I'm a new christian

[Cal B]

I'm a new christian and I am curious as to how I might strengthen my faith and find a christian community to share my beliefs with.

 

[Jesus is my Superhero]

Welcome to the forums Cal B.

 

[Cal B]

Welcome to the forums Cal B.

Thanks! It's been quite the ride. Do you perhaps know any denominations or christian communities I might be interested in? I'm really still exploring the faith.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @Cal B, WELCOME TO CF (and more importantly, welcome to the family of God ).

Once God justifies us (saves us), He promises us 1. that He will continue His mighty work in our hearts and minds throughout our life (walk) here by making us more and more like our Savior (more and more Christlike) and 2. that He will see us safely through this life to be with Him in Glory .. e.g. Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 7:25. This process, which is called sanctification, involves (first and foremost) God's word/the Bible. As the Lord Jesus said in His high priestly prayer to His Father on our behalf,

John 17
17 Sanctify them by Thy truth. Thy word is truth.
​

Strengthening your faith (especially at this point in your walk) is a matter of sitting at the Lord's feet and learning from Him (deepening your knowledge and understanding of God, of His word, and of the faith). As a new believer, this should, in fact, be considered your principle ministry (for now) .. cf Luke 10:38-42.

Secondly, God never intended for us to live the Christian life by ourselves, so He gave us the visible church (and we, as believers, are to place ourselves under its teaching and authority .. and there is never a more important time to do so in the life of a believer than when he/she is new to the faith). So, if you have not found a church to attend yet, you should do so immediately as another means of strengthening your faith. We are the "body of Christ". You need us, and we need you too .. e.g. 1 Corinthians 12.

Praying for you!

God bless you!!

--David

1 Thessalonians 5
23 May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body
be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
​

*You may find some of these daily teaching broadcasts/webcasts useful (I certainly did as a new believer, and I still do today ):

Renewing Your Mind w/Dr. R C Sproul
Grace to You w/Dr John MacArthur
Insight for Living w/Dr. Chuck Swindoll

.​

 

[Cal B]

Hello @Cal B, WELCOME TO CF (and more importantly, welcome to the family of God ).

Thank you very much! This was the kind of reply I needed.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello again @Cal B, there is a four part teaching series (by Dr. John MacArthur) for new believers (in particular) called Spiritual Bootcamp. In it, he takes a close look at four of our most important Christian spiritual disciplines, How to Study Scripture, How to Pray, How to Function in the Body (fellowship) and How to Witness. He will also give you practical ways to apply the principles that you learn to your life, and to the lives of others too, of course.

You can listen to all four parts for free online, here. Just scroll down a bit when you get there and then click on "How to Study Scripture" (or any of the other three parts of the series).

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - sometimes its helpful to have a pattern to pray by. One of my favorites is called ACTS.

A - Adoration
C - Confession
T - Thanksgiving
S - Supplication​

Here are a couple of short descriptions of it if you'd care to read more about it.

A Simple Acrostic for Prayer: A.C.T.S. (ligonier.org)

How does one pray? I've never been taught how to say a personal prayer or really talk to God. (billygraham.org)​

 

[Sketcher]

I'm a new christian and I am curious as to how I might strengthen my faith and find a christian community to share my beliefs with.

I'd recommend that you begin by streaming services from local churches.

One of the absolute minimum requirements is having an orthodox (little "o") creed. Here is such a creed; if they deny anything listed here, move on: CF Statement of Faith | Christian Forums.

The congregation should be kind, honest, welcoming, and the leadership in addition must be accountable.

There should be at least some activities where you have an opportunity to serve those in need, and also some social life.

Also, if they absolutely insist on any one translation of the Bible with all of the rest of them being bad, it's a very bad sign. However, I typically recommend to those who want to know which translation of the Bible to get, to use the one that their church uses since it's easier to follow along that way. It should be a recommendation, not a requirement.

It should not feel like you're being controlled or manipulated there - that is not the same as being challenged. There will be challenge at a good church, but it's not going to be toxic manipulation.

And there's more to it than just this, but one forum post cannot encompass all of what you should consider when finding your first church.

As far as building your faith goes, there's part of it that is done at a good church, and part of it that is done in your own devotion time with God. The church component will likely involve being part of a small group at that church, there can only be so many major events in a year. The part of it done in your own devotion time with God will usually involve reading a passage of Scripture and praying about it. Internalize it. Ask questions. My door is open for any questions you may have.

 

[Cal B]

Hello again @Cal B,

Thanks once again! You have been very helpful, and I will for sure be listening to those 4 Spiritual Bootcamp episodes. Also the A.C.T.S pattern will be quite helpful.

Praying for you!

- Cal B

 

[Cal B]

I'd recommend that you begin by streaming services

Thanks for the reply and thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to visit a few churches (there's like 20 in my town, thankfully) and hopefully find one that fits me best. I have been to a Catholic church and a Calvinist church before, but there's many more to look in to as well im sure.

-Cal B

 

[Freth]

Welcome!

 

[Cal B]

Welcome!

Thanks! I'm glad to be here!

 

[Deade]

Hello Cal B, welcome to CF.

I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.

 

[Cal B]

Hello Cal B, welcome to CF.

I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

 

[d taylor]

I'm a new christian and I am curious as to how I might strengthen my faith and find a christian community to share my beliefs with.

This is a good website with great free grace teaching/information.

Grace Evangelical Society

 

[sunshineforJesus]

Hi and welcome here,and especially to the family of God.

 

[ShiningBrightly318]

Hi Cal,
Welcome to the Forum! When we accept Jesus, we belong to the family of God.
To strengthen our faith:
Always put God first in your life.
Attend Bible-based church. Join a small group.
Pray.
Read the Bible everyday to know Jesus better.
Surround yourself with the family of God.
Share the gospel. Tell others what God has done for you.

“I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. (Philippians 1:9-10)

 

[Cal B]

Hi and welcome here,and especially to the family of God.

Hello and thanks!

 

[Cal B]

Hi Cal,
Welcome to the Forum!

Thanks for the welcome and the advice!

 

[FineAndFaith]

Hello and Welcome Cal B!

I'm sure - you will find here what you are looking for .

 

[joshhuntnm]

Read the Bible every morning. The YouVersion app has some great plans. Pray about what you read about.