If you are a new Christian you have made a great decision to follow Jesus! To get you started I have provided some suggestions for you to help you grow on your new journey. Below you will find some things that really helped me nearly 35 years ago when I decided to follow Jesus.
Read the Bible
The Bible will help you to learn more about God and gives you practical advice about how we should live. A good place to start is the Gospel of Luke that is found in the New Testament. This book will give you information on the life of Jesus Christ and you will be able to read about His miracles and teachings to His followers. After this you can move on to the Book of Acts. This talks about the early church and how they got started. We also have a number of two week reading plans on our Bible Readings page. If you don’t have access to a Bible, you can find an online one here at www.biblegateway.com
Start to pray
Prayer is simply communicating with God. It is a part of building our relationship with Him. Just remember to keep it simple. The Bible tells us to give thanks to God for what He has done when pray and also to ask for the things we need for ourselves and others. Before long you will see the difference prayer makes in your life and in the lives of those around you. You can check out our prayer category on our blog for some tips.
Meet with other Christians
God wants us to meet with other Christians and be a part of a caring faith community. We see in the Bible that He wants us to have a support network and a place where we can learn more about Him. We don’t recommend any church in particular, but encourage you to try a local one near you in your community. If you are in Western Australia you might like to look for a local Church of Christ, Baptist Church or an Australian Christian Church.
Do a discipleship course
Doing a discipleship course will help you to set a solid foundation for your new life in Christ. We have a free booklet you can download on our discipleship page. The booklet has 10 short studies on the Bible, prayer, church, serving God, sharing your faith and being assured of your salvation. It includes a number of Scriptures on each topic, some reflection questions, a simple prayer and some Bible memory verses.
Tell others about your new faith
Sharing your faith can be fun and rewarding. You might like to start by telling people close to you that you have accepted Jesus into your life. Telling others about your faith and decision to follow Jesus can will allow them to follow Him too. If you need some tips to help you share your faith you can visit a sermon I preached on this topic.
Recently I have been reading and re-reading the New Testament book of Matthew. As I have been working my way through it I have come across a few interesting things. One that I want to share today comes from Matthew chapters 8 & 9.
As we read through the following passages we will see that Jesus performed a number of amazing miracles. One thing that really stood out to me was that when someone had a problem they took it to Jesus. It didn’t matter what it was, if they took it to Him, He dealt with it. Here are a few examples.
The man with leprosy
Matthew 8:1-4 NLT – Large crowds followed Jesus as He came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Him and knelt before Him. “Lord,” the man said, “if You are willing, You can heal me and make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” He said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
He knelt before Jesus and said if you are willing I will be healed. Jesus was willing and healed him. Now the reason why Jesus said to not tell anyone and go and show the Priest is because Lepers were outcastes from society. A Priest declared them unclean with Leprosy and only a Priest could declare them clean and re-admit them to society.
The Centurion’s slave
Matthew 8:5-10 NLT – When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with Him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralysed and in terrible pain.” 7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come into my home. Just say the word from where You are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, He was amazed. Turning to those who were following Him, He said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!
He asked Jesus to “say the word” and his servant would be healed from a distance. Jesus said the word and he was healed. The Centurion understood authority because he was a committed soldier. He understood orders and authority. He knew Jesus had the authority and power of heaven and Jesus just needed to give the order and it would be done.
The calming of the storm
Matthew 8:23-27 NLT – Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with His disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke Him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then He got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. 27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey Him!”
The disciples were terrified as the storm on the lake threatened their lives. They called to Jesus and He stilled the storm. In the preceding miracles Jesus healed peoples bodies. This one is a powerful nature miracle. It was so powerful that even the Disciples looked at Jesus differently.
The Paralytic man
Matthew 9:1-8 NLT Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to His own town. 2 Some people brought to Him a paralysed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralysed man, “Be encouraged, My child! Your sins are forgiven.” 3 But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does He think He’s God?” 4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so He asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralysed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” 7 And the man jumped up and went home! 8 Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for sending a man with such great authority.
Some friends brought the paralytic man to Jesus in faith that He could heal him. Jesus told him to pick up his mat and go home. He got up and walked. I like that the man could not come to Jesus on his own, he needed his friends to bring him. I wonder who I can bring to Jesus? How about you too?
The Dead Girl
Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26 NLT – As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but You can bring her back to life again if You just come and lay Your hand on her.” 19 So Jesus and His disciples got up and went with Him. 23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, He saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” He told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at Him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.
A man came to Jesus and told of his dead daughter. He said if you touch her, she will live. To me this is amazing faith. Like the Roman Centurion, the father knew Jesus had the power and authority. Jesus touched her and she lived. Jesus had the power over death.
The Sick Woman
Matthew 9:20-22 NLT Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind Him. She touched the fringe of His robe, 21 for she thought, “If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
The woman who had been bleeding non stop for 12 years came to Jesus. She knew if she could touch His cloak she would be healed. She did and she was healed. Like the Centurion and the father we have previously read about, she knew where the power for healing came from. It was from Jesus…even in the midst of a pressing crowd.
The Two Blind Men
Matthew 9:27-31 NLT – After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind Him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” 28 They went right into the house where He was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?” “Yes, Lord,” they told Him, “we do.” 29 Then He touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” 30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31 But instead, they went out and spread His fame all over the region.
Two blind men came asked Jesus to have mercy on them. He asked if they believed He could heal them. They said yes and they were healed. By addressing Jesus as the Son of David the men recognised His royal lineage back to David. It was prophesised that the Messiah would come from the line of David. So they not only came in faith, but knew Jesus was the Messiah.
The Mute Man
Matthew 9:32-33 NLT When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn\’t speak was brought to Jesus. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.
A man was brought to Jesus who was demon possessed and could not speak as a result. The demon was driven out and he was healed. This is another example of someone bringing a friend or relative to Jesus. Sometimes we are the life line or conduit that brings people to God. In this case we see Jesus had authority over the unseen demonic world.
Closing
In all of these cases the people brought their problem to Jesus. They came in faith or their friends brought them in faith, and Jesus dealt with their problem and restored the situation. Nothing was too big or too small. Jesus handled it all.
The miracles we read about were healing, nature miracles, bring people back to life and casting out a demon. He had the power and authority to do amazing things. Some of which had never been seen in Israel before!
If you are struggling today with an illness, or there is another type of storm in your life, I would encourage you to bring it to Jesus today. He is more than willing and capable of handling it today. Simply come in faith.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, today I bring my problem to You. You know my situation and my need. I lift it up to You today and I ask You to intervene. Please bring a miraculous breakthrough that only You can do. I ask this in Your name, Amen.
Leadership gurus describe leadership as being “influence, nothing more, nothing less”. In some ways this is true. However, I believe there is more to Christian leadership. Christian leaders are people who are moved at God’s pace and in God’s time to God’s place. Christian Leadership is about taking a central role in taking people further into God’s plans and purposes and encouraging others into a deeper relationship and understanding of God.
Over the years I have read a number of leadership books and seen some of these principles in practice. Some have been good and some not so good. In this article I want share the five of the most important things I believe Christian leaders should do and be, to be the most successful leaders they can be.
1. Christian leaders need to cultivate an intimate relationship with God
The first and most important thing Christian leaders need to do is develop and strong and intimate relationship with God. In an article by Gordon MacDonald he says, “the forming of the soul that it might be a dwelling place for God is the primary work of the Christian leader”. Developing this intimate relationship with God through daily prayer and reflective Bible study is vital if Christian leaders are going to be all they can be in God.
We see that Jesus modelled this drawing away to a solitary place to connect with His heavenly Father in prayer. In Mark 1:35 we see that He did this alone and in Mark 6:35 he called the disciples to draw away from the pressing crowds. As Christian leaders we need to follow Jesus example to make sure we come aside from the business of life and ministry to make our connection with the Father. As we do, we find that our relationship with God grows and we allow Him to speak to us. We can also learn from Scripture and receive guidance on how He wants us to lead the people we are overseeing. I believe this time alone with God is vital for our growth, seeking direction and for our long term survival of the pressures of ministry brings.
2. Christian leaders need to have a servant heart
The second thing Christian leaders need to have is a servant heart. In 1 Peter 4:10 the Bible says that “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms”. At the heart of this verse is being called to serve and we are to use what God has given us for the benefit of others.
In Matthew chapter 20 we see the disciples we having a discussion on who was the greatest amongst them. Jesus enters the conversation in verses 26 and 27 and says, “…Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave”. In this short statement Jesus turned their views of leadership and greatness completely upside down. The Gentile rulers of the day lorded their power and authority over the people and treated them harshly. Jesus told His followers they need to live different and that greatness comes not from being served, but by being a servant to others.
3. Christian leaders need to be shepherds of God’s people
I believe as Christian leaders one of our prime objectives should be to love and care for people under our ministry. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:2 that Christian leaders should, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly – not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God”. This verse tells those in leadership to watch over those in their care like a shepherd watches over his flock.
In John chapter 10 Jesus talks about the role a shepherd plays in caring for his sheep. He says that they provide food, water and protection and if one strays the shepherd goes out to look for the lost sheep and brings it back to pasture. As a result of this care and protection the sheep trust and listen to the shepherd’s voice. Our heartbeat as Christian leaders should be to provide love, care and a safe place where people can grow in their faith and service to God.
4. Christian leaders need to live with character and integrity
One of the keys to successful long Christian leadership is the desire to live with character and integrity. In 1 Timothy 3:8-12 and Titus 1:5-9 it lists 24 characteristics that should be seen in Christian leadership. Some of these include being of good behaviour, not greedy for money, not given to excessive drinking, not quick tempered, but being self controlled, a responsible steward, one that holds fast to the Word of God and has a good reputation outside the church. It tells us that these qualities should be evident in the lives of those who are called to Christian leadership. In saying this though, it does not say that one has to be perfect to be in Christian leadership. That is not possible as we are all human and fall short at times. However, it is saying that these things must be evident most of the time.
I firmly believe that as Christian leaders we need to have this same commitment to living with character and integrity the Bible talks about. We need to have a good testimony both in and outside the church and before God and man. Billy Graham put it perfectly when he said “If I were ever to do anything dishonouring to Christ, I would rather He take me home to heaven before I did it”.
5. Christian leaders need to be committed to making disciples
The last words of Christ before returning to heaven are recorded in Matthew chapter 28:19-20. It says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you”. This verse is a clear command to reach people with the love and saving message of Jesus and to teach them how to follow Jesus and His teachings.
As Christian leaders I believe the core of what we do is to love God, love people and to make disciples. We need to focus our energies on loving and bringing people into the Kingdom and teaching them how to continue to grow in their faith and service of God. The early church understood this and as a result many thousands of people came to faith in a short time. In Acts chapter 2:42 we see that, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer”. In committing themselves to these things, the early church members were able to grow to maturity and be sent out in their community to reach others for Christ.
Summary
In this article I have shared the things that I believe are vital for those in Christian leadership. I believe that the foundation of Christian leadership is the forming an intimate relationship with God by regular prayer and disciplined Bible study. As we do these things we will grow and change and are able to start to see the world through God’s eyes. This then allows us to move out into the world with a servant heart and the attitude of a shepherd to love and care for those entrusted to us. As we do these things we need to live with an attitude of integrity and humility before God, while resolutely playing our part in fulfilling the Great Commission.
