NEXT STEPS

Ready to take your next step?

If you’re wondering what your next step is, we’d love to help you take steps toward faith or grow in your faith.

Follow Jesus

Baptism

Giving

It’s all about Jesus

Jesus said:
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. – John 14:6

Following Jesus is not an exclusive path to God, it’s completely inclusive. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, Jesus is the way for you to have a relationship with God.

Everybody’s invited. Everybody’s included. Everybody’s important.

If you think you’re an exception to the rule, you’re wrong. Jesus loves you.

We can never earn our way or be a “good enough” person to get to God. But with Jesus, we don’t have to.
 
So how do I actually become a Christian?
If you sincerely believe Jesus Christ is Lord and want Him to save you, scripture tells us to do two things: SAY IT and SHOW IT.

“But don’t I have to clean up my life first?”

Nope. You don’t change in order to gain God’s love, you change because you’ve experienced his love.
Once you make Jesus your Savior, over time, God’s love changes you. You change because you’re loved. You don’t change in order to be loved.
 
SAY IT: Confess Christ is Lord

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. – Romans 10:9-10
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:13
Say a simple prayer, similar to the following, from a sincere heart:
Lord, Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for me and rose again. Please forgive me of my sins. I want you to be my Lord and Savior. Give me your Holy Spirit and help me live for you all the days of my life.
If you prayed this, please let us know! We want to celebrate with you and help you take your next steps in Christ!

What is baptism?

Baptism is simply when another Christian immerses you in water. It is what Jesus commanded all his followers to do.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 28:19

Baptism is our pledge of a good conscience toward God.
And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 3:21

This should be a personal decision you make, following a confession of faith (i.e., when you SAY IT). Even if you were baptized as an infant, we will baptize you again since it’s your decision this time.

Do you have more questions about baptism? Contact us
Are you (or your child) ready to get baptized? Simply register for our next available Baptism Sunday!


Is my child ready for baptism?

As a church, we are definitely open to baptizing kids, but the younger they are, the more we want to make sure they understand the gospel and what it means to accept Christ and be baptized.

The following is a guide to help you navigate those discussions. Since this is their personal decision, the goal is to make sure they are doing this for themselves, not to please their parents or friends.

Ask your child the questions below.

Don’t try to help them with their answers, just let them tell you in their own words. Their answers don’t have to be long or profound, but they should have a basic understanding and a sincere desire to follow Jesus or be saved.

  1. Why do you want to be baptized?
  2. Why did Jesus die on the cross?
  3. What does baptism mean?

After talking with your child, if you believe they have a basic understanding of the gospel and a sincere desire to follow Jesus or be saved, then we would love to baptize them!

Do you have more questions about baptism? Contact us
Are you (or your child) ready to get baptized? Simply register for our next available Baptism Sunday!
Give Generously

When we give generously, it changes our life as well as those we are reaching. When you give, marriages are restored, lives are healed, and people meet Jesus. There’s no better investment!

Do you want to learn more about what "tithing" is? It's not a salvation thing or something you can do to earn anything from God. If you want to know more about where the term comes from and what it actually means for us today, read on for more info.

What is tithing, anyway?

A tithe, which literally just means a “tenth,” is defined as the first 10% of a person’s income.

This is the baseline standard of giving presented in the Bible. We return 10% of what God has given us because it belongs to Him. He even asks us to test Him on this and promises to bless us if we do.

Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough room to store it. – Malachi 3:10
 
Why should I tithe?

The Bible says that we can always count on God’s promises being true. When we give God back our first and best portions, He has promised to bless the rest. We know that tithing can seem like a huge step of obedience, but you’re not alone in this. There are countless stories at Free People of families who have trusted God with their finances in this way, and he has ALWAYS provided above and beyond what we need.

As a church, we never ask anyone to do what we aren’t already doing ourselves, so everyone in a leadership position at Free People (from full-time staff to volunteer team leaders) has agreed to give at least 10% of their income to Free People in following the biblical principle of tithing.

That being said, we aren’t legalistic about it, and if you’re not ready to take this step yet, that’s okay. This certainly isn’t something that affects our salvation, and we don’t tithe to “earn” anything from God. This is simply a demonstration of our love and worship of God, who has blessed us in immeasurable ways. He has promised to provide for us, and we are simply acting in obedience.

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