Next Steps

Jesus has done everything needed to secure our salvation.

Here is what we need to understand about our sinful condition, the salvation provided through Jesus, and our response:

What it means to be a Christian. 
Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. Consider the following truths found in Scripture.

God Is Sovereign Creator.
Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

God Is Holy.
God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Mankind Is Sinful. 
According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: “There is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn’t mean we’re incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we’re utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own. (Romans 3:10-12).

Sin Demands a Penalty. 
God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death: (Ezekiel 18:4). That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.16

Jesus Is Lord and Savior. 
The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (Colossians 1:16). Therefore He owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice and Christ’s perfect life satisfied the demands of God’s holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).

The Character of Saving Faith. 
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3,5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9) and pursue Christ (Matthew 11:28-30; John 17:3) and obedience to Him (1 John 2:3). It isn’t enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don’t love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

At GPEH Church, we practice "believer's baptism" by immersion. Believer's baptism illustrates...

• The Holy Spirit's work of SPIRITUAL BAPTISM. Spiritual baptism takes place at the point of salvation, at which time a believer is united with Christ (Romans 6:4-6; Colossians 2:12), receives the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), and is placed in Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:11-13).
• Christ's BURIAL AND RESURRECTION. In water baptism the believer gives public confession to the great gospel truth that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for his sins by dying on the cross. Baptism pictures that the believer's old life was crucified with Christ when Christ died for his sins, that he was buried with Him, and that he has arisen to a new and eternal life with Christ.
• My NEW LIFE and OBEDIENCE as a Christian. Water baptism is to be viewed as an act of obedience that identifies the new believer with Jesus Christ and His people. Our risen Lord and Savior instituted water baptism as an important observance for those who are His disciples (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38; 9:17-18; 10:47-48). Water baptism does not produce forgiveness, cleansing from sin and new life, but rather pictures it. After a person places his or her trust in Christ, water baptism should be viewed as an integral step of obedience for the new follower of Christ. Water baptism, which is to follow one's spiritual baptism with Christ, is a significant symbol of a believer's identification with Jesus Christ. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith...it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

WHY BE BAPTIZED BY IMMERSION?
The Greek word for "baptize" literally means "to be dipped or immersed," and because of this and the pattern illustrated in the New Testament, baptism should normally occur by immersion in water (Acts 8:35-39).
WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED?
Every person who has BELIEVED IN CHRIST
"Those who believe and accepted His message were baptized..." - Acts 2:41

"But when they believed Philip as he preached the Good News ... and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." - Acts 8:12
WHEN SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?
As soon as you have BELIEVED.
"Those who believe...were baptized...that day!" - Acts 2:41

"Then Philip began with the scripture and told him the Good News about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the man said, 'Look, here is water! Why shouldn't I be baptized right now?' Philip said,´If you believe with all your heart, you may.' The man answered,´I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.´ So they went down into the water and Philip baptized him." - Acts 8:35-38

CHILDREN & BAPTISM
Parents are primary when it comes to the spiritual development of their children. This is why the Bible places such strong emphasis on parents investing in the lives of their kids (Deut. 6:4-9; Eph. 6:4; 2 Tim. 3:14-17). Once your child really understands the gospel and genuinely believes in Jesus as their Savior from sin and Lord of their life, being baptized is a significant step in their walk with Christ.
We have a short teaching tract called "Three Questions About Baptism" available at the Welcome Desk in the Church foyer.

Church Membership at GPEH
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Individuals regularly attending the meetings of this Congregation are encouraged to seek membership with the Congregation for fellowship, instruction, and shepherding.

Church membership is a formal and public proclamation of your commitment to this church—both the congregation and its pastors (Elders)—as an expression of your devotion to Jesus Christ.

We realize the term membership does not appear in the New Testament in relation to the church. Neither do we see commands to maintain roles or procedures to receive members. Nevertheless, the New Testament lays the foundation for the practice of church membership.

Jesus established the church to be a public, earthly institution that would mark out, affirm, and oversee those who profess to believe in him (Matt. 16:18-19, 18:15-20). Jesus established the church to publicly declare those who belong to him in order to give the world a display of the good news about himself (John 17:21, 23; see also Eph. 3:10). Jesus wants the world to know who belongs to him and who doesn’t. And how is the world to know who belongs to him and who doesn’t? They are to see which people publicly identify themselves with his people in the visible, public institution he established for this very purpose. They’re to look at the members of his church. And if some people claim to be part of the universal church even though they belong to no local church, they reject Jesus’ plan for them and his church. Jesus intends for his people to be marked out as a visible, public group, which means joining together in local churches.

Scripture repeatedly commands Christians to submit to their leaders (Heb. 13:17; 1 Thess. 5:12-13). The only way to do that is by publicly committing to be members of their flock, and saying in effect, “I commit to listening to your teaching, following your direction, and to submitting to your leadership.” There’s no way to obey the scriptural commands to submit to your leaders if you never actually submit to them by joining a local church.

Mark 1:17… the initial calling of the first disciples.

“As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” Mark 1:16-18

Follow me… Knowing Christ
I will make you become… Growing in Christ
Fishers of men… Going forth for Christ

At GPEH, we believe that every member is a significant, irreplaceable part of our church body and has a unique role to play in working toward our mission. So, as a member of GPEH, we ask you to commit wholeheartedly to doing the following…

KNOW… Faithfully devote yourself to an intimate personal relationship with God.
GROW… Actively invest yourself in the church, growing alongside other believers through shared experiences.
GO… Intentionally share the love, hope, and good news of Jesus through your words and actions – both inside and outside the church walls.

As you seek to live a life of knowing, growing, and going, you are not only fostering your own spiritual development, you’re also helping GPEH to be the church that God intends for us to be.

MEMORIZING THE WORD IS POSSIBLE
Below are a few basic principles that will help make memorizing possible. Included with each principle are practical suggestions to start you dreaming and scheming about how you can effectively memorize the Word of God. You may want to try one or more of the suggestions. As you discover other methods that work, share your ideas!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALREADY ESTABLISHED ROUTINES
The easiest way to find time to memorize is to incorporate memorizing into your already established daily routine.

• Use meal times as a time to memorize.
• Memorize while exercising (i.e. while riding a stationary bike, running, walking or reading on a treadmill, etc.).
• While washing dishes, folding clothes, dusting, snow shoveling, mowing the lawn, or performing various other household chores, you can be memorizing.
• Memorize while walking the dog.
• How about memorizing while showering? Use the plastic pocket or write the verses on a slip of paper that can be thrown away when it gets soggy. Better yet, write the verses on apiece of plastic (an old tablecloth, or clear plastic from the hardware store) using a permanent marker. If people can sing in the shower, why not say verses aloud in the shower?
• Work memorizing into your profession. For example: We know a person who puts up sheet rock for his profession. He tapes the verses on the wall and memorizes as he works.A painter can put the verse card by his paint tray. Every time he puts paint on his roller, he can say the verse. A mail carrier can carry the verses in a pocket or attach them to the mail bag and memorize while walking. (Fill in the blank. How will it work in your profession?)
• Memorize while driving-either by glancing at the cards periodically or by using the review tape.
• If you ride the bus to work, memorize on the bus.
• Memorize each morning while you shave or brush your teeth.
• Use your break times or lunch time to memorize at work.
• Memorize in your small group.
• Care Groups can introduce weekly passages, or review the passage from the previous week.

KEEP THE VERSES HANDY
If your verses "travel with you," you will discover all kinds of opportunities to memorize. One of the easiest ways to memorize is to say the verses repeatedly OUT LOUD.

• Families can use time spent in the car to memorize. Keep a verse set in your car so it is always available.
• We all spend a fair amount of time in the bathroom-have a set of verses handy.
• Keep your verses with you (in your purse, briefcase, pocket, etc.) so that you can
• Take advantage of unexpected moments such as: waiting for an appointment, at a red light, waiting in a store checkout line, pumping gas, waiting for a flight or bus , etc.

POST THE VERSES IN A PROMINENT LOCATION
Part of the battle in memorizing is remembering to memorize. If the verses are displayed where we will frequently see them, we will remember to memorize. It is easy to memorize by simply saying the verses ALOUD a few times during the day.

• Put the verses on your bathroom mirror, on the phone, above the sink, on the computer screen saver, or any place you frequently look during the day. Every time you notice it, say the verses aloud a few times.
• If you are in a profession in which you use a tool box, tape it to the lid or inside the lid and repeat it a few times every time you reach for a tool.
• Tape the verse card to the dashboard of your car. Drive and memorize.

RETAINING VERSES
You will increase your chances of remembering new verses the next day if you review your verses right before you go to bed at night. Then play the review tape as you fall asleep to cement all the verses you have learned in your mind. The key to retaining verses you have memorized is REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW.

SOME TIPS FOR REVIEW
1. Repeat the verses often and out loud. When I was in sixth grade, we were required to memorize one poem each month. Thirty-one years later, I still remember lines from those poems, even though I have not read most of them recently. I remember them because I said them every day out loud for a month. Sometimes we remember something because it "sounds right." Saying verses ALOUD is a key to remembering them.
2. Rehearse the verses frequently. When I wake up in the morning, I rehearse the verses I have learned this year. It is not only great review, but it is a great way to start the day. During the day, I repeat the verses as I am driving, washing dishes, etc. You may want to keep the current year's schedule in its plastic pocket and try to repeat all the verses when you work on your new verse.
3. Review newer verses more frequently.
4. Review every day. After a verse seems ingrained in your mind, review it on a rotating basis with other verses.
5. Use the verses. When you pray, pray through the text of a verse! When you send a card, greet someone with a verse! When you see a friend who is feeling low, encourage them with a verse!