What’s Next?
We are delighted that you have made the decision to commit your life to Jesus. Becoming a follower of Jesus is the best and most important decision anyone can ever make. Congratulations! This marks your spiritual birthday – a defining moment, the day you became a Christian.
Often we don’t fully appreciate it at the beginning but having your sins forgiven by God literally changes everything. This divides your life into 'before' and 'after' and is the start of your relationship with God and you'll never regret it. You are now free to be everything that God created you to be!
Becoming a Christian does not mean problem-free living but it does mean that you can navigate even the darkest times of life assured of God's presence and also experience, both now and in eternity, the greatest privilege of all: relationship with Jesus. We pray that you will increasingly know the love, joy and peace of God.
The journey begins
Christianity is a journey and at City Church we are committed to helping you grow in your new relationship with Jesus and enabling you to establish godly foundations that will cause you to mature as a Christian and experience full life transformation. This is the heart behind LifeTrack, our discipleship pathway here at City Church.
God really does want to have a relationship with you – one that is real and one that is personal and one in which you come to know Him more and more. That’s why we encourage you to establish the daily habit of talking to God and listening out for His response; this is what prayer is all about. You don’t have to use fancy words or flowery language – just talk to Him as you would any friend.
Also, we think you’ll really benefit if you can spend some time each day – perhaps even just 10-15 minutes to start with – reading/ listening to and reflecting on the Bible. This is one of the best things you can do as a new Christian. The Bible is food for the soul – a guidebook from God for daily living that will help you to form a Christian worldview on all of life.
There are many different translations to help you engage with the Bible; at City Church we tend to use the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT). If you don’t have a physical copy of a Bible, please do let us know or purchase one as soon as you can. You may also want to visit www.bible.com or download the Bible App (YouVersion) which will give you instant access to multiple online and downloadable Bibles.
Each time you read or listen to the Bible, ask God’s Holy Spirit to help you understand it and apply it to your life. If you’ve never read the Bible before, perhaps start in the book of John – this is a great introduction to the life, teaching and significance of Jesus. But ultimately you'll engage with the Bible better if you follow a plan. Websites such as bible.com have some excellent Bible reading plans; many people like to engage in a Bible In One Year plan.
A great way to grow in the Bible and prayer is to use the Lectio 365 app - this is a free daily devotional resource that helps you pray the Bible every day - find out more here.
Get connected
There’s no such thing as solo Christianity and that’s why we also want to encourage you to get plugged in to the life and vision of the church. A brilliant way to do this is to make it a point to consistently attend on Sundays. Our church is not made up of perfect or religious people but seekers and people like you who have decided to follow Jesus. You’ll hear God’s Word explained and you’ll have a chance to worship God alongside other Christians. You’ll experience Christian community and be equipped to thrive in God’s purposes for your life.
Do also consider joining one of our Collectives. Being church is so much more than meeting for just a couple of hours on a Sunday - it's about being family together. Our Collectives are small groups that take place in homes across the city on a bi-weekly basis. They offer a forum for doing life together beyond Sunday mornings - where we can pray for one another, care for one another and inspire one another in our journey with Christ. There’s very likely to be a City Church group near you and you’ll find being part of a group a great opportunity to make new friends and get integrated into the church.
And if you’ve not done it yet, we highly recommend doing Alpha - a great introduction to the Christian faith!
Take the plunge
Another thing for you to consider is getting baptised - so do look out for the next available opportunity at City Church. In the Bible, water baptism is presented as the immediate next step after coming to faith in Jesus – a public pledge to follow Christ. Just as a wedding ring is an outward sign that a person is married, water baptism is a powerful symbol designed by God to identify a person as a disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s your way of publicly saying, “I choose Jesus”!
We’re so thrilled at your decision to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Tell everyone you know about it! And know that with Jesus in the driving seat of your life, your future will be better than your past.
We look forward to seeing you soon and helping you to practically move forward in your new journey of faith.
Every blessing,
Pastors Dominic & Catherine
P.S. Let us know about your decision so we can encourage and support you - fill in the Get Connected form below.