What's Next?
Although you may just simply be reading ahead, if you're here on the "What's Next?" page, we hope and pray that it is because you have made the decision to follow Jesus Christ, you've repented for living outside of God's direction, you've surrendered to the Lordship (leadership) of Jesus Christ, and you are ready to learn what to do next. We're going to try to get you pointed in the right direction, so you can learn, grow, and start to experience the AMAZING rich and satisfying life Jesus died so you could have!
"17 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 3:17-18
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"1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding."
Hebrews 6:1
What Do I Do Next?
Well, the absolute first thing that you should do if you have genuinely surrendered to the leadership of Jesus Christ, is to be baptized. In Acts 2, we read earlier "38... Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Similarly, in Mark 16, we read, "16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned." In the great commission (Jesus' proclamation of our new mission as His followers), Jesus told us to not only make disciples (new Christ-followers), but to "baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
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Baptism is an act of obedience and a way to publicly proclaim our belief and surrender to the Lordship (leadership) of Jesus Christ. It is kind of the wedding ring of salvation. It doesn't save us, but it's a way to let the world know we are followers of Christ. In every case in the Bible, baptism is accomplished by full submersion into a body of water. It represents dying to our old way of life (buried under the water in baptism) and rising again anew as a follower of Jesus Christ. Though the water doesn't do anything magically to those who are baptized, it is commanded by God and should be the first thing we do after choosing to follow Jesus.
So, Once I'm Baptized, Now What?
This is certainly not the end of the journey, in fact, this is only the beginning. It's where things start to get exciting! It's where God starts to change you and bring you closer and closer to Him, while simultaneously, bringing your character, more and more into alignment with Jesus' character. God loves you just as you are, but He loves you TOO MUCH to allow you to stay that way. He wants to grow you, mature you, prune you, and make you more like Him. He wants to teach you, change the way you think, and fill you full of love, and peace, and joy. He wants to give you a new focus for life, a new sense of purpose, and a new source of fulfillment and satisfaction that cannot be matched by anything else this world has to offer. So, what should you do to allow God to move you forward?
Get Plugged In To A Local Expression Of The Body of Christ
One of the first things you'll want to do after you commit to live for the Lord, is find a church family. It is important to have others around you who can help you, support you, encourage you, hang out with you, and even hold you accountable so you can stay on track. Ideally, you should join the church with the person who shared this information with you, who has been praying for you, and who has likely put time and energy into getting you to this point (probably more time and energy than you think). It doesn't matter how big or how small the church is, or what programs they offer. What matters is that you continue to work alongside the person who cared enough to get you to this point, and let them walk you through the next steps and help you get on the path to spiritual growth. If you just happened upon this website, and no one has been planting seeds and leading you to a saving knowledge of Jesus, then you'll want to do some research, and be sure to find a church that is teaching the truth (and you'll need to be careful, because many are not). If you would like assistance finding a church family to plug into, please let us know and we will do our best to help you in your search.
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Be aware that a church isn't a place to go, it's more than a weekly service or Bible study, and it's certainly not a building. A church is a local expression of the "body of Christ" (all those who are true Christ-followers), and it's a group of people that you become a part of for the benefit of the whole church. In Ephesians 4, we see a brief picture of what God intends for the church, "16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." As you do your part, and all the other members do their own work, the whole body grows and becomes healthy.
Get A Bible & Begin Reading, Studying, Meditating, & Memorizing
Since in the early stages of your walk with Jesus you probably don't have a good understanding of what God expects of you or what life as a Christ-follow entails, what His guidelines are, and how you can grow spiritually, you'll want to get a Bible and begin reading it DAILY!!! There are many different translations and paraphrased Bibles available, so you'll want to get one that is easy to understand but accurate. We recommend staying away from the paraphrased Bibles, and get one that is translated in the modern English (or whatever language you speak). We would recommend the New Living Translation (NLT), the New International Version (NIV), or the English Standard Version (ESV). These are probably good first Bibles (the NLT probably being the easiest to read).
If you have online access via computer, you can use BibleGateway.com or Bible.com for free access to dozens of translations. If you have a smartphone, you can download YouVersion app for free on an iPhone or Android phone.
Whatever Bible you get, start reading it, a little EVERY DAY. Read, study (which means you take notes), meditate (which is focused thinking on it), and memorize (which simply comes with repetition), and get as much of it in your heart as you possibly can. When God gave Moses the Law in the Old Testament, God told the people of Israel, "8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." (Joshua 1:8). If you take this same advice for the entire Word of God, you'll be on your way to spiritual growth.
Begin Praying Regularly
Just as important as it is to be in God's Word (the Bible) everyday, it is equally important to communicate with God; talking to Him as well as listening to Him, and learning to hear His voice. This is a vital part of any relationship. If you want to be in a relationship with a friend, you'll need to talk and communicate. If you want to be in a marriage, communication will be a big part of the marriage. If you want to have a relationship with your creator, you're going to have to communicate with Him. Don't think of prayer as something you HAVE to do, but rather, something you GET to do! I mean, could you get an audience with the president? Could you get an audience with your governor? Some would have trouble getting an audience with their mayor. Yet, the God of the universe, the creator of all things, is willing to give you His time; time for intimate, two-way, conversation. This is a privilege, and we should never take it for granted.
What do you talk with Him about? Whatever is on your mind! Literally, anything and everything that matters to you! He is your Heavenly Father, so lift up your love, your thanksgiving, your needs, your concerns, and anything else that might come up as you communicate. Just be sure to listen for His response. He may speak through a Bible verse, He may speak through spirit-to-spirit communication, and who knows, He might audibly speak to you!!! (He is God and can do what He pleases) Just be sure to slow down, turn off your phone and television, and just spend some time with Him. Talking, then taking some time to be quiet and listen. As your relationship grows, you will better be able to recognize His voice, and your communication will go "through the roof" (in a great way, that is!)
Start Making Disciples
Before Jesus left this planet to go be with His Father again, He gave us our new primary mission as Christ-Followers. That mission is to MAKE MORE DISCIIPLES! As Jesus is ready to head back home to be with the Father after His resurrection, He gives this new mission to His disciples. "18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you." (Matthew 28:18-20) His Father had given Him authority and a mission to kick off the New Testament church, by dying for everyone's sins. Once His work was done, He gave US authority to finish the work, and a mission to go make disciples.
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If you are a Christ-follower, you have been cured of the worst disease ever to plague man; eternal separation from their creator and terrible end in Hell. Someone gave you the cure, and because of that, you are "healed" and headed for better times. Jesus gave His life for our salvation, and now He wants us to give away our lives (just a little bit at a time), by spending time sharing the Good News and telling others about Jesus and the way onto the narrow path. Making disciples is really just about sharing what has been shared with you, and then pointing these new disciples (after you baptize them), in the right direction (and you can even use this website for guidance!)
You may be saying at this point, "I don't know enough to be a disciple-maker. It might be years before I know enough to start that kind of work." This is certainly not true. In fact, now is the absolute best time to get started. You don't have to know all the answers, you simply have to understand the good news and be able to point them to the answers (the Bible). If someone shared this website with you, go to that person and ask them for some guidance, but know this, God will use you if you step out on faith and trust that He'll use you!
Discover Your Spiritual Gift(s)
As we said before, whenever someone crosses the line of salvation, the Holy Spirit of God gives us one or more spiritual gifts that we are to use to help others and build up the church. In order to use that gift/those gifts, you've got to discover which gift or gifts you were given. The best way to discover your gift is to first, pray and ask God for insight. He gave you the gift and wants you to use it, so He won't try to keep it a secret. Just ask Him to reveal your gift, and trust that He will answer. Then, just wait and listen.
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There's no exhaustive list of spiritual gifts in God's Word, however, there are several listed that you can experimenting with... that's right, trial and error is a great way to discover your spiritual gift. Though we don't get all the gifts, we are to "do" just about all of the things that are given as spiritual gifts. For example, we might not have the gift of miracles; however, we should pray for miracles when they are needed. We might not have the gift of service, but we should all serve. We might not all have the gift of evangelism (outreach or making disciples that is), but we are all supposed to make disciples. Get a list of all of the "known" spiritual gifts, and then start, "trying" each one on for size. As you go through the process, you'll find where God has given you something supernatural. You'll "try out" one of these gifts and find that when you act, God does something HUGE through you.
Click here for List Of Spiritual Gifts:
Look For Ways to Start Serving
The life of a Christ-Follower is not marked by having others serve us, but rather, it's marked by our becoming a servant. Jesus said in Matthew 28, "28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He's saying, that even He, being God, did not come here so that we could serve Him, but rather to serve us, and give His life for our salvation. In this statement, He is also saying, "since even I came to serve, you must also serve". Once you find a church family to plug into, start by asking where you can begin serving. This is actually a good way to find a church family if you haven't already. Look for a place where you can immediately begin serving. If they won't let you serve, or there are no "openings" for you to start ministering, then find somewhere that has openings and will let you serve. This an important part of growth, and it is vital to get started right away. Much of our spiritual growth comes from applying God's Word in the context of our ministry (building up the church body through our ministry gifts and making disciples), so get serving right away!
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The Bottom Line, Is That You Must Abide In The Vine
In John 15, we read “1 I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father." Notice two things in this passage. First, the main thing the Father is looking for from us is that we produce fruit. This means, making disciples, and teaching them to make disciples. This is how we know we are His true disciples. Secondly, notice that to produce fruit, we have to abide in the vine of Christ. We must remain in God's love, we must remain close to Jesus, and we must remain in the vine. How can we do that? We must stay in God's word, stay in prayer, stay in fellowship with our spiritual family, learn from our spiritual leaders within the church, and do our spiritual work within the context of the local church. As we do these things, God will grow us, prune us, and cause us to bear much fruit!