You are to be congratulated for trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Without a doubt, the Christian life is the most joy-filled life that a believer could ever choose. Getting saved, however, is just the beginning. Growing in Christ requires giving careful attention to several important directives. To omit any of these is to rob yourself of the victory and joy that God has intended for you. God wants you to have abundant life. Here is what you need to do:

1.  You need to get baptized.

     --  After salvation, God gives us a wonderful command, and that command is to follow Him in believer's baptism. Baptism is the very first step of obedience for the Christian. It is impossible for a new believer to grow in Christ and reach his spiritual potential without getting baptized.

     --  Baptism shows our death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus Christ. Baptism pictures the death of the old man before we were saved, the burial of our old life, and the resurrection of the new life to be lived for Christ.

     --  Bible verses: Matthew 3:13-17; Romans 6:3-5; Acts 8:26-40.

2.  You need to connect with a good Bible believing church.

     --  Perhaps the single most important activity in the life of a new Christian is church attendance. Your Christian life will either rise or fall with church attendance. It is in the church that you will receive instruction on how the abundant and victorious life is to be lived.

     --  Solid churches usually have several services each week, specifically designed with your needs in mind. The Bible is your textbook and you will discover many Biblical principles that will help you grow in Christ.

     --  Learn to give God your entire Sunday. After all, it is the Lord's Day. God will always bless you if you put Him first. Wise is the new Christian who will take advantage of every service.

     --  Bible verses: Hebrews 10:25; Matthew 16:13-18; Acts 2:41-47.

3.  You need to spend a certain portion of each day in prayer.

     --  Prayer is a powerful tool in the life of a new Christian. When we are troubled or when we have a particular need, God is always there waiting to hear from us and grant our request. Great and wonderful blessings await those who learn to pray.

     --  Prayer is talking to God, but prayer is much more than that. Prayer is asking. Nearly thirty times in the New Testament, the word "ask" is used to describe prayer.

     --  Christians should take every opportunity to pray. We should pray when we are alone. We should pray with other Christians. We should pray at mealtimes. We should pray with our families. The time to pray is always, whenever there is a need.

     --  Bible verses: Matthew 7:7-8; John 15:7-8; Philippians 4:6-7.

4.  You need to study your Bible.

     --  Aggressive spiritual growth can only come as you read and study the Bible. The Gospel of John is a great place to begin. Reading four chapters a day will take you through the entire Bible in one year. Just remember this as you read -- the Bible is God's letter to you. Every word of it is inspired of God.

     --  Knowing that the Bible was given for our benefit ought to compel us to read every word that God has to say. We certainly want to know what He desires for us in this life.

     --  Bible verses: Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:9-11; II Timothy 3:15-17.

5.  You need to join God's financial program.

     --  God has designed a wonderful program to finance the spread of the gospel. It is God's will that all men should hear the truth of the gospel. But in order for that to happen, churches must be built, missionaries must be sent to other countries, and many other ministries must be financed to get the gospel to a lost world. And these needs are met by the faithful giving of tithes and offerings from God's people to their local churches.

     --  The Bible teaches that God expects us to give at least one-tenth of our total income to God. If every Christian would follow this program, the Church can sufficiently carry out God's plan for evangelizing the world.

     --  Bible verses: Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38; I Corinthians 6:2.

6.  You need to share the gospel with others and win them to Jesus Christ.

     --  Nothing brings more excitement to the heart of a believer than to win someone to Christ. Nothing brings more joy than telling others what Jesus has done in our lives.

     --  The very last command that Jesus gave to His disciples before He went to heaven was to witness about Him. In every gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we are told that we have a responsibility to win others to Christ.

     --  There are many reasons for telling others about Christ. But the central reason is this -- there is a heaven for those who accept Him and a hell for those who reject Him. Certainly it is every believer's desire to see his friends and relatives in heaven for all eternity.

     --  Bible verses: Matthew 10:32-33; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16.