When God called you to join His story, He spoke His words to you. His words told you about Jesus Christ, who would save you from sin and death. He gave you hope that would heal your heart from the pain and sorrow of the world. His words put you on a journey to understand good and evil and help you return to heaven. At the end of it all, you will be completely free of sin and death and be with God forever in His kingdom. If you read Romans 10, it reveals that you hear the words of Christ and receive your faith in God by the preaching that He sends. That has proven to be true with all of us. We love the word of God when it is taught to us in truth.
The prophet Isaiah asked—who will believe our report? (Romans 10) A report is a witness, or preaching what you have heard from God. He’s asking who will believe our preaching? The answer is—you will, and you did! The preached word spoke to you and created faith in you, and suddenly a young believer was born in you by faith.
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 We also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Once you believe the words of Jesus Christ, He has something to work with to bring you to perfection. Continue to let Him teach you through the preaching and teaching of the word of God.
Who is the young believer?
He’s the creation of the new man that the word of God created in you when the preacher spoke to you. He is the word of Christ in you that is learning to believe every word of God. Now that you are a believer, you can hear the report of the Lord and rejoice as your young believer grows up in the faith.
When you pay close attention to the verse just mentioned above in 1 Thessalonians 2:13—you see that you received the preached word from God, not men. That’s how believers are created; the words come from God, who is the creator. When you received it, the word started working in you, the believer. Listen closely; the word is still working in you today, and it will not fail. We will continue to work fervently to see the promises of God continue in you, who believe, until it is finished.
John 1:10-14 says that Jesus came to His own, and they did not receive Him, but those who did receive Him and believe on His name, to them He gave power (the right) to become the sons of God. These sons of God are the believers, and they grow up to rule both heaven and earth. Galatians 3:26 says, “In Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God, through faith.” Remember, the preached word created faith in you, and through faith, a son of God, who is a believer, is born. To them who received Him, those who believe in His name become the sons of God. Do not forget this part.
If you are young, you need to grow up. Not everything works out the way you expect them to as a young believer. We use the scriptures and think we can make anything happen because we believe, but that’s not always true. To have the right expectations as a young believer is essential to growing up in the Lord. Just like a seed of faith is sown into the ground and has to grow up into a big tree, you also will start small and grow into a mature believer in the word of God. You begin as children and grow up into an adult. This idea may seem too obvious like it doesn’t need mentioning because it’s so simple. But the overwhelming evidence is that most young believers want to walk higher than their ability allows them. It’s hard to believe in areas you don’t understand. That’s why some things don’t work for you yet. Be patient; you will get there soon enough. Acting hastily at times only brings failure in the end. There is a right way to live for God as a young believer and be in perfect standing with the Lord at all times.
The right way comes by learning to have the right expectation as a believer.
How to grow as a young believer.
Hearing and believing the words and witnesses of God is your best answer for growing up in your faith. As I mentioned above, when you hear the word of God as it is from God and not from men, you will grow in your faith every day. When you believe the preached word, it creates opportunities for you that allow you to experience the Lord in a greater way, however that may come. If you don’t, you create instances where you need to be corrected because of your unbelief. When you constantly need reproof and correction, you delay moving forward in the Spirit.
When the preacher has a witness of Jesus Christ, you must believe His witness. When you do, you will increase your faith and be a partaker with the witnesses who saw the Lord and spoke it to you. Every time you believe, you change your future to a new experience with the Lord. If you don’t, the next experience will be Him reproving you. Don’t expect every experience to be a dream or vision. Keep giving yourself to the preached word and let it increase you every day. If you have a dream or vision, be faithful to that just like you do when hearing the preached word. (The question may arise, what if it’s not a reliable witness that is preaching to me? That question is for another conversation. For this teaching, let’s assume the witness is true.) Believe the witness of God!
Not every believer is the same.
This part is very important to your perception as a young believer. There are different types and diversities of believers in the kingdom and among us. Some believers will have different abilities than others. The deception is that we all have to be the same, but that’s not true. We are the same as believers in the family of God, yes, but all having the same abilities, no. The ability you have as a believer depends on what God gives you. Nothing else matters to a believer but the things that God gives him. You care for them because Jesus gave them to you, and they are yours. It helps if you are excited and proud of what Jesus gives you as an individual believer. That’s what makes you valuable in the kingdom. Your diversity fulfills the needs that present themselves in the churches. You are a reflection of what Jesus has given you. It’s not a lite thing you have in your possession; wear it with the glory that God gives you, even if you think it’s small.
You must be faithful and content with the words He reveals to you. They are what makes you a believer. It’s who you are in Christ. There is no reason to compare yourself with any other person in a negative sense, outside of Jesus, whom you follow and serve. (I did compare myself to my instructors, but that was for growth’s sake so that I could see what the future looked like for a mature believer.) Even in that, you’re letting Jesus in them be your example. It’s important to believe everything Jesus says to you and go forward in the strength of His word. Whatever part you play in the story, make sure it fulfills the talk He gave you. We need you to be that part, or a piece of the puzzle will be missing.
Some believers will work for Jesus, but they may not have attained unto signs and wonders as some would expect a believer to do according to Mark 16. (You can read more on this in the teaching “Those Who Believe in Mark 16:17” in the classroom.) These believers have hope, love God, and are faithful in whatever God tells them, but they’re not out front and may not be seen much. These are young believers, and they may not be laying hands on the sick or raising the dead, but they are believers nonetheless. They may be young in the Lord, but they are in the Lord. You can only perform the works that you have experienced in the word of God for yourself. The rest will come in time as you grow up in your faith.
One believer believes enough to have his blind eyes opened to follow Jesus. Another believer believes enough to open that believer’s eyes so that he can see and follow Jesus. Which one are you? The believer whose opening the eyes of the blind believer or the one having his eyes opened? Both believers are telling a great story, and both are needed to tell it. The answer is you are where you are, you are a believer, and that’s the part you must focus on first. You need to be the one God needs you to be. The works of believing increase in time, but don’t get snared in trying to be something you are not. Excel in what you believe patiently with wisdom and understanding, and you will reach perfection as promised. If you’re the blind believer getting your eyes opened, that means you can see now, imagine what’s next for you.
The church needs every believer to arise and be counted. If you’re not the pastor, support the pastor with your faith in God. As I always say, be careful not to strive for position and power among men, but be counted among the sons of God as the faithful believer who will do everything and anything you are called upon to do. This kind of believer is what the church needs; this is God’s need. Support the church with your giving. Don’t gossip and sow discord. Be thankful, be happy, and be full of the word of God. In Jesus’ name, be a believer and do the works of one who believes.
If you’re a young believer, then get ready because your experiences with God will get really good.
Look for a post on the trials of a believer coming soon. Today, I encourage you to check out the teaching on “Those Who Believe in Mark 16:17” in the Classroom. If you have ever wondered why the signs and wonders that Jesus said would follow the believer haven’t followed you, this teaching will tell you why.