FIRST STEPS FOR NEW BELIEVERS

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have just made the most important decision and commitment a person can make in life. Because of receiving the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you have experienced what the Bible calls being “born again,” which is a new birth. You are now part of God’s family. Your Father is God, and you have the gift of salvation and everlasting life.

In your physical life, you entered the world as a baby and then grew to maturity. The same is true in your spiritual experience. Now that you have experienced a spiritual birth, you need to grow into a mature follower of Jesus. Just as an infant needs help to grow physically, a new believer needs help to grow spiritually. Below are six things that we encourage you to do so you can begin growing in the Lord:

1. Love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself. These are God’s two greatest commandments. Luke 10:27
2. Study the Bible. The Bible is a compilation of 66 divinely inspired books and letters divided into 2 main sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Bible, God reveals himself to us. We discover His nature and character, His love, His justice, His forgiveness, and His truth. Also, the Bible is what we use as a guidebook for living out the Christian faith. As a starting point, we encourage you to begin in the New Testament in the book/gospel of “John.” Start your daily reading by reading at least one chapter from “John” at a sitting.
3. Pray often. Prayer is how we communicate with God. You can pray from the heart, freely, spontaneously, and in your own words. You can pray alone or with other Christians. You can talk with God (aloud or silently) throughout the day. Take all your problems to Him. He is interested in you and everything that pertains to you. Close your prayer with “In the name of Jesus, Amen,” you are sealing the prayer and recognizing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, advocate, and mediator between you and God, the Father.
4. Gather with other Christians. As a member of God’s family, fellowship is essential for your spiritual growth. Ask God to guide you to where He wants you to be. Let God lead you to others who believe, teach, and practice the true teachings of the Bible, and will provide further instructions on Christian living such as baptism, being filled with the Holy Spirit, serving and how you can support the group.

5. Share your faith. Tell those around you how you received the Lord Jesus Christ and how they, too, can find God’s forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Him. Perhaps they, too, are ready to accept the Lord like you did.
6. Turn from sin. Sin no longer has power over you! It may tempt you to sin, but now you can resist it. As you walk in faith and obedience to the Lord, you’ll notice that the things you used to do, like or think that were contrary to God’s plan for your life, you will not want to do those things anymore. But, we all make mistakes in our walk so if you sin, be quick to confess your sins unto God and He will cleanse you from your sin and help you overcome any sin that you may still struggle with.

Again, congratulations and welcome to the family! I rejoice with you and pray that you will develop a deep relationship with God and He will use you mightily by to affect the lives of everyone you encounter!