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Now what...?

21st September 2009 by Mark Soper

So you've just made the biggest and best decision ever - you've asked Christ into your life. You're excited. You're pumped. You feel the most love, peace and joy that you've ever felt.

But the question lying beneath all of that is ‘now what'. What do I do now? How do I actually ‘live like a Christian'?

Or, if your friend was the one who made the decision to follow Christ, how do you help them to ‘live like a Christian'?

Ben's story

A young kid (let's call him Ben) from the community gave his life to Christ a few weeks ago, or as he said it, "Tonight I asked Jesus into my heart."

You truly cherish these moments as a youth pastor.

I think the biggest question for a new Christian, along with people who are reasonably new to Christianity, is ‘now what do I do'.

I asked Ben, ‘now what are you going to do?' His reply? He shrugged his shoulders.

The question I must ask myself as a Christian is, ‘Now what do I need to do to make sure this new believer can become a disciple?'

Six lessons

There are six fundamental lessons that a new believer needs to learn:

• How to pray
• How to read their Bible
• How to spend time alone with God
• How to develop Christ-like characteristics
• How to stand against Satan and sin
• How to witness to others

As you can see, learning how to do these things takes time, even a lifetime some would say. But if we don't nurture and disciple new believers, and teach and show them how to live out these six fundamental lessons, they will never grow to become mature, passionate disciples.

Along with Ben's small group leader and the Menai youth, I am taking part in this discipleship process with Ben.

Making disciples

I believe that ‘in making disciples' we are fulfilling the Great Commission found in Mathew 28:16-20 where Jesus tells us to "go and make disciples of all the nations" (v19). We all have a part to play in doing this.

My prayer is that when God answers our prayers and desires for people to give their life over to Christ, and they ask themselves ‘now what do I do', we would all play our part and responsibility in making sure that we disciple and nurture these new Christians into growing followers of Jesus, hoping that eventually they will lead others to do the same!

Mark Soper is the Ministry Assistant at Menai Salvation Army, where he oversees the youth ministries amongst other responsibilities in the corps.

Mark has previously been youth pastor at Hurstville Corps and has also worked on the Street Outreach Service at The Salvation Army's Oasis Youth Support Network. He loves seeing God grow churches from Christians meeting community needs. Mark is married to Lauren.