Bridging the Gap Presents…
Resources for New Believers

What Now?

A Primer for New Believers

Not long ago you made a decision that will revolutionize your life.  You accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  What exactly does this mean and what can you expect now?

When you decided to ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life, the first thing you did was to repent for all the sins you committed. God’s Holy Spirit convicted you of this, brought you Godly sorrow, and led you to the truth that Jesus died on the Cross for you.  He took the punishment for all your sins upon himself.  He died so you could live!  Romans 6:23 (NIV) states: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Isn’t that amazing? 

What does repent mean?  It means to come to the realization that you did not just make bad choices, but that you sinned against the God who created you and it was time to ‘fess up’.  Romans 3:23 (NIV): “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  In repentance, you decided to take a 180-degree turn from your old lifestyle to a new lifestyle.  At the moment of salvation, you chose to live by a new set of rules - God’s rules.  You have become obedient to His ways.  Ephesians 5:8 (NIV) “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”

Now you are born again which means you are a new creation; just like a newborn baby. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” As you begin this exciting new journey, there is much to learn.  Like a newborn baby, your (Christian) life is in the beginning stages.  And, just as a new baby grows from infancy to childhood to adulthood, you will grow in faith.  God doesn’t expect you to grow up overnight.  You need to learn how to crawl before you can walk.  1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Being equipped with the proper tools for growth will teach you to walk in this new life as a healthy, mature, victorious Christian. These tools are:

1. God’s Word - The Holy Bible
2. Prayer
3. Christian Fellowship
4. Witnessing
5. Christian Service

Celebrate your new life in Christ.  Not just during the Christmas season but throughout the year because it is truly a New Life.

by Karen Geisen

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