AFTER BEING BORN OF WATER AND SPIRIT WHAT’S NEXT?

By Pastor Dan L. Cox

I. The Principle “Your New Life”
Acts 2:38

A. Repentance: Turning away from sin.

B. Water Baptism by immersion in Jesus Name according to the scriptures

C. Receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost

a. Accompanied by speaking in tongues.

b. Results:
(1) Power and desire to tell others about Jesus Christ.
(2) Greater understanding of God’s Word.
(3) Deeper prayer life.
(4) Manifestation of other gifts.

II. The need to grow and mature as a new Christian.

1. Give your life completely to Jesus Christ (Proverbs 28:13).

a. Now that you are a Christian, (born of water, and of Spirit) Jesus is your Lord. Lord means boss, so Jesus is boss of your life.

b. Obey Him by stopping all your wrong thoughts, words, and actions. God will replace them with His clean, beautiful thoughts, words and actions.

c. Continue to obey Jesus Christ. He speaks through the Bible, so obey the instructions given there.

2. Read the Word daily (Pas. 119:105)

a. For reliability.

(1) King James Bible
(2) New American Standard Bible

b. For readability.
(1) Amplified Bible
(2) Living Bible

c. Suggested order to begin.
(1) Gospel of John
(2) Book of Acts
(3) Letter of Romans

d. Find fixed time of day to read by yourself. Perhaps 15 or 30 minutes a day to begin with, increasing as the Lord leads. Don’t let a day go by without reading the Word of God.

e. Halley’s Bible Handbook is helpful.

f. Memorize especially meaningful verses, especially promises.

g. Don’t struggle with hard-to-understand verses in the Bible. The Lord will make them clear.

III. Meet with God in Prayer

a. Have fixed time of day for a period of prayer.

b. A complete prayer has a least four parts.

(1) Praise – for who and what God is.
(2) Thanks – for what He has done.
(3) Petitions – for others and self.
(4) Listening as well as talking. Just wait in quietness and rest before the Lord, for direction.

IV. Spiritual Warfare
(I Corinthians 10:13)

a. Every Christian is tempted, but God uses these to actually help us.

b. We have an enemy, Satan, who desires to make us fall. He puts wrong thoughts in our minds to tempt us. How we respond to these thoughts is what determines whether they help us grow or make us fall.

c. How to respond to evil desires:

(1) Recognize them as wrong.
(2) Ask God for His strength.
(3) Use the Word against them by quoting a Bible verse, such as
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

V. Tell Others About Jesus

a. As a Born Again believer we are to tell others about Jesus Christ.

b. It is usually best to choose a method, such a track, etc.

VI. Good Practices

a. Keep in touch with the one the Lord used to lead you to Christ.

b. Read good Christian books and magazines.

c. Do thoughtful, Christ-like deeds for other, saved or unsaved.

Counselor’s Name _________________
Address _________________
Telephone _________________

(The above material was published by Pastor Dan L. Cox)

Christian Information Network