Nurturing Baby BelieversSample

Day 3: We Nurture New Believers Toward Spiritual Maturity.

Years ago, I came across a cartoon in a book by Michael Green, Evangelism Then and Now, that underscores the need we have to nurture new believers toward spiritual maturity. In the cartoon a nurse stands at the door of a maternity ward, waving at a baby in diapers crawling away outside the door. “You’re on your own now!” the nurse cheerily calls to the infant.

Ridiculous? Certainly. A newborn child is helpless, unable to care for himself or herself during the early stages of life. Newborns have to be fed, bathed, diapered, and burped. In a real sense, babes in Christ need the same kind of care. They may seem fairly independent physically and mentally, but their spiritual life is totally new. “What do I do now?” they ask.

Human babies don’t know where to look for food or what to do if they find some. Spiritual infants aren’t very different. In 1 Peter 2:2, the apostle encouraged new Christ-followers to “long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.”

I first heard the gospel explained when I was seventeen but did not commit my life to Christ until I was thirty. Then, even though I attended a church where the Word of God was faithfully and effectively taught, I didn’t start becoming a disciple until nearly two years later. Through a small group Bible study, I began to understand how to apply biblical principles and personalize them. Until then, my life Monday through Saturday probably looked much like those of my non-Christian co-workers, friends, and neighbors.

Walter A. Henrichsen, a strong advocate for discipling over the years, called it “spiritual pediatrics.” Not only does the disciple-maker help the new believer with the basics, such as where to find specific books in the Bible and how to have assurance of salvation, but he also helps this “baby” discover how to relate the Scriptures to various areas of life, such as finances, marriage and family, work, ethics, even leisure time. This often requires a combination of “show and tell.”

The bottom line is this. Don’t settle for anything less in your life and ministry—as well as the ministry of your church—than being intentional about following up with new believers.