WHAT NEXT?

Having committed your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and become born again, the question is ‘What next?’

There are some very important things you need to know and some key steps you need to take in order to ensure a successful and a victorious Christian life.

Here are some very important and basic steps you need to take right away:

1. Learn to talk to your heavenly Father every day.

We call this prayer. Just speak to Him as you would speak to your earthly father whom you love, trust and respect. His ears are open to your prayer. Thank Him for His goodness to you, His provisions and protection, etc. Present your needs to Him and be bold to ask Him for whatever you desire. You don’t need a special feeling to know that He has heard you. Believe that He hears you even as you pray – this is called faith. See Mark 11:24

2. Read your Bible every day.

When you pray, you speak to God but when you read His word, He speaks to you. God speaks to His children through His word – the bible. So get yourself a Bible and read a portion (say a chapter each day). Begin in the New Testament – preferably, the gospels.       If you can’t afford a bible and you need one, let us know and we will send you one free of charge.

3. Join a good Bible believing Church.

Some people don’t like the idea of going to church regularly but it is very important that you go to church especially now that you have committed your life to Christ. There are many benefits of doing so.

In church, you will get to know more about God, His plans and His ways. You will also learn how to triumph over the challenges of life, overcome temptations, as well as receive and enjoy the blessings that God has promised in His word. Not only that, you will find that being in the company of those who have committed their lives to Christ like you have done,  will greatly encourage and strengthen you in your walk with the Lord.

In fact one main reason why some people commit their lives to Christ and backslide soon after is often because they do not belong to a good local church, or they are not committed to such a place. This is an important matter.

But be aware that all churches are not the same. There are churches we won’t even recommend for you to go to. There are some key things to look for in a good church.  What we do recommend to you is a lively, Bible believing Pentecostal church such as ours.

If live in London (UK) or you are visiting, we would like to invite you to come and worship with us as regularly as you can.  But if for any reason you are unable to come but would like us to recommend a good place to you, then let us know.

4. Undergo Water Baptism

After becoming born again, it is important that you are baptised in water. This is something the Lord commands all those who believe in Him to do ( see Mat.28:19, Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:41, 8:12).

For the avoidance of doubt, we are not saved by water baptism but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That clarification is important because there are people who think that they are saved simply because they are baptized in water. Water baptism is an outward testimony to inward regeneration.

By water baptism, we confirm and publicly declare our faith in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. By being dipped in water and raised up, we identify the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also declaring that henceforth, we are ‘dead’ to this sinful world and a life of sin but alive unto God to walk in the newness of life. So water baptism is very meaningful and very important.

Water baptism should be by full immersion into water – not by sprinkling. In fact, the word ‘baptize’ comes from the Greek word ‘baptizo’ which means to dip in something, to immerse or to submerge.

Infant baptism is irrelevant and meaningless because an infant does not understand the truth about salvation in Christ neither can repent nor believe. It is a mere religious ritual which unfortunately has been practised by some denominations.

So if you were baptized as an infant, or before you became born again or by sprinkling rather than by immersion, we recommend that you should be re-baptized now that you are saved.

5. Get Baptized With The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) comes to indwell those who are born again.  The moment you receive Jesus as Saviour, He comes to dwell in you. He is in you right now.

But it is when you get baptised with the Holy Spirit, that He comes to dwell in you in greater fullness to empower you to live a victorious Christian life and to serve God effectively. Without the Holy Spirit, our Christian life will be weak and powerless. There are also many other benefits that are associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So you need it.

The initial evidence that a believer is baptised with the Holy Spirit is that he speaks in tongues. This is one of the signs that Jesus said would follow those who believe in Him -  that they will speak with tongues – see Mark 16:17

Churches where the Holy Spirit is recognized and allowed to move freely (for instance, Pentecostal churches like ours) make provision for believers to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. That is why you should be careful what church you join because no one can give what they don’t have. If you want more information on this, get in touch with us.

6. Share your faith in Christ with others

Don’t hide the fact that you are now a born again Christian having received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour.  Tell your friends, relations, colleagues, etc.

Apart from the fact that this will help others to receive the wonderful gift of salvation just like you have, it will also help you to get more established in the Lord. The Lord commands us to preach the gospel and when we do, a lot of blessings follow.

Also, the more you preach the gospel the more real the Saviour becomes to you.

Go to "ESSENTIAL HINTS" for victory

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