New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 30
FIRST STEPS
page A32
• Conversion stories don’t have to be dramatic see 1 Samuel 2:26, page 256
• Christ is our Mediator see Job 9:33, page 476
• We are saved through faith and live by faith see Habakkuk 2:4, page 865
• We can come to faith in different ways see John 1:40-46, page 997
• We must be born again see John 3:3, page 998
• Keep yourself safe in God’s love see John 17:9-12, page 1022
• We have been made right in God’s sight see Romans 5:1, page 1068
• The Holy Spirit affirms that we are God’s children see Romans 8:16, page 1077
• God has adopted us into his family see Galatians 4:6, page 1126
• Keep growing in faith see Hebrews 3:12-14, page 1180
Give to God
Money is such an important topic in the Bible that it is the main subject of nearly
half the parables Jesus told. In addition, one out of every seven verses in the New
Testament deals with the topic. To give you an idea of how this compares with
other topics, Scripture offers about five hundred verses on prayer and fewer than
five hundred on faith, while there are more than two thousand verses on money!
You may be wondering what money has to do with your faith. Now that
Jesus Christ has come into your life, he wants to be Lord (to be in command)
of every aspect of it. That includes your finances. Martin Luther astutely
observed, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart,
the mind, and the purse [or the wallet].” When we experience this “conversion
of the purse” and give freely of our finances to the Lord’s work (to our church,
a missionary, or a ministry), we will make the best investment possible—an
investment with eternal dividends. With that in mind, here are five questions
to consider about wealth and giving.
• Do you love money? see Proverbs 10:22, page 587
• Why should you give to God? see Malachi 3:8-11, page 887
• How should you view material wealth? see Matthew 6:19-34, page 902
• How much should you give? see Mark 12:41-44, page 948
• How generous do you need to be? see 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, page 1117
• What are the benefits of giving? see 2 Corinthians 9:6-14, page 1118
• Can you enjoy wealth? see 1 Timothy 6:6-19, page 1164
Have Courage in Trials
Many Christians have the mistaken idea that once they make a commitment to
Jesus Christ, life will be smooth sailing from that day forward. This is certainly
