Author: Nathaniel Colt

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Read: Philippians 2:1–5

If you walked into most schools at lunch, you would probably see kids sitting together in different groups. There might be groups who like to study, play a sport, play video games, or play musical instruments. But sometimes, there might be kids who feel like they don’t fit in, and they sit alone. Imagine being the new kid in school at lunch. Sounds pretty lonely, right?

When people choose to follow Jesus for the first time, their whole life changes. Jesus may show them things that they need to change—including the people they hang out with. This can make these new Christians feel very lonely. As followers of Jesus, God wants us to make sure that we are looking out for people who are new to serving Jesus. We can get so busy doing what interests us that we don’t make time to help others. Instead, He wants us to invite them to our activities and be friends with them. This will help them feel safe in the family of God and grow in their relationship with Him. Jesus welcomed us into His family, and we should follow His lead by accepting new believers as well.

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Read: Matthew 28:19–20

A person can’t choose to be a firefighter and be ready right away to start fighting large house fires. And someone doesn’t decide to be a surgeon and start working in the operating room right away. These people start out with the basics. They grow in their training by studying and learning from others who know more than they do. As they learn and grow, they develop their skills and learn more about how to do their jobs.

When Jesus commanded the disciples to go into all the world, He said to go and make disciples. Disciples are followers of Jesus. Jesus wants His followers to spend time with new believers, showing them the ropes and helping them when they have questions. He wants His followers to teach God’s Word and show others what it means to live for Jesus. This command that He gave to His disciples long ago continues today. Jesus wants us to help new believers grow in following God.

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Read: Acts 9:26–31

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? These words mean that you can’t always tell what’s on the inside based on what you can see on the outside. This is a little like what some Christians in Jerusalem were doing to Saul. They were judging him because of his actions that they had seen in the past rather than the inside change that Jesus had made. But Saul was a changed man, and he needed the support of other believers so he could stay alive and tell others about Jesus.

Sometimes, Christians have trouble looking past how someone used to live before they came to Jesus. Instead of bringing the new believers close to encourage them in their new faith, they are pushed away by other Christians. Saul needed Barnabas to stand up for him, to celebrate what God had done in his life and be a friend who helped Saul become part of the community of faith. God wants us to be like Barnabas in this way and make sure that every new believer feels welcome in the family of God.