Off To A Good Start

I can still recall when our first son was born. As  good and concerned parents we wanted to make sure he got fed well and as he grew , we paid attention to every bit of food we gave him. Making sure it had nutritional value of some kind. As he grew , yes we allowed him to have some junk food but we tried to keep a balance.

It is clear what one puts into your body daily can help with energy and just feeling better. That plus a little exercise can go a long way in helping one at the very least , keep your girlish figure (hey mine is long gone) .

That is why it is so vital that when one is born again , they get out of the gate with solid spiritual food. For one of the things that will happen very quickly , after the intense feeling of a "spiritual high" , is the world ,the flesh and the Devil will wish to confound and cripple a new convert. If one is left hanging in the wind and the local church doesn't have good preaching , a solid follow up program then trouble can ensue .

If I was to give advice to a new believer it would be to read your Bible. Find a systematic plan and read he word of God. That goes without saying . Then it is important to understand the faith . To be able to understand the historic Christian faith. Solid works exist but one source is so good it would be the first book I would recommend . That is Knowing God by J.I Packer . It is readable I would say from an age of 14 . It is clear , concise and in depth enough to give any new believer a solid foundation to start with .

The next is a solid daily devotional type of magazine . For that you can get no better than Tabletalk . It is released by R.C Sproul's Ligonier Ministries. It features a topic per month,has amazing scholars ,pastors who write with a passion and heart that all can be fed. It is meat but it is well done , tender to the taste. The devotionals feature a scripture verse ,brief exposition and application . Excellent devotional.

Then a confession of faith . The 2 that come to mind for me are the London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) and the Westminster Confession of Faith(1646). They lay out in a systematic way doctrines that are vital to grasp if one is to grow.

Last , yes I will say the word history. One needs to grasp how we got where we are. From Jewish history to the New Testament times and to today , history can give so much insight even into what heresies are around us today. Its hard to find it all in one volume but a Study Bible that offers a decent brief overview is the ESV Study Bible. That will wet ones appetite. Then if that gets you going , check out Philip Schaff.

Growing in the faith cannot happen without a solid source to grow from. Just like a baby needs solid nutrition to start their beginning , a christian begins as a babe but needs good food to grow.

    [2] Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— [3] if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
(1 Peter 2:2-3 ESV)