What to do with New Believers

I'm not ashamed of the Good News. It is God's power to save everyone who believes…Romans 1:16
Can you remember the day you first believed? I was a ten-year old boy attending a Summer Backyard Bible School for kids in the neighborhood when I first believed in Jesus. God began a good work in me that day and he carried it on to completion seven years later in a Bob’s Big Boy Restaurant. It was on a New Year’s Eve when I made a deliberate decision to follow Jesus the rest of my life. I still recall what my friend said to me as we sat in that vinyl diner booth, “Brian, now that you’re a Christian, here are a few things you need to do in order to grow spiritually.” Then he listed four spiritual disciplines. These are disciplines we still need to teach new believers in our Kids Churches and Youth Groups. Here are those four spiritual disciplines.

Read the Bible. Make sure they have a Bible they understand. Point them to a Bible app like YouVersion. Teach kids the primary way God speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible.
Begin to Pray. Teens need to understand how prayer is the primary way we talk with God. ACTS is as easy way to help youth remember the 4 key elements of prayer. A – Adoration >>> Worship God for who He is. C – Confession >>> Own up to your sins. T – Thanksgiving >>> Thank God for all He has done. S – Supplication >>> Pray for yourself and others.
Go to Church. As a new believer, I was taught to be in church whenever the doors were open. A healthy next generation ministry will provide accountability and opportunity for kids to grow, but they must be present.
Tell other People. Closet Christianity doesn’t work. Our participation in salvation involves two things. We must believe in our heart and we must confess with our mouth (Romans 10:9). Explain to students the importance of water baptism as a public act of confession and obedience.

Further, we must teach our kids about the power of the Spirit. As NextGen Leaders, we have a duty to provide an opportunity for our youth to experience the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This promised gift will empower them to become mature, life-long followers of Jesus.