| We
have included a series of studies to be used by New
Christians or for anyone wanting to delve deeper into
the Christian life. Below is a letter of introduction
from the author of the studies, Chuck Miller. |
Hi!
You're a Christian? Then you're a new person--different
from the way you were before you became a new person in
Christ. Hard to believe, isn't it? Oh, I know your body
is still the same shape and your eyes are the same color,
and maybe you have been a Christian for many years- -but,
wait! Something has happened inside you! Paul says you
are a new creation. He told the Christians in Rome that
a change for the better had started in them and was going
to continue.
But frequently people stumble in this new life because they
don't understand the way God changes and builds His people.
In this manual three parts of this process will be emphasized:
1.
The nature of God
2. Your self-image
3. Biblical priorities
In the Scriptures God tells us about Himself. He wants our
confidence to rest on His nature and His capabilities. He
wants us to know and feel that He is bigger than any
situation and that He is constantly with us.
Along
with a biblical view of God, God wants to develop in each
person a carefully but strongly framed self-image. He wants
you to know, for example,
- "YOU
are my creature."
- "YOU
have become my son or daughter."
- "YOU
are a personal representative of my kingdom of light to
the kingdom of darkness."
- "I
think about YOU; I love YOU; YOU are essential to all
that I, a holy God, am doing in the universe."
Because
of who God is and because of who you are as a Christian,
God teaches through the Scriptures that there are certain
priorities for your daily life. What should your schedule
look like? Do you need time with God's people? Should you
really be concerned about the lost and confused world? How
important is the Bible to you--a Christian? These are some
of the questions we'll endeavor to answer in this study.
I pray that God uses these studies in a significant way
in your life. Three ways you can use these studies are:
1.
Study it alone. Do one study each day, or go slower if necessary.
Regardless of your speed in studying, each day try to apply
something specific from the study to your life-something
that relates to your job, friends, family school, etc.
2.
Study with a friend. Give another manual to a person who
has recently met the Savior, or someone interested in studying
with you. Study one or two days together. Then encourage
that other person to study alone and use your time of meeting
together for sharing what God has shown each of you.
3.
Use the manual in a group study. Let each person study the
manual alone, then come together to share. Or, study and
share while you are together. There are different kinds
of groups you can form. These studies have been used with
teenagers, and early morning men's study, and one of the
men used it with his wife and teenagers as a basis for family
study.
There
are many ways these studies can be used. But, however you
use it, remember:
-
write carefully
- review
frequently
- daily
encourage someone else with the help you receive.
God
bless you as together we go on loving and trusting the Savior--
Cheerily in Christ,
Chuck Miller
Plus the prayers of other contributors, including
Barb Diehl
Phyllis Houck
John Bennett
Phil Noordmans
Click
here to begin the study series: Now That I'm a Christian>>
©
2003 PCNP
Introduction