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New to Christ, Born Again, What Next to keep the Faith Strong and develop that Christian Joy?

It was great receiving Jesus Christ wasn’t it?   Of course you’re excited.  Or maybe, You just feel at peace.  Cause maybe some great Sin or Tragedy brought you to Christ.  So Thank God, and now, let Us help you on your path, are you Ready?

So what happens next?

Before we begin down that path, of what to do next after becoming Saved, Born Again, and that feeling of Peace that your life will be a brand new path, let’s make sure that you are Saved, Okay?

Did you learn that there are two paths in life,  Heaven or Hell?  All kidding aside 🙂  The only Path to Salvation (Heaven),  is to understand that if we do not become born again, then our only path is to Hell?  Sounds harsh, but it’s the truth, right straight from the book of Truth, the Holy Bible. (scripture verse coming soon here).  As Jesus says, Scripture cannot be broken. (scripture coming on that)

Did you then learn, that by Repenting of Your Sins, and agreeing to do that , and, also for the rest of your life (because we never stop sinning, but we are forgiven, for those sins when we repent again for them), and then accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that you are now Saved, and Assured of Your Salvation?

That is a totally Free Gift.  No works involved.  No promises made to never break any of the Ten Commandments.  Why?  Because we can’t keep that promise, we are going to screw up, Big or Small, that’s why Christ died on the Cross for us, to be the Ransom for our Sins, because as God tells us, the Wages of Sin are Death.  And that all started by the Sins of Eve and Adam in the very beginning, in the book of Genesis.  (scripture coming soon on that)  We are saved by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Jesus Christ Alone (Ephesians 2: 8-9, I will double check), and no other way , no other Religion or Path or Person, leads to Heaven, Jesus Christ is the Narrow Door, only.  (Scripture to back this up, coming soon)

Okay so now what next?  Maybe some FAQ’s are in order ,yes, we will have some, but coming soon.  So back to our Question, what next?  Think about it, your life just took on the greatest Change, the greatest Gift that you will ever receive.  And perhaps you’re thinking, well, at least now, my life will be easier.  Well sort of, but then, it will also be a lot of Change, Suffering, Guilt, Self Doubt, Friends , Family and Associates may Support you or mock you.   The Christian life is not easy, perhaps it’s even tougher than those other folks who are not saved.

But is it Better?  You Bet!  Will it be Joyful?  You Bet!  Okay, so now what Next?

It is hard, to place the Path of a newly Saved person in Christ into an Itinerary if you will, because we will all have different Roadblocks, to bump us off the Path of Christ.  But for now, I’m just going to ignore that, and share with you a Path that has worked for me, and countless others. 

My personal path, has been a major struggle, because I was to Stubborn, to much of a Control Freak,  Weak Faith (i.e. unwilling to completely turn over the reins to Christ),  and I had to sink much much lower than perhaps most, to get where I am today with Christ.  That said, let’s start off with a Bullet list of things that will get you through those next Trials and Tribulations that New Christians, and even Veteran Christians if u will, all experience, and some great tools (Scripture help), to keep you on that path, bumpy or smooth.  Here we go:  (You can follow these in order or not, but I suggest in order as best as you can)

  • Fellowship with other Christians, that are further along than you, kind of Disciple Mentors if you will.   Start going to church.  Christ Lutheran , Cape Canaveral.  If you are elsewhere, than the short answer on that, is Find a church that someone recommends, who you feel loves Christ and spends time with him a lot.  (more on finding a Safe Pastor and Church, in the future)
  • Get a Bible.   On your iPhone or Smart phone if u can.  Else,  whatever you can get your hands on.  For now, hold off on the King James Version.  (for now, unless that’s all u got).  Try NIV or English Standard Version.
  • Listen to Pastor Greg’s sermon from June 29, 2014.  The message title (Sermon title) is:  “The Christian Life – Hard or Easy”
  • Listen to it again.  Even if you don’t have ADD or Learning Disabilities, listen to it again 🙂
  • Get a book called “Jesus Calling – Enjoying Peace in His Presence” by Sarah Young.  About $ 15 or less,  here’s the Amazon.com link which I recommend:          (critical book to own)
  • Why is this book “Jesus Calling”  critical to buy and own, not check out at the library?   Because there are two parts to the Gospel, being saved.   1.  Accepting Christ    2.  Getting to Know Christ and getting to Know that Christ is now in You.   It sounds confusing, but for Veteran Christians if u will, it has to do with what’s called, Your New Identity in Christ.  So by learning who you now are, and what new gifts you have, learning to understand what having the Holy Spirit within you now and how to grow, and walk with Christ, that is the hardest part.   Many people have not been helped and guided with this path, once they have been saved, and what often happens if our life doesn’t seem to take on a Sparkling New path, well, we get frustrated and tend to stray back to listening to our Old self if you will and throw in the towel on our New Identity.
  • Find a Mentor if you can, a Brother or Sister Christian, someone who understands this stuff.  Or ask us for one.  Hey, we’re all learning, we all are somewhat ignorant.  But Myself for example,  I have battled with letting Christ take over, because, I kept trying to take over, instead of just letting Christ work through me to get the job done.  Don’t think you need to understand this now.  Just be like a little child and listen 🙂
  • Be a Child.    What do I mean?   Christ says, we need to be like a Child and just learn.  (Scripture on that coming soon:)  Be humble, be Teachable, let your Pride go out the Window, Christ now has the Reins.  Those who Humble themself will be exalted.  Those who exalt themself will be humbled.  (Scripture coming soon on that)
  • Pray.   How often? When?  More on that.
  • Spend time alone with God, to absorb His word, to read Scripture.  And find a place to spend 15 to 30 minutes, to just be away from People, TV, distractions.  (walk on the beach, the woods, lay on a Rock, You get the idea)
  • We will continue this learning page in the near future.  But , It is my hope that you will dive right in with Christ, and enjoy his love, and the Power of the Holy Spirit (Christ in You as a 3rd person if you will)

 

by Art Hansen

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