GROWING IN THE LORD

When you pray and accept the Lord as your Savior you become a new creature in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) In the third chapter of John it says you have been born again. So the minute you ask Jesus into your heart you become a baby Christian. Just as a human baby needs food to grow, a new Christian needs to do things to grow in the Lord, that is, to get to know Him better. Each one of the examples below are ways you can become more knowledgable and closer to the Lord.

Baptism
Once you have accepted the Lord as your Savior you should make arrangements to be baptised. Even though baptism isn't a part of salvation it is a first step in obedience to the Lord. He commands all to be baptised. Being baptised is a witness to others about the change that has occured in your life when you accepted the Lord into your heart. It is an outward sign of an inward grace.

In the Bible baptism was by immersion. People got completely into the water to be baptised. It is a picture of the death, burial and ressurection of our Lord. Being obedient to the Lord in baptism is your first step in growing in the Lord.

Bible Study
The Bible is God's Word. It is His love letter to you. To get to know the Lord, what He has for your life, what He says about a particular situation, etc. you need to read His Word. The Bible is food for your soul. It will give you comfort and encouragement in time of need. It will give you answers to life's problems. God speaks to you through the Bible. It is never changing and always new. It is full of history, wisdom, poetry, prophecy and help. A good place to start is the gospel of John. Try to read at least one chapter a day. John tells all about the life of Jesus. The gospel of John is a good place to start in getting to know Jesus better.

Church
Church is where God's children meet to worship and learn about Him. Your minister or Sunday School teacher is equipped to help in your Christian walk. Listening to sermons about life or Bible stories helps you to grow in your knowledge of Christ. It's another way of getting fed. Being in church helps build up your spirit and gets you ready for whatever life throws at you in the coming week.

Fellowship
Fellowship means being with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Getting to know each other. Having fun together. Praying together for each other's needs. Helping each other in time of need. It is a way of growing by building each other up. It's only natural to want to be with your family. Christians love being with the family of God.

Worship
To worship the Lord means to let Him know how much you love and adore Him. During a church service there usually is a time of worship where you sing praises to the Lord. They are like love songs to your Father. But worship isn't limited to church services. You can worship at home, in your car, at a park, anywhere you feel led to show your love to the Lord. Christian radio or tapes, CD's, or videos are a great way to help you worship your Savior.

Another form of worship is Prayer Prayer is talking to God. Letting Him know how your day went. Telling Him when you are upset or happy. Asking for help or answers to a problem. Prayer is a conversation. First you talk to Him, then you listen in your heart.

We grow when we worship the Lord because we are in direct communion with Him.

Witnessing
Witnessing is telling others about what has happened in your heart. Telling them the Good News that Jesus died for their sins and they can turn to Him and have eternal life. Sharing with them how God has changed your heart and how happy you are to know that you are going to Heaven. Witnessing doesn't mean you have to go door to door or join a church witness program. If the Lord leads you to do that then, of course, do it. But you can witness to friends and family just by letting them see the change in your life after you accept Christ. Answer questions they may have. Offer to pray when needed. Little by little you are planting seeds that someday will grow and they will soon understand what it means to follow the Lord. You may even have the privledge of being the one to pray with them to accept Jesus. And that is an awesome way to build yourself up in the Lord, too!