpful tool for spiritual growth, and for seekers, who will find answers to their most basic questions about what it means to believe and how to come to Christ. This is also a helpful tool for seasoned believers to use for personal work and/or to give as a gift. This tiny treasure offers a wealth of simple explanations for sometimes complex topics, such as resisting temptation, witnessing, finding God's will for your life, and personal Bible study. So, if you can only get one resource, make it this one.