WHERE DO I BEGIN MY JOURNEY WITH GOD?
OUR MOST IMPORTANT CONNECTION BEGINS WITH GOD.
HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
FIVE STEPS TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN
Salvation is God's grace reaching downward and our faith reaching upward.
FIVE STEPS TO BECOME A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST (MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER CHRISTIAN)
THREE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE NINE DISCIPLINES (Habits) DISCIPLES MUST ADOPT (Richard Foster)
(1 Pet. 2:11 and Mark 2:11)
1. SOLITUDE: Set aside time to be alone with the Lord away from other people.
2. SILENCE: Sometimes you need to close yourself off from noise, music, and words.
3. FASTING: Set aside times to deny your body food and sometimes liquids as well.
4. FRUGALITY: Live within your means. Sometimes you need to deny yourself luxuries, glamor, or status.
5. CHASTITY: This means to deny your body any sexual gratification for a period of time.
6. SECRECY: Sometimes we need to not let our good deeds or qualities be known to others.
7. SACRIFICE: There are times when we need to deny ourselves something that is needed for living.
8. STUDY: Get into the habit of reading the Bible. Read books and tapes by credible people.
9. WORSHIP: Celebrate the greatness, the beauty, and goodness of God through words, rituals, and symbols. One way is through songs.
OUR MOST IMPORTANT CONNECTION BEGINS WITH GOD.
- Making a 180 for Jesus
- Jesus said, we must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God. (John 3:1-18)
- The pursuit of God is life's most durable delight. (Richard Baxter)
HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
FIVE STEPS TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN
Salvation is God's grace reaching downward and our faith reaching upward.
- Hear the Word of God, the Good News of Salvation through faith in Christ. (Rom. 10:17)
- Believe the Word of God (Heb. 11:6, John 3:16)
- Repent away from your old way of life, and ask Jesus into your heart to begin a new life (Acts. 17:30)
- Confess your sin to God and admit you are a sinner. (Mat. 16:16)
- Get baptized in water. (Acts. 2:38)
FIVE STEPS TO BECOME A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST (MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER CHRISTIAN)
- Join a Bible teaching church with small groups (the community of God's people)
- Get plugged into a weekly small group Bible Study to get personal attention
- Get a Bible and start reading it, beginning with the Book of John
- Find a volunteer community serve team at your church
- Tell people in your community how God changed your life
- Finding salvation is just the beginning, growing as a serious obedient disciple of Christ takes a life long commitment
THREE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
- Pre converstion: The Holy Spirit convicts people to repent
- Conversion: The Holy Spirit lives in the believer to sanctify the believer
- Post Conversion: The Holy Spirit empowers people to witness for Jesus (Baptism in the Holy Spirit)
THE NINE DISCIPLINES (Habits) DISCIPLES MUST ADOPT (Richard Foster)
(1 Pet. 2:11 and Mark 2:11)
1. SOLITUDE: Set aside time to be alone with the Lord away from other people.
2. SILENCE: Sometimes you need to close yourself off from noise, music, and words.
3. FASTING: Set aside times to deny your body food and sometimes liquids as well.
4. FRUGALITY: Live within your means. Sometimes you need to deny yourself luxuries, glamor, or status.
5. CHASTITY: This means to deny your body any sexual gratification for a period of time.
6. SECRECY: Sometimes we need to not let our good deeds or qualities be known to others.
7. SACRIFICE: There are times when we need to deny ourselves something that is needed for living.
8. STUDY: Get into the habit of reading the Bible. Read books and tapes by credible people.
9. WORSHIP: Celebrate the greatness, the beauty, and goodness of God through words, rituals, and symbols. One way is through songs.
