We’ve all seen the Billy Graham Crusades or even altar calls at our own churches where people come forward to receive Christ. It’s a very moving and powerful experience to see people humbly bow heads and knees to receive Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Many churches strive to make sure that these new believers are connected with someone to talk with them afterward, encouraging them to connect with another Christian or church ministry to support their new faith journey.
But sadly, this doesn’t always happen, or it starts out strong and then fizzles out, leaving the new believer floundering in their newfound faith. And we all know that Satan sets his sights on someone who is newly walking with Jesus to trip them up and cause doubts to arise in their minds. It’s always important to pray for a hedge of protection around a new believer for this very reason. I’m not saying that we should be looking for Satan behind every bush, but the spiritual attacks are very real, especially with a new believer. Not only that, but life happens and selfish desires take over and our striving to walk with the Lord wanes or disappears.
In Matthew 18-23, Jesus says, “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root... and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
You might be asking, "Why are you telling me all of this? I’m not a pastor. I don’t serve in church leadership. I’m not equipped to disciple anyone." At one time, I would’ve been joining right in with you with those justifications, but the longer I have walked with the Lord and the more time I have spent in the Word, I can see how we all are called to be disciples because we all have a story to tell of what God has done in our own lives. Anyone who knows me is acquainted with the fact that I always say, “Your story is your story." No one can dispute what you are saying regarding what God has done in your life. And our stories have value in helping to disciple a new believer as their faith journey grows.
Let’s look at three ways you can disciple a new believer even if you think you are not equipped to do so:
We all have a testimony. Even before we knew Jesus, we had a testimony. In fact, our testimony before we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior is what makes our testimony as believers that much more powerful because we are testifying to what God saved us from So how does our testimony help disciple someone else in a practical sense, especially if our story doesn't seem relatable?
1 Corinthians 10:13a says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man.” We all have temptation in common. What you are tempted by may look different than someone else’s temptation, but we all know the pain of struggling with temptation. All sin begins with temptation. When we confess our sins and accept Jesus' payment on the cross, we are repenting of our bent toward those temptations. However, new believers, especially if they fall back into old temptations, may believe the lie that they are not truly saved. They may feel that their sin is who they are, and they may just want to throw in the towel like someone who has cheated on a diet and says, “What’s the use? I’ll never be able to lose weight."
Or, if you were like me, someone who is a Miss Goody Two Shoes, you may wonder if you were actually saved because you don’t have this amazing story of being saved from a life of crime or drugs where your life did a complete 180.
In all the above scenarios, sharing your testimony with a new believer will help disciple and encourage them despite their doubts or frustrations. Your testimony has had setbacks, but you have continued to grow and flourish as you fight the good fight, and as such, you are an example of God’s work within you to spur the new believer on in their walk and dispel any doubts.
We all can look back on and marvel at the great things the Lord has done for us since becoming a believer. These faith stories not only have an impact on our faith walk but are incredibly encouraging to young believers who are still getting their “sea legs” when life’s tempest blows.
As a young girl in my late 20s who struggled with severe anxiety, I had no idea how God was going to one day use that as my “platform” to bring Him glory and to help disciple others. Our struggles become talking points for discipleship. Even if the person we are discipling hasn’t struggled with anxiety, they have most likely struggled with something so that my story can spur them on that if God did this for me, He will do it for them.
It’s important to be transparent with your struggles when you are discipling someone because that will showcase how our faith muscles continue to grow. I can still struggle with anxiety. It is the “thorn in my side” that the Lord has lovingly placed so that I rely and depend on Him. He never disappoints me in that area. We can easily begin to rely less on Him when things are going well. He loves us so much and wants to spend time with us so He allows these circumstances to bring us back so we can experience His love and strength. We are fickle people, but we have a loving and understanding God who helps us in our struggles. When we share that with a young believer, they will be greatly encouraged despite their own struggles.
Think about areas of your life where God has built your faith and how you can disciple and encourage someone else with your faith-building journey.
Recall the saying, “You might be the only Bible someone reads.” When we are discipling someone, our actions matter way more than our words. Allow the person you are discipling into your spiritual routines. Model prayer and Bible reading for them. Offer to do a Bible study with them.
The woman who led me to the Lord asked me what I struggled with. When I told her anxiety, she picked out a Bible study about anxiety for us to do together, and it had such a positive impact on my walk with the Lord. This might be a direction you could go in. Or you could ask the person what they would like to learn about God.
It’s essential to disciple the young believer on the importance of spending time daily in prayer and in the Word, and to come alongside them as they begin these spiritual disciplines. Even if you think you are not a biblical scholar or that you're not good at praying, you are! You have experience with prayer, the Word, and the Lord to draw upon. Impart the wisdom you have gained through those disciplines to another through discipleship.
Too often we overthink things and feel we must be perfect to disciple another. But God has given us the Holy Spirit who will guide us in what to share and how to share it. I can’t tell you how many times I have been in situations where, as I’m speaking, it’s like an out-of-body experience. I can’t believe that what I’m saying perfectly applies to the person, and yet I can take no credit because I know it was from the Holy Spirit.
May we all look for opportunities to disciple another and remember that we are equipped through our own testimony, faith journey, and example.
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Karen Del Tatto is a blogger, author, women's ministry leader, pastor's wife, mom, and grandmother who is passionate about the Word of God. Her blog Growing Together in Grace and Knowledge and her books Choosing to Trust God: Breaking the Habit of Worry, A 30-Day Devotional and Choosing to Trust God Companion Journal reveal her heart for providing Biblical insights to encourage women to grow in and through their struggles while equipping them to overcome. Karen and her husband live in Rhode Island and enjoy walks in the woods, owling, and spending time with their grandchildren.