I'm A Christian, Now What?

The journey as a Christian is one of excitement, joy, meaning, and fulfillment. It is truly a daily life of the ordinary meeting the divine. This life is extraordinary, amazing, and life giving. It is experienced by those who have met God personally in salvation and who understand that each day is not life lived for the self, but for the Lord: “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17). It is not just the belief, but also the understanding that God’s plan is being worked out in your life every day. Each event has a purpose and a plan in the grand scheme of your life. Each event and experience is a piece of a puzzle that God is carefully putting together in your life to make a picture that is beautiful and satisfying to you, to Him, and to everyone around you. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20).

If this sounds like an unrealistic fairy tale, think again. It is the kind of life many live while others around are not even aware. It is the life many believe is lived by those religious fanatics who hung around church too long and have a spiritual hangover. Actually, it is just as real as the shoes you put on your feet. It is not a hangover because it is a different way of life that means business and gets business done. It is a life some would do well to stop writing off as fanaticism and to give some credence.

Before we go any further, everyone should know how to get started on this wonderful journey. Where does it all begin? This book is meant to help those who have just trusted Christ, or those who earlier made the decision and need some guidance as to where to go from that point of salvation. The journey begins now and continues until we meet God in heaven at the time of death.

The following scriptures help one understand how to begin a relationship with God. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Romans 10:9–10 states, “That 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Psalms 103:12 says, “as far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”

If you do not have a relationship with God, and you want that relationship, you can say a prayer similar to this from the heart: “God, I realize my sin has separated me from you. I want to have a life-giving relationship with you. I pray for forgiveness for my sin that has separated me from you. I believe that you came to earth and died for me, and rose back into heaven with your father God where you eagerly wait for me. Take my life and lead me from this day forward. Amen.”

Where do we go from here?