Welcome to the family!

Here are some next steps if you just accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” (Ephesians 2:19 NLT).

Here are some next steps:

1. Cultivate your relationship with Jesus.

Get to know Jesus more personally by learning more about him. The Bible is the infallible word of God. “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

I suggest beginning with one of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. These books of the bible provide an account of Jesus and his ministry while on earth, through the lens of the author of the book.

2. Pray.

This is the way you can communicate with God. Jesus gave instructions on how to pray in Matthew 6:

When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:” (Matthew 6:5–9a NLT)

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen”. (Matthew 6:9–13 KJV)

3. Lean on the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the gift that Jesus left for us when he returned to Heaven.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26 ESV)

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:…When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.: (John 16:7–8; 13–15)

4. Find a bible-based church in word and deed.

It is important to have fellowship with other believers and to get under a pastor who can help guide you. Please pray to God to show you where you should go. He will tell you the church that is right for you. During your prayer time, ask Go to lead you to the church he would like to plant you.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.”(Acts 2:42–44 ESV. Read more: Acts 2:42–47).

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV).

Satan will also try to discourage you, so this may be a time where you find yourself at a church that mimics Christ but is far from it.

“And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” (2 Cor. 11:14 ESV).

“…so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Cor. 2:11 ESV).

That’s why prayer and reading scripture are important. Use the scriptures themselves to discern whether a church is bible-based.

Here are a few things you can watch out for when visiting a church:

It’s important that you find a Bible-based church that preaches and lives the word of God. Please pray that the Holy Spirit guides you to the church he wants to plant you in.

The enemy will also try to sabotage your spiritual journey, and will try to lead you to counterfeits. Here’s a checklist of some things you can look out for in a false church: doctrine, pastor, prophet, teacher. As always, use the bible to check with what the pastor/teacher/prophet tells you:

• Does the pastor read from the bible when preaching, or does he gloss over a few scriptures in his sermon, usually infused with a bunch of personal stories (Clue: There’s a lot of “I” sentences in the sermon)? (2 Pet. 2:18; Heb. 4:12)
• Does the church preach on repentance, or does the church focus on positivity, doing the right thing, and living a good life, sounding more like a motivational speech? (Eph 2:8–9; Jas 2:26)
• Does the pastor deny that Jesus is God in the flesh? (1 John 4:1–7; 1 John 2:22–23).
• Does the church focus on eternal life, or does the church focus on wealth and status, often name-dropping who they know? (2 Pet. 2:14; Jude 1:16)
• Does going to church seem like you’re going to Happy Hour at the local club rather than to learn and worship God? (Matt 7:15–20; Rom 12:2; Titus 1:15–16)
• Does the pastor tell you that you have to pay to pray (You must give a first fruit, tithe, or some other trendy offering before God can bless you)? (2 Pet. 2:3; Eph 5:5–7; Matt 6:24).
• Does the church focus on signs, wonders, and miracles to entice you to believe the pastor is a man of God (or even that he is Lord and Savior himself)? (Matt 24:23–27; Ezekiel 28:2; Psa 82:6–7)
• Does the church focus on “Speaking words to manifest what you desire” (often with a focus on wealth and other material things, manipulating scripture to say that God promises wealth)? (1 Tim, 6:5, 9–11; Eph, 5:5–7; Jas 4:13–16)
• Does church seem spooky or weird (the focus is often on vibrations, spirits, energy, the law of attraction, the secret, and/or other New Age teachings)? (Luke 12:15; Psa 139:16; Psa 49:12; Ezek. 28:2; Col 2:8; 1 Tim. 4:1; Leviticus 19:31)
• Does the church focus on gloom and doom, end time event prophecies, and nothing about salvation and repentance? (2 Pet. 1:20–21; John 3:18; Rom 6:23; John 5:24; Matt 28:19–20)
• Does the church focus on living in Old Testament Law? (Gal 2:15–3:29 *Gal. 3:13–14)
• Does the church focus on a “New revelation” that they are privvy to? 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1–6; 2 Peter 2:1–22; 2 Cor. 11; Col. 2:20–23; Gal 1:6–9).
• Does the pastor preach godliness, but does not live it himself? (1 John 2:3–4).

These are just a few things to watch for. Please pray. God will show you. I also pray that God gives you wisdom and discernment on what his church is and what is not. And that you run far away from those churches that are not of God.

4. Live A Life of Love

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1–2 NLT)

You can read the rest of Ephesians 4:17 — Ephesians 6:18 for more on how to live a life of love. Jesus also teaches in Matthew Chapters 6–7 about righteous living. 1 Corinthians 13 is teaches about walking in love.

5. Live A Life of Focus

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT).

You can read more about listening to God in Hebrews 12:14–29, and Colossians 3:2–17.

I pray for your growth and understanding as you grow in the Lord. I’m happy you chose Jesus.

You will not be disappointed.

I am a follower of Jesus Christ who is being obedient to Christ to share the gospel with as many people as I can. I encourage you to read the word for yourself and praying for understanding. Developing a schedule of reading the word of God for yourself and cultivating your relationship with Christ is key to growing as a Christian.

References:

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769; King James Bible Online, 2024. www.kingjamesbibleonline.org.