You're saved! Now what?

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Hey everyone, 
As you may or may not know I am a relatively new christian. I don't know when I stop being a new christian but I gave my life to God at the beginning of 2017. During the past year it's been a transformation of mind, soul and life. I don't know why I didn't do it earlier!! Because I wasn't as well versed in christian culture or theology I have learnt some things about being a new christian and navigating faith and the church which I hope makes things a little less confusing when your faith is young. 
1. Find a church and give people a chance
This is number one because it was something I really struggled with as a new christian. I was weary of church politics and of people who seemed too judgmental and looked down on me. It hurt when people said that I wouldn't know what to do and I always felt like I missed out on a relationship with God for so many years longer than my peers. It hurt when people were too busy to chat; I had a rough month where it felt like no one cared anymore. Now I had been baptised, I was supposed to just get on with it. People didn't need to keep inviting me to things because it was now expected that I'd turn up. My heart knew that this was the enemy sewing seeds of doubt and division in my life, pushing me away from those who would help strengthen my faith but it was scary how quickly I closed off again. My advice to you is to keep pushing through it. Don't always wait for people to reach out first but message them! You'll be surprised how many people are willing to meet for an hour or two and chat about anything, God, uni, home, friends, relationships ect. If you really feel left out, say something! Don't keep the hurt inside, talk to a student worker or friend or someone in the church and pray through it. Pray against division and hurt. Community is so so important with faith at any stage. Don't give up on them.

 2. Frustration is a gift
This is a bit of a tricky one but something I feel needs to be addressed. Not everyone will have a perfect relationship with God/Jesus/the holy spirit and not everyone will agree with everything in the bible. This is not a judgement of other Christians (as I am not a judgey person or have any right to be) but an observation. I do not have a perfect relationship with God. I sin and get frustrated at Him and go against what the holy spirit says in my heart sometimes. Maybe it was just me, but when I found community in Christ I thought everyone who had been Christians much longer than me would be experts at following the spirit and would want to do everything Jesus did. I thought I'd never keep up with the healing, outreach, evangelism, serving, 24hr prayers, non stop worship and generous giving. However, all people are going on their own journey and that's important to remember. Faith has nothing to do with how long you've believed or what group you lead, its a personal relationship with God. You may feel frustrated that you're trying to listen to the holy spirit and what God is saying but it feels like others aren't. Or that you really want to evangelise and get stuck into outreach and others are happy just staying in their church groups. Firstly, I will say never dampen that spirit and fire for God! Keep seeking Him out and even if others think you're mad, do it with wisdom. Secondly, it's ok that you're frustrated. Paul called out the churches he wrote to but he still loved them and prayed for them. You might be scared to speak up about something because you're new to it but don't be! (blog post about this coming soon) There are always others wanting to change too but are too scared/comfortable to do it without someone else speaking first. You have been given a great gift of not being comfortable with the way things are done, because it's new, so speak up with love. Pray about the change you want to see happen, pray with others about it, write about it, talk in a casual setting to your friends and see what they think, pray some more! If God is in it and leading it, amazing things can and will happen!!

3. Try not to be intimated
You will meet all sorts of people. People who know obscure bible verses off by heart; people who get prophesies at the drop of a hat; people who can stand up infront of everyone and say the word they feel God say to them; people who know the entire history of paul/the bible/ ancient rome/greece; and so on. These people can be very intimidating to new Christians trying to discern God's voice for the first time but remember they were there once. Everyone has their gifts and their calling. You don't have to be up on stage leading worship to have a strong foundation of faith or be a 'good' christian. It's awesome that God uses those people in that way but he made us all differently for different purposes. Don't get discouraged if you didn't know Mark was in the gospels or if you think a word has come from God and it doesn't connect with anyone. The first couple of times I prayed for healing, nothing seemed to happen at it was a tad awkward. I have never got the instant miracle spectacles (yet) but as long as we believe it can happen; God can heal; our hearts are right with Him and God can use us for his purpose then that's the best place to start. Also, in my experience, people won't tease you or judge you for stepping out and trying to learn. They want to cultivate that hunger for God not stamp it out.

4. Get to know your church community
As a new christian, other Christians are crucial to your faith journey. We weren't meant to be alone and the people who brought you to faith are put around you for a reason. They love you and they might not even know you yet so talk to them. Ask for a cup of tea catch up, cook them dinner, go to church events, small groups or mission and really see why these people love God. Everyone will have a story and they are beautiful! The church is somewhere that people who are passionate about God are gathered so basically its one of the greatest places to get advice, encouragement, prayer and healing (but not the only place!). There are always people who love what they do because the church doesn't pay millions so you have to love what you do to work in a church. If someone says to ask them when you need help: they mean it. If they say call me anytime: they mean it. If they say tell me what I can pray for: they mean it! These people have hearts where Jesus is King and no matter what, that binds us together.

 I hope this helps clear up some things I struggled with at the start of my faith. There are many others so I will do another post later on next year.
Take care
x


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About Me

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" Hi! I'm a 21 year old student, and this blog is here to document my thoughts, feelings and events that happen in my life. I hope you'll enjoy reading them and get some comfort from knowing that you're not alone. So sit back, grab a cup of decaf tea and join me on this journey we call life.

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