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An easy-to-use framework for helping new believers develop a lifelong habit of engaging with God’s Word.
By Aaron Myers
One of the most important things we can teach a new believer is how to live a life immersed in Scripture and in Christian community. Without these two things, disciples are especially vulnerable to syncretism on one side and spiritual manipulation on the other.
A friend of mine once drew for me a simple diagram to highlight the importance of helping everyone who walks with Jesus develop a clear and consistent pattern of daily immersion in the word of God. He drew three columns and at the bottom of the first he wrote “No Word.” This column represented people who did not actively pursue reading, understanding and applying the word of God in their lives. Under this he wrote “Alone”. When a person says they are a Christian but is essentially alone in their faith and they are not invested in reading and applying the word of God to their lives, the inevitable outcome is a life of syncretism, the blending of different religious beliefs, cultures, or ideas to form a new, mixed system of faith. We often think of syncretism as something that happens "over there"—in places where animistic beliefs, ancestor worship, or traditional religions get mixed with Christianity. But syncretism is not a problem unique to other cultures. It is a temptation for every Christian in every culture.
The American Christian may blend allegiance to a political party, the American Dream, consumerism, individualism, or the values of popular culture with their faith. They genuinely believe in Christ, but their understanding of what it means to follow Christ has been subtly reshaped by other authorities.
That is syncretism too.
When a person does not have a strong handle on God’s word and is without the guidance of solid biblical teaching, they inevitably begin to form their own system of belief based on pop culture and gut feeling.
Skipping over to the third column, my friend again wrote “No Word” but under this he wrote “Dynamic Personality” with an arrow pointing toward the word at the top of the column, “Cults”. When a dynamic personality gains influence over people who have little grounding in Scripture and little Christian community to help them test what they are hearing, those people become especially vulnerable to spiritual manipulation. The issue isn't simply that they don't know enough Bible verses. They have not learned to recognize Scripture as their authority or to test teaching in community.
My friend then shifted to the middle column and wrote “Immersed in the Word” under which he wrote, “In Community.” The arrow this time pointed toward the phrase “Healthy, Maturing, Faith”. Notice that the answer isn't simply "read your Bible."
The middle column contains two things: the Word and community.
Christianity was never intended to be a solitary exercise in private Bible interpretation. We need Scripture, but we also need brothers and sisters who help us understand it, obey it, question our assumptions, encourage us when we fail, and point us back to Jesus when we wander.
This is why the question, "Where do you see that in Scripture?" can be such a powerful discipleship question. It isn't a weapon for winning theological arguments. In a healthy community, it is an invitation to let Scripture speak.
Through Scripture and Christian community, the Holy Spirit continually exposes, corrects, encourages, and forms us into the likeness of Christ. In this way, we, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 can examine the Scriptures every day to see if what is said is true.
As disciple makers, one of the first and most important things we can do with new believers is help them develop a lifelong pattern of listening to God through Scripture, responding in obedience, and processing what they are learning within Christian community. We cannot simply assume that a new believer will know how to do this. Intentional modeling and instruction are necessary. Intentional modeling and instruction are necessary. We must equip them to get started and then encourage them to keep at it long enough for it to become a much loved and longed for habit.
A friend of mine once drew for me a simple diagram to highlight the importance of helping everyone who walks with Jesus develop a clear and consistent pattern of daily immersion in the word of God. He drew three columns and at the bottom of the first he wrote “No Word.” This column represented people who did not actively pursue reading, understanding and applying the word of God in their lives. Under this he wrote “Alone”. When a person says they are a Christian but is essentially alone in their faith and they are not invested in reading and applying the word of God to their lives, the inevitable outcome is a life of syncretism, the blending of different religious beliefs, cultures, or ideas to form a new, mixed system of faith. We often think of syncretism as something that happens "over there"—in places where animistic beliefs, ancestor worship, or traditional religions get mixed with Christianity. But syncretism is not a problem unique to other cultures. It is a temptation for every Christian in every culture.
The American Christian may blend allegiance to a political party, the American Dream, consumerism, individualism, or the values of popular culture with their faith. They genuinely believe in Christ, but their understanding of what it means to follow Christ has been subtly reshaped by other authorities.
That is syncretism too.
When a person does not have a strong handle on God’s word and is without the guidance of solid biblical teaching, they inevitably begin to form their own system of belief based on pop culture and gut feeling.
Skipping over to the third column, my friend again wrote “No Word” but under this he wrote “Dynamic Personality” with an arrow pointing toward the word at the top of the column, “Cults”. When a dynamic personality gains influence over people who have little grounding in Scripture and little Christian community to help them test what they are hearing, those people become especially vulnerable to spiritual manipulation. The issue isn't simply that they don't know enough Bible verses. They have not learned to recognize Scripture as their authority or to test teaching in community.
My friend then shifted to the middle column and wrote “Immersed in the Word” under which he wrote, “In Community.” The arrow this time pointed toward the phrase “Healthy, Maturing, Faith”. Notice that the answer isn't simply "read your Bible."
The middle column contains two things: the Word and community.
Christianity was never intended to be a solitary exercise in private Bible interpretation. We need Scripture, but we also need brothers and sisters who help us understand it, obey it, question our assumptions, encourage us when we fail, and point us back to Jesus when we wander.
This is why the question, "Where do you see that in Scripture?" can be such a powerful discipleship question. It isn't a weapon for winning theological arguments. In a healthy community, it is an invitation to let Scripture speak.
Through Scripture and Christian community, the Holy Spirit continually exposes, corrects, encourages, and forms us into the likeness of Christ. In this way, we, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 can examine the Scriptures every day to see if what is said is true.
As disciple makers, one of the first and most important things we can do with new believers is help them develop a lifelong pattern of listening to God through Scripture, responding in obedience, and processing what they are learning within Christian community. We cannot simply assume that a new believer will know how to do this. Intentional modeling and instruction are necessary. Intentional modeling and instruction are necessary. We must equip them to get started and then encourage them to keep at it long enough for it to become a much loved and longed for habit.
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As a disciple maker it is important to invite your disciple to build this habit into their life and modeling this is the best way to help them get started. I’ve found that it is also helpful to start with a manageable goal. To expect anyone to jump straight into reading large portions of scripture every day is unreasonable. Some will but most will need more modest beginnings, lots of encouragement and simple tools to get started.
Here are a few resources that may be helpful.
New Testament in One Year Reading Plan: This is a simple starting point for someone who is new to consistent Bible reading. It covers the entire New Testament with five chapters per week, leaving two days for catching up. The plan begins with Luke and Acts before moving through the remainder of the New Testament in roughly chronological order. It gives a new believer a manageable goal rather than expecting them to immediately adopt an intensive reading schedule.
VOPS Bible Journaling: The goal isn't simply to get a new believer to read the Bible. We want to help them learn how to hear from Scripture, respond to what God is showing them, obey what they are learning, and share what God is teaching them with others. That's why I developed the VOPS framework. It stands for:
The goal of VOPS is not simply to help new disciples develop a habit of reading the Bible. It is to help them develop a life of listening to God through Scripture, responding in obedience, and sharing what they are learning with others. When Scripture becomes a regular part of our lives and we learn to engage it within the community of believers, we create space for the Holy Spirit to shape us more deeply into the likeness of Christ. The goal isn't simply Bible readers—it is disciples who are increasingly rooted in the Word, formed in community, and equipped to help others follow Jesus.
Here are a few resources that may be helpful.
New Testament in One Year Reading Plan: This is a simple starting point for someone who is new to consistent Bible reading. It covers the entire New Testament with five chapters per week, leaving two days for catching up. The plan begins with Luke and Acts before moving through the remainder of the New Testament in roughly chronological order. It gives a new believer a manageable goal rather than expecting them to immediately adopt an intensive reading schedule.
VOPS Bible Journaling: The goal isn't simply to get a new believer to read the Bible. We want to help them learn how to hear from Scripture, respond to what God is showing them, obey what they are learning, and share what God is teaching them with others. That's why I developed the VOPS framework. It stands for:
- VERSE - What verse is God drawing my attention to?
- OBSERVATION - What is God saying?
- PRACTICE - What is God calling me to do?
- SHARE - Who is God wanting me to encourage?
The goal of VOPS is not simply to help new disciples develop a habit of reading the Bible. It is to help them develop a life of listening to God through Scripture, responding in obedience, and sharing what they are learning with others. When Scripture becomes a regular part of our lives and we learn to engage it within the community of believers, we create space for the Holy Spirit to shape us more deeply into the likeness of Christ. The goal isn't simply Bible readers—it is disciples who are increasingly rooted in the Word, formed in community, and equipped to help others follow Jesus.
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