New Believers Q&A

Getting started as a new believer is relatively easy and always free - God wouldn't have it any other way!

Once you've decided you want to know God, the steps to follow as a new believer are super easy, but the commitment for some people may seem harder than it is for others, simply because some people are more addicted to sinful behavior than others. And not just typical addictions like drugs & alcohol, but behavioral addictions like lying, cheating, stealing, lusting, greed, arrogance, selfishness, bullying, and so many others.

To get started on the Believer's Journey, we recommend the following for starters: 1. learn how to pray; 2. acknowledge your sinful behavior(s) & stop sinning; 3. asking God &/or Jesus for forgiveness; and 4. keep doing steps 1. to 3. while you make genuine effort to eliminate your sinful ways.

Just keep in mind that while you go through these first steps, you can't pretend to make changes, you need to really make an effort to change or your asking for forgiveness will be empty of promise.

1. Who is God? God is the creator of our Universe, our one & only God, who is a triune God of three persons (God the Father, Jesus the Son, & the Spirit of God). Matthew 28:19

2. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God, who was fully man and fully God, who walked the earth in the 1st century and was born into life here on earth and died as payment for mankind's sin nature, to free us from the bondage of sin and to put an end to Satan & evil. Philippians 2:6-8
   

3. Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God who God the Father sent to the earth through Jesus when Jesus was baptized, and who remained on earth after Jesus died to provide guidance and understanding, and to lead those who become believers to their salvation. John 14:26

4. Is Heaven real? Yes. In the Bible there are three heavens: 1st heaven is described as the atmosphere & the sky where the birds fly, and is related to the physical world; 3rd heaven is the realm of love where God & the holy angels are; and 2nd heaven is eluded to as the place where the unseen evil spirits dwell who communicate with psychics & mediums to trick people into believing their lies and to interfere with the lives of believers & turn them away from God. Genesis 1:1 & Isaiah 65:17
   

5. Is hell a real place? Yes. And even though Hell was made to be a prison for the fallen angels who rebelled against God in Heaven and those who follow & worship them. Matthew 5:22-30 & Matthew 10:28
   

6. Why am I here? In the beginning when God created mankind (Adam & Eve), they were eternal beings who lived in the Garden of Eden in the presence of God. But when Adam & Eve ate from the forbidden fruit in the Garden, they became cursed by the fruit which contaminated their blood with knowledge of evil, which would then be inherited for generations to come through blood & birth. God then had no choice but to curse them to death so that their evil would not have eternal life, and is the reason the world has so much evil today, though extremely influenced by Satan & his demons who were the angels who fell from heaven when they rebelled against God before mankind was created. As a result, each human being must go through a process of salvation for redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ for purification & to return to Heaven. Genesis 1-3 & John 3:16-17

7. Does everyone go to Heaven when they die? No. The Bible says non-believers will not go to heaven. Matthew 7:21-23
   

8. What are angels? Angels are God's messengers and carry out God's will without question. Plus, they also serve as protectors for God's people who are believers. Genesis 22:11-22, Isaiah 6:2-3, Psalm 91:11-12, & 2 Kings 19:35.

9. Is Satan real? Yes. Satan is the fallen angel previously known as Lucifer. Satan leads the other fallen angels and is bent on the destruction of God's creation & mankind because of his inequity, jealousy, & envy, and for being kicked out of his role in 3rd Heaven when he guarded the throne of God. Luke 10:18-20 & Isaiah 14:12-15
   

10. What is sin? Sin is the thought or act of rebelling or going against God. Genesis 4:7, Exodus 20:5, Matthew 3:6, & Matthew 6:14-15

1. Watch the videos on the Sermons & Lectures page by Biblically correct Pastors that provides an easy to understand overview and context for understanding the Bible. We recommend Pastor Skip Heitzig's the Bible from 30,000 Feet for this part. Be sure to take a few notes along the way to help you make sense of how it all fits together.

2. Then, after watching or during each video, go to the Bible chapter & verse to read what they were teaching about. There are free online versions of the Bible you can use for research at BibleGateway.com or an app called Bible.Is which also has audio capability. The versions of the Bible we recommend for getting started are the New International Version (NIV) or the King James Version (KJV). In addition, please understand that God speaks to each of us when we read the Bible and the more you read & learn, you more insight & revelation you'll receive about how to apply the Scripture in your own life. All believers should read from the Bible every day.

3. I remember the first few times when I first tried to read the Bible and didn't get very far because I couldn't understand why there was so much written about war, killing, condemnation, and betrayal. But instead of giving up, I decided to learn from someone who could help me put the writings into context, and then it all started to make sense. So, trust me when I say, just don't give up! Repeat the above steps 1. & 2. for the whole Bible so you have a general understanding about all the books of the Bible. With the right teachers, you can learn to love the Bible & see beyond the literal translation of its wording, to experience the depth of Love that God has for each of us, regardless of who we are or where we've come from or what we've done. God loves you so much He wants to save you from your bondage of sin if you just repent your sins and ask for forgiveness, and turn away from sin going forward... He has more love for you than you can ever possibly imagine.

4. Now watch YouTube videos provided by a Biblically correct Pastor who teaches about the application and meaning of a variety of topics from the Bible. Take notes if something speaks to your heart or is relevant to something you are currently going through or went through in the past & you need healing in that area. We highly recommend Pastor Robert Morris for this part because he is accurate, uses biblical references and has a great sense of humor to keep his sermons from being boring. Scroll through his YouTube channel to find topics of interest to you, particularly his older stuff is a series that we recommend called "Free Indeed" and here is a link to his other series/playlists on our Sermons & Lectures page that we found very helpful & insightful.

5. Some Christian movies & shows are done well enough to convey a simple understanding of the Bible, God, & Jesus, but take care to not only watch videos because God expects everyone of us to read the Bible. However, new believers may find the movies helpful to put the teachings of Christ into context & perspective. Some of the movies & shows that may be helpful to you include "the Chosen" on Amazon Prime, the older Biblical movie series called "The Bible Collection" and another called "The Bible Stories" on dvd (some of these can be seen on Netflix). The problem with the movies & shows, however, is that they are limited in how much content & detail they include, so they are all generally descriptive. And never allow cartoon, anime, or virtual reality versions of Biblical teachings or church or anything related to God be your source of learning. Plus, always be alert for false teachers, false pastors, and false churches who focus on money, prosperity, entertainment (all about the music), and personal gain - some have nothing to do with God & the Bible and some use their church to make themselves wealthy.