(Acts 2:42) And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Are you a new believer in Christ? Welcome to the family of God! I would venture to say this scripture describes your changed life: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor 5:17) I am so happy for you and I know you feel like such a baby in the faith. But don’t worry about that because we are all growing in our relationship with Jesus and won’t stop until we get to heaven! But a changed life is just the beginning of a lifelong walk with Christ. So let me encourage you in a few basics:
1) READ THE BIBLE – The early church continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine. Continue means to keep reading the Word and growing in the knowledge of the Lord (Psa 1:2-3). May I challenge you to read your Bible EVERYDAY. Just as you need to eat physically every day, you also need to feed your spirit everyday. That way you’ll be strong in the Lord (1 John 2:14) and able to fight temptation (Mat 4:1-11) and most of all know how much Jesus loves you and the wonderful plan He has for your life (2 Pet 1:3-4).
2) GO TO CHURCH – Coming together with other believers on a consistent basis was the practice of the early church. As Christians we are all members of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12). We are all necessary to each other and have a function to fulfill. The key is to find a Christ-centered, Bible-teaching church in your area that is warm and friendly and where you feel at home. You might already belong to such a church. Great! Keep growing with the believers there. Your regular attendance will make a difference in your spiritual growth and in the growth of the church. You are an important part of the body of Christ (Heb 10:24-25)
3) PRAY – Prayer is as simple as talking to God. The Lord speaks to us through His Word and we speak to Him through prayer. We can begin by praising and thanking Him for His Son Jesus Christ and then for all the blessings he has graciously given us. We can then confess our sins to Him. We can ask Him for things such as our daily needs and then give Him our burdens. While we’re doing that we can also ask the Lord to lift the burdens of others (Psa 100:4; Mat 6:9-13; 1 Peter 5:7; Gal 6:2; 1 John 1:9).
4) SHARE YOUR FAITH – It is natural to want to share the most exciting aspect of your life . . . your faith in Jesus Christ! The Holy Spirit will send the right people into your life who need the Lord and will give you the words to say. Emphasize the fact that God loves them, and that Jesus died for their sins and rose again and wants to change their life just like He changed yours. Be a fisher of men! (Mat 4:19; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Rom 10:13-15)
Well, those are the essentials of a vibrant and wonderful relationship with Christ. Be filled with joy!
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! (Psa 32:1)
Louie