The most important decision you will ever make is whether or not to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This decision determines where we’ll spend our eternal life. When we have made that choice, we know not only where we will spend our life after we die, but also to live a life that follows after Jesus! The Bible tells us that once we are saved, that we are new creations in Christ Jesus, reborn, and renewed, by the Holy Spirit, and our old previous moral and spiritual condition has passed away and new things have come because spiritual awakening brings a new life. (2 Cor. 5:17) (1 John 5:12).
Remember, God created you and wants to be in relationship with you.
(John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
As Christians, one of the first acts every born-again believer should do as an outward demonstration of their new faith, either when receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord or sometime shortly thereafter, is to be baptized with water. It is an outward demonstration that you are committed and have placed your faith in Jesus and will follow Him. In addition, when being fully immersed during the water baptism, it is a symbolic act of having all of your personal sins completely washed away by the blood of Jesus. It also symbolizes the death of our old life and old nature and the inward regeneration of the Holy Spirit. When coming up out of the water, it represents resurrecting into a brand new life with Jesus.
( Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 6: 3-7; Acts 18:8)
In life, you become what you commit to. Making a decision to commit to a person or an organization or even an ideology changes you. Commitment forces you to narrow your focus and think about something outside yourself. Committing to a regular attendance of church service will assist you in your spiritual growth by uniting with likeminded Christians in prayer, worship and hearing God’s word.
(Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25)
As a follower of Christ, you are on a lifelong spiritual journey. The goal is to become Christ-like and to help others do the same. When people hear the term discipleship, they are sometimes unsure of what it means and how it applies to their life. Yet discipleship is a very important part of a believer’s spiritual journey. A simple definition of discipleship is having spiritual conversations around God’s Word for life transformation. At New Hope Church, we offer several opportunities to grow in your spiritual journey with Jesus.
(Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:15)
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4 NKJV
“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,” says the LORD, “plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 Amplified Bible (AMP)