What Just Happened? After You're Saved - Part 4

Hopefully, after the last three posts, it's clear that there was a massive change when you were saved. Absolutely everything about your life is different now...as different as day is from night. You, my friend, are not the same person you were before you called on Jesus!

Let's recap what we've learned so far. When you got saved:
 - You were saved from Hell
 - You were cleansed from all of your sins
 - You were made into a new creation
 - You were separated from the world
 - You were given faith to believe God's Word
 - You were given access to every promise God made in the Bible

Any one of those points alone is enough to shout and dance about! But we're not done yet...Let's take one more look at what happened to you when you were saved.

#7 - You were given the grace to completely obey God

God's grace saved you. Ephesians 2:8 says that you were "saved by grace through faith." The moment you put your faith in Him, that grace invaded your life, washed away your past sins, and pointed you in the right direction. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

But that wasn't the end of what grace does for you! You see, God didn't save you and then leave you to walk on alone.

So many people think of Christianity as an attempt to reform your life. But that couldn't be any further from the truth. The reality is, you have been given a grace that will completely transform your life! Grace will empower you to follow God's directions. You couldn't obey God before salvation - your fallen nature wouldn't allow it. But now, by grace you are completely free to do whatever He says to you!

Hebrews 12:28 tells us that we serve God by grace.

(I still encourage you to use your own Bible and look these passages up for yourself!)

1 Corinthians 15:10 tells us that God's grace will actually work through us to do God's will.

This is the complete freedom from the power of sin!

Yes...your soul still likes to do things its own way

Yes...you still have all the habits and hangups that you had before salvation.

But the great news is now you have all the grace you need to completely annihilate all of that old mess!

If you fall back into sin, God's grace will catch you, forgive you, and wash you clean again. But when you put your faith in it, that grace will also propel you back into obedience as if nothing ever happened!

Sin's grip has been permanently broken off of our lives....Praise God!

#8 - You've been made a part of Jesus' body on Earth

Ah yes...now we've come to the subject you were expecting. Let's talk about church.

Do you really need to attend a church? Absolutely! But there's more to it than that. It isn't that you are now required to go to church. You've actually been made a part of Jesus' church!

In Ephesians 1:23 we read another term for the church...it's called the Body of Christ. This should be exactly how the church functions. Jesus is the head, He's in charge. Like the body working with the head, we go where He sends us and do what He tells us. When you were saved, you were made a part of this Body.

You need to gather with other believers. You grow from them and work with them. There are gifts that Jesus gave to the church (you'll find these listed in Ephesians 4), men and women who teach us and help us grow in the faith. The church is where the truth is made known and Satan's lies are exposed. You need a church to connect with!

Hebrews 10:25 "...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another, and so much the more as you see the day [of Jesus' return] approaching." God makes it clear to us in this verse; gathering together with other believers isn't optional. It's absolutely necessary for us.

But this isn't just about the rules, it's about who you are now. 1 Timothy 3:15 calls the church the "house of God." It's where we come together to meet with Him as a family. Now look at 1 Peter 2:5 - "...you also, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house..."

Did you see it? We are each compared to stones that come together and make up a house.  You're literally a part of the house of God on earth!

God has a specific church for you, and He'll lead you to it. Once you get there, make this concrete decision in your heart: "I am not moving from this spot. This is where God placed me, and this is where I'll grow!"

So welcome to the family brother/sister! Thank God for your decision to follow Him. And He is faithful to finish the good work He started in you!

I want to leave you with one final thought. Luke 15:7 tells us "In the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

That moment you prayed and confessed Jesus as your Lord, all of Heaven erupted in shouts of joy over you! In that instant, angels were celebrating your salvation. Congratulations on the first steps of your new walk!