I’m a Christian,

NOW WHAT?

FIRSTBAPTISTCHURCHS L O

I’m a Christian, Now What?

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)

Your decision to follow God means that you’re embark-ing on a life-long journey—a journey with God, toward the abundant life He designed you to live. And while, like Abraham, we don’t know every step God will ask us to take ahead of time, there are steps we must take to take to start moving.

Taking these first steps is the tangible way that you can respond to God’s invitation into a relationship with Him. Each one is challenging, but will lead you toward rich, full experiences of discovering what God is up to in you and through you.

Repentance

“Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).

Understanding the Journey

The first step in life with God is repentance. Generally when we hear that word we think of someone yelling angrily, “Shape up! Change your be-havior!” But the word Jesus uses, metanoia, means, “Think about the way you’ve been thinking.” If God’s provision and protection and power are available to you through a relationship with Je-sus, then what changes? Everything!

Some helpful resources:

• Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith

• Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

• The Apostle’s Creed by J.I. Packer

• The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

• If you are rededicating your life to Jesus, read Do You Love Me? by Debbie Swindoll

Baptism

“We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Marking the start of the journey

Baptism is a vivid, tangible, public symbol of what it means to become a Christian. To go under the water and come up again represents dying to our old life and starting a new life with God. Baptism is for every be-liever when they choose to follow Jesus.

If you would like to be baptized, contact our church office at office@fbcslo.org or 805-

543-0945 to speak with a Pastor.

Worship

Journeying together

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together...

but encouraging one another.” (He-brews 10:24-25).

Life with God is also life with the family of God. God gave us each other

for encouragement, support, and so we can praise Him together!

On Sundays, we worship God through:

• Community: we gather together to encourage and love each other.

• Teaching: we believe the Bible is God’s word and

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH SLO2075 Johnson Ave

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401office@fbcslo.org

805.543.0945 | www.fbcslo.org

If you have personally received Jesus Christ as

Lord and Savior, we want to journey with you! Call FBC at 805.543.0945 to speak with a Pastor and

let us know!

God is growing in us...

a love for Himself,

a love for His Church,

and a love for His world.

want to hear what it says about every area of life.

• Song: God’s faithfulness deserves joyful praises, so we sing to him together.

• Giving: we share joyfully from God’s blessings to us and care for others and support our community.

• Communion: we remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us as we eat the bread and drink the cup, which sym-bolize his body and blood given for us.

Reading the Word

“Now these things [in the Bible] took place as examples for us.” (1 Corinthians 10:6).

The story of the journey, told by those who’ve gone before

As we start this journey with God, we’re not alone. Not only is God with us, but we have a long line of people who have found Him, struggled with Him, loved Him, wandered from Him, and experienced His mercy. We find a road map for our journey by seeing how God worked in their lives. Above all we find out who God is in this book through the life of Jesus, re-corded in the Gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

To know God more, we make time for regular read-ing of His Word from the Bible. Engaging in daily, re-flective reading opens a space where God meets us and directs us.

If you’ve never read the Bible before, start by reading one of the Gospels. Ask questions! Underline what catches your attention. Talk to God about it. Then, you might try a 60-day plan for reading some of the major sections of the Bible (there are many available for free online).

Some helpful resources for getting to know the Bible:

• Life with God, by Richard Foster

• The Drama of Scripture, by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen

Prayer

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Talking with God along the journey

Relationship always involves communication. Life with God is no different—we need to speak and listen, be heard and hear. Prayer is talking to God, and listening

to God in response. We can bring God our needs, our questions, our frustrations,

our emotions, our praises. We can also listen for God as we prayerfully read

the Bible, sing, enjoy his creation in nature, or listen to our friends, all with an ear for Him.

If you don’t know where to start, begin with the Book of Psalms in your Bible. They express every

emotion and need in the spec-trum, from whining to rejoicing,

raging to sobbing. Try finding one that resonates with you and pray it back

to God, in your own words perhaps.

It can be helpful to make time for intentional prayer daily, as an individual or with family, but you can pray anytime, anywhere, out loud, or quietly.

Obedience

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Following God’s road map for the journey

Obedience isn’t typically a word we like. We like our free-dom, our individuality, our rights. On the other hand, when our doctor tells us to take a prescription that will save our lives, we obey. When our auto mechanic tells us we’d better replace the catalytic converter, we obey. Why? Because they know better than we do. Sometimes, the best use of your freedom is to submit it to someone who knows more.

That’s why we obey God. He gives us direction through the Bible and prayer. We can trust His directions are for our ultimate good and obey.

Evangelism

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have com-manded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Inviting others on the journey

Your journey with God is the best tool you have for invit-ing others into a relationship with Jesus. You don’t need to know all the answers, but you can tell what you’ve experienced and what God has done for you. Learning how to invite others to join you is a normal part of doing life with God.

Supporting Your Journey

FBC wants to help you get started on your journey to-wards knowing God:

• Meet with a Pastor or Elder—please let us know about your commitment to follow Jesus! We want to get together with you, hear your story, and en-courage you. Contact the church office at 805-543-0945 or lisa@fbcslo.org we can be in touch.

• Membership Lunch—if you’re new around FBC, please join us at our next Membership Lunch af-ter church. You will learn what FBC is all about and how to become a member. It’s a great way for us to

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Dget to know you and for you to find out how to get plugged in. Contact the church office to sign up for the next lunch—call us at 805-543-0945.

• Growing with God series—FBC believes our purpose is to love well—to love God, to love one another, and to love the whole world. FBC’s Growing with God series is comprised of 3 workshops, offered each quar-ter, that will give you hands-on, practical instruction in ways you can grow in your relationship with Jesus. To sign up for the next series, email Pastor Ben at ben@fbcslo.org.