Step 1: Pray to God
When you decide to follow Jesus, you're not just adhering to a set of rules. Instead, you're starting a personal relationship with Him. This means you can talk to Him anytime and ask for His help.
Jesus is the Son of God. He loves you so much that He left heaven to be with His people on Earth. This is hard to understand, but you can think of it as God in human form. He lived a normal human life, experiencing all the same things we do. He was hungry, tired, lonely, happy, sad, and probably stubbed his toe a time or two. He was fully human, but He was also fully God. So he healed the sick, resurrected the dead, taught His followers about spiritual life, expelled demons, and performed miracles. Because He was human, he was killed and buried. But because He was God, he rose from the dead three days later. We can learn from his teaching about how to live virtuous lives and show His love to others.
The Bible tells us that God is loving and just. His heart is grieved by injustice, whether it’s murder or a mean rumour. Unfortunately, no one is perfect. When He created the first two humans, He offered a choice between right and wrong. They could do right and live close to God forever or do wrong and be sent away from His presence. Adam and Eve’s rebellion caused sin, death, suffering, and sickness to enter the world. Each and every one of us has sinned. The Bible says the penalty for sin is death and separation from God. Sin causes broken relationships, violence, abuse, lies, insults, bullying, betrayal, and distrust. Jesus never wanted us to experience such horrible things, so He came to Earth to pay the penalty for sin on our behalf. Since Jesus was the only human to ever live a perfect sinless life, He was eligible to take the punishment for all sin so we didn’t have to. Because of this, He offers forgiveness and acceptance freely. When He died, he said, “it is finished” to indicate his mission on Earth was completed. When He rose from the dead three days later, He defeated the power of sin and death forever! Now, He invites every person to have a relationship with Him and follow His teaching.
No matter how much you’ve messed up or how many bad things you’ve done, it’s never too late. You just need to pray, ask for His forgiveness, and commit your life to follow Jesus. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” When you do this, the Bible says nothing can separate you from the love of God. Because He’s already forgiven you from all your sin, you don’t have to earn His love or prove anything to Him. You have unlimited access to ask Him anything and seek His help when you’re anxious or overwhelmed.
Step 2: Get Baptised
People who follow Jesus are called disciples. One of the first commands Jesus gave to His disciples before He left was to be baptised. Baptism is a tradition that Christians have done since the time of Jesus. In baptism, you publicly celebrate your love for Christ and declare your allegiance to Him. Baptism does not save you and is not required to receive salvation. Instead, it is a way to show that you follow Christ and obey His commands. He said we should be baptised in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we should continue teaching others what He commanded.
Baptism is symbolic. The gospel tells us Jesus died, was buried, and then rose again. So when a person is baptised, they are immersed in water and then pulled back upright to symbolise the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. This shows that your old self is “dead,” and you have started a new life with Jesus. The Bible calls this “born-again.”
If you were baptised as a baby, this is a beautiful way for families to commit their children to God. However, salvation is an individual decision between you and Christ. If you decide as an adult that you’d like to recommit your life to Him or reaffirm your personal commitment to Him, being baptised is a great way to profess your faith. At JDC, we would love to baptise you and celebrate this profession together!
Step 3: Get a Bible
If you're a new follower of Jesus, getting a Bible is the best way to learn more about Him. The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by 40 people over about 1500 years. It is God's book to us to tell us His story, from the creation of the world to the last days on Earth. Despite its undeniable historical accuracy, scientific backing, and archaeological proof, the Bible is not meant to be a book of data. Instead, it's a captivating narrative meant to show us who God is and demonstrate His love.
If you want to know more about God’s character, there’s no better way than getting involved in a Bible study. The first book of the Bible, called Genesis, tells the story of how sin entered the world and the destruction that followed. If you want to learn more about Jesus and the salvation He brought, you can read the book of John. Four books tell the story of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Reading the book of Acts will teach you about the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Christian church. Finally, if you’d like to learn how you should live differently now that you follow Jesus, you can read books like Philippians or Ephesians.
You can find easy-to-read physical Bibles at a bookstore or online retailer. Each Bible has a table of contents in the front with a list of each book. Within each book, the text is broken down into chapters and verses. The chapters are sections within the book, and the verses are smaller sections within each chapter. This helps if you need to find a specific quote. For example, if you see someone write a reference like “John 3:16,” this tells you to go to the book of John, chapter three, and then find verse 16. If you don’t have a paper Bible, you can download a Bible App. In an app, you can see each section in a dropdown menu and pick the book or chapter you want to read. If you want to practice reading your Bible, check out this list of verses about Jesus. You can also use a Bible reading plan like these to give you direction.
Step 4: Get Connected
When Jesus left Earth and returned to Heaven to prepare a place for us to live with Him forever, He didn't leave us to fend for ourselves. Instead, he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and started the church. The church is not meant to be a fancy building or a social club. It's not supposed to feel like you're attending a formal event or showing up to a lecture. Instead, the church is meant to be a family and a place where you feel like you belong. At JDC, we offer a place where you can be seen and known by people that love you.
When you don’t know something about God, the church is a place you can ask questions and learn more. Our church provides resources for you to grow in your faith. Every Sunday morning, we meet for Sunday service. On Sunday, you can expect to sing worship songs to God and hear our pastor preach a sermon, teaching you directly from the Bible. We also offer a mid-week meeting on Tuesday nights. On the first Tuesday of the month, we meet at the Riverside Community Centre to observe communion together. Communion is a symbolic tradition Christians do to remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. On the remaining Tuesdays, we meet online to grow our faith together. We offer a programme for kids too! Drop your kids ages 11-18 by the centre on Friday nights for a safe place to have fun and explore faith.
No matter where you are in your faith journey, you are welcome at Jesus Disciples Centre. We are excited to meet you and help you get connected in a community where you can grow and thrive. So many meaningful friendships have been started when people meet together and serve our community for Christ. If you have questions about how you can get involved, email contact@rccgnewbury.com or call 0757-478-5738 or 0789 -760- 0049.