A Roadmap for New Christians who’ve been baptised and are about to Start Their Journey
My friend sent me a text today to tell me about the baptism of her daughter, Sarai. She was thrilled. I’ve known Sarai since she was a little girl of seven or eight years old. Now as a teen and beginning high school, she was also making public her decision to follow Christ.
It took me back to those days long ago when I stood in a river in the early Sunday morning chill to be baptized. In my Mind’s eye I can still see the gathering of people standing around. There were people on the bridge overhead and everywhere they could get an unobstructed view of the proceedings.
My dad strongly opposed my baptism at a church that was not the one our family had attended for generations. But, I’m glad that despite his opposition, he didn’t prevent me from getting baptized.
Water baptism is an important command from our Lord. It is an act that has deep spiritual meaning . Death, burial and resurrection is the symbolism behind baptism by immersion. Romans 6:3-4 – says, Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
There was quite a group of us who had given our lives to Christ over the previous few months. Most of us had surrendered at a recently concluded two -week crusade. The church down the street had invited a team of young evangelists into the community and they conducted nightly services
I had no idea that when I visited that night, I’d be making a life changing decision. Nor did I know that my decision would mean that I’d never go back to the church I had been attending since I was born. Maybe if I knew I would have backed out.
That Sunday morning, I was happy and nervous at the same time. My former church did not practice water baptism by immersion. This has since changed but at that time, people were confirmed into membership. I grew up in the church. This was the church that my family attended and for the most part I loved church.
There was a large group of us a young people and I enjoyed singing on the youth choir. I loved the harvest, Easter, and Christmas celebrations. However, I could never get a satisfactory explanation as to why we did not practice water baptism. Coupled with that, I met other Christians from other churches. Christians who carried a fire that I wanted to experience. I wanted their kind of Christianity.
Even though I wanted to be baptized, when things started to move in that direction, I was incredibly nervous. In fact, from the moment that I realized I was making a public decision to follow Christ and that by standing in response to the evangelist’s call, a process had begun, I panicked.
Friendships
I became friends with one of the girls and we started meeting to pray in the evenings before church started. I couldn’t wait for those prayer sessions. We would pray for hours even as young Christians. There was a feeling inside, during those early days that we could not describe. It was a kind of excitement in the pit of our stomach, a feeling like butterflies that could scarcely be contained.
My friend and I would meet at her home because she lived much closer to church than I did. We would read the Bible and pray. By the time we got to church we were already “on fire” as it were. Those were truly special days.
Because I now had a friend who was on the same journey, we encouraged each other. It’s important to keep a distance from unsaved friends especially in your early walk with the Lord. They can pull you away from the faith. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.”
Many young Christians are not willing to make this break after they’ve been baptised, and they eventually become a casualty of the faith. They place themselves in situations and then succumb to peer pressure, thereby nullifying their testimony.
Recently, one young girl asked me how she could witness to her friends. This after she described to me the menagerie of friends that she considers her “best friends” and explained that they go everywhere together. I asked her the difference between her life and theirs. Of course, there is no difference, so what could she witness to them about?
We must interact with people because we are among people in the world, but we must choose “friends” carefully. This is especially true if we are young in the faith.
We are often derailed by skillful, seductive arguments because we overestimate our capabilities . Young Christians do not know their Bible enough to mount a defense of their beliefs. This will come with time if they make a habit of reading, meditating on the Word and getting the answers to tough questions. It makes sense therefore not to engage in arguments with people whose beliefs are contrary to yours and who might know the Bible better than you do.
There are also those who may desire to pull you away from your commitment to Christ so that you can rejoin their group. The Bible advises, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” – 2 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV).
Prayer is Key, After you’ve been Baptised
Prayer is key in our walk with God. Its importance cannot be over emphasized. Many Christians never learn how to pray. They ramble because they have no strategy. Some years ago, I discovered the ACTS method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) of praying. This really helped me keep my prayer organized so that I do not just ramble around.
During periods of fasting or whenever I decide to spend some time in prayer, I have found this method of praying to be extremely useful. I’ve introduced this way of praying to new Christians with the hope that they find it to be as useful. It’s the kind of strategy where you can focus on one aspect per prayer session, for example, your first session would be on adoration and then confession in the next session, then thanksgiving and supplication.
Study the Word
As young Christians, the elders in that little church down the street would admonish us to read the Bible. We were constantly participating in quizzes and challenges. We were also encouraged to commit Bible verses to memory.
I must confess that I was laxed in my efforts to do so. I came to know the oft repeated verses but not many more. However, as a young Christian, this is a very powerful habit to cultivate. In Deuteronomy 11:18, we find this command:
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
How I wish I had been more consistent. Memorizing seems so much more difficult now. Knowing the Word of God is vital in these days. As the Bible predicted, there are many false teachers and even more false doctrines. We must be particularly careful.
The Bible tells us also that in the last days there will be such a spirit of deception that if it were possible even the elect would be deceived. Even now, many New Age teachers and teachings have infiltrated the church and those who do not know the Word of God, to be able to defend against this onslaught of false teachings, are being led astray.
These teaching seems so right; but they are so subtly different from the truth that it takes the Spirit of discernment to detect the falsehood. I remember our elders saying repeatedly that everything that God does, satan has a counterfeit. This has never been more evident.
Teachings such as the Law of Attraction, which teaches that you should be visualizing and manifesting your perfect life, or the idea that all roads lead to God, are ideas that come out of the New Age playbook and is deceiving many.
At one point in my life, I thought it was a good idea to do almost daily guided mediations, to create a vision board and hang a crystal over the door of my home. I had no idea the dangerous path I was treading. No wonder Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Holy Spirit
It’s important as young Christians to have a relationship with Holy Spirit. There was a time when He seemed so far away from me because I never thought that I needed to pay attention to Him. That’s a tragedy in the lives of many Christians today.
My focus for many years was on Jesus, and rightly so, because it is through Him that we have been engrafted into the family of God. We have been made heirs and joint heirs with Christ. For me, as for many, Holy Spirit was a force that cause me to shiver sometimes.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I came across a YouTube video. I think it was a video. To be honest, I can’t recall whether it was a video or some other type of teaching medium, but it opened my eyes to the ignorance of Christians who do not understand the importance of an intimate relation with this member of the Godhead.
Since then, my Christian experience has become so much deeper and richer that I wish there were a way to bring every Christian into this knowledge. Now I consult with Him, communicate constantly with Him and I know when He speaks.
I once had a co-worker ask, “how do you know when God speaks?” I said, “You’ll know” and you’ll never forget. She responded, “everyone says that” and walked away. But the truth is that you WILL know. Over time you’ll come to recognize when He speaks and you’ll truly, not forget.
This is a wonderful journey that you’ve embarked on. But know that just as there are days when the sun is out in it’s brilliance, the clouds are thick like tuffs of cotton and bright white. There is a beautiful cooling breeze and everything seem right, the days will come when there are dark, menacing clouds, the thunder will roar and there will be flashes of lightening that causes you to be afraid.
But God has promised that He will be with us every step of the way and whether or not we feel His presence, He’s there and there is none that can pluck us out of His hand.
Share your Faith
We must find ways to spread the good news by sharing it with those around us. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:18-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Now that you’ve been baptized, the journey has begun. Look for opportunities to share your faith. There are many guides as to how you can do so. As you tell others about Jesus you will grow in your own faith.
Sharing your faith must be a commitment that you make as you go along your way.
Conclusion
So you’ve been baptised. You are just the beginning of your journey with Christ. Now, it’s time to grow in faith, stay connected to God through prayer and Scripture, and build relationships with other believers. Challenges will come, but with God’s guidance and the support of a strong Christian community, you can walk confidently in your new life. Keep seeking Him daily, and He will lead you every step of the way!