Colin Adams from the ‘Unashamed Workman’ offers some great advice here for new believers. If I was to offer some of my own it would be:
1. Find somebody you trust and know as a Christian and ask them to (a) teach you how to pray (Matthew 5 is a good place to start) and (b) ask them to commit to praying for you every day as you begin this new phase of your life.
2. Get along to Sunday services because that is the place in Niddrie where you are going to meet a lot of different types of Christians and where you will be welcomed with open arms. The experience of having a whole new family will blow your socks off. There are lots of other things going on in the week but Sunday is the one time when all the Christians in the community get together to sing, pray and study the Bible.
3. If reading is not your thing then speak to somebody you trust in the church and they will be able to help you download a good Bible version from Itunes or one on a CD. If you are a reader then ask somebody to help you find a good place to start reading the Bible ( I find the book of Mark a helpful place to start). Even better, if you ask somebody to do it with you and then you will be able to ask them for help when you get stuck with the ‘hard bits’.
4. People are going to start inviting you around to their house for food. Your first reaction will be to be to say no, (generally out of awkwardness), but say yes, because (a) it’s free food, (b) you will get to meet up with different types of people and get to learn their stories and (c) it will make Sunday’s less of a freaky place when you know a few more faces about the joint.
5. The quicker you tell friends and family what has happened to you the easier it will be. The danger is that you want to wait because you don’t want to feel dumb in front of them or you’re scared of the reaction. But, get it out in the open and leave it with them. One tip is to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY before you do. God always comes through for you, every time. Believe me.
6. Get ready for trouble and strife. Despite the above not everybody is going to embrace your new found faith with open arms. We have an enemy, the devil, and you are about to find out how real he is. That is why you need 1-4. Being a Christian is a group gig. You are going to be tempted like never before, be filled with doubt and fear like never before and you are going to wonder if it is all real or if you made the right decision. All these emotions are NORMAL. Every Christian goes through them at the beginning and at various times in their life. The KEY is to TALK TO SOMEBODY YOU TRUST IN THE CHURCH about what is going on inside you. Do not be EMBARRASSED. God is with you, your pastor is with you, you Christian brothers and sisters are with you. You are now in a FIGHT that will go on your entire life. But you need to know that you have stepped over from then dark into the light and from death to life.
7. Speak to the pastor as soon as you can about being baptised. Most churches have courses designed, not to put you off or slow you down, but to ensure that you know what is going on and that you are ready to make a full declaration in PUBLIC about your new found faith in Jesus Christ.
Welcome to a family of many millions around the globe!