Dear recently baptized teens,
It's so wonderful that so many have made the decision to follow Jesus and become part of the church, his body! So I was thinking about how I could encourage you. So I was asking myself "what would I say to myself?", as in, what advice would I give as a grown up and a Christian, to myself as a teenager and a new Christian? (btw, please feel free to ask your parents about any of this, see what their thoughts are.)
I remember the day I got baptized, it was January 29th and I was 14 years old. I was baptized after Wednesday night assembly and everybody hugged me and it was really cool. Honestly though I don't really remember much of my teen years as a Christian. I mean I don't really feel like things changed very much for me when I was a teenager and perhaps you understand what I mean by that.
What I mean is that my parents were Christians and so I had been going to church assembly with my parents ever since I was born. So I grew up listening to the word of God being taught and I believed in God from a very early age and I always knew that being baptized was something important that I wanted to do at some point. I wanted to be a Christian and I knew that I needed to have my sins forgiven.
Some people come to Christ after they have lived very worldly lives and done a lot of immoral things, but I didn't have that kind of a past. But I knew that I had sinned - mostly not on purpose - but I know I had lied at least few times, and some of those times
not really understanding that it was wrong or having the maturity to be honest (and one time I stole a reese's peanut butter cup from store when I was 5 and hid it from my parents.) At the age of 14 though, I was old enough to understand what it meant to follow Jesus and I wanted to follow the example of people in the of book of Acts and officially become a Christian and follower of Jesus. I understand more about what baptism means NOW so I want to share that with you also. It wasn't just about my sins being forgiven, which God's word says they were, but it was also about the choices I made *and continue to make* every day after that.
So, here are some things I would go back and tell myself. (Most of this is from me and some are from other members of the congregation - the 2 pages at the end are from sister Sue Schuller and one of the points is from sister Rhonda Hughes.)
1. You are extremely fortunate
What I did not realize at the time was that I was very lucky and fortunate. Lucky because my parents were both followers of Christ and my decision to be a Christian was a welcome thing by my family. This is not the case with every family - even here in America, you may be made an outcast by your family.
In other places around the world, such as in Muslim countries, you have to be very careful about studying the Bible. It is not uncommon for Muslims who convert to Christianity to be killed or have death decrees put on their head for being a Christian, and they have to go into hiding for the rest of their lives and never get to see their families again. It's a similar situation in other places too like India and many African countries - you risk your family and community rejecting you for the rest of your life if you believe in Jesus.
2. It's ok if you feel like your life hasn't changed a whole lot
I want to reassure you, that even if it doesn't feel like your life has changed very much right now, you have made the most important and smartest decision of your life! Please never forget the day you were baptized and why. It is more important than the day you get married, more important than any other day in your entire life - because it's the day you died to the flesh and rose up from that water as a new spiritual person! Even though you may not "feel" so much like a new person, that's ok, this is just the beginning and don't worry about not "feeling" different or feeling like your life isn't much different. You have made a decision as to how you will live your life EVERY DAY going forward: no matter what you did in the past, this is your new life and you will have choices to make as to whether to live for the flesh or live for God. (This is why it's so good to have a Christian family to help us figure out how to make those good decisions!)
Romans 6:1-13 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, consider yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members (body parts) as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members (body parts) as instruments of righteousness to God.
As a teenager, you are not "in charge" of your life right now as much you will be in a few years, when you start making more of your own decisions - without your parents telling you what to do. You go to school and live by your parents'/guardians' rules. But what decisions you *are* able to make now, make them in light of who you are now and who and what you are living for. All of us in the congregation are happy that you have become part of the family! I don't think I felt much encouragement by adults in the congregation when I was a kid, but now that I am an adult, I can be different and offer encouragement! Even though I am shy, I'm trying to work on that.
3. Having questions is great! Ask them!
I have questions all the time now. I keep them in a notebook app on my phone. Ask your parents, or the elders, or the preacher, or anyone else. I think it would be beneficial for all of us more experienced Christians to know what kind of questions you newer Christians have and what kind of challenges you might be facing. We are always here for you to pray with you and for you and encourage you - we love you and we are your family!
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
4. Your heart is good soil! Praise God!
Mark 4:14-20 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop [fruit]—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
In Luke's account, he quotes Jesus as using the phrase "the seed does not mature". Just like you are growing physically - and you started out very small - so too are your growing spiritually and in your understanding of spiritual things. A plant has to grow strong roots so it can withstand storms and not get choked by the thorns and produce fruit.
Colossians 2:6
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
The fruit starts out small too, but it ripens and matures over time. Sometimes you will feel like you are growing - and sometimes you won't. That's totally normal! And that will continue your whole life. Sometimes your faith will feel strong, and other times it will feel weak. That's normal too. I'm so glad I have my Christian brothers and sisters to help me when I'm struggling.
My view of the Bible has also changed. There were many times where I felt it was boring and there was nothing for me in there, but I've also heard someone call the Bible a fig tree. Because not all of the figs/fruits on the fig tree ripen at the same time, you have to look for them, an unripe fruit today will be different in a few weeks or years. As you grow and mature physically and emotionally, you will see things and understand things you couldn't understand before.
We are also branches (disciples) and Jesus is our vine. This is one of my favorite passages.
John 15:1-10 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
Keep growing! Keep learning and studying God's word and obeying God so that His love remains in you, and you in it.
5. Having a faith that is your own may be hard to separate from friends or family
Our sister Sue Schuller here at the Lake Houston congregation sends out daily emails of encouragement, and she sent one out a few weeks ago about having your own faith, and I think it's very applicable, so I've included it too. Because my parents and grandparents were believers, I continued in their faith, so my faith felt very strongly linked - like a continuation - of theirs, and that is ok. I don't think anyone has a really good understanding of their own faith until they lived under their own rules and faced a few struggles.
6. Be careful who your friends are
(this topic suggested by sister Rhonda Hughes)
"Always strive to be the person that Christ wants you to be. We all have friends outside of the church so be very careful of Peer Pressure. That road will be tempting but leads to a dangerous path. - Rhonda Hughes
Of course there will be times where you don't have Christian friends - and sometimes even "Christian" friends or kids in the youth group can be bad influences. Just be mindful that people who don't have the same goal in life may influence you in ways that aren't good for you. You may find yourself in situations that are bad because the people you are hanging out with don't have the same standards or right and wrong that you do. I've found myself in quite a few situations by being with friends who had friends that came along and were fine with doing bad things or had things going on at their houses that weren't good. I never participated in anything going on but just being somewhere at the wrong time can be dangerous. I just had to remember who I was and think about whether I was going to continue that friendship. You might lose friends. But it's better than losing your soul! Just be aware of that. You will get better at it with practice.
Section 2: things that are coming
While you are still at home, it's ok to keep doing what are doing: going to school, going to church assembly with your family and making the best choices you can.
Now, these next few topics are things that you will understand more after you leave home or start making your own decisions. However, it's wise to know about them ahead of time so you can be somewhat prepared.
1. Satan is going to try to get to you! Especially with sexual temptation
I think the part of life that will soon come, if it hasn't come already, is sexual temptation. Yes, God put sexual desire in us, but that's for a husband and wife. I don't know your parent's rules for dating or courting (courting is something I found out about as an adult, wish I had done that instead of dating) - but at some point you will have to make choices about that and you will be faced with it. You can read the article on my blog about "why I stopped believing in God and why I believe in him again", I talk about courting and dating. If you think, "oh, I'm fine, I can withstand temptation", it's better to think, "I'm not going to put myself in a situation where I could be tempted". You can decide now that you aren't going to be alone with anyone of the opposite gender, and you will be doing yourself a BIG favor.
(A talk show host named Wendy Williams always said "nothing good happens after 9 PM". I gotta say I think she's right about that. When you get older, don't stay late at people's houses, because you can be tempted to sleep there, which leads to more temptation.)
1 Corinthians 6: 9-11
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:13-20 Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
2. Satan will *forever* be trying to lure you into the love of money, wealth and stuff, aka "thorns"
It's easy to dream about being an adult and the things you will have like your own place and money and what kind of job you will have. It's supposed to be the "American Dream", right? Well, what about "The Christian" dream? I would go back and tell myself, yes, you do need a job, but don't put all your hope in money or think they only way you will be happy is if you are rich.
Jesus could have had all the physical riches in the world, but he didn't, because that's not where true joy and fulfillment are. He was humble. He came not to be served, but to serve. Be careful about what you love. Love others and love God - but don't love the things in this world more than that or devote your life to them - they won't bring you happiness. Notice how the word "deceitfulness" is used to describe the desire for wealth above in Mark 4. True joy is found in walking in the light. The world and Satan will try to convince you that it's found by walking in darkness and what you own, what you drive or what kind of house you live in.
1 John 2:15-16 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
Luke 12:15 And he [Jesus] said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness [greed], for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
1 Timothy 6: 6-11 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, humility.
Galatians 5:16-22 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
3. Your parents, family members and other Christians are not perfect.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but whether or not your parents are Christians, you will learn sooner or later (if you have not already) that your parents are not perfect.
I wouldn't say that there's a whole lot of advice for parenting in the Bible like I thought there was when I was a kid. I thought all Christians were perfect.
Most children assume that their life is totally normal and every other kid's life is similar theirs. It's just one of those rules of the universe. Most kids don't say to themselves "wow I think I'm living in an environment that is not conducive to my emotional well-being". Whatever goes on in your home is pretty much normalized.
Here's an analogy: an old fish was swimming along and he came across 2 young fish and he said hey, "how's the water?" The young fish didn't say anything. When the old fish had gone, they looked at each other puzzled, and one said to the other, "What's water?"
No human parents - even Christian parents - are not perfect. So, don't put them - or anyone - on a pedestal and think they are sinless or perfect. If they do something that isn't so perfect or Christ-like, it can be very discouraging. Some so called "Christians" that I knew did some really bad things - and I stopped believing in God for a while because of it (also talk about that in my blog). So don't make that mistake. Put your hope and trust in God - not in imperfect human beings.
4. The choice you will soon face every Sunday and Wednesday - unless you decide now
Now, you may think that going to church assembly is a boring thing or a thing that you are required to do. And at that this point in your life, it kinda is, honestly, because our parents made us. You go because your parents/guardians go . They aren't going to leave you at home. They probably wouldn't let you stay home, anyways, because they care about you and there's nothing more important than learning God's Word.
They make you go to school as well because they care about you, and it's the same reason they bring you to church assembly - to study God's word and learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus and meet your fellow believers - and in eating the bread and drinking the cup in remembrance of the Lord and proclaiming his death! How awesome!
When you leave home or turn 18, whichever comes first, you are basically an adult. Your parents/guardians may have rules if you live under their roof, but soon you will have to decide for yourself: am I going to go to church assembly or not? (another decision you will have to make as an adult every day is what to cook for dinner! but this one is a spiritual decision)
I had a friend once that I was hanging out with who didn't want to go to assembly. I wanted to seem cool, so I stopped going for a while. (this is before the time where I stopped going because I was figuring out whether I believed in God or not.) What did I gain from not going? Nothing. I missed out on studying the Bible and being encouraged in my daily walk following Christ. I missed out on growing deeper in my faith and being an encouragement to others. I still regret that, and that was over 20 years ago. Make the decision NOW that when there's an opportunity to study God's word and encourage others that YOU ARE GOING TO BE THERE. If you are deciding 30 minutes before or when your alarm goes off, there's always going to be a reason for why you should do something else. But what is more important than your spiritual walk? NOTHING.
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
p.s. I did suffer and still do suffer from social anxiety, but it's better than it used to be. I was really shy when I was in college and going to a new church will people all older than me. I didn't know what I had in common with all these old people, and would often leave right after assembly was over. But as you get older, you will find you have a lot in common with these people who are older than you. I have really good friends who are 40 years older than me and I think that's cool. Sometimes I feel shy about talking to or encouraging people who are younger than me, but I'm trying to get better at it :)
5. Bad things will happen. Storms will hit.
Unfortunately, the older you get, the more challenges and trials you have to face and endure. Hard things WILL come, just like storms. But I don't know when. Every person's life is different. But at some point, every human being will pretty much face the same things. (Some of these things didn't happen to me until my 40's, others happened in my 20's every person's life is different.)
- death of a family member (grandparents, sibling and/or parents.)
- health issue
- financial difficulties
- relationship struggles
- raising children (if you have them)
- job issues
Grown up life isn't all BAD. I'm just giving you a heads up that it's a lot more complicated than life when you're a teenager. And honestly, some of the decisions you make as a teenager will affect your life as you get older, so that's another benefit to being a Christian. Our choices affect so much of our daily lives, and walking in the light is something we must do and practice every day as followers of Jesus.
It's not always an easy path to walk in the light, but it is one thing that gets better with practice. And look how early in your life you get to start practicing!!! Praise be to God! Making good choices and Godly choices will be of great benefit to you in your life! (The person you choose to marry will also have a huge amount of influence in your life, so choose wisely.)
(also, It's also SO HELPFUL when you go through any of the things mentioned above, and you have Christian brothers and sisters to lean on, to encourage you and pray for you and with you. I had cancer in 2021. It was really scary. I was afraid I was going to die. I was also going through other difficulties. I could not have made it through that time in my life without my Christian family. It's not uncommon in adult life to have all of those things happening at once! But other times, things are pretty peaceful. You just never know! Take advantage of the peaceful times to learn and grow so that you can be prepared for when the storms hit!!!)
Conclusion:
This is the beginning of your journey and life as a follower of Christ - not the end :) This is not the end of your Christian journey. I know you may have seen the diagrams that have baptism as step number five and then step number six is "be faithful unto death". Well, being faithful is a good thing, of course, but you will learn (hopefully) that being a "faithful" follower of Jesus is more than just attending church assembly. Of course, when I was a teenager, I was limited in my scope of the world and society. I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I didn't curse and I "went to church." (I didn't understand so much that I was part of the church, that it wasn't a place to go to.") We have all the letters of the New Testament, written by followers of Jesus himself, to give us encouragement and guidance. Let me also share another example. When I was about 30 a friend of mine started coming to church assembly with me and said they were interested in becoming a Christian. This person was living a very sinful life and had no background in Christianity. So he and I started studying with someone at church about being baptized, and I think it was after about 6 weeks of studying that he decided that he wanted to become a Christian - but mostly the discussion was centered on why he needed to be baptized. So he was baptized, which was great, and then he asked a very important question.
"Now what?" And this was my TOTALLY amazing response. Get ready for it. "Uh...um....well...uh... You keep going to church?" After 2 weeks he quit coming to church with me. It puzzled me for a long time and I still don't know if I really understand the reason why. But I do know that my answer was not a very good answer or it didn't explain why.
The answer that I would give him now is that "dying to the flesh and living for the spirit" is something you have to practice every single day of your life. Jesus is our example. He died to the flesh and was raised to walk in the Spirit, and that's what we should do also, remembering again Romans 6:10-13
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, consider yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members (body parts) as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members (body parts) as instruments of righteousness to God.
Also, we should walk in the light as he in the light. And going to church and meeting fellow believers and encouraging each other and studying God's word are very helpful in this daily practice.
1 John chapter 1:6-9 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So you have been baptized and cleansed of your sins, and to stay clean, we have to keep walking in the light and confess our sins. Will we mess up and do something wrong? Yes, unintentionally we all do, but we have the blood of Jesus that keeps us clean if we keep walking in the light. But, we must not take advantage of this and sin purposefully.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.
Please continue being part of the assembly, please come as we learn together and pray together and sing together and take the Lord's supper together and encourage each other. Please keep learning and studying God's Word and praying and singing on your own too, when you are at home. Keep focused on walking in the light - step by step, day by day, along with us your brothers and sisters in Christ at Lake Houston, as we all try to walk in the light too. We are so thankful for you and you are such an encouragement to us whenever we see you! Whatever your Spiritual gifts may be (and you may have more than one), we are excited to see the body grow and gain new members so we can all help each other grow spiritually!
Romans 12:4-8 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. 6 We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; 7 if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Ephesians 4:15-16 speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.
May God bless you on this beginning of your journey and may you never depart from it. (or if you do, I pray you come back).
Paul writes to the Christians in Colossae, and I think it's a good way for me to think about you and what to pray for you:
Colossians 3:9-12 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
(And as a last thing, I just want to make sure there is an understanding about what Baptism is and what it is for. Maybe you've only heard one of the reasons, or maybe two. We know that many people in the book of Acts were baptized, and we are following their example of obedience to the good news, and because we want to follow the example of Jesus - to live for God, not for ourselves. Here are a list of Scriptures that explain why, just in case you didn't know of all of them. Some people say that baptism is a public declaration of your faith, or it's how you make Jesus the Lord of your life, but here is what the Bible says.
To become a disciple of Jesus Matthew 28:19-20
For forgiveness of previous sins. Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16
To receive the circumcision of Christ, buried with Christ and raised through faith to walk in newness of life. In this, you have been born again! You are a new creation! Colossians 2:11-13, John 3:3-5, 2nd Corinthians 5:17
To die to sin - (so do not live for sin, live for God). Romans 6:1-2, 6:9-11
To be crucified with Christ, and raised with Christ. Christ lives in you. You take off the old person and become a new person Colossians 3:1-11, Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:24
Your body and it's parts (hands, feet, eyes, mouth, etc.) are to be used for righteousness - not for sin. Romans 6:12-13
To be clothed with Christ Galatians 3:27-28
To be added to the body of Christ Acts 2:41, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:4-5
For salvation Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21
For a clean conscience towards God 1 Peter 3:21
Now that you have been baptized, you are disciple of Jesus, you have been forgiven of your sins, you have been buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life! You are a new person! You have died to sin! You have been clothed with Christ and have been added to his body! Our inheritance of eternal life is now waiting for us if we continue to walk in the light, and live righteously for God.
We at the Lake Houston congregation of God's people love you very much and are so happy to have you as part of our family.
Sincerely,
your sister in Christ,
Aimee Williams alw6541@gmail.com
blog: bit.ly/findagooduse
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Here is the email from sister Sue Schuller:
I went to Michigan Christian Junior College (now known as Rochester University) for my first two years of college. We were required to take Old Testament and New Testament introduction classes. I don't remember the details of the classes, but I do remember that they were interesting and I enjoyed the classes.
However, there is one thing that the instructor said that had nothing to do with the material, but made a huge impression on me. He said, "You can't get by on your parents faith. You must develop your own faith." That has stuck with me for 45 years. Over the years as I thought of those two simple sentences, I realized that I have a responsibility to make Jesus my Savior and God my God. No one else can do that for me. No one else can give me their faith and trust in God. The quest for faith and trust is mine. I have to want it. I have to work for it. I have to know Jesus and God to truly have it. I think back to those two simple sentences every time I read the story of Jacob in Genesis. Jacob also had to develop his own relationship with God. Jacob didn't get there overnight. If my historical data in the ESV is right, it took him 20 years!
When Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him Esau's blessing, Jacob does not claim God as his God.
Genesis 27:20 "But Isaac said to his son, 'How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?' He answered, 'Because the LORD your God granted me success.'"
When Jacob has a dream on his way to Haran, he acknowledges that God is there, but doesn't claim him as his own.
Genesis 28:16 "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.'" After that same dream, Jacob bargains with God--still putting himself and what he wants first. He's not ready to completely claim God as his own and put his total trust in him. Genesis 28:20-21 "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.'" In Genesis 31:5 and 42, while fleeing from Laban, Jacob continues to acknowledge that God is with him, but still refers to God as "the God of my father." In Genesis 32:9-10, Jacob expresses that he is unworthy of the love and faithfulness that God has shown him. Jacob addresses God as LORD. He's almost there in making God his God! After Jacob wrestles with God, he is a changed man. Not only does Jacob get a new name, Israel, he accepts God as the all powerful. Genesis 32:30 "So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, 'For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.'"
Jacob is ready to acknowledge that God has answered him in times of trouble and has always been with him. He now accepts God as his God. He puts his faith and trust in his God. Genesis 35:3 "Then let us arise and go to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." We start our journey to make God our own and put our faith and total trust in Him when we are baptized. We don't fully understand the power, love, grace, and mercy that God has for us. As we study, pray, and get to know God, we start to realize all He has done for us. We start to build faith and trust in Him. As we are faced with trials, we begin to understand that He is with us and will never leave us. We learn to depend on Him. Over time, we begin to understand His love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. We are humbled. We are ready to put our faith and trust in Him to get us through whatever we are faced with. We are ready to give him our lives. We are now ready to call God, my God, and Jesus, my Savior.
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