What is Next After Conversion?

What is next after you have converted to Christianity? What does that even mean? 

There are many opinions. 

Jack Hibbs is a pastor from California who said the church is called to make disciples not converts.  I loved that so much. Why? It is not enough to convert. That is simply step one. We are to Grow Up. The last thing Jesus said before leaving his disciples on earth to start the Christian church was to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all my commands. Conversion is just the start.

So, to begin with, let's clarify the bad news, good news, and the rest of the story. The bad news is the human condition, the church calls it the fall or sin. We are not able to make ourselves right with God which the church calls righteousness without His help. The good news is that He made a way to rectify this through receiving His Son, Jesus to be the payment we need to set things right and the church calls this justification and redemption. When we turn from our sin church calls this repentance and chose to go in the direction of our Creator, seeking Him and His guidance, accepting His solution for our condition the church calls that salvation. The rest of the story is where we live the rest of our saved, converted, Christian lives.

If we spend time learning what He commanded, we will begin to grow up in our relationship with God and others. This is a process the church calls sanctification. This is a lifelong process that will refine us. The great thing about that is it is with the help of the Holy Spirit. He doesn't save us so we will refine ourselves. He even sets us up in an imperfect family of believers who make up the church. We are not alone.

If you want to learn more about this process, Grow Up is a study intended for those seeking what is next after salvation. It is a companion and guide to encourage you to get into the Word of God so that the Word of God can get into you and transform you.

Are you ready to step into the "what's next" for your journey with God? Take the journey. Call others to join you. Doing it together is much better. Encourage a small group of family, friends or neighbors to do it with you.

Grow Up Website for details

Purchase Grow Up Study Use this link if you are interested in purchasing the study.

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Full Pardon

Have you read Isaiah 53 lately? In it he writes about Jesus years before He comes to earth. He indicates what will happen to the Messiah who is to come. 

I was floored by the revelation in verse 7 where it is prophesied that he would not open His mouth. In Dr. Chuck Missler’s book “Learn the Bible in 24 Hours” he says, “He made no defense because He couldn’t; He was in our shoes and we are guilty.” I am undone by this. 

I always thought how hard it would be to remain silent when you are being accused unjustly. But He chose to be unjustly accused because He chose to stand before His accusers and take on each one of our guilt and shame. We are the guilty party. Receive it or not, we are the guilty ones worthy to be condemned. But because the innocent Lamb did not speak up for His own innocence, we are offered a full pardon from God for our crimes against Him. FULL PARDON.  Let that sink in.  We will not be held to account for all the wrong in our lives if we accept what He did for us, humbly confess we are sinful, and turn to Him in repentance. 

Deep in each of our souls, we know our own depravity. We know our own evil thoughts. We recognize our own frailty. We just allow the world system to keep us too busy and distracted, so we do not have to face these facts about ourselves. 

If we will humble ourselves and receive what He has done for us, we can be set free to enjoy all that this silent lamb did for us. He was silent so He could pay our sin debt so we could be free.  That is crazy. Crazy love, crazy grace and crazy mercy.

I look at my life as a parent and cannot help but see the parallel to God with us.  As I have journeyed through this life, I have learned some lessons the hard way.  I saw that to do things a certain way really is a good idea.  I use to be one of those that tested things.  I had to learn things through experiences.  But I am glad to say that as time has marched on I have become wiser.  I listen to advice more, I watch to see the way I should go and I understand that there really is a right way and everything else really is the wrong way.  I don't say this to start an argument but state it as fact according to my years on this earth.

I am not in anyway trying to start a discussion about it.  I am just stating that there is a narrow path and a wide path.  On the path that is wide, it is easy for a time.  It may even seem right or fun.  But I can tell you that in math 2+2 is always going to be 4.  You can try all the other answers but they will still be wrong.  It doesn't matter how much you debate it, how much you argue that it is not 4, truth is NOT relative.  Truth is truth.

As a parent, we try to lead our children in the path which is good and right for their sake.  Just as our Father has given us very specific guidelines to live well in this life.  As scripture says "so it may go well with you."  Our confinement in the commands of God are our salvation.

When we go off on our on in this life, we find that walking the wrong path is dissatisfying and we get frustrated.  When we disregard God's commands, we are walking our own way and trying to do life in spite of God.

I can tell you that living in that manner cannot lead you into peace.  We were not created to live separated from our creator as much as many would like to think.  It is the center of who we are; we seeks for meaning and purpose.  We may seek fame, money, success, relationship, drugs, sex etc. to fill the longing, but I can tell you it will never be enough.  It will not satisfy and we will never be at peace in it.

Peace comes when you finally figure out that you are not in right standing with God and you need to be reconciled with Him.  Redemption comes when you receive His restitution for you.  It comes when you begin to line yourself up with what He says and what He wills for your life.  The wonderful news of the gospel is that I can be at peace with God through Jesus Christ.  He paid for my sin on the cross so I wouldn't have to.

Our pastor painted an amazing picture of Christ's suffering and crucifixion and the thought came to me as he was being quite graphic that that is what my sin looks like on my insides and on the insides of others that I sin against.  With each laceration, His stripes healed me and made me right with God.  It justified me. (Just-if-I'd --never sinned)  He made it as if I had never sinned.  That is the good news.  (The best part of waking UP is not Folgers in your cup.  It is waking up to this wonderful truth that I can be in RIGHT standing with the God of the universe and that He wants me to be in relationship with Him)

So the best part is that He showed us a better way to live this life through His commands and they are not just a good idea.  They are the WAY to live victoriously. (they are narrow and specific - not vague so we have to wonder)  There is no better feeling than to sit before God at peace with Him.  Having nothing between us.  Being fully and completely one with Him.

Go today and seek the right path.  Walk in it and even when it seems difficult and challenging, do it any way. Consider the trials you face as you walk in this right-ness, pure joy.  Because as you walk right and the trials come so does the development of character and perseverance.  Walk it out and become a person of integrity.  Do it well.  Choose to continue to walk in this path for the rest of your life, day by day. You will see what the Lord intended for your life if you will just choose to walk in the way of Christ.  Let the Bible be your road map today.

I dare you!