At New Life, we believe that all Christians are meant to be walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, all the time. The Holy Spirit is simply God living and active in us.
The catalyst that makes this possible is an experience often called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or "being filled with the Holy Spirit." In the Bible, the one thing that changed the early disciples from being just ordinary fearful religious people was the experience of Pentecost (See Acts chapter 2). The Holy Spirit came upon those disciples and they were changed!
God wants to give His people certain abilities which make us effective in living God's way. These qualities or "gifts" are listed in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. They are:
"Word (or message) of wisdom"- a word or message which applies God's word or other revelation to a particular situation. It goes beyond normal human wisdom.
"Word (or message) of knowledge"- a word or message or revelation of information which can only come through non-natural means. An example of this is where a speaker may have knowledge that someone has a particular ailment or is planning to follow a particular course of action.
Faith- this is a special faith to believe for a miracle or other extraordinary event.
Gifts of healing- various gifts to bring healing (physical, emotional or spiritual).
Miraculous powers- deeds of power which alter the normal course of nature due to the direct intervention of God.
Prophecy- supernatural ability to hear God's voice and feel His heart. It involves both fore telling and forth-telling of God's plans both for the future and the present.
Discernment of spirits- the ability to see the activity of evil spirits, human spirits and the Holy Spirit. In other words, this is the ability to see through what is happening to what is causing what is happening.
Tongues- this takes three forms:
a) supernatural prayer language which is given at the time we are baptised in the Spirit. This is what is meant by the phrase "praying in the Spirit"
b) an utterance which is spoken out loud, which with an interpretation, becomes a prophecy.
c) a message given in a human language which is unknown to the speaker but recognised by a hearer.
Interpretation of tongues- the ability to hear a message in tongues and convey its meaning to hearers.
We believe that all of these gifts are given for two purposes- to build up the church AND to convince unbelievers of the reality of God.
If you have never received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, then ask God today. (See Luke 11:13)
Some people teach that these gifts are not for today, but there is no evidence in the Bible for that or in the experience of the church. Take hold of what God wants to give you!
WaterBaptism |
At New Life, we believe that baptism is an important step of faith for all believers. We recognise too that this is an issue which christians have very divergent views about. This page describes our views and practices, which are, we believe, in line with the Scriptures and the ancient traditions of the church. In describing what we do, we are not denigrating what other christians do in good faith... we are just stating what we do.
Water baptism is a command of Jesus (Matthew 28). It is a symbol of cleansing, of death and resurrection, of deciding to follow Jesus. We immerse people because the word "baptise" actually means to plunge something into a liquid. Baptism is meant to represent the fact that in Jesus we die to our old life of sin and then rise up to a new life in Christ.
We do not believe in baptising infants, as some churches do. We believe that baptism comes AFTER we receive Jesus and not before.
Our testimony is that God does something powerful in water baptism. Even long-standing christians discover that God meets them in a new way in water baptism. God starts to deal with the sins and habits that may have been entrenched in our lives for many years. Because of the spiritual power that converges at baptism, we believe that people need to search their hearts very carefully before taking this step. It is not to be taken lightly, for a joke, or just because that's what other people do.
Our practice is to baptise people three times... in the name ofthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We want people to know that God is Three-In-One, that it's not just any god, but the God of the Scriptures.
Water baptism is important, but it is just one part of salvation... you must NOT believe that baptism by itself makes you right with God. You need to repent and receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour first. (Click here to find out how to be right with God)
We call our church "New Life" because we realise that we needed a new life... the old one wasn't working too well... until Jesus came in. If you have problems with guilt, or making relationships work, or with the way you feel about yourself ...
YOU CAN GET A NEW LIFE TOO!
It's got nothing to do with proving you're O.K. or better than anyone else... it just means putting your trust in the only person that can be trusted.
To get a new life all you need to do is....
1. Recognise that God loves you and has a plan for your life.
The Bible says: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11
2. Admit that you have done things that are wrong and offensive to God.
The Bible says: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Rom 3:23
3. Ask God to forgive you because of Jesus.
The Bible says: God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. 2 Cor 5:19
4. Accept the gift of new life that comes through Jesus.
The Bible says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Cor 5:17
If you are serious about this, why not pray something like this to God, right now?
We recommend that you:
1. Find a church and Cell group to be a part of... other people will help you to grow in your relationship with Jesus.
2. Read the Bible (in a modern translation), asking God to help you apply it.
3.Tell your friends about Jesus.