To become a Christian is life changing. To come to the realization
that there is actually a God who loves us and that He sent his son to die for us,
despite us being sinners is powerful. And when we understand
this, there's a moment of clarity where we begin to understand
the purpose of our lives. And there's also a moment of passion
when we want to learn more about the God who loves us and follow him
the best that we can. However, as thrilling and exciting
as it is to become a Christian, it doesn't come without its fair
share of struggles and dangers. You see, Satan can't stand it
when people become a Christian because they become threats
against his grip on people. because new believers now have the power
of the living God dwelling within them. Satan, in an effort
to protect His influence in this world, will target new followers of God,
and He'll do everything in his power to either destroy, stunt, diminish or taint the faith of a newborn believer. so whether you're a new follower of Christ
or know someone who recently became one, here are five steps that every new
believer must follow in order for them to grow properly and to be protected
from spiritual threats. Or in other words,
this is how someone becomes a Christian or a follower of Jesus Christ. Step number one Respond to the Gospel. First Corinthians Chapter
15 versus 1 to 5. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you
the Gospel which I preach to you, which also you received, and in which
you stand by, which also you are saved. If you hold fast, that word
which I preach to you, unless you believes in vain, for
I delivered to you, first of all, that which I also received, that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried
and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures,
and that he was seen by CPS. And then by the 12th. And this passage Paul declares the Gospel
or the good news by which we are saved. And then he lists the four components
of the gospel that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried
rose again and was seen. So if you want to become a Christian,
you need to respond to this gospel and believe that Jesus died for
you and your sin. Simply put, this is the gospel message. God is a holy God. And because He is completely holy,
He must judge all sin. And Romans 323
and 623 tells us that we're all sinners and the punishment for
our sin is death and hell. Why Hell? Because hell is the second death. According to Revelation
chapter 21 verse eight. And because a holy God
cannot dwell with sin and all that's unholy,
we as sinners must go. There. but Jesus, God's son died
and took our punishment upon himself. And now in Romans five one, it tells us
that when we have faith and believe that Jesus died for us and our sin, we are justified or declared righteous. So that means that even though
I'm an imperfect sinner, I can now go to heaven and dwell with God because Jesus paid the price for my sin. And the reason why he paid for my sins
is because he loves me. And we know that because of Romans
five eight. So if you want to be a follower of Jesus,
there's only one essential step. And it's this belief
that Jesus died for you. Because once you own that truth, you'll
realize just how much you're loved by God. And once you see that, you'll want to love
God back and ways that we love God are found in the rest of the steps
of this video. Step number two Repent from your sins. Ex Chapter two, verse 38. Then Peter said to them, Repent
and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. In this passage, 3000 people just heard the Gospel
and they asked Peter what they should do. And the first thing
that Peter tells them to do is to repent. Or in other words, to turn from their sin. So if you're a new believer,
you are now called to engage in a fight against your sin
and fleshly lusts. Look at what
Jesus says in Luke chapter nine, verse 23. Then he said to them all,
If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross
daily and follow me. You see, if Jesus died for us
and give us all that He had so that we can be saved
from the penalty of our sins. Then we, as his followers,
must also be willing to do all that we can to cut sin out of our life
and obey his commands. And while we can't be perfect,
and they will still fall and mess up from time to time,
we must always get back up and do everything we can to be obedient
to God's will for our life. and the best way to hear
his commands is in step number three, which is be connected to God's word. Second, Timothy,
Chapter three, verses 6 to 17. All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work. in this passage, Paul's explaining
to Timothy that the Bible was inspired by God or breathed by God
and is good for teaching us what's right and wrong and for training us
so that we can be complete and equipped. So once someone becomes a Christian, they need to focus on regularly
reading and hearing God's Word, because it's God's word
that teaches us what we ought to do. you see if a new believer doesn't make it
a point to stay connected to God's Word, they could grow to have an incorrect image
of who God actually is. Or they could be fooled into thinking
that a certain sin is okay, or they can miss out on the wisdom and love
that comes from knowing Scripture. And when it comes to being connected to
God's Word. I have two tips for new Christians. Tip number one would be to grow
in your own private reading. So I would recommend New believers
to find a plan for reading the Bible and to take steps to learn
how to read the Bible correctly. In the past, we created a video called
How to Read the Bible. Beginner level. They'll teach you everything
a new believer would need to know. And tip number two
would be to find a pastor or Bible teacher that you can learn under through either your church, Bible study,
or an online resource. to close this step. I want to encourage new believers
to try reading at least one Bible verse every day. And the reason why is because God's Word
is likened to a sword for the Christian. And without it,
our connection to God will be weakened and will be more vulnerable
to the attacks of the enemy. So please try to read
a little bit of God's Word every day, because it's one of the essential ways
a believer grows. Step in before grow in prayer. First
Thessalonians Chapter five versus 1618. Rejoice. Always pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you. In this passage, Paul tells believers
to always rejoice, to always pray, and to always be grateful. So one of the things that new believers
should do is to grow in their prayer. Prayer, like God's Word, is one of the
most important practices of a Christian, because it exercises your heart and mind
to communicate and connect with God. On our Channel. We also made a five part
series called How to Pray. That can potentially help You. I would say, though,
that one of the best ways to pray is to be both attentive and sincere. So if you say something to God,
don't speak mindlessly. Pay attention and think about
what you're actually saying. Because when you pray,
you're speaking to the king of kings and the God of glory, the one who loves
you, saved you and died for you. So let your prayers be an expression
of both humility and love. And note that while you can learn tips
on how to pray, prayer
can only truly be taught by God alone. And if you need help starting,
you can pray. A two part prayer that Daniel prays in. Daniel Chapter six versus 10 to 11,
where part one is to give thanks to God and part two is to ask
God for the things that you need. So start there
and then bow your heart and mind and then respond to God in humility
and love. And step number five, find Fellowship
Acts Chapter two, verse 42. And they continued steadfastly
in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread
and in prayers. in this passage, it says that the first Christians
diligently adhered to the Apostles Doctrine Fellowship, the breaking of bread
or communion and prayers. So the final step is to have fellowship
with other believers, and that means to be connected
to other Christians. Now, I know that there are some Christians
who feel like they don't need to go to church, but the reality is
that Satan targets isolated Christians. So please note that the reason
why we fellowship with other believers is because God commands us
to all throughout Scripture and so that we can be encouraged
to be reminded of God's truths and so that we can lean on each other
when our faith wavers or when life is too hard. So I would challenge new Christians
everywhere to start investing in a deep friendship
with another believer. And while this is tough, I would suggest
that you invest it to the point where you feel like you can pray
with each other, confess your sins to each other, and be comfortable
just being yourselves with each other. The key here is to find believers that you can trust and be honest
about who you are and your struggles. Because the church isn't supposed to be
a gathering of perfect holy people. It's supposed to be a group of sinners
who desperately need Jesus and seek
to encourage each other along the way. And if you guys need help
finding a church, we made a video titled How to Find a Good Church
that can potentially help you. All right. So if you're a new believer
or know someone who recently became a Christian, please
consider these five steps. Respond to the gospel. Repent from your sins. Be connected to God's Word. Grow in prayer and find fellowship. So we hope this helps. And as you grow in your faith,
you always remember Jesus loves you.
