The document outlines several next steps for new believers: get baptized as an outward sign of faith, find a good local church to help you grow, develop regular Bible reading and prayer, participate in serving others through the church community, worship God and participate in his mission to spread the gospel. The overall message encourages growing closer to God through these spiritual disciplines and practices.

1. Next Steps For the Believer

2. Welcome to the Kingdom!
 Since you have repented and put your faith in Christ, you now belong to Christ and
you are now born again into the family of God.
 You are now considered a Baby in Christ and as Christians, we are called to grow in
our faith and spread his love and grace to the world.
 2 Peter 3:18 says to:
 Grow in the Grace of Jesus
 Grow in the Knowledge of Jesus (This includes his mission in Matthew 28:18-20).

3. The Next Step is Baptism in Water
 This is an Outward sign of an inward commitment
 Prerequisite: Accepting Jesus as Your Lord and Savior
 Jesus was baptized (he did not need salvation) in order to be our example and
show us our need to be immersed in water
 1 Peter 3:18-22…it is an integral part to maintain a clear conscience before God
because of our salvation.

4. Step #2 Find a Good local Church
 Find one that will help develop your faith in God’s love and grace and not bind you
in religion or false teaching (read their doctrinal and mission statements)
 Find one that will help disciple you into the Christian you are called to be
 Find one where you can freely participate in God’s mission
 Find one where you can be connected with other godly Christians who can help
support you in your Christian walk.

5. Step #2 Finding a Good Local Church
 God designed us to be part of the body of Christ, which is a local community.
 He wants us to be under good leadership that God uses to help grow and mature
the believer.
 Find one where you can get connected and planted. Having Asperger’s, it can be
hard to find a church that understands, but it is essential.
 The idea is to not find a church where all ones friends attends. It is vital to find a
church where one can worship God and serve othere.

6. Step #3 Developing a Devotional and
Prayer Life
 It is critical to get in God’s word and read it daily. The church is there to help, but
they cannot do this for you.
 It is critical to begin a relationship with God by talking to God and allowing God to
talk to you.
 As you read God’s word and pray to the Lord in thanksgiving, petition and praise,
your relationship with God will continue to grow.
 Meditate (not an old buddhist practice, this originated with God) on God and his
word and begin to add to your faith, virtue and to virtue, knowledge, and to
knowledge, discipline, and to discipline, perseverance and to perseverance,
godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness, love.

7. Step #3 Developing a Devotional and
Prayer Life
 Read the Bible and pray to know and worship God, not just to get knowledge or
information.
 Grow in God’s grace and knowledge by trusting in Jesus to apply God’s word to
your life.
 Always have an active prayer life with God and put God first and central to your life.
You will find out what life is about with Jesus at the helm.

8. Step #4 Participate in the Body
 Many times in scripture, God commands believers to love one another. Love is the
highest form of worship to God.
 Since everything in Christianity hinges on God’s love for us, we should love one
another and serve one another in the local church.
 This does not mean we will all be friends or even best friends, but this means that
we are to contribute to the local church and help the local church fulfill its mission
to the world.
 A healthy body will always have people willing to serve each other and make
allowances for each other (Colossians 3:12-14).

9. Step #4 Participate in the Body
 Many times people go to church for themselves. God commands believers to go to
church to serve other people.
 God always takes care of the needs of believers. They do not need to be
preoccupied with trying to get their needs met in church all the time. They need to
give more than receive (Acts 20:35).

10. Step #5 Lastly, Worship God and
Participate in His Mission
 We are all wired for worship. We all worship something or somethings
 Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Whole duty of man is to fear God and obey his
commandments”
 John 14:27 “We know we love God if we obey His commandments”
 We are to worship God because of his love for us, especially on the cross for the
remission of our sins
 We need to accept God’s forgiveness so we can worship him in spirit and in truth
and live to honor and please him. Everyday we are to ask God to forgive us as we
forgive others who hurt us. It all centers on Grace.

11. Step #5 Participate in His Mission
 Ask God what his calling and purpose for your life is. He does not call everyone to
vocational ministry but he has a ministry for everyone (Pastors are actually called to
equip the saints for the ministry-Eph 4:11-13).
 Go on a missions trip if you can. I went to Dallas, TX for a missions trip my
freshman year of high school. It really was a game changer in my walk with the
Lord.
 Participate in the Great Commission by helping others follow Christ and
proclaiming Christ to the nations, or where you are at. Allow God to use you to do
mighty things through Him. Those things do not save (Matt 7:21-23) but they help
further the kingdom of God.

12. In the end…
 It is all about what Jesus did for us on the cross and what he did in us when we
received Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
 We love because God first loved us
 Read the Bible and Pray in order to know God more and more each day and to
grow in your faith in Christ.
 Keep on fighting the good fight of faith in Christ and keep standing on God’s word.
Jesus has already defeated Satan. We just enforce Satan’s defeat through trusting
God’s word
 Lastly, keep praising God and trusting God no matter what you go through in life.
God is always good and he will always sustain you.