Column: Rev. Aaron Long. Now I am a Christian, what now?

I have decided to start on a series on, “Now I am a Christ, what now?”  In this series we are going to deal with the first steps every new believer takes in the Christian faith.  We will journey through the process of coming to Christ, what is the gospel, what is the historic faith, what about the bible, the ten commandments, the sacraments, prayer, worship, the church.  We will look into what a normal Christian life looks like and how to live it.

Today we are going to start right from the beginning, now that I am a Christian, what now?  Well, first of all, welcome to the family of faith!  Your next steps are about growing a personal relationship with God, not following strict rules.  You must start from the start by reading the bible daily, by praying and talking to God in your own words, sharing the deepest part of your soul, by finding a local church, and by getting baptized.

Once we come to Christ, whether it is by a conversion experience or by growing up in the Church we need to remember that we need to grow in our faith. So many so called Christians are stuck in an infantile state because they wont grow.  These are the people Paul is talking about when he says they should be on the meat but they are stuck in the milk.  They are busy looking for signs and wonders and not getting down to doing the work that Christ is calling them to.

Question is how do we grow?  That can be answered in two different ways, abiding in Christ and connecting with other Christians.  So, now I’m a Christian, what do it do?

Abide in Christ:

Read your bible.  The bible is how God speaks to us today.  It is sixty-six love letters, on continual story written by God for us.  It tells us how to live, how to engage, how to be the people we were made to be. Start with the gospel of John, then read the rest of the New Testament and learn what God has for you today in Christ.

Pray, pray, pray.  Learn to talk to God throughout the day.  Tell Him your thanks, tell Him your worries, tell Him your needs.  Develop a real relationship with God.

Finally, if you aren’t baptized, get baptized.  One of the greatest misunderstandings in the modern church is what baptism does, whether as an infant or as a convert.  Baptism isn’t just an outer sign of an inner change; it is the method God uses to change us.  Peter says, baptism saves, Mark says baptism must happen if we are to be a Christian.  In the waters of baptism our sins are forgiven, we are regenerated and we are ingrafted into the body of Christ, the visible Church.  Baptism isn’t just some empty symbolic sign; baptism is an active work of God in the life of the believer.

Connect with others:

Find a church.  There is no such thing as a lone ranger Christian.  The bible commands and says all who are saved will be in the visible church.  We must connect, because through these connections we grow and we are given the ability to truly worship and to serve. 

Meet other believers.  As proverbs says, iron sharpens iron.  It is in our connections with other believers that we have accountability and this makes us able to grow and to build up our life.

This article will be the first in a series for new Christians.  We love you, and God bless.