How to Start Following Christ

RECOGNIZE YOU HAVE DONE WRONG

Honestly reflect on areas in your life where you have done wrong. How have you been self-serving, dishonest, or unloving? As you do this, remember that God has abundant grace and extends forgiveness to the repentant.  

REACH OUT TO GOD

Say something like the following prayer, feeling free to put it in your own words:

Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that I have done things that I should not have done. I have rebelled against you, sinning in some of the following ways: __________. I do not want to be Your enemy. I want to be in loving relationship with my Creator. I want to live a life of goodness and love. I turn away from sin and turn toward You. I agree and affirm that Jesus Christ is who He says He is; I affirm that He is the Son, the only mediator between God and humankind. I believe that His work on the cross (i.e., His death and resurrection) atones for my sin and ends my separation from You. With gratitude, I receive this free gift and choose to follow Jesus. I affirm that Jesus Christ will now be my Lord and Savior. I affirm that He is now my King, my Leader, my Guide. Send Your Spirit to dwell within me, transform me, heal me. Turn me into the person You want me to be. Make my heart desire what is beautiful, wholesome, and good— everything that is of You. Make my heart dislike anything that leads to spiritual sickness and death—anything that is not of You. Fill me with love. Help me to love You and those around me wholeheartedly. Protect me from all the forces and powers of the evil one. Place your protection around me. And guide me in my next steps in following Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

LEARN ABOUT GOD'S CHARACTER, NATURE, AND WILL

Start a daily practice of reading the Bible. The Bible is not always read from beginning to end, like a typical book; for a new believer, it is often best to start by reading the Gospel of John.

COMMUNICATE WITH GOD

Start engaging in daily prayer. It is good to schedule some daily quiet time for this. In addition to dedicated prayer time, it is also great to just talk with Him throughout your whole day. He is your friend and counselor. You can connect with Him throughout the day about anything that is on your mind. Develop an intimate, authentic, loving relationship with your Creator.

PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL COMMUNITY

Find a local church to attend. Check out a few different local church services, ask God to help you choose the church that He wants you to attend, and then begin engaging in a quality church community. When picking out a church, I recommend you consider some of the following things:

• Do the sermons focus on what Scripture says? Does the church ground its teachings in Scripture? If a church isn’t focused on what the Bible says, it isn’t going to be a church that nourishes you.
• Do the church’s teachings align with this site's “The Basics” page? While different churches can disagree about nuances of the faith, there are fundamentals that any good church will agree with. This site's "The Basics" page focuses on those fundamentals—i.e., the core beliefs of Christianity. If a church is teaching something significantly different, that church should be avoided. Most churches have their beliefs listed on their website, so it is easy to check in advance.

Please keep in mind that even believers are still a bit broken. We are all works in progress; the only perfect person is Jesus Christ. Therefore, you do not want to judge a perfect God by His imperfect ambassadors. God is good, even when individual humans are not.

DEVELOP MENTORS

Seek out and develop relationships with at least 2-3 committed and mature believers. It is beneficial to have people in your life who can answer questions and help you as you walk out your growing faith.

GRACE AND MORE GRACE

Try to keep in mind that you are very likely to stumble on your journey. Developing intimate relationships can come with challenges, and developing one with God is no exception. God is there to help you on every step of the journey though. He loves you, has abundant grace for your journey, and will help you get to the finish line. Put your faith in Him, and there will be no reason to fret.