Questions and Crickets....

I've been putting my friends and family on the spot in the last 48 hours. In almost all cases, I get crickets. It was one of those questions that you don't mean to be rhetorical, but it can come across as if it was.

The question is this: What's the first thing you tell a new believer? Lets say you are sitting across the table from someone and they just made a decision to follow Christ. "In Jesus name we pray, amen." .... and they open their eyes. What do you say to them next? Reallly....What would you tell them. (Insert sound of crickets here) What is the next step for a new believer in Christ. I mean, what is the very next thing they should think or believe or do.? (More crickets)



I had the privilege of leading a new friend to Christ on Wednesday. It was awesome. I was pumped all day long. But I found myself soon in that place of anxiety:

 ... Stink... now what do I say? I want to get them started on the right path. If I mess up they could be set on a path to legalism or a permissive lifestyle. Neither of which are good. What to say... what to say....

Do you tell them a list of things they should not do? After all... they are Christians now and should act a certain way. Stop smoking! Don't party! (Col 2:20-23)

Or maybe they should get a list of things they should do. Read your bible, pray, go to church, fast, tithe.... You know, all the spiritual disciplines- (the things that us long-term Christians are not even that good at doing). After all, the song we all learned in church as a kid said: "Read the Bible pray every day and you'll grow, grow, grow. "

Here's what I told them. Well... I didn't tell 'em. Jesus did. And it was a good reminder to myself, that this is what the Christian walk is really all about. Abide in the vine.

John 15

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

There's a ton to dive into in this passage. What strikes me is that includes both a passive and active sense of abiding.

Passive: It is the vine that does the growing in us. We don't do it in ourselves. No amount of effort will see that we grow and produce fruit. I'll have to politely disagree with that children's song- the spiritual disciplines don't make us grow. They may be a tool to help us abide- but according to John 15, the vine makes us grow- not our efforts.

Active: We have to actively abide in the vine. We have a part to play. We have to submit ourselves to the vine. Don't fight against it. When He says to do something... follow.

I am reminded that in all of our Christian practices, it boils down to just that: Abide in the vine.