Steps for New Christians

Bible study imperatives:

• Take notes

• Read it for yourself

• In context scriptures

• Feel free to ask questions

• "Steps for New Christians" by. Dr. Dale A. Robbins.

• To accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you will ever make in your life.

• In reality, it is the beginning of a brand new life in Christ, and as a new-born child of God, there are many important things you need to understand.

• Not everyone who hears the word, or believes the word is saved – Matthew 13:1-9 & 18-23

• You are saved by Faith

• "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

• salvation through faith in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior

Can’t be earned

Being good

Being religious

Salvation is a free gift

Not cheap – it will cost you

• You're not saved by feelings

• The Bible says "We live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

• Good feelings are nice to have, but feelings do not prove whether you're saved or not.

There may be times when you "feel" that God is close to you, and other times when you "feel" that he's not.

He has promised to always be with you and never leave you, regardless of feelings ( Hebrews 13:5).

You're not saved by fear

Fear tactics are temporary, at best

You can’t “scare the Hell out of people”

• You may experience doubts

• "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

• One of most common things that will happen to a new believer is that the Devil tries to whisper doubts in your thoughts: "You're not really saved," or "nothing really happened to you." But don't buy into Satan's lies and deceptions! If you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, then you are saved, regardless of whether you feel it or not.

• You are Forgiven of all your sins

• ”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

• The sinful nature keeps us separated from God's presence and will result in eternal death.

Jesus came, as our substitute, so that we could be forgiven of sin and have access to God's presence.

When you repented (turned 180 degrees away) from your sins, and asked Jesus to forgive you and become your savior, that's exactly what he did.

Believe and be saved

On the side of the cliff and a rope is thrown down

Do you really believe in the ropes ability to save you or have you put your trust in the ropes ability to save you?

He forgave every sin you've ever committed, regardless of how awful or evil they may have been.

God can forgive more sin than man can commit.

Don’t believe the lie that places prison bars on Christians – namely, some of your sins are not forgiven.

Adultery “Double marriage”

A Gabor Sister could have accepted Christ and started over

Its not God who retains the record of your past sins, its church folks who do that.

• You're not perfect, just forgiven

• "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." (Romans 8:1).

• We all sin

Not a “life style of sin”

The goal of a Christ-follower is to live as he did

• Not by a list of do’s & don’t’s, but following his example. “WWJD”

• Being a Christian doesn't mean that you won't make mistakes, but it means that you are forgiven of sin and that your goal is to live like Christ and not live in the old sinful way anymore.

Don't ever let the Devil condemn you if you stumble or make a mistake! God loves you and wants you to ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9), then He wants you to get back on your feet and keep walking for Him! Don't ever let other people or the Devil bring condemnation upon you! God loves you and will correct you, but He will not condemn you.

• You are a New Creation

• "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• At the moment you accepted Jesus, He came into your heart by His Spirit, and now His presence and nature lives and dwells in your heart (1 Corinthians 6:19).

You did not merely become a better person, you were "born again" spiritually as a brand new person! Now He wants you to learn to live your life according to the new nature of His Spirit inside you.

It is very obvious , to those who know you best, that there has been a huge change in who you are.

• You have the promise of Eternal Life –

• "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

• God's Word says that when you place your faith in Christ, you are given eternal life. That is, someday when your physical body wears out and dies, your soul will go to be in the Lord's presence to spend eternity with Him!

• You must keep living for Christ

• "But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don’t drift away from the assurance that you received when you heard the Good News.” (Colossians 1:23).

• You must understand that your salvation is based upon your "continued" relationship with the Lord.

Why do people think that God operates outside of the norm?

When you ask them to explain how a person that “got saved as a teenager” grows up to become a rapist or murderer, they say “Well, that person was never really saved in the first place. If they were then they would have remained in relationship with God.”

Try a common sense approach…when I read the New Testament, The explanations and instruction, I read, are very simple to understand and plain common sense.

He has promised to keep you saved, as long as you keep believing and living for Him. As a new Christian, you need to grow in your relationship with God and deepen your faith, so that discouragements, temptations, or trials will never cause you to drift away from God. Remember, if you depart from the Lord, you also depart from what gives you the promise of salvation. The Bible says that Christ will one day present you before God, holy and unblemished

• Matthew 24:13 “But he who endures to the end, shall be saved.”

• 2nd Timothy 4:6-8 “I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race…”

• You need to go to Church

• "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another..." (Hebrews 10:25).

• You should attend church regularly so that your faith can be strengthened by the preaching of God's Word, and so you can grow spiritually and be encouraged by the fellowship of other Christians.

Church is where you can go to express your love, faithfulness, and worship to God.

Church is where we can be discipled, and where the Pastor and spiritual leaders can help you and encourage your faith.

The Bible warns us not to absent ourselves from church attendance, because we need the strength and encouragement it brings.

YES! Churches have failed miserably.

They have become boring, mundane monuments to ineffective activity.

They are places where it is more important to be seen.

To have your name recognized. To have your family name put on a plaque to display the amount of your donations.

• You need to pray every day

• "Pray continually," that is to pray faithfully every day (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

• Prayer is vital to your spiritual growth. God is your Heavenly Father, and He wants to hear from you and have daily fellowship with you. Not only does He promise to answer your prayers, but as you pray He will also provide guidance and spiritual strength.

• Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1st John 5:14)

• You need to read the Bible

• (2 Timothy 2:15) “Study and work hard for God’s approval so you don’t have to be ashamed and can explain the word of God.”

• (1st Peter 3:15) Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

• "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalms 119:105).

• The Bible is God's Word, and as you read from it every day, it will cause you to grow spiritually. As you study His written word (start with the Gospel of John), He will strengthen your faith, speak to your heart, and give you guidance and direction for every need and decision in your life.

• You need to be baptized in Water

• "...Repent and be baptized, every one of you..." (Acts 2:38).

• At your first opportunity, you should obey the Lord's command to be baptized in water as an outward showing of your confession of your repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19). Water baptism in itself, (not to be confused with baptism in Holy Spirit) does not save you or wash away your sins, but is an act of your obedience in God's Word. It symbolically shows that you have died to the old sinful life, and have risen in the newness of the Life of Christ.

BTW…Scripture doesn’t say that only ordained ministers should baptize. That seems to be another of man’s rules.

• You need to live a Holy life

• Your faith in God will cause a desire to obey Him and do those things pleasing in His sight (Colossians 1:10).

• As we have mentioned, Christians are not perfect. However, God wants you to "aim" toward perfection. That is, your goal must be to grow in submitting yourself to the new nature of His Spirit in your heart, follow the example of Jesus, and live a godly and wholesome life (Hebrews 12:14). You repented and asked Him to forgive your sins, and now you need to grow closer to Him each day, which will take you farther away from sinful thoughts and behavior which are displeasing to God.

Counts Customs & Fast and Loud analogy.

You had a hoopdy

I rebuilt it

I said that the rebuild was free, but one day I would ask you to come back and park it in my showroom.

You may drive through a mud puddle but I have given you a free carwash card…not to abuse, but to use, in an emergency.

If I send word for you to come and deliver the car to my showroom and you show up with it looking like it did when I first saw it, do you think I would put it on display with my other prized possessions?

Should you continue to live in an unrestrained, sinful lifestyle, this would lead you away from God and back into the old ways which lead to death. But as we grow in our relationship with God, His strength in our life will increase to overcome sinful behavior and habits.

• "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).

• You need to be Filled with the Holy Spirit

• "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8)

• We already said that the Holy Spirit was born in your heart when you received Christ and now resides in you. But the Bible also says that the Holy Spirit can "immerse" you with a special power for service, to enable you to live a powerful Christian life, and to be bold in your Christian witness and testimony.). To receive this special power, all we have to do is ask Christ to baptize us with His Holy Spirit, and He promises that He will.

• You need to tell others about Christ

• "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).

• It is important for you to openly declare Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord to others, as it establishes the testimony of your faith. Once you have accepted Jesus Christ, tell someone. Don't keep it a secret.