Resources for New Christians

Church – As a new Christian, the first place to begin, after ensuring you understand the gospel, is by finding a local church to get connected with.  The book The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church outlines what you should consider as you visit different places.  Pastors who have a degree from Trinity, Westminster, Moody, Gordon-Conwell, Biola, Reformed, Dallas, Southern, Covenant Seminaries or Regent College are a good indicator that the church is grounded in Scripture.  You can start your search here:

• 9Marks Church List: Churches promising to adhere to the nine marks of a healthy church (book by Mark Dever)
• Gospel Coalition Church Directory: Churches across many denominations who are part of the Gospel Coalition group
• Evangelical Free Church Directory: Semi-independent denomination generally found in the mid-west.  Search site can be accessed from their home page
• Presbyterian Church in America Directory (PCA): Small, traditional denomination well grounded in the Bible

Bibles – Start with Luke, Acts and John then read 1 Corinthians through Colossians followed by Genesis, Exodus and Proverbs and circle back to Matthew and Mark.  Keep in mind that neither the New Testament books nor the flow of the stories in the Gospels are chronological.  Suggested translations are:

• English Standard Version (ESV): The newest version that balances translation challenges
• New American Standard Bible (NASB): The most literal translation that’s sometimes difficult to read, but great for Bible study
• New International Version (NIV): Readable and accurate, but seems to be replaced by the ESV over the past 5 years
• New Living Translation (NLT): The most readable because it smooths over the text and makes some assumptions about meaning.  Not the best for Bible study

Recommended books:

• Right with God by John Blanchard
• A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent
• Basic Christianity by John Stott: Good overview of the faith
• The Holiness of God by RC Sproul: Overview of the nature of God.  A classic because it’s highly readable
• Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by RC Sproul: Provides an overview of key beliefs about God and His plan
• Advice for Seekers by Charles Spurgeon
• Faith Alone by RC Sproul
• The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges: Learn to live for God
• Holiness by JC Ryle: A classic book about the importance of obeying God
• Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks: Introduction to how to study the Bible
• Knowing Scripture by RC Sproul: Bible overview
• The God Who Is There by DA Carson
• The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by FF Bruce: If you have questions about the reliability of the Bible, this is a good place to start.  Short and to the point
• Humility by CJ Mahaney: In many ways, pride is the most signficant sin.  Learn to stand before God humbly
• Lifeviews by RC Sproul

Magazines:

• Table Talk: Monthly devotional with topical articles from leading pastors
• World Magazine: Weekly periodical similar to Newsweek, but from a Christian worldview

Online resources:

• Two Ways to Live: Make your choice
• The Gospel: John MacArthur explains the Gospel
• Salvation: John Piper’s short answer to the question, “What do we need to believe to be saved?”
• Questions to consider as a new Christian: Review this list to help you think through key areas of your new faith
• The God Who is There series: Multi-part, highly rated video series
• What is the Gospel?: A discussion of this question by the author of the book by the same name
• First Steps with God: 12 part, free curriculum for new Christians
• Top 10 RC Sproul messages: Most popular sermons and lectures by a leading pastor/professor
• Christian Biographies: Messages from John Piper on the lives of important Christian.  Listening to these can help you understand how others have lived out their faith
• John MacArthur’s sermons: Full catalog of verse by verse messages
• One Minute Apologist: Short videos answering your Bible questions
• The Story of Jesus: Walks you through the life of Jesus via downloadable audio
• OT overview: Book by book sermon overview of the Old Testament
• Thoughts about Oprah here and here: What you need to know about Oprah’s spirituality
• Religious tolerance: CARM explains why there can only be one truth
• Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven: John MacArthur explains the Biblical view
• Why I Believe in God: Short, deep article about why believing in God is rational
• The Shack review: If you like the book, you should read this review to better understand the background and issues with it
• Love Wins review: Detailed explanation of the issues with Rob Bells’s view of God, hell and salvation
• Bible Memory app: Free iPhone/iPad app preloaded with popular verses for memory practice
• Glo Bible: Freemium app with very cool maps, charts, diagrams
• God at Work: Watch these videos to see how people’s lives can be changed (one, two, three, four, five and six)

Fun stuff:

• Lite Brite video: David Crowder does some amazing work with light
• Veggies in Japanese: Where is my hair brush
• Lord of the Rings chart: Pictorial depiction of the storyline
• Wordle: Paste the text from your favorite chapter of Scripture to see key themes
• Number your days: We’re told to number our days, so see how many you have left (on average)
• Documentary films: Variety of free streaming movies