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"I WANT TO
BECOME A CHRISTIAN"
A lot of people want to water down the the biblical standards of
repentance and conversion; but below is a heavy-duty yet
straightforward list of biblical qualifications (we believe you can
take it and we believe you must). Getting
"born again" goes way beyond turning over a new leaf and joining a
church. Christianity is all about connecting with Almighty God and
living His way through the only choice
there is, Jesus Christ.
BELIEVE
Jesus of Nazareth is God in the flesh, the Savior
of the World, and mankind's single resource to eternal, universal
truth. During His earthly life and ministry, Jesus was confirmed by
God as "the only begotten of the Father" through many supernatural
signs, wonders, and miracles. Jesus fulfilled all of the ancient
Messianic prophecies (a feat humanly impossible); and after
accurately predicting His own death, burial, and resurrection, He
was raised into Heaven in the presence of many eyewitnesses.
Jesus' death on the cross was the final and full
payment for sin, and He declared that He had been given authority to
grant divine forgiveness and that at the Last Day He will bring His
followers back from the dead so that they can live with Him forever
in "new heavens and a new earth."
- Do you accept these things as personal
beliefs as well as facts? The Bible says that without faith it
is impossible to please God. To receive the grace of God upon
your life, you must first believe the scriptural truth about
Jesus.
REPENT
Through the Bible, the influence of
the Holy Spirit, and Christians in general, Jesus calls the world to
turn from selfishness, wrongdoing, and unbelief. Jesus taught that
sin begins as internal decisions and that God judges a person not
just by their actions but also by the condition of his or her heart.
The Lord warned that unless a person stops committing things that
are contrary to the righteous commandments He gave from the Father
(again, this includes inward activities such as evil imaginations,
unforgiveness, lust, doubt, and so on), they will be cast into Hell.
Jesus taught that repentance must be immediate, complete, and
without any reservations or regrets--no looking back.
-
Right now, in front of your
computer or cell phone, pray to God using Jesus' name. Admit to
the Lord the outward and inward sins you have committed and ask
Him to forgive you on behalf of Jesus' blood. Vow to the Lord
that from now on, you will love Him and serve Him all the days
of your life and that you will be "zealous" to do what is right
and good.
FOLLOW
Jesus is the Supreme Law Giver, He
is the Word of God; and in addition to turning from a sinful,
unbelieving life, you must become a disciple of Jesus in order to be
saved. You must abide by the good lifestyle Jesus taught (it is
Spirit and life); and you must believe all of Jesus' promises,
predictions, and principles.You must seek to be like Jesus in every
way, to be 100% loyal to Him, and you do this, initially, by being
water baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus instituted water baptism in His
name as an eternal "witness in earth," which basically means that
God wants every believer to be baptized because He wants everyone to
be Jesus' disciple.
-
Find a church that believes the
Bible is the single source for Christian teaching or
doctrine (this is VERY important) and asked to be baptized in
water.
-
Because you need to grow in the
teachings of Jesus, faithfully attend church and make friends
with the strongest Christians you can find.
WARNING:
Water baptism is invalid if it is done for church or denominational
membership and if it has been done against your will or without your
consent. Make sure your baptism is done exactly as the apostles
practiced it (see the Book of Acts).
EXPECT
Jesus assured the world that by
asking in His name, believers would receive the prophetic promise of
the Holy Ghost, which is another "witness in earth" to who Jesus is.
This means that you should seek and expect to experience
supernatural influence and divine power in your life. God will
"take away" the hardness and ignorance of your heart by "baptizing"
you with the same righteous, life-giving Spirit that was on Jesus
when He was here on Earth.
-
It is a good idea to seek out a
"Spirit-filled" church and/or believer to pray for you and to
show you what the Book of Acts records about people receiving
the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
-
Using Jesus' name, ask God to
have His perfect will in your life and to show you anything in
your heart that has been left there by pride, stubbornness, evil
spirits, and whatever else is against Jesus. Ask the Lord to
fill you with His precious Holy Ghost in the same way the first
Christians received Him.
-
It is very important to 1.) be
completely honest with God and with the Christians praying with
you; 2.) cooperate with everything God instructs you to do. It
is also important that you push away any doubts and believe that
since Jesus promised it, you will receive the baptism of the
Holy Ghost.
NOTE:
Do not be afraid but trust Jesus. Be open and ready to operate in
supernatural gifts (again, see the Book of Acts).
If this has helped
you in becoming a Christian, we would love to rejoice with you and
send you some free literature that will further help you in your
walk with Jesus.
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