New to Christ – Open Heaven

We are so thankful that you have chosen to follow Jesus! Everyone at Open Heaven celebrates with you and welcomes you to the family of God!

You have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord. This is the most important decision of your life and will impact the rest of your life as you learn what it means to follow Him. We want to give you the best start possible so here are a few things that you should know:

What does it mean to be saved?

Every person needs salvation because of sin. Our sin means we are separated from God. No matter how hard we try there is nothing that we can do to be a relationship with God. Romans 3:20 explains, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight”. Since God wants a relationship with us, He made a way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be saved and brought to spiritual life! Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human, lived a perfect life. He died on the cross as a payment for our sins. He took on the punishment that we deserve for our sins. Then He rose back to life proving that He is who He claimed to be and that His sacrifice was enough. You have decided to receive this gift of forgiveness. Once we have received forgiveness in Christ, our salvation is secure forever.

You are saved and will live for eternity! (John 6:37-40)

What’s Next?

As a new Christian, you have just started a new life. It can be confusing as you figure out what this means. But the most important part is knowing that you now have a relationship with Jesus who saved you from your sins so you can spend eternity with Him. Getting to know Him will be a lifelong journey and will change every aspect of your life.

Choose To Grow Daily

You have been introduced to Jesus Christ and now you need to keep following Him. The best way to start is by reading your Bible daily. While you may be intimidated or overwhelmed the key is to pray for God to open your mind and understanding to scripture. Just keep reading and seeking His word.

There are many plans you can follow online through The Bible App – YouVersion. This app is filled with resources and plans to help you understand scripture. YouVersion creates biblically-centered, culturally relevant experiences that encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day. It’s through these experiences we create opportunities fit for anyone’s daily routine, ultimately helping them form a spiritually rich rhythm of seeking God intimately.

If you haven’t already received one please invest in a Bible. There are many translations to choose from and we recommend the New Living Translation because its very easy to understand. Here is a link to a Bible that many people have started with: Premium Value Slimline Bible Large Print NLT

Take An Alpha Course

Open Heaven believes that the Alpha Course is a great start to help you understand the key concepts of faith. Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation.

Alpha is run all around the globe, and everyone is welcome. It runs online, in cafés, churches, universities, homes—you name it. No two Alphas look the same, but generally they have three key things in common: connection, content, and conversation.

Alpha runs in over 20,000 churches in over 100 different countries and the course content is free to those wishing to run Alpha. You can find one near you by visiting Try Alpha (Alpha Canada)

Find A Church

You belong to the family of God. Because of this we are called the “body of Christ”. We are meant to encourage one another and share in life together. It’s a family that celebrates together, confronts each other, and even apologizes. Church is important because it’s hard to follow Jesus alone in a world that wants nothing to do with Him.

Here are some churches that Open Heaven has partnered with. If you live close to one of these local churches, please check them out!

Royal View Church (London ON)

Riverside Community Church (Frankford ON)

Immanuel Pentecostal Church (Kitchener ON)

Calvary Pentecostal Church (Strathroy ON)

Trumpet of Truth (Woodstock ON)

When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you became God’s child forever. Nothing you do, say, or think can take that away. You cannot give away, sin away, or lose your salvation—God is too strong to let you go! All the steps you take to grow in relationship with God are ways to show appreciation for Jesus’ sacrifice; ways we live out our new life. They do not save us, and if we mess up, He still forgives us.

Becoming a new Christian is just the start of a life-long journey that ends in God’s arms – The team at Open Heaven is praying for you as you begin your life as a Christ follower.