I’m really interested to know what direction you were given
when you first became a Christian to help you grow in your faith. Does your church have a formal discipleship
program where a mature believer comes alongside a new believer and helps them
navigate their life and faith for a specified time? Were you given a Bible and a reading plan and
sent off to find your way on your own?
Please comment and let me know what direction you were given when you
first came to faith.
When I became a Christian, I was put on a path of
sorts. My Aunt bought me a Bible after I
accepted Christ and I think she set me on the following reading plan: read the Gospel of John 4x, read through the
Gospels (Matthew – Mark – Luke – John) once, read through the entire New
Testament once, read through the entire Bible.
Beyond that, I was on my own. I’d
pick up interesting looking Bible studies from the Christian bookstore. I read Chuck Swindoll and Kay Arthur, Joyce
Meyer and John Bevere. Then I discovered
Beth Moore. Her Bible studies had me
looking up all kinds of Scripture, so I got to know the layout of my
Bible. She also taught me one of the
most valuable things I’ve ever learned:
once I came to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit came to live in me! Other Bible teachers followed: Liz Curtis Higgs, Priscilla Shirer and Tony
Evans, to name a few. Now I’m involved
in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), and being involved with this organization has
given me invaluable training. It’s a
worldwide annual 30-week intense Bible study that offers all kinds of seminars
to teach you how to study the Bible yourself.
I’ve been given valuable tools for other areas of ministry like teaching
Sunday School and leading Bible study (even after engaging in these ministries
for years). It’s also helped me develop
a quiet time and taught me how to share my faith. I highly recommend BSF if it’s available in your
area. Find out if there’s a class near
you at bsfinternational.org.
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