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First of all, welcome and congratulations! You have
made the most important decision of your life, one you will
never regret. Heaven is celebrating!
This section is about spiritual growth and how, by taking
a few next steps, you can grow significantly and facilitate
God's work in your life.
Now don't misunderstand. God could accomplish His work with
or without you. He doesn't need your ability. He wants
your availability. These steps — Connect,
Communicate, Community and Celebrate
— will help make you available to God. Think about it:
The God of the universe wants to do His work through you!
Let's first review what's happened since you received Christ
in your life. From the moment you asked Jesus in to your life,
you began to change. Sometimes imperceptibly, but you are
changing.
•
2Corinthians 5:17
•
John 10:10
•
Colossians 1:27
Gradually your motives, values and perceptions for your life
will be transformed in to something worthwhile. You will begin
to see things from a spiritual angle — at home, in the
workplace, at church, at the mall.
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Living the
Christian Life 
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You'll develop a connection with God. You'll discover enhanced
communication with Him. Increasingly, you'll sense His presence
and a relationship will unfold. God will move in to your life.
Christianity offers true freedom. Freedom to worship
and talk to God directly — one-on-one. Freedom to experience
the exciting life He had planned for you. Best of all, your
sins are forgiven
Collosians 1:14 and
you will spend an eternity in heaven!
1John 5:11-13
Hebrews 13:5
John 5:24 You are now a child of God!
As a new Christian, you must be intentional about growth. You
need to take some essential nourishment steps
Connect....
You need to connect with God by reading his word. If
you don't have a bible, get one. I would recommend a newer translation
like the New
Living Translation (NLT) which might be easier to understand.
The New
Believer's Bible is a great place to start!
Begin reading in the New Testament —the book of John is
a good place to start. There you will read about Jesus' life,
His miracles and a clearer understanding of Christianity.
Saturate yourself in God's word. Don't worry if you don't
understand everything you read, because you won't. Pray and
ask the Holy Spirit to help you clarify and apply what you
are reading. Memorize scripture. Join a bible study group.
Communicate...
You communicate with God through prayer. If you come
from a church background where recited, impersonal prayer was
the norm, this might feel awkward. Jesus, in
Matthew 6:5-13, said to pray quietly and personally
in a private place. He said we shouldn't pray repetitively.
Essentially, prayer is talking to God —It's a one-on-one
personal conversation.
In what has become known as the Lord's Prayer, Jesus provided
a framework for prayer. As a guide, remember these four elements
when you pray: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving
and Supplication [requests]. As a reminder, remember
the acronym ACTS.
A prayer might contain all or a combination of these elements.
For example, you might begin a prayer by telling Him what an
awesome God He is [adoration]. Next, you might bring some sin
issues before Him and ask forgiveness [confession]. Then, you
might thank Him [thanksgiving] for answered prayer or for provisions
He has made in your life. Finally, ask Him for things you need
[requests].
As Christians we have the privilege of addressing God as Father.
In time, you will feel a personal relationship building and
prayer will be easier and more natural. You'll even discover
the best times and places to pray.
You'll find tape series on prayer, complete books and sermons
on prayer and workshops on prayer. Use these resources.
Talk to God. He wants to hear from you. Remember, no prayer
is too small.
Community...
God didn't intend for you to live your Christian life alone.
Look for a Christ-centered, Bible teaching church. Find a church
that will challenge you and give relevance to the Bible and
to your life. A good church will provide corporate worship,
meaningful relationships, accountability, learning and a place
where you can discover your spiritual gifts and participate
in a ministry.Begin your search with a requirements document.
What are your needs? What do you expect from the church? Most
importantly, document the non-negotiables —This list might
pertain to the church's statement of faith. Take a look at our
statement of faith as an
example. If a church does not have such a document or if their
statement of faith conflicts with your belief system, consider
that a red flag and move on.
Is it possible to find such a church? Yes! Be selective. Ask
questions, talk to friends, shop around... and pray about it.
Celebrate...
It is extremely important that you celebrate your your
new life by sharing your decision with someone! This confession
is a sign that you have converted and become a Christ-follower
— a Christian
Matthew 10:32.This gives you strength, confidence
and courage to talk about Jesus.
• Back to
Spiritual Discovery Home
|
 Featuring
notes written by leading evangelist Greg Laurie, the New
Believer's Bible is designed to help new Christians understand
and grow in their newfound faith. |
 Downward
mobility: that means hand-outs, self-sacrifice, cutting
back, putting others first—not exactly laudable behavior
in our upscale, up-and-coming, upwardly mobile society.
|
 You'll
find the answers you seek, and be certain of your faith.
In this revision of the bestseller on Christian apologetics-the
best just got better!
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