SALVATION
"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." – Romans 10:9-10
We are excited for you as you begin a brand new life in Christ, and as a new-born child of God. We at
My Father's Vineyard want to share a few things to encourage you today as your start on your new path.
1. You are saved by Faith — You are saved by Faith and your salvation is based purely upon your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. In other words, salvation is not something that can be “earned” by how good you try to be or some religious act or sacrifice that you perform. Salvation is a free gift from God, and came to you as you simply put your faith in Jesus, His death and resurrection, and trusted Him to forgive your sins and become your Savior and Lord. The scripture says, “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).
2. You’re not saved by feelings — Good feelings are nice to have, but feelings do not prove whether you’re saved or not. There may be times when you “feel” that God is close to you, and other times when you “feel” that He’s not. But remember that He has promised to always be with you and never leave you, regardless of feelings (Hebrews 13:5). Always remember that the Christian lives by faith, not by sight or the feelings of our natural senses. The Bible says, “We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
3. You may experience doubts — One of most common things that happens to a new believer is that the enemy tries to whisper doubts in your thoughts: “You’re not really saved,” or “nothing really happened to you.” But don’t believe those lies and deceptions! If you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, then you are saved, regardless of whether you feel it or not. God’s Word promises, “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).
4. BE SURE TO SPEND TIME IN GOD’S PRESENCE:
Pray every day — Prayer is vital to your spiritual growth. God is your Heavenly Father, and He wants to hear from you and have daily fellowship with you. Not only does He promise to answer your prayers, but as you pray, He will also provide guidance and spiritual strength. The Bible tells us to “Pray continually,” that is to pray faithfully every day (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Read the Bible daily — The Bible is God’s Word, and as you read from it every day, it will cause you to grow spiritually (2 Timothy 2:15). As you study His written word (start with the Gospel of John), He will strengthen your faith, speak to your heart, and give you guidance and direction for every need and decision in your life. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalms 119:105).
Attend Church — When you gave your life to Jesus Christ, you became a vital part of God’s family, the Church. As you get involved in MFV, you will receive strength and encouragement from other believers. We encourage you to join Life Groups, so you don't have to do life alone.
5. You are Forgiven of all your sins — The Bible teaches that all mankind has a sinful nature which keeps him separated from God’s presence and will result in eternal death. But Jesus came to suffer the consequences of that sin as our substitute, so that we could be forgiven of sin and have access to God’s presence. When you repented (turned away) from your sins, and asked Jesus to forgive you and become your Savior, that’s exactly what He did. He forgave every sin you’ve ever committed, regardless of how awful or evil they may have been. God can forgive more sin than man can commit. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
6. You’re not perfect, just forgiven — Being a Christian doesn’t mean that you won’t make mistakes, but it means that you are forgiven of sin and that your goal is to live like Christ and not live in old, sinful ways anymore. Don’t ever let the enemy condemn you if you stumble or make a mistake! God loves you and wants you to ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9), then He wants you to get back on your feet and keep walking for Him. God loves you and will correct you, but He will not condemn you. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1).
7. You are a New Creation — At the moment you accepted Jesus, He came into your heart by His Spirit, and now His presence and perfect nature live and dwell in your heart (1 Corinthians 6:19). You did not merely become a better person, you were “born again” spiritually, as a brand-new person! Now He wants you to learn to live your life according to the new nature of His Spirit inside you. The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
We are praying for you and are excited about the plans God has for your life. Remember this, from Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” May God continue to bless you.
PRAYER OF SALVATION
Lord Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart and forgive me of all my sins. I confess with my mouth that you are my Lord and Savior and I believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead for my salvation. Thank you Lord that I am saved and my name is written in the Book of Life.
Romans 10:9-10 & Rev. 20:12
KNOW HIM
If you’ve decided to follow Jesus, your next step is learning what Jesus said.
A great place to start this process is in the book of John from the Bible.
BAPTISM
Next, you should be Baptized
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2:38
Christian baptism is one of two ordinances that Jesus instituted for the church. Just before His ascension, Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” – Matthew 28:19–20
Christian baptism is the means by which a person makes a public profession of faith and discipleship. In the waters of baptism, a person says, wordlessly, “I confess faith in Christ; Jesus has cleansed my soul from sin, and I now have a new life of sanctification.”
Colossians 2:12 states that being submerged in the water represents death to sin, and emerging from the water represents the cleansed, holy life that follows salvation. Romans 6:4 puts it this way: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Very simply, baptism is an outward testimony of the inward change in a believer’s life.
Baptisms happen on the Last Sunday of every month after 2nd service in the Sanctuary. If you wish to demonstrate your inward change of heart with an outward show of your new commitment, please click below to email Pastor Lisa in order to sign up for baptism class. This will allow you to choose the month you would like to be baptized and register for baptism class. We encourage those being baptized to invite their friends and family to come and be a part of that special day.