A NEW

BEGIN-
NING
WITH
We are so excited that you
have made the most important

LOVE---
decision of your life in accepting
Jesus Christ as your personal
Lord and Saviour. Relationship
with Jesus is the doorway that
leads to a life of transformation,
blessing and victory.

As a church, we are committed

to helping you on your journey
to discover this new life; and the
most important place to start is
here, the Bible. The Bible is the
inspired Word of God and can
become your greatest asset in
your quest to know more. It will
point you towards your Heavenly
Father, reveal the Lord Jesus
Christ and introduce you to the
Holy Spirit.

It is our heartfelt prayer that you

receive this as a gift to mark this
decision and that you would
sense God’s message of hope,
peace and love to you. We
encourage you to open your
heart as you read and allow His
Spirit to bring these words of
truth to life within you.

BRIAN & BOBBIE HOUSTON

Global Senior Pastors, Hillsong Church
 If you openly declare that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved.

ROMANS 10:9 (NLT)

To access a complete Bible,

simply download the free
YouVersion Bible App.
WHAT’S
NEXT FOR
YOU?--------
Now that you have made this
decision what happens next?
There are four steps that we
believe will help you greatly as
you step into this new life of faith.
 START TO
1READ THE
BIBLE--------
Your word is a lamp to guide We believe that the Bible is God’s
my feet and a light for my path. Word and that it is accurate,
PSALM 119:105 (NLT) authoritative and applicable to our
everyday lives.

Whether we read it in book form,

scroll through it on our mobiles, or
even listen to it while sitting on a
bus, the Bible is far more than just
an interesting historical document
with a few wise thoughts thrown in.

It is the way in which God, the

Creator of the world, has chosen to
communicate with us and to tell us,
not only who He is, but also who
we are and what our purpose is.

The Bible may be an ancient book

but its message is timeless and is
as relevant to us today as it was to
its first hearers thousands of years
ago. As we apply the truths found
within its pages it has the power to
transform our lives.
 DISCOVER
2 THE
POWER OF
PRAYER ----
When we think about prayer it often God speaks through the Holy Spirit
seems to be a mysterious activity but into our hearts and the more we
it can be described most simply as a spend time in conversation with God,
conversation with God. the more we will come to know Him
and to recognise His voice. When we
This conversation can take place speak to God we don’t need to use
anywhere and at any time. We speak any special words. We simply speak
to God and then we listen for what He to Him as we would to someone who
has to say to us. we know loves us dearly and who
wants the best for us.
We are unlikely to hear God’s
response as an audible voice but, as The thing about being with someone
we take the time to be still and listen, we who loves us is that every detail of our
may be reminded of a verse we have lives matters to them. While He was
read in the Bible, or a sentence from on earth, Jesus cared not only about
the sermon we heard on Sunday that people’s souls but also about healing
is relevant to our situation. It may be lepers, filling empty stomachs,
as simple as a thought crossing our rescuing seasick disciples, valuing
mind that we need to do something little children, and righting injustice.
or speak to someone. So we can be confident that He cares
about every detail of our lives as we
share them with Him.

Don’t worry about anything;

instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and
thank him for all he has done.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6 (NLT)
This means that anyone who
belongs to Christ has become a new
person. The old life is gone; a new
life has begun!
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 (NLT)
3
SHARE
YOUR
STORY
WITH
OTHERS ----
After such a life changing decision, it is Everyone’s journey is different and
only natural that we want to talk about all we can do is be ready to take
it with those who are close to us. That opportunities when they arise and
may seem a little overwhelming at trust that they will bear fruit. Ultimately,
first because we can feel as though what communicates the reality of our
we don’t know enough about God, or faith most powerfully is not our words
have all the answers. but the way we now live out what we
believe.
However, what we do have is the story
of our encounter with the love and
grace of God, and there is great power
in sharing that.
Sadly, not everyone will be receptive
to what we have to say and so it is
important to be sensitive about when
and how we share our faith.
4
FIND YOUR
CHURCH
FAMILY ------
We are designed for life in community,
to encourage one another and build
one another up. In the Bible the church
is described as God’s family, so it
makes sense to find a church where
we can feel at home. In the same way
that we would spend time regularly with
our natural family and friends in order
to strengthen our relationships, so we
need to spend time regularly with our
church family.

One of the best ways to find community

is to attend the same service every
weekend. In addition, as we make it
a regular habit to be in church, we will
have the opportunity to learn more
about our faith and to join with others in
worshipping and serving God.
THE
S.O.A.P.
METHOD
OF
READING
THE BIBLE

There are many different ways to

study the Bible and we recognise
that one size doesn’t fit all when
it comes to getting the most out
of your devotional time with God.
The method we’ve chosen to
highlight doesn’t require a great
theological knowledge and is
designed to open your eyes to
the Bible in a deeper way.
PRAY ----------
Ask God to speak to you through His
Word.

A BIBLE ------
Choose a version that resonates with
you. If you’re not sure, find a verse
or passage in one version and read
the same passage in a few different
versions. See which version you
connect with the most and find easiest
to read and understand.

A
NOTEBOOK
AND PEN ----
With the convenience of smart phones
and computers, many of us rarely
pick up a pen to write with these days.
Yet writing is a deliberate art and it is
startling how your brain processes
things differently when you write. You
will find that what you write becomes so
much more personal and memorable.

A QUIET
PLACE -------
Find a place that you can go to as
regularly as you can that will become
your ‘place of meeting’ with God. It
may be your bedroom, a seat on your
veranda, or a chair in a corner of your
living room. Wherever it is, make it a
time and place where you won’t be
disturbed.
BIBLE
READING
PLAN------
When choosing a reading plan, be If you have never read the Bible before,
encouraged that you don’t have to we suggest that you start with the
read six chapters every day with a gospel of Luke which tells the story of
commentary and concordance by your Jesus’ life and ministry. Then move on
side! Go at your own pace and read as to Luke’s companion book, Acts, which
much as you can. Some days you may tells of the early years of the church. If
stay on one or two verses and not be you have been reading the Bible for a
able to move on until you’ve pondered while but find that you always end up
all that God is saying to you. Other days reading the same passages, here is an
you may read a few chapters until one example reading plan that takes you
verse leaps out. into different parts of the Bible each
day of the week. You simply read as
much as you want from the section for
that day and then pick it up again the
following week.
Below is one example of a reading plan
you may like to follow. This reading plan
highlights passages from both the Old
Testament and New Testament.

To access a complete Bible, simply

download the free YouVersion Bible App.

MONDAY
Genesis - 2 Samuel

TUESDAY
Matthew, Mark, Luke

WEDNESDAY
1 Kings - Song of Songs (excl. Psalms)

THURSDAY
John, Acts, Revelation

FRIDAY
Isaiah - Malachi

SATURDAY
Romans - Jude

SUNDAY
Psalms
SO
SCRIPTURE
Write out a key verse that speaks to
you from the passage you have just
read.
OBSERVATION
What stands out to you in what you
have read? What do you see? Are
there word patterns, repetitions?
Are there lots of verbs or several
characters or just one?

AP
APPLICATION
What is God saying to you today? To
think that our Creator God wants to
speak to us each day is astounding
and humbling. How can you apply
what you are hearing? Is there
PRAYER
Praying at the conclusion of your time
of study, seals what God has revealed
to you through His Word. Thank God
for His presence with you and His
Word to you today, and ask the Holy
something you need to do? Spirit to enable you to outwork it as
you go about your day.
EXAMPLE OF
THE S.O.A.P
METHOD----
To get you started, here’s an
example of how S.O.A.P. can
S. “For this is how God loved the world: He
gave his one and only Son, so that everyone
work. Write your thoughts in a
who believes in him will not perish but have
way that comes naturally to you.
eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
It could be sentences or bullet
points or anything in between!
O. God risked everything for us, He gave
His only Son… even though people could and
would reject His sacrifice for them. He loved,
so He gave. He died so we may live.

A. Today, what has leapt off the pages is the

fact that ‘He loved, so He gave.’ He loved and
as a response to that love He gave everything
He had. What is my response to His love? Is
it to give my all to Him, live my life in such a
way that honours Him? What does it mean for
me to respond out of love for Him? I think it
means to love others regardless of whether
they are of different race, religion, background
or opinion. His love for me isn’t conditional
upon my response. He loves me in spite of
it. Therefore today, in all my encounters with
others, I choose to love first regardless of how
I am received.

P. Father, thank you for opening my eyes

today. Thank you for speaking with me and
showing your Son Jesus in your Word. Thank
you for your sacrifice. Help me Holy Spirit to
remember this deep, unconditional love today
and help me to see others the way you see
them – as your beloved sons and daughters.
In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
HILLSONG.COM/ONLINE