“What do I do after baptism?”
So you went public in your faith in Jesus! What an amazing step in following Christ. By getting baptized, you followed in Jesus’ footsteps (Yep, Jesus was baptized too) and you told your friends, family, and church, “A follower of Christ is who I am now.” So what now? The good news is you’re not at the finish line, you’re at the starting line. Following Jesus is an everyday thing. And your relationship with God grows over time. Like a seasoned friendship, you can get closer to Him. In fact, as you follow Christ, you’ll probably see a lot of change for the good in your thoughts, words, and behavior too. So what now? We have 3 ideas to help you follow Jesus after baptism.
Keep coming to YX.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. -Hebrews 10:25
Community is so important. And that’s why the most important thing we do at YX is groups. Your group needs you and you need your group. For those in your group that don’t have their faith in Jesus yet, you’re an example now of what that means. For those in your group that are following Jesus, you can support and encourage each other each and every week.
And beyond your own group, all of YX wants to celebrate your decision to be baptized. Take a moment and tell us a little more about what Jesus is doing in your life.
2. Start reading your bible.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. -2 Timothy 3:16
We read the bible so that we can know the author, the subject, and the reader. God inspired all of Scripture. He is the author. God inspired 44 different authors to write 66 books over the span of 1500 years. God used people to write in their background and context with their personality and writing styles to reveal a mosaic of God’s nature and our nature. So did God write the bible or did people write the bible? Yes! So we read the bible because we wanna know the author.
And the subject of the bible is Jesus. The Old Testament points to our need for Jesus. And the New Testament reveals Jesus’ time here on earth and what it means to follow him now. So we read the bible because it grows our relationship with the bible’s main character: Jesus.
But there’s also someone else we learn about as we read the bible. Since the bible is inspired by God, it’s different than other books. They’re not just stagnant words on a page, the bible, more than any other book, has the ability to reveal things to you about yourself. It can convict you, inspire you, give you perspective and direction, and teach you how to be more like Christ.
So where do you even start? We have a few ideas. There’s an app called YouVersion. It’s also known as the Bible app. Download the app and try a bible reading plan like “What Now?” An 8-day starter devotional. Or if you’re ready to just jump in somewhere, maybe start with the book of John. There you’ll get to read the story of Jesus for yourself.
3. Find ways to serve.
For even the Son of Man [Jesus] came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." -Mark 10:45
Serving is one of the healthiest things a follower of Jesus can do. It’s one of the ways we can be most like Christ! When you find ways to serve, it positively effects you, the people around you, and God. Serving pleases God’s heart, changes your heart, and inspires others’ hearts.
There are so many ways to serve others. In fact, serving can be and is a lifestyle. It can be as simple as seeing a need and meeting that need. You can start by serving your family. What are ways you can serve your mom, dad, or sister? You can serve at your school. What are projects you could take on or ways you could volunteer your time to help make your school a better place? And you can serve your church. You can make room for other people to find and follow Jesus when they come to our church, YX, or our kids ministry. If you are interested in serving at our church, you can get started here.
We’re so excited to be alongside you for your next steps in following Jesus. Keep coming to YX, start reading the bible, and find ways to serve. If you have any questions, you can always reach out to your group leader, or email our student ministry staff here.