If you have accepted Jesus’ offer of new life, you now have a guaranteed purpose and hope!

If you are in the Memphis area, we encourage you to visit with the Community of Grace so that we can help you grow in your new faith. If you live too far to visit us, please email us about your decision so we can help you get started in your new life.

You may have many questions, even doubts or disappointments in the coming days, and these are natural. When you step from darkness into light, the darkness doesn’t like it! It fights back! Here are some things to pay close attention to:
  • Once you have committed to Christ’s authority over your life, your salvation is assured. He maintains your salvation, not you. It’s not yours to lose, it’s His to keep! As Jesus said about those who have trusted in Him, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). The apostle Paul put it this way: ”Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1: 13b-14). Your salvation is eternally secure, based upon God’s own promises! Your task is to stay faithful and begin doing the things He commanded, even as He preserves your salvation.
  • Read your Bible every day. Develop a habit. Pick a quiet place and a time when you are at your best (mornings are good for many people). Start with the gospel of John (near the end of the Bible, the one with 21 chapters). Read one chapter a day and “ask” the scripture three questions: (1) who is Jesus (what does He say about Himself); (2) why did He come?; (3) what does Jesus require of me? Start writing those things down and use them to start praying.
  • Pray! Prayer is communion with the Father, who just rescued you! He loves you and will answer prayer in accordance with His purpose, will, and timing. His answers are seldom on our “want list,” but one of the beautiful aspects of prayer is that it aligns our wants to match His. For that reason, start praying using the model that the Lord Himself gave to us, found in Matthew 6:9-13. Note that the prayer begins with asking God’s Name to be regarded as holy and for His will to be done. But even more than that, the prayer is asking Him to cause it to happen. The whole focus is on Him, not us. Ask Him to cause you to consider Him awesome, and to cause you to submit your will to His in every aspect of life, so that His kingdom will advance through you.
  • Find a Christian fellowship that will help you grow. God saved us into a community, not isolation. It is extremely important that you follow Jesus’ command to be in community — the Church. If you don’t know how to find a good church, email us with your location and we’ll try to help. Remember, all churches are not equal. There are many confused, misleading, or outright corrupt organizations claiming to be churches. Sad, but true. Get on the web and look for a church’s emphases on grace, discipleship, and the authority of scripture over personal opinion. If you don’t see these topics prominently displayed on the web site, try another church web site! Denominations do not necessarily fall into “good church” “bad church” categories, but if you are having trouble finding a church, first try the Evangelical Free Church.
  • Be willing to be baptized as a public profession and symbol of your new life in Christ. Once you find a local church, they will be happy to lead you in this. 
May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve and protect you and grow you to full spiritual maturity through His grace. Amen.