Congratulations on your life changing decision to follow Christ! We believe this is the single most important thing that will ever happen to you, so we're celebrating with you and can't wait to see all that God will do through you as you start your new life with Him. Now that you have made this decision, you may be thinking "what's next?"
For most people, the initial stages of your new life as a follower of Jesus can be a little intimidating. Know that you are not alone and that we are here not only to celebrate with you, but also to support you and walk alongside you.
If you haven’t already noticed, the folks at Unstoppable Church are very passionate about leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. In fact, that is our mission statement: To lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. This ‘What’s Next?’ kit is designed with you and our mission statement in mind.
The best advice that we can give is to always keep taking next steps. You have become a follower of Jesus, and Jesus will always be leading you somewhere. Even in times where things get hard, and it seems like nothing is happening, keep looking for your next step in following Christ and have faith that He is leading you somewhere.
With that said what follows are some common Next Steps that followers of Christ can take and will help you identify your next step. If you ever begin to feel stuck in your faith walk, these are good foundational ideas to revisit to get things moving again.
Next Steps
- One of the best ways to start a good foundation for your new faith is to take part in a weekly worship experience. Being part of a faith community on a regular basis helps you not only grow in your faith, but also in your knowledge of Christ. It matters, and it makes a difference.
- Make Bible reading and prayer a daily part of your life. A great way to get started is with a daily reading plan. If you don’t own a bible, we’ll help you get one, or you can download and use the YouVersion bible app on your smart phone, or tablet. There are many reading plans built into the app. A great reading plan to start with is one called What’s Next (search for it within the app). If you don’t have a tablet or smart phone you can use the online version found at www.bible.com.
- Get baptized. It is one of first steps of obedience, and an outward expression of your inner commitment to God. It’s a way to celebrate your new life with Christ and go public with your faith.
- Start serving. Volunteering at your local church campus and participating in missions is an act of worship. It is a great opportunity to meet other followers of Christ, and will help you develop as a new believer. The only way to become a hot-shot-big-deal-christian is through serving. It sounds like a joke, but trust us it’s true!
- Get in community. This is a big one. Your faith should be deeply personal, but it should never be private. Search out believers to do life with. If you don’t know where to start, then sign up for a Starting Point group. This is a short term , low risk, easy step towards community. It will help you begin to understand the larger story of what is happening in our world through Christ, while simultaneously helping you establish your new faith within the context of a faith community.
- Share your faith. People who share their faith with others tend to grow faster in their fath than those who don’t. The easiest way to do this is simply through inviting others to come to church with you. Even people who have followed Christ for a long time can struggle when it comes to sharing their faith, but anyone can invite people to a weekend worship experience. Here is what we’ve figured out; people may not believe what you believe, but when they have a shared experience with you at a worship experience it often kickstarts the conversation about faith afterwards. In scripture we see new followers of Christ telling others, “you just have to come and see!” Try it, and if at first you don’t succeed just try, and try again.
- Give. We know it sounds like a fund raising pitch, and plays into so many stereotypes about churches, but the truth is that it makes a difference in your growth as a believer. Giving stretches us by loosening the grip of materialism in our lives, grows our faith as we learn that we are sustained by God and not by our own hand and abilities, and teaches us more about the nature of our God in the process. We also don't think giving should just be a 'church thing', but we believe it should become one of the hallmark characteristics of a world class Jesus follower. Look for opportunities to give in every area of your life!
Learn About the Why Behind Giving
All of these things have one purpose: to lead you to become a fully devoted follower of Christ. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Develop your relationship with God just like you would with anyone else: spend time with Him, learn more about Him, ask for His help, and do what matters to Him. If you do those things you will consistently grow in your new faith. The biggest take-away… keep taking Next Steps.
Congratulations again on this landmark moment in your life – we’re celebrating with you! Please let us know if we can answer any questions or help you get connected to the great things waiting for you!
info@unstoppable.church
