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HOW TO GET STARTED FOR NEW CHRISTIANS
If you are a new Christian, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF
GOD! We are excited for you to start your journey into
the amazing world of knowing Him!
To get started, you need to get a Bible, preferably one
that is easy to read fluently. There are many choices
available, and you will have years to “study” the Bible
and dig into its deep truths, one layer at a time. But
for now, you need to read all about Jesus and find out
Who God is and get acquainted. It is so exciting to
read the Bible through for the very first time. God’s
world and truth is amazing.
For your first time, find a Bible that reads more like a
story format, instead of a study format. I suggest the
New Living Translation because they went back to the
original language to translate it, then used modern day
words to communicate that language. I would not suggest
any Bible that is a paraphrase, as it does not go back
to the original language and the ones I have read are
not as accurate. Some Bibles that say “paraphrased” on
them are quite slanted in their attitudes and not
recommended. When in doubt always stick with ones that
say translation or translated.
The best way to start is to begin reading the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and then continue to
Acts. You will get to know how wonderful Jesus is and
let His Words sink in. I would recommend reading those
a second time through before moving on. Then continue
and finish the New Testament.
Some Bible reading plans suggest adding a chapter of the
Proverbs and/or Psalms to your daily reading plan and
that is great too. You can also try adding a chapter
from the Old Testament into your daily plan. But don’t
forget to soak in the Gospels of Jesus, so that Jesus
becomes your focus and you get to know His Words really
well. Bibles that have red letter editions are great.
“Read the Red” is reading the Words of Jesus.
The Bible is God’s Word. He inspired the Words by way
of the Holy Spirit as they were written through men of
long ago. We accept the Bible as our first and main way
of knowing Him. And the Bible is our standard for how
to live our lives to please Him. You will have very
good understanding of how to live a Christian life once
you start reading the New Testament books written by
Paul.
Paul was miraculously called by God to be His apostle.
Paul went to the throne room of God and received many
visions and was taught by the Lord. Paul traveled
around to the churches of the early Christians during
his time. Later he was sent to prison. The books that
Paul wrote are letters to various churches and people as
he taught them how to live the Christian life. His
writings have become a foundation to the Christian faith
and are a part of the Bible.
Paul's journey is recorded in Acts. And he is attributed
to have written 13 letters recorded as “Books”Romans, 1
Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2
Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon.
After you have become acquainted with the Bible
stories, you can grow into actually
studying it. There
are wonderful Bibles available that have good study
aids. They have cross references and notes in the
margins that help you understand different aspects of a
verse. Amplified is a good study Bible because they
have done a lot of the work for you. You will notice at
the bookstore when you try to “read” the Amplified how
hard it is to read fluently. That is because it is
meant to study one verse at a time, and not read as a
story. So remember that when you go to purchase your
first Bible. It makes for a good second Bible, but not
necessarily as your first one. This is true for other
study Bibles that get buried in details.
We wish you
Happy Birthday for being born again!
John 3:3 NKJV
Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say
to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God."
1 Peter 1:23
AMP
You have been regenerated (born
again), not from a mortal origin
(seed, sperm ), but from one that is immortal by
the ever living and lasting Word of God.
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