Congratulations on making one of the most important decisions of your life to follow Jesus. Today is a special day and we are so excited for the journey you are about to embark on. You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help!
God wants to have a relationship with you and He’s given us ways to know Him better. As we get to know God, we learn His plan for us and we can become more like Jesus. This is called discipleship.
The Bible is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. God’s words (the bible) give us every frame of reference we need to live this life.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalms 119:105 NLT
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
Prayer is simply a personal conversation with God. Prayer is not a monologue it is a two way conversation. He talks to you. As you set aside time every day and read your Bible and pray you will learn to hear His voice.
If we’re going to really understand who Jesus is, we have to cut through all the noise about him, and go directly to the source. What did he say about himself? Who did he say he was? The Bible records Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.
At Northwest Family, we’re all about Jesus, and encouraging people to follow Jesus with their whole heart. It is our prayer, that you will be open to what the Bible says about Jesus, and that you might choose to begin to follow Jesus yourself.
There are great free resources available to you to help you grow in your new faith journey. One we recommend is the YouVersion Bible App. You not only can read the Bible but you can find many resources in the app that will help you grow in your faith.
You are not alone on this journey. You are now part of a family of people who have made the same decision as you. Being in community is so important because that's where we find encouragement and support. We were created for relationships. We are better together. Three times a year we offer LIFEgroups. We strongly encourage everyone at Northwest Family Church to join a group.
GET BAPTIZED
Water baptism is not a personal choice, but a command for believers. Jesus established water baptism as an ordinance when He gave the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16).
Water baptism is a public, outward testimony that indicates a personal, inward faith. It gives evidence of the inner change that has already occurred in the believer’s life when he or she was “born again” through faith in Jesus Christ.
(Also see: “What We Believe: Salvation.”)
Baptism identifies the believer with the message of the gospel, the Person of Jesus Christ, and other believers. It associates the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and signifies the believer’s death to the old life and his or her resurrection as a new creation in Christ (see Romans 6:1–8; Colossians 2:12).
We are to be baptized because Jesus Christ commanded it (Matthew 28:19), and because we love the Lord. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Throughout the Book of Acts, we read how the early church gave importance to water baptism (see 2:41; 8:12, 38; 9:18; 10:47–48; 16:15, 33; 19:3–5).
All born-again believers in Jesus Christ—and only believers—should be baptized (see Mark 16:15–16; Acts 8:12, 36–38; 16:31–33; 18:8).
After Peter spoke at Pentecost, “those who gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). In the New Testament, every instance in which a person was baptized and his or her identity was given, that person was an adult. In light of Scripture, infant baptism must be ruled out, because infants cannot receive the Word of God and understand it. However, infants are to be dedicated to the Lord (see 1 Samuel 1:26–28). Children may be baptized if they receive and understand God’s Word.
(Also see: “What We Believe: Baby Dedications.”)
As part of the Great Commission, Jesus instructed the disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by grace through faith and according to God’s mercy (see Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5). The thief on the cross next to Jesus had no time to be baptized; yet Jesus promised that he would be with Him in Paradise that day (see Luke 23:43). The Bible contains no record of Jesus baptizing anyone—a strange omission if baptism was essential for salvation. The Apostle Paul declared, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” (1 Corinthians 1:17). This clearly indicates that salvation is a response of faith to the gospel—not the act of baptism. Therefore, water baptism is not an act of salvation, but an act of obedience.
