How can I help new believers?

We should have more care and patience towards the newly converted, if we considered how painful a time of transition the beginning of the new life is; what "troops" attack and often overcome them; what a tearing of tendrils, as old habits and associations are broken away from; what a sense of flatness and disappointment when enthusiasm cools, and persecution, contempt, and disparagement arise; what surprise to find that the ordinary calamities of life strike and hurt as much as ever; what dismay to discover that Christians have faults still, and even that from his own heart the convert hears the language of doubt and sin — like that poor pilgrim, sore beset, crossing the valley of the shadow of death. These are amongst the troops that attack the nascent life. Let us not yield to that widespread instinct of adding to them, to carp and snarl and think we are being "faithful"; let us protect it from needless blows, and cherish it in love and wisdom, for Moses says, "Blessed be he that enlarges Gad" — he has a glorious future, though a painful present. The ugly duckling may prove to be a young swan after all: meanwhile most of the fowls of the farmyard hiss and peck a little at the new comer, awkward as he is, with a world of conceit in his head, and a bit of shell still clinging to his wing.

But whether the young Christian is normal and healthy, or the older Christian is of stunted growth and has not grown for lack of earnestness and devotedness, or perhaps because of carnality, that is, living for self and the world in some shape or other, there is great need for the babe in Christ to be patiently cared for, fed and nurtured in the things of the Lord.

Often in the nursery an older child will assume an almost parental care of a younger child. So in the things of the Lord it is happy when a Christian sets out to care for one a little younger in grace and advancement than himself, and when the whole atmosphere of the assembly is one of kindly care for the young. Oh! that we had the spirit of Paul, who acted as a nursing mother in his day. May this appeal stimulate saints of God to this godly care. The young need encouragement and help as never before.

It is a great thing if saints are animated by a spirit similar to that given in this scene. It will lead them to fling their souls into God's work, not only the gospel, but every branch of it. The evangelist's is an important gift, but if the evangelist has done his work, what a privilege all saints have in taking care of the new-born souls, to nurse them, and lead them on. That was evidently found in the Church in early days. Each servant and his work was intimately connected with the assembly. His heart was in it because Christ was in its midst. On the other hand, the assembly was deeply interested in his work. If God make you the means of the conversion of a soul, my heart ought to be interested in that person, to feed, and lead such an one on.

The aged apostle had been filled with joy in that he had found the elect lady's children walking in truth, "as we have received a commandment from the Father." It was not enough for the beloved disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, that these souls were converted. What made him rejoice greatly was, that, having been converted, their lives were governed by the truth. Conversion is indeed an unspeakable mercy, but it is not everything. It is the introduction to a new sphere, in which Christ may be glorified in walk and ways. In order to this the truth must be apprehended, and hence the need of systematic instruction for young believers after they have been brought to the knowledge of Christ as their Saviour. The Lord Himself showed His solicitude for the lambs, as well as for the sheep, in His charge to Peter after his restoration. And the only safeguards for the babes in the family of God, as is taught in the first epistle, in the presence of seductive errors, are the Spirit and the word of God. Let those, then, who are older in the divine life, ever seek to help the younger to be found walking in the truth.

The teaching of the apostles would be all that they learned in company with the Lord Jesus, all the wonderful discourses that we have written for us in our Bibles and perhaps many other things that are not recorded for us, these things would be handed on to those new converts. They would tell them, 'This is what the Lord demanded of us, this is what He demands of you. It is the Lord who is doing it, we are only His servants in conveying these things to you'. What faithfulness is required then in handing on the truth to those who are newly converted; not letting them grow themselves (if they are left to themselves they will not grow).

This was impressed upon us recently, the necessity for shepherding, and this is one of the prime concerns of the shepherd, to see that his sheep are properly fed, to see that the lambs are properly cared for. I believe Peter and the apostles would have seen to it that these new converts were instructed as to the truths that the Lord had imparted to them. It was their responsibility and they fulfilled it, and when these new converts learned they persevered in these things. They did not stop and say that they would have a discussion on them. Discussions do not get us very far because you can only go to the level of the knowledge that is there, so it is very important that there is proper teaching and acceptance of it, like the Bereans, who were "more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those these things were so" (Acts 17:11).

Feeding them naturally occupies the first place. When a soul has passed from death unto life the first care is to see that it is built up by "the sincere milk of the Word." Thus growth is assured. How delightful a privilege it is to be permitted to exercise this care for the beloved lambs and sheep of the flock of Christ! We can covet no higher privilege than to minister the "portion of meat in due season" to the household of the Lord — ministry in which the great staple is the work and person of our Lord Jesus. It is a service in which all may have a share, while those who have special gifts in the way of teaching may rejoice to fulfil their ministry.

First, she nursed her young son by breastfeeding him (1:23). Applying this spiritually, we must supply our children with spiritual food for their souls. It is never too early to feed our children with such food, which is the ‘pure mental milk of the word’ (1 Pet. 2:2). When they are still young, we read it to them. When they start going to school, we help them read and understand it on their own. Of course, we will respect the age and the character of a child. We will not give them the wrong food. We will not give them too much or too little. Quality and quantity will be well balanced so that they can grow spiritually. Also, breast milk is something which is formed beforehand, and inside the mother. There is no spiritual equivalent of fast food or a ready meal. Our children will only be blessed as we give them something which has been produced and experienced in ourselves and practised by us.

Our happy privilege, then, is to teach the converts their right of way to Him. We seek in every way to unfold His sufficiency to them, so that if we should be removed tomorrow, they should not be as orphans bereft of all help, but should look still to One well-known already to the affection of their hearts as their unfailing Resource. We encourage their learning to read, and above all to read the Word; we show them from the Scriptures that the bearing of fruit is the proof of discipleship, that obedience and love Godward, and service manward, are everywhere enjoined in the New Testament.

How beautiful is the divine order in God's assembly! First, the evangelist reaches the soul, and brings him to the gateway of the assembly, and leaves those who are therein to test him, and, if confident of him, to receive him, for it cannot be too strongly asserted, that it is the assembly, as a whole, that receives. Each and all composing it are responsible — not only the labourers, or those who may commend souls that seek admission. When the young convert, judged to be born of God, and indwelt of the Spirit, is admitted, he is to be instructed. Let us beware of keeping souls out of the assembly until they have as much intelligence as those within. Such a thought is very common, and some saints have the idea that all such should be kept outside, until they have got a certain amount of intelligence. That shows how little intelligence they possess who would act on such lines, and how little they really know the mind of the Lord, because, you see, when a child is born, it needs a great deal of nursing, attention, and care. Now the assembly, if walking rightly, is just the place to find all this, and is the spot to which the new-born soul is rightly led by the evangelist, in the expectation that there, if anywhere, will be found plenty of nurses, glad to foster, and help the infant life given of God. Would that we saw more of this.

Evangelists carry the gospel of the grace of God to the world to bring people to the Lord Jesus. Yet it is evident here that evangelists are not to leave the newly-converted without further help, for all these gifts have in view the proper functioning of every member of the body of Christ in help one to another. The true evangelist never sends a new-born babe in Christ back into spiritual darkness, but sees to it that the new believer is built up and strengthened in the Word of God.