F I V E S T A R C H U R C H
E P I C L E A D E R S H I P J O U R N E Y
S T A R O N E
New Beginnings
S T A R TW0
New Life
S T A R THREE
New Purpose
S T A R FOUR
New Opportunities
S T A R FIVE
New Horizons
Dear friend,
You have said, “Yes” to Jesus! Congratulations.
Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You now have peace with God, your Creator.
You have found everlasting life!
You can be certain that God will never leave you nor forsake you.
He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work that He has begun in you. God knows your every thought, your every care and your deepest concerns.
Now that you have said YES to Jesus and asked Him to live in your life, you will be amazed how your life unfolds. The truth is, there is no more important, life-changing decision that any person can make; and that includes marriage, career, or anything else that you can imagine.
As you will discover, your decision to trust Jesus Christ started with God’s plan made before the creation of the world. It affects every aspect of your present-day life; and will stretch on with amazing results as your destiny unfolds.
Over the next few weeks, we will take some time to understand what the Bible says about becoming a child of God.
I encourage you to make every effort to join us here each week and to become part of an EPIC LIFE group. It is so good to connect with others who have also discovered how good God is.
We love you,
Steve and Marion Penny
Senior Pastors
New Beginnings
CONTENTS
Introduction to beginning a new life
Page 6
Session 1 - Repentance & Assurance of Salvation
Page 11
Session 2 - Baptism in Water
Page 17
Session 3
New Life in Christ - Page 21
Session 4
Living Free - Page 30
Session 5
The Holy Spirit - Page 34
Sunshine Coast Function Centre (RSL Caloundra)
Caloundra, Queensland 4551
Email: helloepicchurch.com.au
Website: www.epicchurch.com.au
LESSON THREE
YOUR NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
In this lesson we are going to talk about growing in our new life in Christ.
INTRODUCTION
Often people will ask why we make a distinction between being religious and being a Christian. Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to look at the similarity between being a Christian and being in love.
Real Christianity is like a romance! When you’re in love all you want to do is spend time with that special person. You can talk without noticing the hours fly by. As the relationship grows commitment deepens and you come to know your partner and appreciate them more. The energy and commitment of building that relationship brings about fantastic rewards.
On the other hand, being religious is just hard work! Like relationship, religion requires commitment, but it doesn’t have any real benefits. Religion demands that you do things out of obligation, hoping that all your effort will make you acceptable to God. Real Christianity starts by understanding that God loves you and accepts you as you are. He just wants you to love Him! He wants to spend time with you, and He wants you to get to know Him more. That’s why prayer is such an important part of being a Christian. Not so we can get the ritual right, but so we can talk to the One who made us and loves us more than anyone.
When you live this kind of Christianity the commitment is unbelievably rewarding, and life is anything but religious.
Our relationship with God is like other relationships; consistent and open communication is crucial to maintain its health and vibrancy.
There are three important aspects to growing in your new faith in Christ.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT PRAYER?
Read Philippians 4:6–7
What are we told not to do? (V: 6)
1. PRAYER
Talking to God is called prayer. Just in the same way you dialogue with the person you love, so God wants you to tell Him what kind of day you’ve had, the fears that you are facing and the desires of your heart. Prayer is not meant to be complicated. We can’t impress God with the words we use, it’s what our heart is saying that matters to Him, so just share out loud from your heart the things you feel. If you've never prayed before, just imagine that you've got a ‘hands free kit’ & God's on the other end. God is Spirit & that He is there, waiting to hear from you.
Prayer is as crucial to the Christian as water is to the human body. Without it, the relationship becomes dry and eventually it will die. The first thing to disappear in a failed marriage is communication. With the breakdown in communication, it isn’t long before other people capture our heart and love. Then the relationship becomes superficial, and we lose the benefits of marriage or even the marriage itself.
The same happens with our relationship with God. Unless you continually make the time to spend in intimacy with God, you will find yourself becoming religious, and even turning your back on Him.
But instead, what are we told to do? (V: 6)
What should we pray about? (V: 6)
What is the result? (V: 7)
Read Luke 18:1.
How often does Jesus say we should pray?
Read 1 Peter 3:12
How does God react to our prayers?
Read 1 John 5:14–15
What attitude can we have if we know God hears us? (V: 14)
How should we pray for God to hear and answer our prayer? (V: 14)
Read John 10:27.
What does He say His sheep will hear?
How should we pray for God to hear and answer our prayer? (V: 14)
2. THE BIBLE
When you form a new relationship it is important to spend time getting to know one another. The same way we need to get to know about God and His character.
The best way to do this is to spend time reading your Bible.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is like a road map of life. It is filled from cover to cover with principles of successful living and shows you how to live with purpose and meaning in a confused and misguided world.
Reading your Bible can be compared to eating food. If you don’t eat, you don’t grow. And if you don’t read God’s letter to us (the Bible) you won’t grow either. Start from the New Testament and read through the Gospels (ie. the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and find out about this Jesus you are following. Who is He?
What is He like? And what lessons about life did He share with His disciples that you can learn from? What is His attitude to people like you? Don’t just read it like a novel but think about the implications of what you are reading.
God wants to speak to us through His Word, the Bible.
It is the most valuable asset you have, and you can develop no better habit than to read it every day.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT ITSELF?
Read 2 Timothy 3:15–17
The Word “Scripture” in this verse means the Bible.
What does this verse tell us about the Bible? (V: 16)
What four things does this verse say the Bible is useful for? (V: 16)
What is the end result of studying the Bible? (V: 17)
Read Psalm 119:9–18
How can you live a pure life? (V: 9)
What did the writer of this Psalm do with God's Word? (V:11)
Why was it important for the writer to obey God’s Word? (V:11)
How valuable was the Word of God to the writer? (V:14)
What promise did the writer make about God’s Word? (V:16)
What prayer did the writer pray about God’s Word? (V:18)
Read Psalm 119:105
How did the writer describe the Word of God?
For further study:
Carefully read the whole of Psalm 119 and notice how almost every verse says something about the Words or Commands of God.
Read Psalm 1 and notice what the Bible promises to the person who meditates on the Word of God.
What picture is used to describe their life?
What picture is used to describe the life of the ungodly?
3. FELLOWSHIP
Our relationship with God will also be enhanced greatly if we spend time getting to know others who are part of the family of God.
In all relationships, the ‘in–laws’ or other family members are important to help make your relationship work. The first thing that you do when you are serious about someone is to introduce him or her to your family. Your parents and other family members want to get to know this new person in your life too. It is often said that when you marry someone, you are marrying the whole family. The same can be said about being a Christian. The Bible makes it clear that when we accepted Jesus into our lives, we became part of God’s family. We are now related to each other. We are brothers and sisters together in Christ. You now have an extended family that you will spend eternity with, and it is important that you get to know them by spending time with them.
Families encourage and uplift one another. They stand together in times of crisis. They support one another and that is what the family of God is all about. Without the support of other Christians, you will find yourself isolated and feeling alone. As a consequence, your relationship with God will also suffer, leaving you feeling discouraged and uncertain.
Being in regular fellowship with other Christians in a church setting is crucial to your relationship with God because it is by spending time with more mature Christians that you learn things that you would never learn by yourself. Fellowship helps you to grow.
As in any family, none of the members do all the right things - all the time. Family members can also irritate each other. God has placed us in this environment and will even allow irritation to take place because if handled the right way, it causes growth and patience in our lives. Sand in the eye causes irritation, yet sand in an oyster produces a pearl.
Allow family life to produce pearls in your life rather than irritation and you will find yourself growing in your relationship with God.
Make fellowship with other Christians a priority in your week. Set aside Sunday as a day of meeting together with Christians to worship God. Also make plans to attend a Life group during the week. The extra fellowship and the intimacy of a small group will bless and encourage you at a time when you need it (right in the middle of a hectic week).
Write down any questions you have.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT FELLOWSHIP?
Read Acts 2:40-47
This passage shows some of the things the early Christians did regularly.
List four things from verse 42
.
.
List two things from verse 46
.
How often did they meet for fellowship? (V: 46)
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
1.Set aside 5 minutes every day to read your Bible. Do not just read anywhere. Start at the first chapter of John and read it a section at a time, until you have finished reading the whole book. Then start at Mark and do the same.
2.Get an exercise book and conclude your reading by writing down in your own words, what the passage of Scripture is saying. Then write down what it is saying to you and how you can apply it to your life.
3.Jesus showed us how to pray when He quoted what is often called “The Lord’s Prayer” recorded in Matthew 6:9–13. It would be better called “The Disciple’s Prayer” as it gives us a pattern of how to pray.
As you follow the six points of this prayer it will greatly enhance your ability to communicate to God effectively.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
“Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name”
Spend 2–3 minutes REJOICING in God for all the good things, both large and small, He has done for you. Thank Him for being your loving Heavenly Father and for who He is in your life.
“Your Kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven”
Spend 2–3 minutes asking God to save your unsaved friends and relatives. Pray for Australia and ask God to make our nation a Godly one. Pray for your Pastor and your church leaders. Don’t forget to ask God to bring His Kingdom into your own life. Bring your present goals to God in faith believing to see them become a reality.
“Give us this day our daily bread”.
Spend 2–3 minutes asking Him for the things you need, be specific and tenacious. This is your opportunity to present your daily needs to the Lord to live a blessed life.
“Forgive us our sins as we also have forgiven those who sin against us”.
Spend a short period of time asking God to forgive you of anything you have done wrong in the last 24 hours. Mention it specifically if you can remember. Forgive others you feel have wronged you.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”
Spend 2–3 minutes asking God to protect you from the things that tempt you, ask Him to give you strength to do things God’s way. Ask God to protect you from the things Satan might do to tempt you to sin.
“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever”.
Finish your prayer time by thanking God for 2–3 minutes that He has heard your prayer and that He will answer you. REMEMBER: In everything give thanks – for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.