Follow Jesus

If you believe in Jesus Christ, the next step is to follow him. This is important for every believer. We do not want to go back to the old life of sins. That would be disastrous. We want to follow him to live a new life.

In his teaching, Jesus made two important promises to those who follow him. Firstly, they will not walk in darkness and secondly they will have the light of life. Darkness refers to all wrongdoings while the light of life refers to good deeds and righteous acts.

So Jesus was saying that when we follow him, we will not continue to do what is sinful but what is right. In saying this, Jesus is calling men and women to live a new life through him.

But how do we follow Jesus when we cannot see him? We follow his teaching and do what he says by faith. If you are a new believer, this is what you should do:

1. Join a Church

The first thing a new believer should do is to find a local church to attend. This is very important because new believers are like new-born babies. They need parents or guardians to care for them. If they are left alone, they will not likely survive.

So attending a church is top priority as church pastors and mature Christians serve as spiritual parents and guardians to support you in your faith. It is the starting point where you learn spiritual truth through the teachings of the Bible. It is also a very important place where you get to know other believers, learn to pray and get equipped for serving.

However, it is also important to attend the right Christian church. There are some that teach dangerous doctrines that are contrary to the will of God. So you need to be careful which church to attend.

In general, the teachings must challenge you to become more godly and holy, not more worldly and carnal. If a church always talks about prosperity, self gratification, grace or the law only, flee!

We need to hear both the good promises of God as well as the warnings of God. You should also stay away from churches that do not recognise Jesus Christ as the Son of God, divine and equal to God. Lastly, do not join those that worship Jesus as well as other human-beings.

If you need help finding a church, please click here.

If you are unable to join a church for some reasons, you can find other Christian believers to pray with and to study the Bible together.

2. Read the Bible

Beside joining a church, believers should also read the Holy Bible. This is equally important. The Bible gives us knowledge about God and his will for men. If it is not written in the Bible that we should be holy because he is holy, then how are we going to do what he commands?

So it is important that we study the Bible and know God’s will regarding how we should live. We cannot leave this responsibility to anyone, not even the church. If we rely on the pastors or preachers for spiritual teaching only, it is not sufficient. It can also be dangerous if false doctrines are taught.

Therefore, get a Bible and begin to read regularly. You can buy a simple version such as NIV, ESV, NLT or NKJV. Do not try to understand everything at once. You can’t. Just continue reading and do the things you understand. You can also join a Bible study class to grow in your understanding.

3. Pray

Prayer is probably the most important discipline for a believer. Yes, we can pray just about anything; needs, health, career, family, problems and etc.

But prayer is more than that. Prayer is about our relationship with God. When we pray, we come before our Father in Heaven and connect with him in a personal way. It is like a child spending precious time with his father or a husband with his wife. Prayer builds up our intimacy with God in a way that no other things we do is able to accomplish.

This is important for believers. A good strong relationship will help us to trust God and stay faithful to him to the end. But if we do not pray, our relationship with God can become cold and distant. This can be costly to a believer. He may leave Jesus and follow him no more.

So learn to pray. Then develop the discipline of praying daily – whether a quiet time of prayer alone or short prayers throughout the day. You can refer to this prayer guide for help.

4. Do What God Says

We can attend a church, read the Bible and pray. But if we do not obey God and do what he says, then all is futile. Doing the will of God is still the standard by which we stand or fall.

Jesus told a parable to illustrate this point. He said whoever hears his Word and puts it into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. When the wind blew and the flood came, his house stood firm.

BUT whoever hears his Word and does not practise it is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. When the wind blew and the flood came, his house fell and great was its fall.

This illustration warns us that if we do not put God’s Word into practice, we will suffer great loss. This loss may not just refer to earthly losses, it could mean our eternal inheritance in Heaven. But if we are wise, we will be careful to do what God says. After all, obedience is really what matters.