After baptism

You made the decision to take the plunge and get baptized.  It is a day you will remember for the rest of your life.  No doubt you are flying high and feel like you are on top of the world.  Enjoy this time!  It is a gift from God because he loves you.  You belong to him and you made that public through your baptism.  

You might be thinking something along the lines of this is awesome, but what next?  Here are a few suggestions as to how you can stoke the flame of this incredible move you have just made.

1. shift your focus

This decision signaled a major shift in your identity and subsequently how you will begin to see the world around you.  The Apostle Paul told a group of Christians about this when he said, 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 

You are new.  While you are still subject to sin (you will make mistakes), sin no longer reigns in you (your mistakes do to define you).  New creations live into their new lives.  Adjust your life and your view of the world around your status as a new creation in Christ. 

2. Learn New Things

Baptism is not a magic trick.  It’s not “Abracadabra” *dunk* Instead it is the start of a new life.  Just like children learn how to walk, speak, and write-you are going to start learning new things as well.  The Bible is God’s word to us.  It is an extensive collections of document that were compiled to help us know the character of God, the teaching of Jesus, and how the church is supposed to function moving forward.  We recommend you start with the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of John.  Both of these books will give you a strong starting point regarding who Jesus is.
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As you learn how Jesus lived, loved, and responded to people-copy that.  Do what He does, follow his lead.  Then you will be taking some first steps following Jesus.

3. Make new friends

This life is not easy to do by yourself.  Learning to follow Jesus can be challenging, but if you surround yourself with people who are on the journey with you it can make all the difference.  Even Jesus brought friends along with him. 

 While he had many followers, he called his closest group his friends.  Even more, he had three close friends-Peter, James, and John, and one of this was his best friend, John.  He called on them for support and prayer when times got tough.  Find a tribe of people who will support you on this journey and also hold you accountable when you stray.

And...
​keep your old friends.  We don’t want you to alienate yourself from the people God has put in your life.  The greatest gift you can give them is the reborn you.  In Christ we love better.  We are better friends, family members, and co-workers.  The change in your life could lead to a change in theirs.

Last thing...

There is a lot of new and different when you give yourself to following Jesus with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.  God has promised to be with us as we follow him and carry out his commands.  When you have questions-don’t be afraid to ask them.  The staff at Wallenpaupack Church lives for this type of thing. ​We have access to resources to match your learning style (reading, fill-in-the-blank-studies, videos, etc.) which we would love to share with you as you start out on this next part of your journey. 
Bible basics? Basics of our faith?
​You may also like browsing our resources tab here which is filled with life-giving info and free content!
No problem! Just ask :)  ​We are never to busy to help you take the next step, it’s what we are here for!