Janeth Ng is in Year 2 of the Send SFL Residency Program at Family Church.

New believers are people who have repented of doing life their own ways and believed in Jesus’ death for their sins, burial and resurrection. As they begin to recover and pursue God’s design, they don’t always know what to do or what next step to take. This is where discipleship and the local church come in. New believers need to grasp the truth of what Paul taught:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.–2 Corinthians 5:17

We no longer have to hold on to our past. We have been completely forgiven through Jesus Christ and God wants us to pursue a real relationship with Him. He wants to be our Father, Lord, Savior, and the King of our lives! When we trust Christ, we also receive the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and guides us to grow spiritually in our faith and relationship with God.

I received Jesus in my heart at the age of fourteen, but it was not until August 2014, six years after receiving Christ, that I truly surrendered to Jesus. I made the decision to become a sold-out disciple. God calls us to imitate Jesus in every way as we study the Word and live out our faith.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.–2 Corinthians 5:18-19

God reconciled with humanity through Christ, so that we could have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. When we follow Jesus’ example, He changes our lifestyle, behavior, characteristics, and bad habits through the Holy Spirit living in us. This doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process that continues over the course of our lives. As new believers, we are called to begin a journey with God who has predestined us to be like Christ and to represent Him.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.–2 Corinthians 5:20

What does it mean to be an ambassador? It means we represent Christ. When we declare ourselves Christians, we faithfully walk with the Lord and everything we do points to Him. Non-believers will see Christ reflected in the way we live. We are called to share the gospel in the things we do and say.

We also strive to obey the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”–Matthew 28:19-20

Recently I was at a gas station when a young girl came to me to ask for some spare cash. I sincerely was not carrying any cash, but I offered to buy food for her instead. As we talked, I learned more about her difficult situation. She wasn’t working at the time and was living on the streets. I grabbed a piece of paper (it was actually the back of a receipt) and a pen. I knew God was telling me to share the gospel with her right at that moment. It was the perfect opportunity since she had shared with me the brokenness through which she was living. I drew out the 3 Circles–our Family Church gospeling tool–and we had a conversation about Jesus.

Sharing the 3 Circles with someone I just met was not easy. Sometimes it is a challenge just to mention the name of Jesus. We fear rejection and think people will ignore us or try to change the subject.

However, just as I am challenged to share the gospel, I challenge you to do the same. Jesus promises “I am with you always, to the end of age.” Why don’t we just believe that? Let’s believe, encourage, disciple and train each other to share the gospel and be on mission with Jesus!