Congratulations on your decision to follow the Lord. After you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can begin to grow in Him. Every day try to grow a little more. Make growth part of your Christian life. After several years you may be surprised that you have become a mature Christian! Click on images to learn more.
Eight Steps in Following Jesus
No One Is Saved Without Christ — No One! “Neither is there salvation in any other… there is none other name…whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 Saved = Born Again = Family of God – John 1:12 There are Many Churches But Only One Gospel — Romans 1:16
KNOW YOUR SAVED
First, you cannot follow the Lord until you are saved (in Christ). A person who is not saved (not in Christ) does not belong to the family of God. When you are saved (in Christ) you are born into the family of God (Read John 1:12). To follow Christ you must first become a Christian. All people are either in Christ (saved) or not in Christ (not saved). Are you in Christ? Some think they become a Christian when they join a church or become baptized. This is wrong. You need to join the church and be baptized after you are saved. Some think they will go to Heaven because they change their life. This is also wrong. God has only one way to be saved and go to Heaven. To know you are saved you must be saved according to the Scriptures. No one can go to Heaven without Jesus Christ – No One! This also means you (Acts 4:12).
What Does “Saved” Mean? Notice the word saved is past tense meaning it is something you have done. Saved means you have received Jesus Christ. “But as many as received him (Jesus), to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12). Saved simply means you are now saved from Hell through Jesus Christ. You are now a Christian. There are many different churches, but there is only one Gospel. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). This means no person without Christ can go to Heaven. Only those “in Christ” go to Heaven. You may be in church but are you in Christ? You may have been baptized but have you believed in Christ? Are you 100% sure you are going to Heaven? Are you saved according to the Bible? “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life (I John 5:13). You can know you are going to Heaven!
Five Things You Need To Know
1. Know That You Have Sinned – “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23). The word all means all people: the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the hearing and the deaf. The little baby is born crying and soon starts lying. Even little children have sin. Proof, “Who teaches the children how to do wrong?” No one!
All are born in sin and already know how to do wrong (Romans 5:12). You need to be honest and confess that you are a sinner and you need a Saviour. You do not become a sinner but you are born a sinner. First, you must realize that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself. You need a Saviour to save you.
2. Know God Loves You – God loves you. He does not want to punish you in Hell. He wants you to be saved and go to Heaven. God will forgive your sins. He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the place of your sins (John 3:16). God loves you and wants you to be saved. God wants you in Heaven with Him. God knows you and God loves you.
3. Know Christ Died For Your Sins – Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died for your sins. He will forgive your sins and save you. Jesus died for your sins. This means there is nothing you can do to remove your sins. Only Jesus can save you (John 14:6).
4. Know You Need to Pray and be Saved – You know you are a sinner. You know that God loves you. You know that Jesus Christ will save you and forgive your sins. Now you must pray and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and save you. He will forgive your sins and make you to become a child of God. (John 1:12.) Your name will be written in the Book of Life in Heaven and you will not be cast (thrown) into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:15.) If you have never prayed and asked Jesus to take away your sins, do it now. Know for sure that you are saved!
5. Know You Now Have Everlasting Life – Know that God’s Word is true. You have prayed. You have accepted Jesus Christ and now you are a child of God. You have everlasting life (John 3:16). This means you will never be cast into Hell. You are saved from Hell. You will go to Heaven to be forever with God.
Know You Are Saved! If you are not saved, be saved now…
Move to Step 2
No One Is Saved Without Christ — No One! “Neither is there salvation in any other… there is none other name…whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 Saved = Born Again = Family of God – John 1:12 There are Many Churches But Only One Gospel — Romans 1:16
First step after saved is baptism. Have you been baptized? “…they that gladly received his word were baptized.” Acts 2:41
BE BAPTIZED
The Bible tells us in I Peter 2:21 to follow in Jesus’ steps. You will now study the life of Jesus when He was on this earth. You will want to follow in His steps so you can be a good Christian. The next step after salvation is to be baptized. Why? What does baptism mean? How should you be baptized? The Bible has the answer.
The Baptism of Jesus Christ – When Jesus began His ministry, at about the age of thirty, the first thing He did was to walk to the River Jordan and be baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus walked many miles through the desert lands to do something that was very important. Before Jesus started to work for God, He was first baptized. Jesus went with John the Baptist into the river. John the Baptist lowered Jesus into the water and baptized Him. All the people looked and saw that Jesus was baptized. When He was baptized, there came a voice from Heaven. God said, “. . . This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…” God was happy and pleased that Jesus was baptized. God did not force Jesus to be baptized, but Jesus wanted to please God. Jesus was our example and He wants you to follow Him. You should be baptized too. All saved people need to be baptized as a testimony to show others that they are a Christian.
What is Baptism? – Baptism is an outward expression of an inward possession. When you are baptized you show others that you are now a Christian and you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. A person is baptized under water, showing the death of Jesus and His burial. Then he is raised from the water, showing the resurrection of Jesus. Baptism is with water (John 1:26). Baptism is by immersion, which means to be put under the water (Mark 1:9-10).
Jesus was immersed (under water) and so should you. You should obey the Lord and be baptized under water as Jesus. Baptism is the second step in following Jesus. You should be baptized because you want to obey the command of Jesus (Matthew. 28:19,20). If you are not baptized, it can hurt your testimony. People will think you are ashamed to be a Christian. If you are not baptized, then you are not obeying and following God.
Have You Followed Jesus in Step Two? You will never be an obedient Christian unless you are willing to do what God wants you to do. Many people are watching your life and you need to show them that you have decided to follow Jesus. When Jesus was baptized God said, “…I am well pleased…” God will be pleased when you are baptized and so will many others.
(Talk to your pastor or teacher about being baptized.)
Where and How to be Baptized – After you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour you should then be baptized. You should find a good Bible-believing church that is interested in helping you as a Christian. Tell the pastor that you have been saved and you want now to be baptized. The church will baptize you and you will become a member of the church.
Move to Step 3
JOIN A CHURCH
Become a Good Faithful Church Member – Attend all church services and special meetings. You need the fellowship and Word of God to help you become a mature Christian. You go to school to learn to read and write but you need to go to church to learn spiritual things of God. The church will teach you about God. In church you will meet good Christian friends who will help you. The church will help you to grow into maturity. You need to join a Bible believing church. If you are saved and have not been baptized, you need to take the second step of baptism.
Move to Step 4
READ YOUR BIBLE
YOU need to start reading your Bible and praying every day. As you read your Bible, God talks to you. As you pray, you talk to God. The Bible will give you strength and cleanse you for God’s work (John 15:3). Start with the the book of John. Study your Bible with helpful lessons or courses.
Move to Step 5
PRAY
“ASK…it shall be given you; seek…ye shall find; knock…it shall be opened unto you.”
Matthew 7:7
“Ye have not, because ye ASK not..”
James 4:2
Jesus prayed many times. Prayer was a very important part of His life. Many times He stopped all that He was doing to pray. Jesus, the Son of God, needed to pray. He prayed on the mountain tops and in the valleys. He prayed in public and in private. He taught His disciples to pray. He prayed much to God.
Jesus prayed often, sometimes in the early morning, sometimes at night. Jesus told his disciples, “Pray, lest ye enter into temptation” [Luke 22:46]. Jesus prayed many times. He is our example and we need to follow in His steps and pray as He prayed. The Bible says, “Ask and it shall be given you” (Matthew 7:7). Many deaf are saved, but they do not pray. This is wrong. The disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). You should learn to pray continually. Prayer is the way to get things from God.
“Ye have not, because ye ask not.” — James 4:2
All Christians Can Pray – God understands all people in all countries and all languages. Some think they cannot pray to God because they speak a different language. This is not true. God understands all languages including deaf Sign Language. Even the Deaf can pray to God with their hands, in their hearts, or in their thoughts. God understands all “Hispanic” people who pray in Spanish. God even understands the natives of Africa who pray in their unknown languages. Prayer is not just pretty words. Pretty words are not important or impressive to God. God looks at your heart.
Move to Step 6
LIVE A CLEAN GODLY LIFE
“If any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature: old things – passed away… all things – become new…” II Corinthians 5:17
Change Your Life! Stop Bad Habits.
Jesus lived a clean and pure life. Jesus was holy. He lived a good life and the people could not find fault in His life. The enemies of Jesus tried to find fault and wrong in Him but they could not. Jesus lived a good life for God. Christians need to follow His example. God was pleased with Jesus and gave Him power and blessing on His life. God wants to use every Christian and bless his life. God wants to use you to serve Him. God will not bless or use a person who has sin in his life. You cannot serve God with sin in your life. Live a good Godly Christian Life.
Be Clean and Pure – Sometimes a car gets dirty and needs to be washed. A house needs to be cleaned. After you eat you need to wash the dirty dishes. Christians also become dirty and need to be washed clean. Would you like to eat your food from dirty dishes that have not been washed? Would you like to drink milk from a dirty glass? Many Christians keep their cars, homes, dishes and their bodies clean, but their hearts and minds are dirty. God wants you to have a clean life so that He can use you to serve Him. God does not use unclean vessels. Do you have sin in your life? Are you dirty? God only uses people who have clean and pure lives. Be clean and God will use you.
What Makes Your Life Dirty? – Many people think it is all right to drink beer, smoke, use bad words, look at pornography in books and on the Internet. This is wrong. These things make your life dirty with God. If you want God to use you then you must stop bad habits and sin. Things that hurt your testimony or make you feel bad in your heart are wrong and you need to put them away. Don’t read sex books and fill your mind with dirty thoughts. If you want God to use you and you truly want to follow Jesus, you must stop your worldly habits and sins and ask God to forgive you and start living clean (II Corinthians 7:1). Do it! You need to change your life and bad habits. Replace the bad habits with good habits. Put off the bad and put on the good. (Colossians 3:8-10). Do you have a sinful habit? Bad habits will destroy your life and testimony. Sin makes you feel bad in your heart and it will destroy you (James 1:14-15). When you have sin in your life it hurts Jesus and it also hurts your testimony with other people. The next step in following Jesus is to break from worldly habits. Decide to follow Jesus and do right. Ask God to forgive you. He will cleanse and forgive your sins and you can start living for Him. Live a clean Christian life.
Move to Step 7
DON’T GIVE UP – DON’T QUIT
Start & Finish – Don’t Stop or Quit!
“I have FINISHED my course, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7
“Well done, thou good and FAITHFUL servant.” — Matthew 25:21
You have followed Jesus to the River Jordan where He was baptized. You have followed Him into the wilderness of temptation. After the wilderness Jesus began to minister to the needs of people. Jesus was very kind. He made the blind to see and the crippled to walk. He made the sick well. Many people followed Jesus and loved Him very much, but some of the people were angry because He spoke the truth. In St. Luke 4:29, the people were mad at Jesus. They tried to cast (throw) Him down a hill and kill Him. Jesus was a kind man doing good for all the people, but there were some who hated Him and were His enemies. Jesus did not stop living for God because of His enemies. Some people think because they are a Christian that every person will love them and be kind to them. This is not true. Sometimes even your family and friends will turn away from you when you start living for God. You must decide that you will keep living for God even if your friends and family are against you. Decide to never stop, quit or give up!
Keep Living for the Lord – Some people do not love Christians. The Bible says, “…all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” [II Timothy 3:12]. Sometime when you try to live for God other people will try to stop you from living right. Some people will tease you because you are a good Christian. The next step is to understand that the Devil will use many things to try and stop you from being a good Christian; but do not give up. Some times you will be tempted to be unfaithful in church. Keep living for God. Don’t stop!
Do Right at All Times – It is easy to give up. But you must be strong and keep living right for God. Follow Jesus and live for Him even though your friends leave you. Sometimes people can hurt you with words or bitterness. Even some family members may not like you becoming a Christian. But keep living right for God. Keep your eyes upon Jesus and follow Him. Give Him your life and ask Him to help you. You will be glad you did! When you get to Heaven you can hear Jesus say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” – Matthew 25:21
Move to Step 8
IN HEAVEN FOREVER
Heaven — Forever!
“There shall be NO MORE death… sorrow… crying… pain… former things… passed away… I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.” — Revelation 21:4-5
The last step that Jesus made was His step from this earth as He ascended into Heaven. Jesus went up into Heaven and He is now with God (Acts 1:9-11). Jesus began His ministry at the River Jordan and we have followed His life through the wilderness, in prayer, in soul winning, on the cross, and in the resurrection. Now the last step of the Christian will be to step from this earth to Heaven. One day all Christians will follow Jesus and step from this earth to Heaven.
The Last Step Into Heaven – Many people are surprised when they hear about Heaven and all the wonderful things in Heaven. One day all Christians will be in Heaven. Heaven is a wonderful place and it will be wonderful to be in Heaven. Some Deaf now wish they could hear their children’s voice. One deaf mother told me, “I wish I could hear my baby cry.”
In Heaven there will be no more illnesses, cancer, blindness or deafness. All deaf people will be able to hear with their ears and speak with their voice. There will be no need for Sign Language or Interpreters. Just think! You can put your hands in your pockets and talk with your mouth. All blind people will see, and the cripple will walk. In Heaven you will live forever. You will never die. One hundred years is a long time, but in Heaven you will live longer than one thousand or one million years. You will live forever.
In Heaven there will be no need for soldiers because there will be no war in Heaven. In Heaven all will be peace, love and joy forever! In Heaven there will be no hospitals, doctors or nurses. No person will be sick with cancer or diseases. In Heaven there is no pain and sickness. There will be no hearing aids, glasses, walking sticks, wheel chairs or medicine. There will be no castor oil, no shots or medicine. In Heaven you will have a new body that will not grow old or need these things.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” –Revelation 21:4 -5
In Heaven you will see Jesus and talk with Him. In Heaven you can sing with your new voice. You can sing with the angels. It will be wonderful. Heaven is a very wonderful place. The last step the Christian will make will be to step into Heaven. You will be home at last. You will be in Heaven for all eternity. It is a long journey through life. Sometimes there are detours (stops), bad roads, and a long trip. But all this is forgotten when you get home. In life there will be troubles and heartaches but all this will be forgotten when you arrive in Heaven. Be patient and continue to follow in His steps and one day you will take your last step into Heaven – Home at last !
“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” –Revelation 21:5
