I’m a new believer, now what?

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Congratulations on your decision to ask Jesus Christ into your life.

You might be wondering; Now what?

If being a follower of Jesus was simply a religion, you could expect someone to give you all sorts of Rules. Rituals. Requirements. And maybe a lot of stuff to buy!

But when you asked Jesus into your life, you did not join a religion.

Instead, you began a relationship with God. And that’s pretty amazing.

You might be wondering what it will be like, to be in a relationship with God. What to expect? And most importantly, how does a person even begin to get to know God better? And grow as  disciple of Jesus?

We have a series of messages specifically to help you grow in your new relationship with God.

It is called The Spiritual Starter Kit. We want to send it to you. The Spiritual Starter Kit is completely free. It’s a series of short messages that will help you grow as a believer, delivered each week for thirteen weeks by email. Additionally, we have a weekly virtual meeting where someone from our followup team will discuss and teach from the email for that week. 

Interested? Just text the word KIT to 513-463-5252, complete the contact card, and be sure to enter your email address. 

Each message will help you understand something vital about your new relationship with God. 

Thousands of people have found The Spiritual Starter Kit helpful.

“I am very happy to receive the truth and clear explanation for the first time in my life. Thank you for letting me have an opportunity to learn to have a relationship with God.”

George

“Thank you for this… It has been the most enlightening and uplifting thing in my life.”

Elizabeth

“I am new to the faith and find your emails very encouraging and informative, answering many of the questions I have swirling around. It is inspiring. Thank you.”

Nina

Here is what you’ll receive in The Spiritual Starter Kit

  • How to be sure that Jesus Christ entered your life.
  • What God did to draw you to Himself.
  • What’s different about God’s love, and why does that matter.
  • Why your relationship with God is secured by Him, not you.
  • What it means to trust God.
  • What if you sin? Does God still forgive you?
  • How to find a church, other Christians, and a Christian group near you. 
  • Actionable ways to maximize your relationship with Jesus 
  • How to find a way to use your talents and gifts to serve others 
  • Ways to share what you are learning about Jesus with your family and friends 
  • How to be sure Jesus has entered your life
  • The importance of the Holy Spirit 
  • What is so amazing about God’s grace

In the meantime, here are some things you should do immediately to give yourself the best possible chance to grow and flourish. 

1. Find a Friend or Small Group Strong in Their Faith

After becoming a follower of Christ, Paul spent time with one of Jesus’ closest friends, Peter, and Jesus’ brother, James. Paul probably listened intently about their time with Jesus and asked many questions.

Paul knew if he was to understand his new path of faith and influence people for Christ, he had to surround himself with people who knew Jesus and pursued a growing relationship with the Lord.

You may already have some friends to guide you. If so, that is awesome. These friends should be grounded in the Bible. Their words, faith, and actions should reflect their time spent reading God’s Word. 

If you don’t know anyone, pray for God to send someone to walk with you in your faith journey. We are not meant to walk the road of faith alone. Jesus had 12 friends who walked with him for three years. The early churches fellowshipped with one another, encouraging each other as they learned to follow God.

At Inspirational Bible Church we have people eager and willing to support you through friendship, small groups, prayer and study. We are here for you. 

2.  Find a Church Home   

Once Paul found a group of leaders in the faith, he helped them start churches throughout the area while encouraging them in their faith. Even though Paul was a new believer, he often wrote throughout his letters how encouraged he was by the  faith of the churches.

Look around at your community. Is there a church that seems to be committed to teaching the scriptures while serving others and living missionally? Do they embrace believers from all stages of their relationship with the Lord? Do they emphasize discipleship? 

Check out their website and social media pages. Read what they are doing as a church body. The Bible should be their primary source for ministry and teaching. You may even be able to watch some messages from their pastor or church leaders online. All churches are different; what might be a good fit for some isn’t what you may need. It will be good for you to not only participate with them in worship either in person or online. You should also check out their Bible Study or Sunday School and join in on one of their prayer opportunities. The important thing is to start somewhere. The sooner the better. 

Inspirational Bible Church might be the place for you. We invite you to check us out. Our corporate worship, Bible study and prayer times are listed on our website at www.InspirationalBC.org

3. Develop a habit of reading the Bible and praying daily 

In Acts 2:42, the first group of believers “devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” 

The apostles spent three years with Jesus, and they had a relationship with Him that new believers could learn from. This included alot of time in the scriptures. Initially it is not as important that you understand everything you read, over time through teachers, the Holy Spirit and study you will begin to understand more and more. 

However, it is helpful to set aside a few minutes each day to read something from the Bible. I suggest starting with the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). The gospels are the foundation of the New Testament. They reveal the life, power, love and ministry of Jesus Christ. 

You should select a translation of the Bible that uses language and words you can understand and will help you be excited about reading everyday. Keep in mind, the english language is constantly changing and evolving, the language of the Bible does not change. If you decide to use a Bible translation that uses alot of modern words you should balance it out with a translation that uses words closer to the original translation of the scriptures. 

Bible translations generally fall into three categories;

  • Literal/Formal Translations – Attempts to keep the form and meaning of the original language in words, grammar and structure as close as possible to the author’s original intent. Readability and understandability are not the primary focus (examples: KJV and NASB).
  • Readable/Dynamic Translations – Attempts to convey the original meaning and to be readable in contemporary English, using language and idioms that would be understood by modern readers (examples: NIV and NLT). 
  • Paraphrased – A paraphrased version of the Bible focuses more on translating thought-for-thought behind the text instead of word-for-word. This means there is less emphasis on using the actual words of the Hebrew and Greek (example: The Message).

For daily reading and Bible study, we recommend using a Bible translation that emphasizes the importance of being both literal and readable, such as the AMP, or NIV.

AMPLIFIED BIBLE (AMP) 

  • A translation that is a balance between literal and readable.
  • Focused on clarity for today’s English readers.
  • Example of Colossians 2:8 in AMP, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the [a]elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.”

ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV) 

  • Trends more literal in translation.
  • Focused on following the grammar structure of the original language as much as possible.
  • Example of Colossians 2:8 in ESV, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) 

  • When originally published in 1611, was one of the most literal translations available.
  • Focused on formal language and literal translation concepts.
  • Example of Colossians 2:8 in KJV, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

 

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) 

  • Currently one of the most popular English translations of the Bible.
  • Focused on balancing literal translation and readability.
  • Example of Colossians 2:8 in NIV, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT) 

  • One of the easiest Bible translations to read.
  • Focused more on the thought behind the text, rather than the exact words used in the transcripts.
  • Example of Colossians 2:8 in NLT, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (NASB)

  • Often considered the most literal translation in use today.
  • Focused on actual words from the transcripts rather than the thoughts behind them.
  • Example of Colossians 2:8 in NASB, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

We are committed to helping you develop a strong prayer life. Prayer is critical and helpful. Every weekday morning at approx 8AM EST you will receive a #PrayerStarter text. Once you text the word KIT to 513-463-5252 you will automatically be added to the prayer stater list. 

We hope these steps encourage you as a new Christian. Maybe you were saved years ago but have strayed from walking with God. These steps can also get you back on track on your journey.  

Again, be patient with yourself and pray. Don’t feel like you must get it all done perfectly at once. Give yourself time and ask The Holy Spirit to help you along the way. Reach out to those who can encourage you as a new Christian through a church body. We are all on this journey together. Connecting with a church is very important. Although being part of a church doesn’t make you a believer, it does help you grow as a believer. You don’t need a fork to eat a salad, but it helps to have one. The same is true with being connected to a church and doing the things we have suggested above. It will help a lot!