What makes a person a Christian? If God is real, what does He want from us or for us?
Amber
"If you're a good person, go to church, and help people. You do more good than harm."
Christine
"I believe in God."
Bryce
"You have to be saved."
These are common answers, BUT...
Believing in Jesus does NOT make you a Christian.
Going to church does NOT make you a Christian.
Doing good things does NOT make you a Christian.
Being a Christian means you have an actual relationship with Jesus Christ. When that relationship is in place, then you will want to live out that relationship in daily life, and this will include doing good things, and going to church, and helping others.
1: HEAR A PROMISE
The promise is God loves you. No matter who you are or what you've done...God loves you. The Bible says, "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son..." (John 3:16). God loves you so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, to die for you. Why did Jesus die? That's the next part of the news...
2: RECOGNIZE A REALITY
The reality is we all struggle with sin. Sin is anything we think, say or do that breaks God's heart or His commands. The Bible says, "For all have sinned..." (Romans 3:23). Have you ever met anyone who is perfect? None of us have. Everyone struggles with sin, no matter who they are. Our sin breaks relationships, both with God and others. Our sin deserves justice.
There is an answer to this problem...
3: THERE IS AN ANSWER
The answer for our struggle with sin is Jesus. Jesus said, "...Repent and believe in the Good News!" (Mark 1:15). The word repent means to change direction. If you were going down your road and remembered you left something at your house, what would you do? You would turn around or make a U-turn. Repent means to make a U-turn with our lives mentally, physically and spiritually. We quit living for self and live for our Savior, Jesus.
The Greatest News is the true Easter story. Jesus died, was buried and rose again on the third day. Why? The Bible says, "...Christ died once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God..." (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus died to remove your sins and He rose again, so He might give you eternal life. He makes it possible to restore our relationship with God, and He took the justice we deserve.
4: WHAT ABOUT YOU?
The only question now is, "What about you?" Are you ready to receive God's offer of love and Heaven? Are you ready to begin a relationship with Him? Look how many times "you" is stated or implied in this verse. "If YOU confess with YOUR mouth that Jesus is Lord, and YOU believe in YOUR heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU will be saved. (Romans 10:9).
God is not forcing Himself on anyone. He has told you He loves you. He has reminded you of your struggle with sin. He has even provided the answer for your sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Are you willing to surrender your life to Him?
If so, simply pray a prayer like this in your own words:
Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and for dying for me. Forgive me of my sins. I turn my life over to you, and I want to live for you. I ask you to be my Lord and Savior.
If you have any questions or if you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, please contact us.
What now?
When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this means He is the boss of our lives. His agenda becomes our agenda. In other words, Jesus is what matters most in our lives. When He matters most, everything in life begins to find its proper priority and we gain perspective.
You do not need to walk this path alone. Contact us and we will help you with the next steps in this journey. We will help you plug into a local church. There you will receive encouragement and accountability to grow in your walk with Christ.
You can also read about others who have made this decision and what it has meant for them.