Dear Friend in Christ: With glad hearts we welcome you to the family of God! Your decision for Christ has caused great rejoicing in Heaven and here among your friends at Dove Broadcasting. In accepting Jesus as your Saviour, you have embarked on a whole new way of living-- a better way. Now you have the Living Lord within you guiding, loving, protecting and changing you. As Paul writes in II Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. To help you begin your new life, we have prepared this special booklet, entitled First Steps A Handbook for New and Growing Christians. Ask God to help you in understanding this and the Bible, which is your personal love letter from God. We hope you will begin, immediately, to explore the vast riches found in God's Word. If you find you have questions in addition to those covered in this booklet, please feel free to call our Nite Line Prayer Partners. Remember, we care about you! With Christian Love, Jimmy and Joanne Thompson
The Bible tells us that all people, because of sin (which came into the world through Adam and Eve), are separated from God, Who is pure, holy and righteous. Paul writes in Romans 3:23 that...all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So before you were born into God's family, you were a sinner, cut off from God with no hope of eternal life. What is being born again? Jesus Himself was the first one to describe salvation as being born again. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, you are born into the family of God. God is now your Heavenly Father, you are His child. This means you are no longer the same but rather, through Christ, the old you has died and a new you has been born. You are cleansed from your past sins and are free of guilt. You look forward to tomorrow. You no longer fear death because as Paul writes in II Corinthians 5:8, for the Christian, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. You are able to love others, even your enemies, with the love of Christ. Being born again is getting to know God and realizing that you now have Someone you can depend on all the time. In essence, you have now taken on the very nature of Christ Himself. As Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Jesus-in-you means you now desire to please God instead of self. You are now fulfilling the purpose for which you were created.
But how can this be? Since the beginning, from the time Adam and Eve sinned, God has required that only through the shedding of blood can sins be forgiven. In early Bible times, man was required to sacrifice animals in order to receive God's forgiveness. But then, God, in great love and mercy, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to become the ultimate and final sacrifice for all the sins of all men. John tells us that...god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Through Jesus' death on the cross and by the shedding of His blood, you can have forgiveness of your sins (Ephesians 1:7). But the forgiveness comes only when you see your sin, confess it, seek forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and ask Jesus to come into your heart. This is how you become a child of God. But as many as received him (Jesus Christ), to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12). By receiving Christ, you become acceptable in God's sight. God no longer sees the old you, He sees a new, clean you. Your sins are not only forgiven but also forgotten. Hebrews 8:12 confirms this: For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Why would Jesus do this for me? Because He loves you. He loves all men from the worst to the best. As Paul explains in Romans 5:8: God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. God sent His only Son to suffer and die for you. He loved you before you loved Him. So His love is not something you earn or deserve. (See Titus 3:3-7.) Just rest in the certainty that God loves you and nothing can ever separate you from His love (Romans 8:38-39). A true story best describes the love Christ had and continues to have for us. Several years ago a son was born to a home and the child had no ears. For several he had to go about enduring the snubs and cruel stares of others. His mother's heart would break as she daily heard the laughter and ridicule her child had to face. One day a doctor told the family that, if they could find a donor, it would be possible for ears to be surgically attached to the child's head. Incredibly it wasn't long before an anonymous donor was found. Years passed and the child, now with ears, happily grew into manhood. One day his mother suddenly died. As he lovingly viewed her body as it lay in the casket, he suddenly turned to his father and asked, 'Dad, why did Mom always wear her hair down over her ears in that one certain style all the time?' The father did not answer but silently and gently pulled the mother's hair away from her face. There for all to see, was the donor of the ears. The mother sacrificed he own ears so that her son might lead a normal life. Her love typifies the greater love God the Father had for us when He sacrificed His only Son so that we might have eternal life instead of eternal death. No greater love is known.
What next? Christianity is a way of life, not a series of good deeds. Good deeds naturally spring forth from a life born anew in Christ but there are other actions which should come first in order for us consistently and daily live a Christ-like life. 1. Read your Bible. The Bible is the Word of God. It is His love letter to the human race. It is spiritual nourishment. As a newborn babe in Christ, you need spiritual food in order to grow into a healthy spiritual adulthood. Peter instructed new Christians in I Peter 2:2 to,...desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. If you do not have a Bible, invest in one. It is the most important purchase you will ever make. If you cannot afford to buy one, call our counselors. They will help you get one. Where should I begin reading? Begin in the second half which is called the New Testament. A good book to start reading first is Mark or St. John. After that, read on in I Corinthians and I John. Read according to your understanding. Take time to digest this food. Get to know your Heavenly Father. You will be amazed at His power and His love.
2. Pray... Or talk to God. You can talk to Him anytime, any place, through your thoughts or aloud. But no matter how you pray, set aside a special time each day to be alone with the Lord, just you and Him. Your new Heavenly Father loves to hear from you, so talk to Him. Just what is prayer? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 to Be careful for nothing (or don't worry about anything); but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Prayer is a time for worshipping and adoring God, for thanking Him for what He has already done, for letting Him know our needs and desires, and for allowing Him to speak to our minds and hearts. Prayer is powerful. James 5:16 tells us to...pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. God hears and answers prayer. 3. Find a church. Not just any church. God has a church in mind for you. Pray and ask His help in finding your church. Look for a church where the Bible is faithfully taught, where you are loved and encouraged in your walk with God (Hebrews 10:24-25). Next to the Word of God, good Christian friends are perhaps the greatest means of encouragement for new believers. Their prayers, love and wisdom can be a great help.
4. Tell others about Jesus. Share what He has done for you. It will make you stronger. Let Him love others through you. Just by living your new life, you will cause others to seek that which you have found. Ask God to help you in leading others to Him. Don't keep this wonderful news to yourself. Do you know someone who needs Jesus? Perhaps a friend or relative has not yet met your New Friend personally. You can introduce them to Christ. Using scriptures we have given you in this booklet and also by your own life and words, you can help make their hears hungry for God. Once they see their sin and admit their need for forgiveness, ask them to pray this prayer with you. Dear Lord: I know that I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me by the power of Your shed blood and come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Make me a new creature from this day on. By faith I accept and receive. Help me to grow daily in my new walk with You. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen. I am having Doubts. Why? Because once you accept Christ, Satan begins taking notes on you. It is his greatest desire to do everything in his power to make you doubt that your experience with God is real. He will even use other Christians to disturb your faith, if he can. He is your No. 1 enemy.
What can I do? When doubts come, and they will, recognize that they are illusions from Satan and command Satan, in the Name of Jesus, to leave you alone. Remind him that you are a child of God and that Christ Himself is living in you. It's true that you cannot see the Spirit of God as it moves and lives in and around you, and sometimes you won't even feel saved. You will not always be on some blissful, emotional high. You are still on earth in a human body. But what sets you apart is the fact that you have given your heart and soul back to God and He, in turn, by His Spirit, has taken up residence in you. And that will never change unless you change it. Although you may not always feel the Spirit of God, the fact remains He is there, unless you have rebelled and cast Him from you. How can I be sure He is with me? (1) Turn to your birth certificate at the back of the booklet. Look at your name. Relive in your mind the precious moments of your new birth. Remind yourself that God doesn't leave us, we leave Him. Hebrews 13:5 states that,...he (Jesus) hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (2) Remember salvation is not some complicated procedure that we learn, earn or deserve. It is a gift from God through Christ Jesus. Rest in this promise.
(3) Think about the changes that have already begun in you. For example: (a) The interest, help and comfort you find in God's Word; (b) Your new Christian friends and that special closeness you already share with them; c) The peace and warmth you feel as you think about your Lord Jesus. But what if I do sin? I John 2:1-2 answers this: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins... This means that if you do sin, you must not five up. You need only ask God, through Christ, to forgive you, be truly sorry, and turn away from that which you know to be displeasing to God. I repeat, if you sin, do not give up. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God in Heaven as your personal lawyer, so to speak, pleading your case before God. His love and forgiveness never end. Being born again is just the beginning to a wonderful new journey that will end when you see Him face to face in Heaven, your eternal home. He is coming back soon to claim those who belong to Him (I Corinthians 2:9 and Revelation 21: 1-4).
Let Christ be first in your life and He will become your Supplier, Healer, Friend, Comforter, Protector your All. Matthew 6:33 tells us to...seek...first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. I would like to share with you the words of this precious old hymn of the church. It has meant so much to me over the years and blesses my heart each time I hear it because it so beautifully portrays just what Christ has done for you and me. One day when heaven was filled with His praises, One day when sin was as black as could be, Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin, Dwelt among men, my example is He! Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away; Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He's coming O glorious day! Amen. J. Wilbur Chapman, 1910
New Birth Certificate This is to Certify That: On this day of, year I,, accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, I now make a public commitment to serve Him all the days of my life.
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