Just Do It: Showing New Believers How to Follow the Lord

You are listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. Visit our website and learn more about harvest partners@harvest.org is goal lead others to growing spiritually do it again and again and again recently with pastor Greg Laurie is the Lord calls us all to step out of our comfort zone would begin to walk more just to talking about just doing some of the cries get them to stabilize and do it again and we probably spend a lot more time with her business card. God is God didn't put as your president of booze through the regional director pastor Greg Laurie points out today. Our main job is to show others how to know the Lord today on the new beginnings of practical insight on how to do the job well job is discipleship all been called. I really didn't fully understand what I've done, I would forward a little Bible study.

My high school campuses. I told you many times and I pray this little prayer I didn't know what was ahead of me. I didn't know what was going to happen to me but I I believe what I heard.

And not long after that a guy comes up to me that I don't know from Adam's house. He says hi my name is Mark and I saw that you went forward and prayed to accept Jesus the other day I was going resentfully get out so nobody hey I want to help you one ticketed church on Mike Knotts Academy to go to church don't know. I really want to give the church and takes about this guy Mark.

Mark wasn't a cool guy. He was a mechanic I would've normally hung around but he was so doggone, persistent, and he wouldn't take no for an answer and the best way let me take you to church.

Finally I said okay but even just take me to church. He introduced me to whether Christians yet me over at his house for dinner with his mom and his dad were just kids. At this point I'm talking to Christians. I'm asking questions. No question was too ridiculous to ask Mark was doing. He was discipling me and if he had not done that. I fear I would've fallen through the cracks because a lot of times after a person accepts Christ they don't know what to do next and so he held me in that transition and what Mark did for me. We need to do for others because that's what the great commission is again it's the gold all the world and preach the gospel and then make disciples of all nations listen, if you're following Jesus is a real disciple, you will be leading others to Christ. The river set if you're not leading others to Christ. Are you really following him as you want to, as a disciple is her commission again. Matthew 28 verse 16. Go therefore says Jesus and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father son and the Holy Spirit, teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I given to you. Hello, I am with you, even to the end of the eighth so here's our job here is discipleship simplified.

I told you what a disciple is now let me tell you what a disciple does what it means to make disciples of other. Our objective is to go lead others to Christ established some spiritually and do it again and again and again.

Basically it's a wash, rinse, repeat, evangelize disciple stabilize, repeat, do it over and over again, but somewhere along the line we sort of separated evangelism from discipleship and their one and the same one I just called to invite people to Christ but then we need to take these new believers under our wing and help them get up on their feet spiritually so here's a few things a new believer needs number one they need assurance they need assurance they need to be reassured that God loves them and got us forgiven them and that their name is written in the book of life.

One passage everyone should commit to memory is first John 513, where John writes I write these things to you that believe in the name of the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Reassure a believer of that because remember, in the garden of Eden. Satan attacked Adam and Eve remember how we attack. He said to them, did God say what you really thought God said he'll do that in the life of a new believer, and for the that matter order believer sometimes do right. Are you really saved you crisis really forgiven you is not based on how I feel.

It's based on what God is done. New believers need assurance number two new believers need protection they need protection when you're holding up a little baby.

You have to call them carefully and hold them in the proper way and support them in and anything that could harm them. You you put yourself in the way of that thing a new believers the protection as well. Galatians 419 says my dear children I feel is going going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your life. New believers are vulnerable to their emotion as well as being vulnerable to false teaching old friends will try to drag them down old girlfriends little boyfriends will materialize out of nowhere temptations will come that maybe they've never experienced before.

Right. You remember that yourself so they need to be protected and just as in the parable of the sower. Jesus talked about the seed sown on the road side eaten by the birds in the said these are they that hear the word of God but Satan comes immediately and snatches away. The new believer does know it's happening, but we do so we need to help them number three they need food they need food so when your new believer you're hungry for the word of God. Can you remember the first time you read the Bible is a new Christian know if you were raised in the church. It was familiar, but perhaps it came alive to you, but if you were more like me and you weren't raised in the church.

He started hearing these things for the first time I'm just a kid 17 years old and I'm reading these things in the Bible that relate to me as a 17-year-old that I still relate to them as they already-year-old with added years and so it's relevant to you in your youth. It's relevant to you and your middle-aged it's relevant to you in your old age number for new believers need an example. They need to see what a Christian looks like to see some things are taught and some things are caught. As Paul said in second Timothy 323 10. There is no three twin 310 he says to Timothy you will observe my teaching lesson. My conduct, my aim in life and my faith. So side just like teaching. That's my conduct. It's my aim in life. If I think you've seen it in example and let's be honest now. Here's one of the reasons we don't want new believers in our life.

We don't want to change your behavior. She could abide take a new believer with me.

The church I will go to lunch after there with me. I can't gossip that I have a new believer with me.

I'll probably drive the speed limit and I'll probably talk about the message and do things a Christian ought to do already. Maybe we don't want that added pressure in our life were missing. Now not only on helping them, but on helping ourselves as your Greg follows up on a moment. We'll see how new believers need long time believers to show them the way long time. Believers need new believers just as much more on that in a moment. We send these daily studies via radio satellite over the Internet.

We don't always know how these messages are touching lives. Pastor Greg, I stumbled on your daily Bible studies. One morning, while listening to the radio became so interested in the way you explain the Bible but then the station went off the air. I searched and was able to find your Google podcast. Now listen to every day when you explain the Bible stories finally let me connect with the Lord in a way I've never been able to before. I grew up attending Christian school and church frontier ministry because it was like someone finally turn the lights on and connected the dots. After all these years it took someone across the country for me to finally explain things in a way I can understand. I appreciate you and thank you for turning on the lights were so grateful to hear of the change lives to harvest ministries. If you'd like to download Pastor breaks podcasts. You can do that through Google Apple course modifying or go to harvest.org that's harvest.org will Pastor Greg is pointing out the importance of taking part in the discipleship process showing a new believer what it means to live for the Lord what continue and I think this is a important thing to have a new believer in your life because they will energize you in a someone asked me in an interview recently what you like to do in your spare time and the thing about that window my spirit.

I don't have a lot of spare time, but I thought well.

I ride my Harley occasionally and very occasionally at this point I serve once in a blue moon. So what do I do and I thought for a moment that I don't ago my spare time I hang out with my grandkids. They looked at me like yeah what else that's kind of it.

I really like to hang around with my grandkids because you know what the energize me. You see I like to be with. I don't make them enter my world. I don't sit them. You know, behind the computer in safe kids study these commentaries and give me some point know I enter their world. I sit down to watch cartoons with them. I know all the characters names on SpongeBob SquarePants right and we go get ice cream and we go to the playground and I watch them play and we talk together and and and we have interesting spiritual conversations to last night that a really interesting one. My granddaughter Allie was asking me about her rabbit that died will see the rabbit again in heaven, and then she wants to know to love a pet wolf in the covenant. All these great questions.

I love them though that energizes me see that's good for me and it's good for us because some grandparents have houses where they have a lot of breakable thing one with the grandkids over because we are breakable things can I make a suggestion, get rid of the breakable things and invite the grandkids over okay and it will help, I will come over and just break those things will get. This is one of them just okay grandkids, and in the same way that we have a life that is not welcoming of new believers something is wrong. They need you.

Listen to this you need them. Why, because you will discover things you take for granted only on going to heaven. Oh yeah, you know the word of God is true.

Oh yeah, Jesus is coming back. Oh yeah yeah really because you talk about a new believer share these truths with them.

They cared for the first time and they are so excited and you will rediscover it the first time a child tries ice cream. Remember our son Jonathan. I give my screen when he was a newborn. Kathy was slightly horrified. I think she was still nursing him and chides I give a meister why did you do that, I said, but he smiled a little baby. Did I give him a little thing outside, I got to see that for the first time.

First time a child sees no the first time a child walks on the sand that the first time a child discovered something that you take for granted goes in that wonderful see they need you to stabilize them you need them to revitalize you because we begin to take these things for granted.

As I said in don't perhaps enjoy them as much as we ought to, and new believers are the lifeblood of the church and are also the lifeblood of older Christian. Some churches grow by church. Transfer growth.

Most of their congregants come from other churches harvest grows primarily from new convert growth and that is the best kind of growth. By the way, and we want to see people that don't know the Lord come to the Lord. That's our passion, so discipling are all called to do this. Nobody gets off the hook, nor should anyone want to get off the hook because this is a privilege, but it is also a responsibility. I think sometimes the reason we don't do it is because were afraid of failure or were afraid that that we will do a very good job at it.

Listen, you know what a new believer needs more than anything else.

They just need a friend they don't need a Bible scholarship your Bible scholar, all the better, but they don't need that.

They just need someone to show him what a real living, breathing, Christian looks like if you'll take that new believer under your wing. Not only will you help them, but you help yourself while called to do this but for honest lot of us just don't and I think we need to ask God to help us because he's commanded us to go. What did Jesus say all power is given to me in heaven and earth go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations wait I don't get that.

Therefore, all powers been given on the me therefore all the resources you need are given to you. So go just do it enough talking about it. Just do it go lead someone to Christ help get them stabilize and do it again. And if you haven't done that fine someone is new in the faith and help them out and get them in your small group and bring them into your life and help them learn what it means to be a person and you watch them grow spiritually and I will have her revitalizing the Greg Lord great insight today from his message called just do it and there's a final comment. Pastor Greg wants to share with us from the study before we leave for the day. So stay tuned. Today's message on a new beginning is the final presentation in Pastor Greg series called discipleship the road less taken and if you missed any part of what Pastor Greg shared today.

You can catch up by listening again online@harvest.org look for the message called just do it and that a word about a brand-new resource were making available. Pastor Greg is here to introduce the book and Shannon bream our special guest Shannon the is an attorney. She's a journalist and the chief legal correspondent with the Fox News Channel. She's married to Sheldon brain and she's written a number of books and her newest book, the women of the Bible speak the wisdom of 16 women and their lessons for today.

So Shannon, thanks for being with us.

I'm sure you're very busy so you I see on TV all the time kind of feel like I sort of know you but it's great to actually speak with you guys tell me great to meet you too. Hey I want to do this we little excerpt from the beginning of your book because I thought it sort of set the stage for what you're writing about them quoting from you now. For many of us 2020 was a year filled with pain, physical, financial, emotional and mental. We felt isolated kept away from our loved ones and disconnected from our houses of worship in the sense of community they provide. There were adversities we could not have imagined. We face in our lifetimes hardships piled up one on top of the other and yet there was hope. There was refuge there was inspiration and healing throughout the Bible. Women are at the center of some of the most critical events. They were bold and brave finding courage in the moments when everything hung in the balance.

They were voices of truth and reason and then you write you can watch these women come alive as we dig into their lives significant. So Shannon then it's you know it's an interesting thing. The me. A lot of preachers try to be political pundits and here you are a news correspondent, a journalist and attorney who deals with these issues every day is a part of your work and yet you write a book about Bible stories and specifically about women of the Bible. I either got truly cool and what what motivated you to pick this as your topic at this particular point in time. Thank you and I'm certainly no theologian, and lean not on a lot of people in my life. You are folks like me that I could call up and say hey when is this word meaning Greek. Tell me more about this passage I learned so much through writing this book. OxyContin me about the idea of doing a book on women in the Bible and I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Seeing what an wonderful open-door that they have always allow me to talk about my faith and to be able to spread God's word and I'm super thankful for that minister was really really difficult, if not bigger. I would take to write a book with a pandemic in the presidential election. I come the Supreme Court on the untimely death of Justice Ginsburg met with my confirmation battle that through that I was working on a stock.

The whole time and just felt blessed and encouraged. I grew up in the church. I knew the stories they didn't really know them in the details and back story on intimate to the history and they really came alive for me in a new way out writing this book and I was really so encouraged the problems of the women centuries ago are very much like the painful problems that women have now and 2020 to 2021 need to stories of women who were weighed out in fertile dealing with heartbreak and betrayal illnesses that seem to have no cure and no hope. And I thought these are all universal problems. They carry through time.

Just as we seek him and God never changes over time. He's the same guy who intervened in the stories and when women made bad turns and bad mistakes and that messes with their stories because we wanted to include those in here tumor off-line can work through all of them and I think he works through all of our stories.

Now if were willing to put our faith in hand to trust him with the process will I would think you Shannon for writing this book. The women of the Bible speak subtitled the wisdom of 16 women in their lessons for today and you can order this from us here harvest that will send you for your gift of any size. Yeah, that's right.

And as you can tell it's full of substantial encouragement for Christian women but really, for all of us and would like to send this to you. Thank you for your investment in the important work of bringing people to the Lord and bringing people closer to the Lord that we recently heard this from a listener.

I listen to your podcast for nearly 3 years. You help me accept Jesus. I'm currently receiving cancer treatment and your new believers Bible is what keeps me going. I read your devotions every morning when you your investment helps us reach people like this.

It's an investment in touching and changing people's lives and with your donation right now. You can choose the amount will be glad to send you the women of the Bible speak, just try to set a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24 seven that's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org everybody Greg Laurie here encouraging you to join us as we give her what we call harvest that home is worse and it's a message of the word of God he can watch it with your family and your front room where you can watch it on the go on your tablet on your phone or your computer.

Take it with you think the word of God with you. Join us for Harvest at Home harvest will Pastor Greg presents up tactical study of the Gospel of Mark called the gospel for busy people before go today. Pastor Greg closes the final message in his discipleship series. This way I would like to have a prayer now were all of us would ask God to Phyllis with the Holy Spirit to give us a passion to do this and I would ask that you would pray a prayer with me. We are asking God to empower you in the Bible says you will receive power, after the Holy Spirit comes upon you to be witnesses unto me, and that's what we want to be witnesses. We want to fulfill the great commission.

So we need this power slips pray for it in our lives right now. Let's all bow our heads. Father I pray for everyone here and I pray that we will seek to well just do this that will take steps of faith and just initiate conversations and look for people new in the faith, do everything we can to help them not only for their sake, but for arts, so we don't reach spiritual stagnation. So we don't find ourselves going backwards instead of forward.

The Lord, we can't do this on our own.

We need help and we need power and you promised us power to be a witness and we can ask for right now. Everyone I want to just lead you in a prayer not ask you to just pray this prayer out loud after me again as I pray just pray this Lord Jesus you've called me to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples, but I've not always done this, Lord, but I want to so I need the power you offer. So fill me with the Holy Spirit.

Give me a holy boldness like I've never known before. To be a burden for lost people give me a heart for those that are new in the faith, help me them decide upon you for that prayer. Now we all pray that you will seal it with your power and even today will just send cheerleading and look for those opportunities there everywhere.

What a joy. What a privilege it is to see people grow in the faith. The next thing to see them come to Christ is seen them grow in their faith to become spiritually mature urgent called us to do this. Help us to start doing, we commit ourselves to that we ask all of this in Jesus and everybody thinks or listening to this podcast to learn more about harvest ministries follow the show and consider supporting it.

Just go to harvest.org and find out how to know God personally go to harvest.org and click on know God