May 1st, 2023
Written by Brandy Wallis
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’”? Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. –John 8:31-36
What an amazing Easter season we had! At the Revival Center, we are still celebrating the 46 souls that were not only added to the Kingdom of Heaven but are forever set free. Praise the Lord! There were so many opportunities to love on our communities, celebrate our risen Savior, and lead people to the foot of the cross. This season was an excellent example of scripture coming to life where Paul reminds us that some believers plant, other believers water, but God brings the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).
As the body of Christ, we certainly celebrate with those who have made the best decision that they will ever make in their life. As the body of Christ, this also means that, for us, the real work begins now!
What “work,” you may be wondering? The work of discipleship! Remember that when you came into the family of God you didn’t know everything about your faith that you know today. Hopefully, someone came along side of you and walked with you, mentored you, and helped you along the way. Someone encouraged you, corrected you, and essentially became like family to you because, well, they now are!
I remember those crazy weeks and months after I accepted Jesus as my Savior, don’t you? All the questions I had. Who is God? Some of those questions were off the wall and others were deep as could be. I remember the hunger of wanting to know everything I could and wanting to waste no time. I remember not being able to get enough! I also remember the attacks that came from the enemy afterwards. Trying to whisper nothings into my ear that I wasn’t really saved. That I wasn’t that much different. That I could still hold onto some of my old ways while chasing after God. Isn’t it funny that the voice of the enemy never seems so loud as it does when you’ve decided to surrender your life to the Lord? The enemy knows that he’s losing another soul and he can’t stand it!
I am thankful that I had someone who made a concerted effort to invest in, not only a genuine relationship with me, but who also invested in my walk with Christ. I’ll be honest, had it not been for that person, I’m not sure what my relationship with Christ would look like today.
As the body of Christ this is one of our greatest responsibilities. We must take new believers under our wing and help them through these new waters. Let us live out scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 that reminds us to, “Encourage one another and build one another up”. Let us be a banner, raised high, for this next generation of world-changers!
If you are a new believer and you are reading this blog let me shout congratulations from every rooftop! You’ve just made the single-handed most important decision in your entire life. Jesus is worth it, I can promise you that. You’re probably wondering what is your responsibility in all of this? For you, almost everything in your life will change. You’ll begin to see things with new spiritual insight. To help you understand more of what’s happening, the first thing you need to do is find a church to call home. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”. Why does Paul give us this warning in scripture? He understood that if the enemy could distract you enough to keep you out of the house of God then he would be able to more easily influence everything else in your life. Staying connected with like-minded believers is essential in growing your relationship with Christ and building relationships with seasoned believers who will help you steer through some situations that you are bound to encounter.
If you have a church, wonderful! Go back and tell your pastor of the decision you’ve made to surrender your heart to Christ. He or she will get you connected with other believers who will mentor you, support you, and love on you. If you don’t have a home church, find one as soon as possible. Most people fall back into their old sinful lifestyle because they don’t have a body of believers that they are connected with so they can learn how to navigate the newness of their faith and everything that comes with that. Find a church that offers discipleship opportunities outside of just Sunday morning/Wednesday evening services. You absolutely must have those! However, you can also learn a lot and benefit greatly from Sunday School and connection groups. Many churches have a number of groups that meet weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, in person or online. I promise, if you look for them, you’ll find them.
The next thing you need to do is start diving into the word of God. As believers, we understand that the Bible is the infallible revelation of God to man. In fact, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work”. I understand that the Bible can be overwhelming in the beginning. There’s the Old Testament and the New Testament and so many books in each of them! Many new Christians feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. The Bible, unlike most other books you’ve read, doesn’t have to be read from the beginning to the end! So many people think they need to start at Genesis and read straight through to Revelation. Sounds like a good idea until you get to Leviticus (and all God’s people said Amen…with a slight snicker). My advice is to start in one of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are such beautiful books because they focus on the life and ministry of Jesus. These books give you an insight to the purpose in his life on earth, his miracles, teachings, selection of his closest friends, and willing sacrifice to save us from our sins. These gospels paint a beautiful picture of who Jesus truly is!
Lastly, start to develop a prayer life with God. What if you don’t know how to pray or what to say? That’s ok! Jesus is really good at listening to our hearts even when our words fail us. Don’t worry about trying to make sure you sound like you know what you’re doing. No, God just wants to hear from his children like any Father would. Jesus is your friend. When you pray, pray as though you’ve having a normal conversation with someone you’ve known your whole life. Ask questions. Offer up praise and thanksgiving. And most importantly, don’t forget to make time to listen to Him. The more you do something, the easier it often gets. Praying is no different! There is no wrong way to pray. Just start the conversation and let Jesus do the rest!
If you need/want help navigating your new-found faith, I know that we at the Revival Center would love to come alongside you no matter where you are, what your backstory is, or how unworthy you feel. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) including you. Isn’t it cool that even while we were still sinners, Christ chose to die for us (Romans 5:8)?
To Jesus, you were worth it! And to us, you are too!
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’”? Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. –John 8:31-36
What an amazing Easter season we had! At the Revival Center, we are still celebrating the 46 souls that were not only added to the Kingdom of Heaven but are forever set free. Praise the Lord! There were so many opportunities to love on our communities, celebrate our risen Savior, and lead people to the foot of the cross. This season was an excellent example of scripture coming to life where Paul reminds us that some believers plant, other believers water, but God brings the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).
As the body of Christ, we certainly celebrate with those who have made the best decision that they will ever make in their life. As the body of Christ, this also means that, for us, the real work begins now!
What “work,” you may be wondering? The work of discipleship! Remember that when you came into the family of God you didn’t know everything about your faith that you know today. Hopefully, someone came along side of you and walked with you, mentored you, and helped you along the way. Someone encouraged you, corrected you, and essentially became like family to you because, well, they now are!
I remember those crazy weeks and months after I accepted Jesus as my Savior, don’t you? All the questions I had. Who is God? Some of those questions were off the wall and others were deep as could be. I remember the hunger of wanting to know everything I could and wanting to waste no time. I remember not being able to get enough! I also remember the attacks that came from the enemy afterwards. Trying to whisper nothings into my ear that I wasn’t really saved. That I wasn’t that much different. That I could still hold onto some of my old ways while chasing after God. Isn’t it funny that the voice of the enemy never seems so loud as it does when you’ve decided to surrender your life to the Lord? The enemy knows that he’s losing another soul and he can’t stand it!
I am thankful that I had someone who made a concerted effort to invest in, not only a genuine relationship with me, but who also invested in my walk with Christ. I’ll be honest, had it not been for that person, I’m not sure what my relationship with Christ would look like today.
As the body of Christ this is one of our greatest responsibilities. We must take new believers under our wing and help them through these new waters. Let us live out scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 that reminds us to, “Encourage one another and build one another up”. Let us be a banner, raised high, for this next generation of world-changers!
If you are a new believer and you are reading this blog let me shout congratulations from every rooftop! You’ve just made the single-handed most important decision in your entire life. Jesus is worth it, I can promise you that. You’re probably wondering what is your responsibility in all of this? For you, almost everything in your life will change. You’ll begin to see things with new spiritual insight. To help you understand more of what’s happening, the first thing you need to do is find a church to call home. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”. Why does Paul give us this warning in scripture? He understood that if the enemy could distract you enough to keep you out of the house of God then he would be able to more easily influence everything else in your life. Staying connected with like-minded believers is essential in growing your relationship with Christ and building relationships with seasoned believers who will help you steer through some situations that you are bound to encounter.
If you have a church, wonderful! Go back and tell your pastor of the decision you’ve made to surrender your heart to Christ. He or she will get you connected with other believers who will mentor you, support you, and love on you. If you don’t have a home church, find one as soon as possible. Most people fall back into their old sinful lifestyle because they don’t have a body of believers that they are connected with so they can learn how to navigate the newness of their faith and everything that comes with that. Find a church that offers discipleship opportunities outside of just Sunday morning/Wednesday evening services. You absolutely must have those! However, you can also learn a lot and benefit greatly from Sunday School and connection groups. Many churches have a number of groups that meet weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, in person or online. I promise, if you look for them, you’ll find them.
The next thing you need to do is start diving into the word of God. As believers, we understand that the Bible is the infallible revelation of God to man. In fact, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work”. I understand that the Bible can be overwhelming in the beginning. There’s the Old Testament and the New Testament and so many books in each of them! Many new Christians feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. The Bible, unlike most other books you’ve read, doesn’t have to be read from the beginning to the end! So many people think they need to start at Genesis and read straight through to Revelation. Sounds like a good idea until you get to Leviticus (and all God’s people said Amen…with a slight snicker). My advice is to start in one of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are such beautiful books because they focus on the life and ministry of Jesus. These books give you an insight to the purpose in his life on earth, his miracles, teachings, selection of his closest friends, and willing sacrifice to save us from our sins. These gospels paint a beautiful picture of who Jesus truly is!
Lastly, start to develop a prayer life with God. What if you don’t know how to pray or what to say? That’s ok! Jesus is really good at listening to our hearts even when our words fail us. Don’t worry about trying to make sure you sound like you know what you’re doing. No, God just wants to hear from his children like any Father would. Jesus is your friend. When you pray, pray as though you’ve having a normal conversation with someone you’ve known your whole life. Ask questions. Offer up praise and thanksgiving. And most importantly, don’t forget to make time to listen to Him. The more you do something, the easier it often gets. Praying is no different! There is no wrong way to pray. Just start the conversation and let Jesus do the rest!
If you need/want help navigating your new-found faith, I know that we at the Revival Center would love to come alongside you no matter where you are, what your backstory is, or how unworthy you feel. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) including you. Isn’t it cool that even while we were still sinners, Christ chose to die for us (Romans 5:8)?
To Jesus, you were worth it! And to us, you are too!
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