Next Steps

Before you were ever born, God knew you and created you to find life in Him. When we trust in Jesus, we admit that we are hopelessly broken and in need. We believe that Jesus lived the life that we cannot, died the death we all deserve, and rose from the grave defeating everything that is defeating us. We are adopted into the family of God and given a new identity and the promise of everlasting life with Him.

When you trust in Jesus, you are given a new identity. Baptism is an outward sign of the inward change that Jesus brings. It represents the burial of the "old self" and our being "raised to walk in newness of life". We celebrate baptism at RHC like your favorite team won the championship, knowing that it represents the new life that Jesus brings.

The church is the gathering of the redeemed, the family of God, the bride of Christ, and the body of Christ. Scripture speaks of many members within the same body. Just as a human body relies upon mutual dependence of individual members for proper functioning, so the body of Christ requires sacrificial and responsible service by its individual members. We find the community our hearts long for in the body of Christ.

Imagine you regularly go to lunch at your grandma's house. It isn't long until you are fulfilling one of the necessary tasks in order to make the gathering a success. Maybe washing the dishes or setting the table isn't your life's passion, but you lovingly serve because you are a member of the family. We are adopted by God into His family, and that identity shapes how we see our opportunity to serve NOT as a chore, but as an important part of being in the family of God.