Ok let's say you are ready to enter into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. What do you do? I would like to simplify it to four simple steps.
1) The first step that we have to do is admit that we have rejected Jesus' leadership over our lives, and are sinners in need of a savior. No excuses, no rationalizing why we have done what we have done, no comparing ourselves with other people and thinking I've done some bad stuff but I'm not as bad as that person. No thinking well maybe I have sinned, but I'm not a bad person. What we need is simple honesty with ourselves and God. We have to come to the place where we admit we are sinners before a holy God.
2) The second step is that we must be willing to repent. The word repent means to change. It can mean you were going in one direction but now you are going in another direction. When you and I repent of our sins, we are going beyond just admitting to them, we are wanting to turn from them. We aren't going to do this perfectly, but we have a desire to do what God says. We have a desire to follow Jesus over our desires.
3) The third step is to believe the message that God has given in the Bible. The message of the Bible is that Jesus was God in human form. God Himself became a man so that we would know what God is like. As a man, Jesus lived the only perfect life ever known. Then He died, and was raised from the dead to take away the sin of the world, and to become the savior of all people and every person.
4) The fourth step is that after we have admitted our sins, repented of them, and turned to Christ and the message of the Bible in belief, you and I then reach out and receive the gift of what Christ did for us through His death on the cross. It was us that should have been on the cross. But God, in His love and mercy, chose to provide a way in which we wouldn't be punished for our sins. That gift was the forgiveness of our sins through the full payment of our sin penalty, which opened the door for us to be restored relationally with God.
Salvation and eternal life simply comes down to asking ourselves: will I admit, repent, believe, and then receive the gift of salvation and a relationship with God through Christ?
If that is your desire I can give you a sample prayer to pray. Just remember, it is not the exact words but what is going on in your heart that matters. When I became a Christian I said a prayer. Then later I heard someone else say a prayer and so I prayed that prayer because they used different words. Then a week after that the same thing happened again with someone different so I prayed the prayer again. It was then that I realized that it was not about the words but my heart. I had a desire to get right with God that I was afraid of not doing it right. God helped me to understand that He understood what was going on in my heart.
Here is a prayer you can pray: God I admit that I am a sinner. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I ask You to help me follow and obey You in my life. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that only through Jesus Christ can I receive forgiveness of sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to live for you. Thank You Lord for forgiving me. Thank You Lord for receiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer and really meant it. Then you have become a Christian a follower of Jesus. You may not hear thunder or see lighting flashing, but something miraculous and of eternal significance has taken place. Your life will never be the same.
Begin to read the Bible and find a church that believes the Bible to go to.
I am so happy for you. God bless you,
Troy
Some of this is adapted from James Emery White, A Search for the Spiritual (Grand Rapids:Baker, 1998)
