Newborn

   Being with a newborn baby is an unforgettable experience. Being with someone newly born into the Kingdom of God has its similarities. On Saturday i was scheduled to meet with Doug, a co-laborer in the gospel for over twenty years, at noon to counsel together about an upcoming men's conference that we and another brother are coordinating. Shortly before noon i received a text ( the caveman emerges into the 21st Century) that he was in a different town and could i join him there instead. When I arrived he introduced me to a woman and her young adult daughter. The woman had received Christ several months prior, the daughter the night before. Had the privilege of praying for both women and suggesting their beginning the reading of the Word of God in the gospel of Mark. Also mentioned that we do not always feel the presence of God but He is always there. ( Job 37:16, 1 John 3:20)
     Assuming that the disciple knows how to present the gospel of the Kingdom to someone which, I just realized, should be the subject of another post, how do we care for a spiritual newborn? Hopefully we have given a clear understanding of the gospel because that will form a foundation for what comes next. I recommend the following. We must help the person  to understand prayer, that they have the privilege of going boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace in time of need (Hebrews 4:16) We must introduce them to the Word of God. In the preconversion state I advocate working slowly through 1 John. Most American newborns will relate more to Mark's gospel than any other at first. It is clear, action oriented, short and provides a good summary of who Jesus is and what He did. In a post-Christian culture most people have no accurate understanding of Jesus at all and probably have never read the Bible.
   We also need to emphasize the crucial importance of baptism. I do not find baptism classes or long intervals between regeneration and baptism in the New Testament. Instead in the nine places where baptism is illustrated in Acts only in Paul's case, because of extenuating circumstances, is baptism not immediate. This shows that a person must have a clear understanding of what entering the Kingdom means, and particularly surrender to the will of God, prior to baptism, which is sometimes referred to as the first act of obedience.
    Then we must get the newborn into healthy fellowship, which will be difficult if we are not in a healthy spiritual environment. We must begin to disciple the person immediately, not leaving them to wander about. In the same way as we would care for a newborn baby left on our doorstep, we must do everything we can to help the person grow in Christ. We will probably have to reprioritize our life but what an incredible privilege. May we have this honor more often.