Session 5
New heart, new start

Ice-breaker

How would you define a 'Christian'?

Following Jesus

The first Christians simply called themselves followers of 'the Way' (Acts 9:1-2). 'Christian' was a name given to them later by the people in Antioch (Acts 11:26). It means 'Christ-like ones'.

Why do you think they were called this, and what are the implications for today's Christians?

In the end it is not so much what you know as who you meet that matters!

Becoming a Christian

Read Acts 2:22-24, 36-41. What moved Peter's hearers so much that they were 'cut to the heart'?

In verse 37 the people in the crowd ask, 'What shall we do?' Read out Peter's answer (verse 38).

Becoming a Christian is a process that includes a number of steps. These are all closely interrelated and it is often hard to say which should come first. We will look at these one by one.

Faith

Some things can be 'proved'; others have to be 'believed'. The Bible defines faith in Hebrews 11:1 as 'being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see'.

What are some of the key things that Christians need to have faith in? Refer to John 3:16.

Don't worry if your faith starts small. Look up Matthew 13:31-32.

Repentance

To repent means to change one's mind, literally to think again, particularly with reference to past behaviour. Repentance is much more than just being sorry. It is a conscious decision to think about things from God's point of view, and involves a fundamental change of direction: stopping one thing (going your own way) and starting to go another (God's way).

Why do we need to repent? Think back again to the bridge illustration.

What sort of things do we need to repent of? You may like to spend a few minutes thinking about this in silence.

How do we set about repenting?

What sort of things do we need to repent of?

True repentance may involve some actions on your part, such as putting things right with other people.

The forgiveness of sins

How do you think God reacts when we repent? Imagine yourself as the son, and then as the father, in Luke 15:18-24.

Why do you think it is sometimes hard for us to receive forgiveness?

Look up Psalm 103:8-12. Our relationship with God is now restored. This is not because of anything that we have done, but because of God's wonderful gift to us through Jesus (Romans 5:8).

Read Romans 3:23-25. Forgiveness has been made possible because Jesus has atoned (paid the penalty) for our sins. We don't deserve God's grace (unmerited favour), but we do need to actively receive it.

And next . . .

You have accepted an amazing, costly gift. You can now call yourself a Christian. You have a new relationship with God. How are you going to express this?

Read Romans 10:9. How do you set about telling others about your new faith?

The disciple Thomas saw Jesus in a radical new way, when he called him 'my Lord and my God' (John 20:24-29). To call Jesus 'Lord' is to let him be in charge of your life. How can you do this?

Believer's baptism

The Bible clearly teaches that baptism is a natural step for new Christians to take (Acts 2:38).

Being baptised is a graphic representation of what it means to become a Christian, identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. A separate session is devoted to this important topic.

Being sure

Do you ever have doubts, or sometimes wonder if you really are a Christian? How do you resolve this?

When we really connect with Jesus, in the same way as Thomas did, we can be sure that this is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We have been 'born again', in a spiritual way. In John 3:1-8 we read Jesus' explanation of this to Nicodemus. If we have the Spirit of God living in us, then we are Christians.

We will have much more to say about the Holy Spirit next week. For the moment, just note how central his activity is to the whole process of becoming a Christian.

Your choice

Read Mark 1:15-20. Jesus is calling you to follow him. How will you respond?

Becoming a Christian is the start of a life-long journey. It is not an end in itself, there is a lot more to come. It's good to take stock at the beginning of a journey. Think about any unresolved issues in your life that make you hesitate to make Jesus your Lord.