WHAT’S AFTER BAPTISM?

We’re so excited to celebrate this step of faith with you. Now that you’re a follower of Jesus you might be wondering, what does baptism mean and what’s next?

First, baptism isn’t what saves us, it's through our faith in Jesus by God’s grace alone. But in baptism, we’re declaring that we believe that Jesus is the perfect son of God, God in the flesh, and we’re accepting him as our savior and the Lord over our lives. And we see in the Bible that when we accept Jesus through faith, then are baptized, the Holy Spirit has a new role in our life. We now have the very Spirit of God inside us to counsel, guide, and convict us on the journey through life.

This also means we’re leaving sin behind. Not that we’ll get it perfect, but we will learn the teachings of Jesus and become his follower, or disciple. We’ll learn how Jesus has called us to live, and when we obey him through faith, the Holy Spirit begins the work of changing us, or sanctification.

Romans 6 says, What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

So even though life might get tough in a new way as you do your best to navigate your new faith, don’t give up! In fact, here are three things I want to encourage you in as a next step.

First, keep coming to church. We don’t come to church out of some religious obligation, but because when we gather as the church, as the people of God, we will worship together and sit under the teaching of the Bible together and that will mold and shape us over time. 

Second, connect with God daily. How? Read the Bible and pray. You can download the YouVersion Bible app and start in the New International Version, or NIV, OR we would love to give you a Bible! Just drop by the Spot on the weekend, ask for a Bible, and we’ll give you one for free. Studies show that reading the Bible four times a week or more drastically changes people’s lives. So you can start in the gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and learn the teaching of Jesus and his followers for yourself.

And as you pray, all you have to do is communicate with God. Talk to him, tell him what’s going on in your life, what’s going on in your heart. Not because he doesn’t know, but because you need to share it with him. It doesn’t have to sound fancy, just be honest. And he might leave impressions on your mind and heart on how you ought to respond in a way that honors him.

Finally, join a group. Faith was never meant to be done in isolation but with other Christians around you. When you join a community group, you are linking up with other believers who will encourage you and build you up on your journey. Rooted is the absolute best place to start. It’s an 11-week journey that will teach you how to live the Christian life. We have three sessions a year so while you are waiting for a session you could look for a community group or a care group as well or midweek if you are in middle school or high school. Just plug into Christian community!

Our prayer for you is that this isn’t the landing pad for your faith, but a launching pad into the life changing adventure of following Jesus. Don’t hesitate to let us know if we can help you in any way on your journey of faith.