I just became a Christian, now what?
Your decision is going to open up doors for you that you may never have imagined possible before. You are going to experience life in new ways, and see the power of God at work in your life in a very real and tangible way!
We know that God has a plan for our life. Unfortunately this means that you also have a new enemy. The devil, who has not had to work very hard on you before, will now be working double time to distract you from going any deeper in your relationship with your new Lord.
If we are ever going to make it out of this life alive, we will need to work together as a team! We recommend these next steps for you because these will ensure you succeed in growing into a mature Christian disciple.
Church is not an organization. Church is a community of spiritual family members, and church is a crucial part of Gods plan for us. We understand if you may be apprehensive at first, because some churches have earned the church a poor reputation. Yet, there is no way for us to survive this life without help from each other. Your relationship with God means you BELONG to His spiritual family now.
How we spend our time matters
Christianity is not a system of rules and rituals. It’s a relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ, and that relationship is built up or broken down based on how we spend our time. If we invest our time in the things God warns us against, we break down our relationship with Him. If we want to invest our time building up our relationship with Him, we can practice “THE FOUR G’S“.
The absolute most important thing you can do above all others is to spend time alone with God daily. That will include prayer, reading the Bible, and maybe using other tools each day as you seek to know Him better. You may include music, devotionals, books, videos, a quiet room, a walk in the park, or whatever else helps you to focus on Him in a meaningful way. This will become the sweetest time of your life and you will grow here more than anywhere else.
We gather together because God is worthy! We gather because we crave the fellowship and the atmosphere of worship. And we gather because God knows that there are things He can only do for us in these settings. We do not need reminded of the commands in scripture to gather because we desire the gathering enough that we would not trade it for anything!
Spending time with other Christians is a big part of how we will grow. There are things that God can only do for us through these personal relationships, and this is where we will get the care that God desires for us. Spending time together outside of the Gathering is very important for our growth. Meals, social events, helping each other, spending time together, or joining a small group are all ways to get your Group Time. Check your Gathering bulletin for a list of our current Grace Groups.
There is no better way to get a front row seat to seeing God work in powerful ways than by letting God use us for His purposes. Serving our church family or the folks in the community around us who do not know Jesus gives us a chance to be God’s instrument of care, and therefore experience His power at work in ways that most people only read about! See your church bulletin for a list of our outreach events and church family service opportunities to see how God might want to use you.
Where to start?
- Grab a free Bible if you don’t have one already and grab any of the other free ministry materials from our table. Use these to empower your God Time, and start having God Time right away.
- Fill out and turn in a Connection Card at this link. There is also one in every Gathering bulletin and some sitting on the ministry materials table. This will ensure that somebody reaches out to you to offer our help and care.
- Join a Grace Group. A list of our groups can be found at this link and in your Gathering bulletin. These are an important step in connecting to the community of believers you will need to grow.
- Pray about baptism. You can learn more by asking your new church family, or at Graceofthelord.church/baptism
Stay focused. Now that you have made the most important decision in your life, the enemy is going to do everything he can to distract you. When it is hard to come to church next Sunday, when you struggle to make it to the Grace Group you choose, and when you feel too busy to have God Time, remember this warning, because that will all be evidence that the enemy is trying to keep you from what you need to be doing.
Welcome to the family!