If you’re visiting this page of our website, you’ve begun to ask the question, “What’s the next step in getting to know God?” This is one of the greatest questions you can ask, and we’d like to answer it for you right here. If, though, you have more questions or need any clarity at all–or if you’d simply like some prayer–please feel free to contact us.
Step #1: Meet Jesus
You may have already completed this step, but it can’t hurt to go back over it.
The Bible is clear that every person on earth has sinned, has disobeyed God. (Romans 3:23) This means that no one is worse than any other person. However, it also means that no one can excuse away their disobedience, and that disobedience will result in death. (Romans 6:23)
That is why we need Jesus. He was born as a human baby (Christmas), lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay for our sins and then was resurrected from the dead on Easter.
The Bible says, “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.” Simply put: If you put your trust in Jesus and accept His death on the cross as the payment for your sin, then you have been saved. You are no longer in danger of hell, and you have become a brand new person. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Once you’ve taken step 1, you move on to…
Step #2: Celebrate Salvation
Celebrating Jesus has two primary applications at Cornerstone: Sunday Worship and baptism.
Every Sunday, we gather in the auditorium to sing songs of worship, to give, and to hear a message from God’s Word that will both encourage and challenge us. We end each week by responding to God’s message by with prayer, while on the first Sunday of the month, we share in communion.
Baptism, however, is a special moment of celebration. In baptism, our pastor lowers a person completely into water, pronouncing their baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and then raises them back up out of the water. This momentary immersion is symbolic of Jesus’ death and burial (going under the water) and then His resurrection (coming back up out of the water). We practice baptism as a testimony, a pubic declaration, of the new life that we are living through Jesus. (Romans 6:3-4)
After engaging in worship on Sundays and declaring your salvation through Jesus, you’ve reached…
Step #3: Connect with other Christians
Friendship is one of the greatest gifts God gave mankind. We often see in the Bible how God uses friendships to help and bless people. At Cornerstone, we have a few ways to connect people into relationships. We have interest groups like coed softball and a golf league and regular events like game nights. On a deeper level, we have small groups that meet twice a month on Sundays for prayer and a brief discussion along with a whole lot of fun.
And with those connections, comes…
Step 4: Grow Closer to God
When we talk about coming to Jesus and becoming Christians, we often use the phrase “born again.” This is really helpful as it communicates the truth that when we surrender ourselves to Jesus we are entering into a new way of living. Living the Christian life is, then, a lot like a baby learning to walk and talk. To help new Christians learn how to live this life, Cornerstone offers classes on Wednesday evenings. Called “Cornerstone University,” these nights include varying levels of classes designed to help you mature and grow, learning to walk and live the Christian life.
Again, like children learning to walk, the goal is to walk on our own, to grow, mature, and eventually…
Step #5: Serve God and Others
When Jesus saves us, He saves us from sin and death and in to a family, His family. As a part of God’s family, we are expected to do as our Father does. Since He loves and blesses us, we are called to love and bless others through acts of service, both inside and outside of the church. This can be as simple as helping as an usher on Sundays or shoveling your elderly neighbor’s driveway in the winter. The point isn’t to do something big or impressive but to find ways to consistently show others the love you have found in Jesus. If you’d like more information about how you can serve, contact Pastor Kermit.
Once you’re actively serving God and others in and outside the church, the next step is pretty simple:
Step #6: Join the Church
Joining the church as a voting member is a serious undertaking but certainly not a difficult one. Currently, we ask prospective members to take a six week class that will walk them through the responsibilities of membership. This class offered twice a year, and you can get more information about it by selecting “I would like to attend a Membership Class” on you Sunday Connection Card.
That’s it! Those are the six steps. Of course, a few of these are steps that you will only need to take once