INTRO.- How were you treated the first time you ever came to church? Obviously, if you were raised in the church as a child, more than likely, you were treated well.
Of course, if a certain little child comes to the preacher, looks up at him and says, "You have a big belly." That child WILL NOT get treated as well as others! But what if you were an adult? What if you came into the church at some later time in your life? Say you were anywhere from 25 to 55 years old? How were you treated? How did people respond to you?
ILL.- Bob Russell of Louisville, KY, tells this story about the time when he was a student at Cincinnati Bible College in the 1960’s. IN MY SENIOR year at Bible college, I met a tall, gangly basketball player from the University of Cincinnati. He was 6’ 11" and weighed 190 lbs. He had been an All-American from New York state. We struck up an unusual friendship. I’d grown up in a Christian home and was studying for the ministry, but Neil had almost no Christian training or understanding. In fact, he was the most foul-mouthed person I had ever met! When we would meet to go to a basketball game, for the first ten minutes he would just spew out profanity until he would remember whom he was with.
About the only common interest we had was basketball, and we went to each other’s games. But as that friendship great, I invited Neil to go with me to the country church where I preaching on weekends. He was an instant hit with the people because of his height and they were an instant hit with them because they fed every Sunday after church.
He came with me several times and finally the basics of the Christian life began to sink in. I had the opportunity to study the Bible with him on several occasions. Then one Sunday morning in that country church, Neil walked forward and gave his life to Christ.
His baptism was very unusual. The baptistery was right under the pulpit area where they had to move the pulpit to a trap door. The candidate had to walk across the platform from the changing room. When Neil came out of the changing room, I could hardly keep from laughing. He had put on the longest robe we had and it still looked like a miniskirt. It came down to the middle of his thighs. He got into the baptistery and I baptized him in sections. I thought I would never get him back up! BUT IT WAS A GREAT DAY OF REJOICING AS NEIL GAVE HIS LIFE TO CHRIST.
About two weeks later, a group of us from the seminary were playing basketball at the local ’Y.’ Neil was playing with us. He took an elbow to the ribs and winced with pain and also let fly a four-letter word. He shouldn’t have done that but I was kind of proud of him because I had heard him use a lot worse than the one he selected!
But one of the preacher boys stopped the game and put the ball under his arm and said, "Well, is that any way for a Christian to talk?"
No, it wasn’t, but IT WASN’T ANY WAY FOR A NEW CHRISTIAN TO BE TREATED EITHER. That young preacher failed to understand where Neil was coming from. He failed to be patient and sensitive.
Henry Drummond wrote, "How many prodigals are kept out of the kingdom of God by the unlovely character of those who profess to be on the inside." Brothers and sisters, how do we treat people when they come to church? And how do we treat them when they come into the church?
PROP.- When new people come into the church they need attention just as Saul needed it. Let’s think about specific needs they have.
1- They need acceptance
2- They need protection
3- They need patience
4- They need instruction
I. THEY NEED ACCEPTANCE
Acts 9:19 "Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus." He was apparently accepted by the Christians. And that was a good thing because not everyone accepted him.
Acts 9:26-27 "When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus."
I supposed if a known murderer had just become a Christian and wanted to join our church it would be natural to be skeptical or afraid. It might be like scarface Al Capone trying to join a church. However, in Paul’s case, he had a friend named Barnabas who accepted him and introduced him to others as being a real Christian.
The church needs more people like Barnabas who are quick to meet and greet, accept and help others.
After church we often we are often in a hurry "to get out of here," so to speak. When was the last time that you offered to take someone to lunch with you or take them home to lunch in order to make them feel more accepted?
ILL.- Mr. Lloyd George was addressing a meeting in South Wales when the chairman, thinking to be witty at the chancellor’s expense, remarked to the audience that he was a little disappointed in Mr. Lloyd George’s appearance.
“I had heard so much about Mr. Lloyd George,” he said, “that I naturally expected to meet a big man in every sense; but, as you can see for yourselves, he is very small in stature.”
Many preachers would have been upset by such an unfortunate beginning to the proceedings, but not so Mr. Lloyd George.
“I am grieved to find,” he said, with mock seriousness, “that your chairman is disappointed in my size, but this is owing to the way you have here of measuring a man. In North Wales we measure a man from his chin up, but you evidently measure him from his chin down!”
Brothers and sisters, it’s true that we humans are affected by appearance whether we want to admit this or not. If someone has a pleasing appearance and/or is dressed nice, it’s easy to stick out your hand and give them a greeting. However, if someone is dressed shabbily, etc. we are not always quick to speak to them.
James 2:1-4 "1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here’s a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
We dare not become judges with evil thoughts. Whenever I’m out in public and I see someone that I consider to be sloppy or dirty or whatever, I have to remind myself that God loves them just as much as He loves me and maybe more!
Everybody needs to be accepted by someone. And if a person has been accepted by God then we should do our best to accept them even if they think and do somewhat differently. Our common ground is Christ.
II. THEY NEED PROTECTION
Acts 9:23-25 "After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall."
Paul had another problem. Some people wanted to kill him and just because he switched religion! Pretty drastic, don’t you think? BETTER NOT LEAVE THE CHURCH! We might have to send someone out to get you!
ILL.- This might be like Saddam Hussein converting from the Muslim religion to Christianity. Had he done that while in prison they probably would have killed him a lot sooner than they did.
So we can somewhat understand how the Jews were out to kill Paul. He was a total traitor them! But the Christians protected him and so we must do similarly today with new converts.
How so? What if someone comes from a bad background and those in the past try to lure him back? What should we do? we need to do our best to provide protection.
ILL.- I know of a preacher who got a call one night by a lady in his church who was worried about her husband. Apparently, in the not too recent past he’d been involved in gambling. Somehow, he was lured back one night to a gambling party. The wife was very concerned so she called and asked the preacher if he would go get him. He consented. He went to the gambling establishment and when he tried to leave with the man, they pulled guns on them.
That preacher was a better talker than I am and somehow they were able to talk themselves out of that place. BUT DON’T CALL ME IF THE GAMBLERS CALL FOR YOU!
ILL.- I read on the internet recently a mother in CA who provided protection for her four month old boy from the attack of a pit bull. The pit bull from next door charged into Angela Silva’s garage and lunged for little Tom Jr., the 4-month-old boy in her arms. She hid her son in a plastic garbage bin and vainly tried to swat the animal away. But the angry dog toppled the can over and once again homed in on her crying child. This time Silva hurled herself between baby and dog - wailing as it shredded through her arms - and held on for dear life.
A pair of contractors across the street heard her screams and, with power tools whirring, shooed the dog away. "He just kept biting . . . and biting . . . and biting," Silva, a 32-year-old special-education teacher, said with tears filling her eyes. Both arms were still wrapped in gauze after an operation at Regional Medical Center in San Jose. Her son suffered only a few scratches. And so ended the scariest eight minutes of Silva’s life.
Just as that mother did what she could to protect her baby so we must do to protect NEW CHRISTIANS OR BABES IN CHRIST. There are pit bull type people in our world who are just waiting to bite and devour new Christians.
How do we protect people from the sin and corruption of this world? We take people under our wings, so to speak. We include them in our activities and try to fellowship with them.
III. THEY NEED PATIENCE
Acts 9:20-22 "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ."
You get the impression that Paul’s conversion was so powerful that he was just overflowing with enthusiasm. AT ONCE HE BEGAN TO PREACH. That man was truly convinced and converted!
How many people do you know who start preaching and witnessing almost immediately after they are converted to Christ? He was convinced. He was sold and sold out.
Actually, new Christians are generally our best soul winners. They are excited and they are not afraid to talk to anybody about Christ. And that’s good.
ILL.- When I was baptized at the age of 20 I was working for Safeway in Joplin, MO. Everybody knew that I had been a frequent visitor, however, of a bar in Galena, KS, not far from there. In fact, I had influenced the produce manager who was a young single man to start going with me. He got liquored up one night, got into a fight at the Green Parrot Bar and got beat up. The next day at work he did not look so good! And it was my fault because I invited him to that bar. SO IT WAS KNOWN THAT I WAS BEER BOOZER.
However, after I was baptized into Christ that Monday night things changed and I changed. The very night I was baptized I started talking to people about what I’d just done. It felt wonderful to be forgiven of my sins! And I wanted everybody to know about it. And I’m sure some of those people were very patient with me in listening to my story.
We need to be patient with new Christians when they exhibit enthusiasm, excitement, etc. We certainly don’t want to dampen their spirit or enthusiasm.
ILL.- Preacher Carl Ketcherside once told of a church that he worked with. A prostitute was converted to Christ and she was so excited about it that she began to tell everybody AND bring her former friends to church!
The elders had a meeting and said, "We appreciate the apparent conversion of this woman but we need to be careful that her enthusiasm doesn’t get out of control." Carl was irritated with them and said, "Don’t worry, if she’s around you guys long enough she’ll lose it."
Preacher Dwight L. Moody said, "I’d rather try to restrain a fanatic than resurrect a corpse any day." We must exhibit patience toward new Christians.
IV. THEY NEED INSTRUCTION
Acts 9:20-22 "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ."
Paul began immediately to preach Jesus as the Son of God. That what was the right thing to do. If you’re sold on something you should sell it to others. However, Paul probably needed some instruction about the Christian life and how to go about witnessing, etc.
ILL.- When James Garfield, later to become President of the United States, was principal of Hiram College in Ohio, one father asked him if the course of his studies could not be shortened so that his son might be able to complete his studies in less time.
“Certainly,” Garfield replied. “But it all depends on what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak, he takes one hundred years. When he wants to make a squash, he requires only two months.”It takes time to educate or instruct people in the Word of God and Christian living.
Be honest: you know as well as I do that you know far more now than when you first became a Christian! You may not have the same enthusiasm but you certainly know more.
ILL.- The first sermon I preached was at a small church near Joplin, MO. I had never even taught a Sunday School class before and here I volunteered to preach a sermon. I think it last about 10 minutes and consistently mainly of scripture reading.
I think (I hope) I do a bit better now after about 40 years.
Brothers and sisters, we must instruct new people in the Word of God and the Christian life. We must encourage them as best we can to get involved in Bible study groups like Sunday School where they can ask questions.
Most babies don’t have to be coaxed to nurse and most new converts don’t have to be coaxed to study the Word of God. It’s new. It’s exciting. It’s enlightening. It’s powerful. It’s blessing.
II Tim. 3:14-17 "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
ILL.- Whenever one man would take his youngest son to go eat at a restaurant he would always order a hamburger, french fries, and a coke. On his son’s 12th birthday he took him to a nice restaurant and he said, "Son, just this one time let me order for you. If you don’t like what it then you can order a hamburger."
The father ordered his son a filet mignon. When the steak came and his son took his first bite, he said, "Dad, why didn’t somebody tell me about this a long time ago?"
The father said later he wished he hadn’t ordered that filet mignon because he couldn’t get his son to go back to hamburger.
Brothers and sisters, when you get the best, it’s hard to go back! And the Word of God is the best filet mignon you’ll find anywhere! Let’s do our best to instruct one another in the meat of God’s Word!
CONCLUSION--------------------
ILL.- John Bisagno former Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church tells the story of going there to interview for the position of pastor many years ago. He said that as he entered the auditorium it was dimly lit, with just a few people huddled together. They were singing some old funeral type song that was depressing.
Later that day he took a walk in downtown Houston and came to a jewelry store. It was a grand opening and there were bright lights and a greeter at the door to welcome people with a smile. Inside there was a celebration going on. There were refreshments and people having a good time talking and laughing with each other. They welcomed him and offered him some punch.
And John Bisagno said that after attending both the church and the jewelry store, if the jewelry store had offered an invitation, he would have joined the jewelry store!
Surely this ought to tell us something about growing a church!
