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Knowing & Growing
Receiving God’s forgiveness through Christ is the best decision you’ll ever make…
and the most far-reaching!
If you’ve ever heard the term “saved,” that is literally what you now are…saved from the price and power of sin, given a new hope and a new life…forever. (And if you’re not sure that you’re saved, go back to the Hope & Help page to learn what that’s all about.)
Jesus Himself said that none that have truly trusted in Him can be snatched from His hand (John 10:28)—an amazing statement, and one the Bible backs up beautifully…
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
And while that is pretty amazing, maybe you’re asking “Now what?” What does a follower of Christ do next? Are there steps you can take to know and grow in relationship with Him?
There are…and they’re found in God’s own words.
Solid answers—especially today—are hard to come by. And when we find one, a trustworthy source becomes as gold. To believers in Christ, the Bible is that gold and more…it is the constant to which we’d turn.
Why? Simply put, the words of God are our instruction manual, their author the very Author of life…
In the Scriptures and nowhere else, we’d find the wisdom and power of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, granting “to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Think of God’s perfect guidance, offered to us for every thing and each situation (2 Timothy 3:16-17)—that’s the treasure contained between the Bible’s covers, as trustworthy and relevant today as it was in the beginning.
Which makes step 1: Get in God’s Word.
Start with Jesus in the gospel of John or another gospel, then on to Romans, Ephesians, and the rest of the New Testament.For a quick touchpoint, grab a Bible and hit this SCRIPTURES link to connect directly with passages that speak to difficult topics and life circumstances.
And before you do, pray—ask God to guide you with His Spirit as you open His book.
Which brings us step 2: Get to know Him in prayer.
Yes, it may seem odd or just plain hard to sit still and pray. But what might feel like “doing nothing” is in truth the greatest privilege we’d EVER be given on earth: an open invitation into the throne room of the King. One who—while holding the universe together—listens intently to every word we’d say (Psalm 10:17), and unleashes transcendent, heart-and-life-changing power in response (Nehemiah 9:28; James 5:16-18).
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
That’s what it is to pray.
The Word without prayer can be just another book…and prayer uninformed by the Word is a one-way conversation. Both are integral to knowing God and continually yielding your heart and mind to Him.
And both are impossible to do as God intended, if we’re going solo.
Which leads to step 3: Get in a church that’s faithful to His Word.
Perhaps you’ve “done” church before, and gotten burned—or burned out. Perhaps you’ve never set foot in a Sunday service, and the thought is a little intimidating. Whatever the reason for not making the church a vital part of your life, put it down (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Yes, our schedules might be jammed…bad experiences can be a turn-off…people can fail us.
But God will not. He is faithful and He calls His kids to a life-giving connection with His family (1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:13) …to make His house a place where His people can worship, pray, do life together…share their burdens and their joys…a place to safely know and grow in authentic relationship to God and each other.
A place to so fill us that, more than being merely able to face the world, we’d become increasingly equipped to stand firm and thrive in even difficult circumstances, as we’re loving and growing in Christ.
That’s a house that pleases God, and it’s what we want to be about at Harvest…so how about it? If you’re in the Orlando area, we’d invite you to begin “knowing & growing” with us this Sunday!
If we can be of help as you take your next steps, would love to hear from you. Use our Contact page or call 407-505-4888.