What has just happened?
If you have repented of your sins, asking God for forgiveness, because you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and God raised Him back to life. You are forgiven. God in his wonderful grace and mercy has saved you and granted you salvation, enabling you to receive His Son Jesus Christ. There is nothing you can do to add to this truth. Perhaps in your experience of salvation, you now feel a sense of peace. Or maybe you felt like you were carrying some weight and it has been lifted off. Or perhaps you just have a conviction in your heart and a sense of joy. Either way you are now saved and a born again Christian. Now, everyday begin to put your trust in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ you will grow in your experience and relationship with God. So what are the practical steps for growth?
Tell somebody that knows you what has happened today and that you are now a Christian.
Now that you have come to faith and have put your trust in Jesus Christ. There are a few things you need to know to begin to grow as a child of God on your journey of faith and relationship with God.
Becoming a Christian is the start of a new life with Jesus. This does not mean that all the problems in your life will disappear overnight. But rather now that you are a child of God, you have Jesus by your side as you deal with each challenge life throws at you. By repenting of your sins and confessing Jesus to be your Lord and saviour, God has forgiven you for every sin you have ever committed against Him.
Do you believe this?
Yes believe it because it's true. You probably feel like a weight has been lifted off you and now have a sense of peace and joy in your heart. This is because God has forgiven you and now you can begin to really know and experience God without any barriers when you pray to Him.
Remember It’s all about relationship
God wants you to have a relationship with Him. This is an essential part of you been a human being. Just like you have other relationships in your life that may bring fulfilment of some kind, relationship with God is what will make you complete as a person, bringing purpose and meaning to your life and all your other relationships.
How does it happen?
Any person you call a friend is usually because you have invested time in getting to know them in some capacity. Whether it’s chatting over coffee or tea breaks at work or hanging out together in the school playground. You have spent what I call intentional time with them. God is no different.
God already knows you!
God already knows you because He created you. But for you to begin to know God and for your relationship with Him to grow, you need to intentionally spend time with Him.
How do I do this?
Read the bible
(Start with the bible.) The bible is made up of 66 books that form two books called the Old and New Testament. The best place to begin to read the bible as a new Christian is the New Testament. As you begin to read any of the Gospels about Jesus which are; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you will get to know the person of Jesus. God will also speak to you directly through the words you read and you will be able to understand that it is God speaking to you because, He has given you His Holy Spirit.
Pray to Jesus
Just like spending time with your friends or anyone close to you, you spend time with God by praying to Him. Praying to God is not only about telling God what you need but is also a time to listen to what God has to say to you. Set time aside regularly to pray, speak and listen to God.
Find a church
The best relationships are made in community and humans are designed by nature to flourish in community. Jesus wants you to be with a community of Christians, so that you can flourish and grow in your faith. One example I’ve been given of this in the past, is that if you were to take out a burning coal from a fire of coals and lay it by itself, after some time it will cool down and go cold. But if you pick it up a put it back in the fire among other coals it will get hot again in no time. This is a metaphor of how we are as Christians. If we are not in a community with other believers, we can lose sight of our faith and grow cold. But when we are among other believers, we encourage and build each other up in our faith keeping our faith alive. So find a church community to join and before you do that, pray to God and ask Him to help you find the right community for you to be in.
These are the essential next steps after professing faith in Jesus Christ. If you have any questions or require more information use the contact form to send us a message.
