DAY 6 | Everything is New

Welcome to week 2 of our devotional series, Experience Jesus, where we are helping you follow Jesus and giving you the ability to teach others how to follow Jesus, too.

As you begin your journey with Jesus, it’s important know that God makes you a new person, gives you a new power, and offers a new process through which you can live a transformed life.

God makes you a New Person.

In a conversation with a man named Nicodemus, Jesus said that one must be “born again” in John 3:3. No, you do not have to be physically reborn, but rather, this rebirth is a spiritual one that offers a fresh start full of opportunity. We learn in Ephesians 2:5 that while we were dead in our trespasses Christ “made us alive together,” and we learn in 1 Peter 1:3 that we are born again into a “living hope.” In this new life we are described as new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we are called to walk in this newness of life.

Romans 6:4
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

The Picture a New Person: Baptism

Just as a wedding ring symbolizes a marriage, baptism symbolizes our relationship with Jesus. The English word ‘baptism’ comes from the Greek word ‘baptizo’ which means, “to go under or immerse.” At Mission Grove, we practice water baptism because we believe it is an outward expression of an inward belief. Baptism symbolizes Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus himself was baptized (Mark 1:9), and then commanded us to baptize people as well (Matthew 28:19-20). If you believe in Jesus, we want to encourage you to get baptized as true belief is shared with others.

Acts 2:38; 41a
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…  41 So those who received his word were baptized

God gives you New Power.
When you receive Jesus into your life, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in your life. The Holy Spirit gives you power to walk like Jesus walked and to live like Jesus lived. Without the Holy Spirit, we are left in our own strength and can do nothing. However, with the Holy Spirit, we can share Jesus with others (Acts 1:8), find freedom from sin (2 Corinthians 3:17), worship fully in truth (John 4:24), and overcome our fears (2 Timothy 1:7).

During His earthly ministry, Jesus Himself depended upon the Holy Spirit to perform miracles and minister to others, thus giving us the example to follow (more on that tomorrow.) Jesus even told His early disciples that it was to their advantage that He would go away, because of the benefit of having the Holy Spirit would be so much greater.

John 14:12, 16-17
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father… 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 16:7
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 

The Picture of a New Power: Fruit of the Spirit

In John 15:5, Jesus describes Himself as “The Vine” and He calls us the branches. We are commanded to abide in Him, which means to stay connected or remain in Jesus. We are called to produce fruit, but branches do not produce fruit on their own. Instead, branches only produce fruit when they are connected to the Vine. How do you know that you’re living by the power of the Holy Spirit? Your life will start to look more like the fruit described in Galatians 5:22-23:

Galatians 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

God gives you a New Process.
Disciples are not made in day, but they are made daily through our choices in attitude and actions. We can all make disciples when we introduce people to Jesus and teach others how to obey God’s commands. Paul exemplified this teaching when he told Timothy to share everything he had learned with others who could also teach others. When we teach others to follow Jesus, this is discipleship.

Matthew 28:19-20
19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2 Timothy 2:2
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 

The Picture of a New Process: The Jesus Cycle

Once you understand “Why?” we are called to make disciples, you can then move onto the next logical question which is “How can we make disciples?” Whether it’s fitness, diet, business, or education, people tend to have more repeatable success when they follow a common process. In the same way, we want offer a common process you can use to repeatedly make disciples. In the future sessions, we will break this process down into more detail, but for now have to share with you the picture.

Look to Jesus
Live like Jesus
Love like Jesus
Lead like Jesus