We exist as a church because Jesus has changed our lives and we believe He can change the lives of others. Whether you’re exploring who Jesus is, coming back to the Bible after a long time away, or have decided to follow Jesus we want to help you take the next step.
Step 1: Understand Jesus
The Bible calls the message about Jesus “gospel” or “good news.” What’s so good about this news?
- We’re Reintroduced to God: God is good and made all things good, including making humanity in His image to know Him (Genesis 1-2).
- We Understand Why We (And Our World) Are Broken: The brokenness in our lives and world is a result of us turning from God and turning toward sin and rebellion (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23).
- We Find A Solution in Jesus: To pursue His people in love, God became a man in Jesus (John 1:14; Hebrews 7:26). He lived a perfect life without sin and died on the cross, being punished in the place of His people, and rose again from the dead (Romans 3:21-26, Romans 5:12-21, Romans 4:25). By His saving work, all those who place their faith in Jesus will be saved from their sins, declared "not guilty" before God, adopted in God's family, and given eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 3:13, Romans 3:23-25, Ephesians 1:5, John 3:16).
- We Find Good News for Anyone and Everyone: The gospel is good news because anyone, no matter who they are or what they’ve done, can come to turn to Christ and find salvation and restoration.
Want to learn more? Read Pastor Ricky's ebook titled "Better News" available here for free. In the book, Pastor Ricky shares his journey from simply going through the motions in church, to finally understanding why the gospel is such good news.
Step 2: Begin Following Jesus
As you begin the journey of following Jesus we want to come alongside you and encourage you. We’d love to give you a Bible if you don’t have one and pray for you. Find any of our pastors or staff members on Sunday, or reach out online.
Step 3: Be Baptized
If you have decided to follow Jesus then the Bible encourages you to be baptized. Going into the water and coming out is a way of identifying with Jesus as we symbolically are raised to new life in Him. It’s publicly saying, “I believe in Jesus, trust Him for my salvation, and am turning to follow Him.” It’s also a great spiritual encouragement and help to those being baptized.
Even if a person was baptized as a child, or even an adult, and they realize that they were not a believer in Christ at the time, we'd also encourage them to be baptized again as a public proclamation of their new life in Christ.
If you're interested in being baptized at Cross of Grace Church, let us know here. We’ll answer any questions about baptism and connect you with our next baptisms happening on a Sunday morning.
Step Four: Connect with the Church
None of us are meant to follow Jesus alone. We want to help connect you with other men and women following Jesus as a family. Click here to get connected.