What's My Story
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Welcome to the family of God
Your new life with Jesusstarts here.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.” — John 6:47
Trusting Jesus is the beginning of a lifelong journey with Him. And you don’t have to figure it all out today. Pathway to Grow is here to help you take your next steps through five ways God has given us to grow.
Read God’s Word
Bible
Read one chapter in the Bible each day. Begin with the book of John in the New Testament.
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.”
1 Peter 2:2
“Thy (God’s) Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Psalm 119:105
God’s Word, the Bible, contains numerous promises. The way to discover these treasures is to read and study the Bible. Begin today by reading at least one chapter each day in the Gospel of John. Gospel means “good news.”
The chapters are short, so you might want to read more than one. Keep a pencil handy to underline any verses that are especially meaningful to you. Question marks can be placed in the margin for questions that you would like to discuss with another Christian.
Your next step: Read John 1 today.
Talk with God
Prayer
Spend time each day in prayer talking with God. Prayer is our direct communication line to God in Heaven. You can and should pray about everything.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
Your next step: Spend five quiet minutes talking with God today.
Gather and praise
Worship
Worship regularly in a church that teaches you the Bible.
Worship is vital to spiritual growth. God the Father seeks people to worship Him. Also, the Bible clearly teaches the benefits and blessing of worship.
Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
John 4:23 (NIV)
“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 34:1
Two important means of worship
Hover or tap each one to learn more.
Baptism
Baptism is the sign that believers give to the world regarding our personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ. All Christians are commanded to be baptized. Your church can more fully explain and administer this act of worship and obedience to you.
The Lord’s Supper
Jesus gave instructions to the disciples that the Lord’s Supper was to be practiced “in remembrance of Me.” It is a time of reflection upon the great sacrifice the Lord Jesus made for us. The broken bread reminds us of His physical body that was wounded for us. The cup we drink is a reminder of His blood He shed for us. Your church will explain this more fully to you.
Your next step: Plan to worship with a Bible-teaching church this week.
Grow together
Fellowship
Fellowship with other Christians will help you grow in your faith.
Fellowship is the activity where followers of Jesus Christ gather together to encourage one another in the areas of spiritual growth. The story of the earliest Christians recorded in the Bible tells us how crucial fellowship is for our lives.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 2:42 (NIV)
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:24–25 (NIV)
Find a Church in YouVersion (opens in a new tab)Find Church Connections through EE (opens in a new tab)
In the Bible App, sign in, open Discover, then select Churches.
Your next step: Connect with one Christian who can encourage you this week.
Share the Good News
Witness
Witnessing is sharing the joy of your salvation with others. It is to your benefit to do this.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Romans 10:9–10 (NIV)
It is to the benefit of others that you do this. Family members and friends need to know how to receive the gift of eternal life. In the Bible, after a man named Andrew met Jesus, his first response was to get his brother Peter and introduce him to Jesus.
Share Your Story (opens in a new tab)Andrew . . . was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
John 1:40–41 (NIV)
Your next step: Tell one person what Jesus has done in your life.
Grace
Heaven is a free gift. It is not earned or deserved.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8–9
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Open Friend’s Gift Illustration on VimeoThis can be seen more clearly when we see what the Bible says about man.
Your next step can begin today
Keep walking. Keep growing.
Return to these five practices as often as you need. Growth happens one faithful step at a time.