I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST – NOW WHAT DO I DO?
Receive All That God Has Given You.
[God the] Father…has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
We receive various blessings at different times:
• When we first put our faith in Christ;
• Over the course of our lives as we live daily with Christ;
• When we see Christ in eternity.
How Do We Receive These Blessings?
1. By knowing God.
His [God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him.
II Peter 1:3
2. By faith in God.
[Paul says:] I pray that out of his [God’s] glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Ephesians 3:16
3. Through the Holy Spirit.
[God] may strengthen you with power through his Spirit.
Ephesians 3:16
4. Through the rest of Christ’s body.
Let us encourage one another.
Hebrews 10:25
[See #11 below]
There are different kinds of gifts [spiritual abilities]... There are different kinds of service... There are different kinds of working... Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
I Corinthians 12:4-7
From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together..., grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:16
[See #10 below]
Then What Should We Practically Do?
1. Read the Bible:
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk [God’s Word, the Bible], so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.
I Peter 2:2
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word [the Bible] that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4
[God warns:] My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6
2. Pray:
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the saints.
Ephesians 6:18
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Philippians 4:4
3. Love God:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
ark 12:30
4. Obey God:
[Jesus said:] If you love me, you will obey what I command.
John 14:14
5. Love others:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. …This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
I John 4:7-8, 10-11
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
6. Confess our sins:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
I John 1:8
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9
We are eternally God's children because of our faith in Jesus Christ. But until we see Jesus face to face, regularly confessing the sins that we commit is an important part of maintaining an unsoiled relationship with him.
7. Get baptized:
Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:38
...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...
Matthew 28:19
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.
Romans 6:3-4
We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body.
Corinthians 12:12-13
8. Grow:
[1] With regard to your former way of life…put off the Old Self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; …[2] be made new in the attitude of your minds; and …[3] put on the New Self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
II Peter 3:18
[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him. …He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
II Peter 1:3-8
9. Tell others about Jesus:
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
I Peter 3:15
[Jesus said:] Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.
Mark 16:15-16
You are the light of the world. …Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14, 16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
Romans 1:16
Jesus...said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:18-20
10. Serve, work, and use your spiritual gifts – for the benefit of others:
Now about spiritual gifts [spiritual abilities], brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
I Corinthians 12:1
There are different kinds of gifts. …There are different kinds of service. …There are different kinds of working.
I Corinthians 12:1
All these are the work of one and the same [Holy] Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
I Corinthians 12:11
To each one the manifestation [or expression] of the Spirit is given for the common good [to help others].
I Corinthians 12:7
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
I Peter 4:10
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:6-8
[More spiritual gifts are listed in I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and I Peter 4.]
We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
11. Go to church:
• You cannot receive all God’s blessings or become like Jesus Christ on your own.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.
Hebrews 10:25
• You are part of a group that is very precious to Christ, a part of God’s family – we belong to one another:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it.
I Corinthians 12:27
In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:5
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body.
Corinthians 12:12-13
• God gives each person a special spiritual ability [see #10 above]:
There are different kinds of gifts [spiritual abilities], but the same Spirit. …He gives them to each one, just as he determines.
I Corinthians 12:4, 11
• The Spirit uses each person’s spiritual gift to bless other members of God’s family:
To each one the manifestation (or display) of the Spirit is given for the common good.
I Corinthians 12:7
The Holy Spirit has members of God's family that he wants to bless through you.
The Holy Spirit has blessings for you that he wants to give you through other members of God's family.
Christ…gave gifts to men. …It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ...From him the whole body…grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:7-8, 11-13, 16
A crucial thing to think about:
If you do not go to church, God cannot bless you through others and he cannot bless others through you – so you and the whole body of Christ will suffer. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives will be hindered if we don't meet together. There is great blessing and encouragement in Christ’s church – in worshipping and serving God together, and in supporting one another.
Of course, there are also difficulties, because we are not perfect and each one of us struggles with the Flesh. We also have different personalities and diverse view points and preferences. Unfortunately, we do not love one another perfectly. But God loves his family (his Son died for us!), so we too must learn to love one another. In this life we must be understanding of one another's weaknesses as we grow together in our faith. Ultimately, we look forward to eternity together, for when we see Jesus face to face we will all be perfect. Then, as one family, we will experience a time of great joy!
To encourage one another in this life, we need the following patient, confident attitude regarding each other:
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you...[I am] confident of this, that he [God] who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
I Peter 4:8
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
I Thessalonians 3:13
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
I John 4:11
12. Do this all by faith!
Act in reliance on God's Holy Spirit.
After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Galatians 3:3
It's easy to go to one extreme or the other:
On one hand, we can get caught up in a lot of religious rules.
On the other hand, we can use our freedom as children of God to satisfy our evil desires.
But we need to follow the Spirit of Christ.
For God's very helpful perspective on this, see:
Living by Faith and by the Holy Spirit