You’ve just made the most important commitment a person can make in life. If you have placed your faith in Jesus, and decided to follow him, you have experienced what the Bible calls a “new birth.” And just like you have a physical birthday, you have a spiritual birthday - the day you became a Christian and began your walk with God. One of your questions may be, “What do I do now?”
Here’s some information to help jump start your journey. Now that you are a Christian, your life is different. You may not feel like a Christian every day, but following Jesus is not based on feelings. It’s based on the fact that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that you have a relationship with him.
• 1 John 5:11-13 says that God wants you to be sure of your salvation. Take a moment to look up that verse in your Bible and think about what it means.
• Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” God always keeps His promises and He never goes back on his word.
• A promise is only as good as the person who makes it, and you can trust God. I Corinthians 1:9 says, “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” God will do what He said He will do. He’s reliable and trustworthy. He will not change his mind and kick you out of the family.
• When you became a Christian, God sent His Spirit to live in your heart. Ephesians 1:13-14 says that the Spirit is like a contractual seal. In Bible days, an official seal was placed on a contract between people to guarantee that it was legitimate. God puts the seal of His Spirit on your life as proof that He will Honor his part of the deal.
Once you truly become a Christian, you cannot lose your salvation, and God will not take it back. You are part of His family, and He will never disown you. Once saved... always saved. You might still sin, because you are not perfect. You may have questions, doubts and concerns, but rest assured that if you have truly committed your life to God, then you are a Christian.
Tell Someone
People love to tell good news. If you get a new job, have a new baby, or get married, that’s probably news that you want to share. People don’t keep good news to themselves.
In that same way, becoming a Christian is exciting news, and you should be excited to tell others right away. Your life has been changed by God. Think about how important that is, and think about how many people need to hear about it. God wants to use you to help others know about Him. In John 1:40-42, a man named Andrew met Jesus. His first reaction was to run and tell his brother. He didn’t know a lot about Jesus…he didn’t have all the facts or all of the answers, he just told others that his life had been changed.
Right now, you can tell others about Jesus. You don’t have to be a pastor or a missionary. In fact, God wants all Christians to be active in sharing their faith. This is called evangelism or witnessing. A witness just tells the judge and jury what he heard or saw. A Christian is called to tell others what God has done in their life. You can do this by sharing your testimony. Your testimony is your unique story of how you became a Christian. The apostle Paul shared his testimony with others – you can read about that in Acts 22:3-21.
A testimony has three basic parts:
• Your life before becoming a Christian
• How you became a Christian
• What God has done or is doing in your life now
Take a moment and think through those three areas. You may even want to take out a sheet of paper or open up a blank document on the computer and write out your story.
Find a Local Church
Just like a football player needs a team, a Christian needs a church. In Matthew 16:17, Jesus said that he would build the church. The church was important to Jesus. The church was important to the first Christians who risked everything to meet together. Right now, in some places in the world, it is against the law to attend church…so Christians meet secretly, with the threat of punishment or death hanging over their heads. The church is important. You need to connect yourself to the body of Christ (a Biblical term for the church). The church is like the human body and each person serves an important part.
Everyone needs to be involved for the church to function properly. The church is not made up of perfect people, or good people, or religious people…it’s made up of people who have decided to follow Jesus – people like you. So, why be involved with church? Athletes need practice and coaching, and so do Christians. God has placed spiritual leaders in the church who will help you grow closer to God. You’ll hear God’s Word explained, and you’ll have a chance to worship God alongside other Christians. You’ll be part of that team, all working together. The church will provide you opportunities to learn more about Jesus and you’ll grow in your faith.
Read The Bible
As a new Christian, probably one of the most important things you can do is to read and study the Bible. The Bible is the inspired, 100% accurate and true Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is living and active. It’s more than a collection of stories or words on a page…it is the very Word of God for our lives today. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living.”
• When you read the Bible, God will show you things about Himself.
• When you read the Bible, God will show you things in your life that need to change.
• When you read the Bible, God will teach you what it means to be a Christ follower.
• When you read the Bible you’ll get a better understanding of your purpose in life.
I want to encourage you to spend time each day reading God’s Word during some quiet time.
Don’t get confused by all the different covers and translations out there – find a Bible that you can read and understand. At Journey Church International we use The New Living Translation (NLT) and The New International Version (NIV) quite a bit. You can find both of these at a bookstore or on the Internet. Biblegateway.com and eBible.com are two great sites where you can search and read God’s Word. But remember, the Bible cannot help you if it sits on a table or in the back seat of a car.
If you’ve never read the Bible before, start reading in the book of John. It’s in the New Testament, and is the story of the life of Jesus. Another option is the 30-day reading plan that we’ve included at the end of this handout.
Psalm 1:1 encourages us to meditate on the Bible. In fact, that verse teaches that your life will be blessed if you meditate on God’s Word. Don’t let that word meditate confuse you. David Nasser says that meditating on the Bible is like marinating. Just like we let a steak or a chicken breast soak in a great marinade, we think on God’s Word and let it soak into our lives. As you read the Bible, underline words or phrases that stick out. Think about what it really means. Write questions down and seek answers. Memorize key verses, and think about God’s Word as you go throughout the day. Most importantly, start reading. If you’ve got time to read this, you’ve got time to read God’s Word.
Talk to God
If you want to get to know someone, you could read about them. But you might also want to talk to them. God wants to have a relationship with you – one that is real and one that is personal. The Bible is full of invitations for you to talk to God. You don’t have to pick up a phone, or send an e-mail…you can talk to the very creator of the universe right now where you are.
Prayer is simply talking to God. You don’t have to use big words or flowery language. You don’t have to know fancy terms. You can talk to God just like you would talk to any friend. In fact, as a Christian, God is your Father and your Friend!
In Mark 1:35, we read about Jesus himself praying to the Father. Imagine that! If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need to talk to God? So, how do you do it? Prayer is just talking to God. It’s a two way, direct-connect, with no long distance charges. It’s a child talking to a father, and the ultimate phone-a-friend.