Next Steps as a New Believer
You have made the most significant, life-changing decision possible! Receiving God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ means you are a child of God and will spend eternity with Him in Heaven!
Immediately after his salvation, the Apostle Paul, a brand-new Christian, said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). As a new believer, you may be wondering the same thing…what’s next on your spiritual journey as a follower of Christ. You want to know what you can do for the Lord and what the Lord expects from you. The biggest blessing comes when you have a desire to follow God’s Word and His will for your life.
God’s Word clearly explains what you need to do immediately after becoming a Christian. These steps are explained for you here. Let this be a guide for you as you strive to put God first in your new life as a Christian.
Things You Need to Know
If you sincerely repented of your sins and called out to God for salvation, it is important to know that God has heard you and adopted you as His child (John 1:12; Galatians 4:5). Once a person is redeemed by trusting in Jesus’ death and resurrection, they are permanently changed. You never have to fear losing that loving relationship with God—it is not possible. Jesus said, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28).
God is One being with three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). All are equal and important. God is eternal (Psalm 90:2). He has always existed and always will. God is holy and completely set apart from sin (Luke 1:49). His holiness explains why each person must be made righteous to dwell with God. Now that you are His child, He has cleansed you, and you will never be apart from His presence. God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (ever-present).
You may feel like you know so little, but do not worry about that. God will teach you along the way. God has not left you alone on your journey. When you trusted in Christ, He sent the Holy Spirit to seal your salvation, teach you, and guide you (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit indwells us and empowers us to display God’s character (Galatians 5:22-23). Не helps us understand and recall God’s Word (John 16:13) and assists us in our prayers (Romans 8:26).
Worship the Lord Through Prayer
“…the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:9b, 10, 11
Believers have the privilege of talking with God in prayer, which helps us to know God in a more intimate and meaningful way. Consistently set aside time every morning to speak with God: confess your sins, share your burdens with Him, and praise Him for all He has done (Colossians 4:2). Tell Him you love Him and want to serve Him with your life today. Then pray for your family, your church, your friends, and yourself. Pray for the world and our nation.
You will have many needs to bring before God. Start a prayer list and begin to pray systematically for God to answer your prayers. Answers to prayer and your study of His Word are closely related. Jesus made this clear in John 15:7 when He said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The real joy of the Christian life comes from beginning your day worshipping the Lord. There is never a bad time to reach out to God. We are encouraged to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Worship the Lord Through Bible Study
Personal worship of God is a habit that you need to develop early in your Christian life. You can begin to worship the Lord personally by setting aside time every day to be alone with Him in His Word. Where should you start reading? While the whole Bible points to Jesus, the first four books in the New Testament—the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are accounts of Jesus’ life. A good place to start is in the Gospel of John. Begin by reading at least one chapter per day. As you read, look for two things: what did Jesus teach, and what did He do. These things will help you understand Jesus’ character. Read slowly or aloud to yourself.
Allow God’s Word to sink into your heart, and ask Him to help you understand what it means. If a verse speaks to your heart, go over it several times until you have it memorized. There is “great reward” in knowing and keeping God’s Word. God inspired human authors to write an account of His character, plan, actions, principles for living, and so much more. Scripture has great value for those who read and study it (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The more you know what the Bible says, the more you will know God.
Commit To Faithful Church Attendance
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
God does not intend for us to walk the Christian life alone. Ask God to help you find a Bible-preaching, Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with Him. As members together in a local church, we can learn God’s Word, worship together, and use our spiritual gifts to serve others. You cannot grow properly as a new Christian without the local church. If you are to make progress spiritually, the church is where you will receive instruction and help for your new life. You will learn biblical principles and scriptural insights that will be invaluable in your walk with Christ. Make up your mind to be faithful to every Bible class and worship service. God will bless your life as you “…desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (1 Peter 2:2). The pastors and teachers will help you to understand how you can glorify God with your life.
The local church is where you will fellowship with other believers. Acts 2:41-42 says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” The church will provide a place for you to build new friendships with Christians. It will give you an opportunity to pray and praise the Lord with others who have the same burden to serve God that you have. In short, there is no replacement for your local church. Give God first place by becoming a faithful member and finding a place where you can serve the Lord and others in His church.
Identify With Christ Through Baptism
Jesus said to his disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19
The very first step of obedience after accepting Jesus as your Savior is to personally identify with Christ through baptism. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision and is a public declaration of your new life and commitment to follow Christ. Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. As we go down under the water, it pictures the death of our old life, and as we come up out of the water, it speaks of our new life in Christ.
Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Be sure to make plans for the pastor to baptize you as soon as possible. Your baptism is a time of joy and celebration! You will be glad you made the decision to follow Christ wholeheartedly in this basic first step. Making this commitment to the Lord is essential in your life as a Christian.
Who God Wants You to Be
God wants us to love Him and others (Mark 12:30-31). He desires that we be surrendered to Him so we can be used for His good purposes (Romans 12:1-2). As challenging as it sounds, we are to be imitators of God as we pursue lives characterized by holiness (Ephesians 5:1-20).
He wants us to be aware that life is a spiritual battle. We need to equip ourselves by putting on the whole armor of God so we can resist Satan’s efforts to hinder our relationship with God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
God wants us to be examples of His grace, putting our faith into practice as we represent Him in the world (Philippians 2:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:20). We should respect other people, have patience with them, and be prepared to point them to Jesus (James 1:19; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; 1 Peter 3:15).
As you read the Bible, you will find many more guidelines that show who Christians are called to be. When you feed your mind on God’s Word and rely on His strength to live out what it says, taking the next steps in your Christian journey will be perfectly natural. God will lead you, and the pattern of your life will change to become more like your Savior.
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
The Christian journey is a lifelong process, complete with ups and downs. Along the way, you’ll learn that God is with you at every turn. Keep your focus on Jesus, and put one spiritual foot in front of the other. He will guide your steps and lead you safely home to Heaven.
“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 1: 24-25)
Share Your Faith
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16
One of the most exciting and fulfilling things you can do is share your newfound faith with others. Don’t you have joy in your heart because He has saved you? Yet greater still is the joy that comes from seeing family and friends trust Christ as Savior because of your witness. Begin now to tell others what Christ has done in your life. Continue to share your public testimony with as many people as possible.
God loves everyone and wants him or her to know Him as Savior. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” What a wonderful promise. Share it with someone soon!
In Closing
As you seek to do the things God wants you to do, remember that being a child of God is not about checklists and performing. We cannot do things to make God love us more than He already does. Our acceptance is based on the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:7-10). “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:4-5)