Next Steps

Romans 12:2 – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

 

2 Cor. 3:18 – “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
 

After this Sunday’s service, these were two verses that have been flooding my mind.  Mainly because we had two baptisms yesterday (congrats Fran and Amber)!!!  For the past few months, I have been diving into Scripture and research from LifeWay and the Barna group, as well as a number of authors, trying to answer the question: “What’s next.”  The church word we use for this is “discipleship.” 

Understanding that we all come from different walks of life and are at a variety of places in our walk with Christ (spiritual maturity), that question has a ton of answers.  For each one of us, that answer is different.  For someone who is trying to figure this whole “Christianity” thing out, their next step is simple.  It is placing their faith in Jesus and following him in obedience.  But what happens after that? For someone who has recently placed their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and is new to having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, what is their next step?  What about someone who has been a Christ-follower for a few years now, what is their next step?  What about some of our older generations, who have been faithfully following Jesus for longer than most of us have been alive, what is their next step?

I would love to give you a detailed plan that lays out every single step in a process, from spiritual birth to physical death, that one need to walk as a Christ-follower.  Unfortunately, I currently do not have that plan.  But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a plan that would help answer and guide each of us, individually and corporately, as we are continually transformed into the image of Christ. 

There are a few things I am convinced of when it comes to discipleship.  The first is that discipleship is a lifelong process.  No one (living that is) will ever reach a point that they can say, “I have no more steps.” The second is that my next step is a single step.  No one expects someone to go from being a non-believer to a fully mature Christian overnight.  Neither does God.  That is why each Christ-follower has been gifted with the Holy Spirit.  The last is that when the Father reveals a next step in our life, that is the precise moment we are ready to take it.  We can know we are ready because if we weren’t, God wouldn’t have revealed it to us. 

 

So what is your next step?  If you don’t yet know, I am hoping we will be able to help you out here in the near future!