Beginning a new relationship with God through Jesus is exciting, but sometimes knowing what first steps to take can feel overwhelming. God’s Spirit at work in your life gives you a desire to grow in your faith and to help simplify things, here is a brief list of ways to grow in your relationship with Jesus and understanding His Word, the Bible.
Grow in a Group
Building relationships with other Christ-followers is essential to growing in your faith. We offer group options where you can connect with others and increase foundational understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.
“New to Faith” Groups
- What is God’s Story and what is your place in it?
- Who Is Jesus, why did He come, and what does it mean for us?
- And your questions too!
To see current or upcoming group options, click the button below and select the filter “New to Faith.”
Grow at Home
From the Bible, we know Jesus spent time in community with others but also spent time away from the crowds to be alone with God. Likewise, as Christ-followers, we must balance spending time with others and time alone with God. Developing a daily time of listening to God through His Word, and speaking to Him in prayer, is essential for growing your relationship. Here are a few basic resources and tips for getting started.
Begin reading the Bible for yourself
- Pick a Bible translation that is both accurate and readable.
The Bible has been translated from Hebrew and Greek original writings into many languages and versions which makes choosing a translation an important task. Translations are named by 3-4 letter abbreviations and we recommend new Bible readers start with the New International Version or NIV for short. As you become more comfortable with Bible reading, you may want to pick a translation that is more word-for-word such as the CSB or ESV. Biblegateway.com or the YouVersion Bible app is a good place to find the NIV, CSB, or ESV translations. - Begin by reading a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John).
The whole Bible is God’s Word, but starting to read it in Genesis can be difficult before understanding the bigger picture. Reading about Jesus in the Gospels first, and then going back to the Old Testament helps us see more clearly how it all points to Him. - Start reading today using this 21-day online reading plan through the Gospel of John.
Each day includes a Scripture text and a brief devotional to help you understand and apply it. Click the button below.
Use tools to aid your Bible understanding
- The Bible Project is an online resource featuring hundreds of easy-to-understand videos that help people see the Bible as one unified story that points to Jesus. At bibleproject.com, you can find video series about: How to read the Bible, Book of the Bible overviews, and more. These videos are especially helpful for providing background information when reading any passage of Scripture.
Make prayer a regular part of your everyday life
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says that we are to pray all the time. Sometimes prayer is made more complicated than it should be. Prayer for Beginners provides simple suggestions for getting started making prayer a regular part of your life. Additionally, if you are interested in reading a book about prayer, we highly recommend A Praying Life by Paul Miller.
BAPTISM
Baptism is a symbol of identifying with Christ in his death and resurrection. We are lowered into the water and raised out as a visual representation of our new life as a follower of Jesus.
If you are interested in being baptized or learning more about what baptism is or why you should be baptized: Click here
