Welcome New Believers
April 25, 2020 · Pastor Miles DeBenedictis
In this teaching
Pastor Miles warmly welcomes new believers into the family of God and offers practical first steps for their new life in Christ: praying, reading the Bible, sharing their decision, and connecting to a church.
- Trusting Jesus for salvation means adoption into God's family and becoming a new creation with all past sins forgiven.
- Prayer is simply talking to God about anything—fears, failures, needs, forgiveness, and provision—and God hears and answers.
- New believers should begin reading the Bible, starting with the Gospel of John or the book of Ephesians.
- Believers are encouraged to share their decision to follow Jesus with friends and family.
- Getting connected to a local church is an important next step in the new life with Jesus.
A warm welcome and four simple first steps for those who have just placed their faith in Jesus.
Welcome to the Family of God
What an amazing privilege it is for me to say: welcome to the family of God. You may not realize it just yet, but the Bible makes it very clear that when you put your trust and faith in God for salvation and receive Jesus into your heart and life, you are adopted into the family of God.
Not only that, but the Bible says you are a completely new creation in Christ Jesus. What does that actually mean? It means all of your past wrongs—sinful actions, thoughts, and words—have been completely forgiven by God. You have a fresh start.
A Few Things to Do Now
Let me give you a few things you can do, and should do, now that you have trusted in Jesus.
First, I would invite you to pray. Prayer is simply talking to God. You can talk to Him about anything—you can share your fears, your failures, and your needs. You can ask for forgiveness and pray for provision. The promise of the Bible is that God hears and answers our prayers.
Second, I would encourage you to begin to read the Bible. If you don't have a Bible, we would happily send you one. Or if you have a smartphone, you can download the YouVersion Bible app by going to Bible.life in connection.com. If you're wondering where to start, I would recommend either the Gospel of John—just look for the book called John in the table of contents—or the book of Ephesians. It's a big name but a small book, and a great place to start.
Third, I would encourage you to share your decision to follow Jesus with a friend or a family member. God is doing a work in you that is both something to be thankful for and also something to share with others.
Get Connected
Finally, if you are not connected to a church in your area, we would be happy to help you find one. If you live in North San Diego County, we would invite you to join us here at Cross Connection Church some weekend. You can find out all about the church at life in connection.com.
If there is anything we can do to help you—finding a church, getting a Bible, getting started in your new life with Jesus—please go to our website and send us an email on the connection page. God bless you.