Can you recall when you became a New Disciple in Christ?  It was a time of rejoicing both in heaven and on earth according to Luke 15: 7 (KJV) “I say unto you, likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance”.

Heaven had a party just for you and on earth, well, let’s say a few showed up and said “congratulations” or “welcome to the family of God.” Maybe you were invited to a member’s home for Sabbath lunch, or you participated in a fellowship meal. One thing is for sure, new members should know that beginning a new chapter with Jesus Christ as Lord is something worth celebrating. The Heavenly host acknowledges that another person was called out of darkness to be connected to Jesus Christ through the engaging power of the Holy Spirit?

So, here are two things we can do to celebrate new members:

Care and Nurture New Disciples

Let people know how much you genuinely care about them. Theodore Roosevelt said - ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’ It is a simple statement, but this defines the ministry of Jesus while He was on earth. Jesus was omniscient (all-knowing) but his focus was not limited to teaching. His ministry included feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and fellowshipping with those who needed God. Luke 15:1-2. To connect we must be intentional in spending quality time to build relationships and we must do what is necessary to accomplish this goal. Cord Himelstein said, “We all inherently understand what a “genuine” connection with another human being is – it’s a relationship based on trust and mutual respect.” As genuine relationships grow among members of the church, people will see how much we care, and they will stay with the church, and this will allow them to be nurtured by the word of God. 

Engage our New Disciples

Another way to celebrate new disciples is to acknowledge and embrace their gifts and talents. A person will feel celebrated when they are allowed to participate and become a blessing to the church. New disciples ought to be engaged because this lets them know that there is a contribution for them to make and that their contribution will be welcomed. “When Jesus called the Apostles to spread the gospel, every person had a role - Engagement is about the church calling, equipping, supporting, and charging its members to do the work of the ministry” (Ryan Nelson). 

If a new disciple is not ready to share before the entire congregation, small group ministries are a wonderful place to prepare them. Ellen White admonishes us to approach new converts with these words.

“Those who have newly come to the faith should be patiently and tenderly dealt with, and it is the duty of the older members of the church to devise ways and means to provide help, sympathy, and instruction… These newly converted ones need nursing - watchful attention, help, and encouragement. These should not be left alone, or they will become prey to Satan’s most powerful temptations. They need to be educated regarding their duties, to be kindly dealt with, to be led along and to be visited and prayed with.” (Evangelism, p351)

 

This article was written by Elder Kevin S. Sterling, Head Elder / Pathfinder  director at the Good News Seventh-day  Adventist church.


This article was extracted from the Logos for April 10, 2021.

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