How Do I Become A Christian?

I am not surprised at the number of people I have met who do not know what a Christian is because I didn't know myself.

Even though I went to Sunday school as a child and attended church regularly as a youngster, I was never told that I needed to be saved from going to Hell; that I needed to make a response myself to God; and most importantly that I had to realize that I was a sinner in need of a savior.

The first thing to realize is that you do not start out as a Christian, you have to become one. There are some steps in the process which everyone needs to go though.

1. You must recognize that God is Holy and you are a sinner

The great barrier between God and man is sin. Sin has spoiled God's world and your life. Sin is falling short of God's perfect standard. Sins are like the fruit of a bad tree. Examples of bad sins are: murder, theft, etc. But in God's sight many things, that we would excuse, are sins - like pride, self-will, lust, evil thoughts.

The conviction that there are sins in your life that need to be dealt with, must lead you to Jesus Christ, who is the Only one who can remove them.

2. You must be prepared to turn from your sin

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6)

If you are to become a Christian then you must agree with God that you are sinful and be determined that sin should have no part in your life from now on. Many people admit that they are sinners, but few feel any real sadness about their sins. They don't see sin as God sees it. Remember, you cannot hide anything from God.

3. You need to put your trust in Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ died in our place, to take the guilt and punishment of our sin, so that we would not have to be punished ourselves. This is how he bridges the gap between man and God.

 

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6)

4. You must act on your faith
We have to come to God in faith and repentance. This means speaking to God just as you would speak to a friend. Tell Him you own up to being sinful. Then ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you. Tell Him you realize that you can only be forgiven by Christ having died for you (in your Place) at Calvary. And that you are trusting Only in what His Son has done there, to put you right with God.

  

From then on, you must live your life, not for yourself, but for God. Read the Bible and start to find out what Jesus taught in His own words. Then start to put it into practice in your own life.

Are You On The Narrow or Broad Road?

There are times when we face a decision that is black or white, for which there are only two choices. The choice you make will determine your destiny. When a person is born in the world he/she is born into sin, and because of sin we are alienated (cut off) from God. We all need to go to God for forgiveness as we are all sinners.

Imagine we are walking along a path and we come to two gates. There are only two gates. We must go through one or the other. One of the gates is wide and the road leading from it is easy. Many people are walking along that road because most people think that, because so many people are on this road, they cannot be mistaken. They think this must be the right road. The people who are following this road are carrying heavy burdens of sins, worries and fears. The wide gate is noticeable, it is easily seen and it is not difficult to enter, but it leads to destruction, which is hell. People going through the wide gate and the broad way really believe they are going to end up in Heaven. On the broad way, you make your own decisions. You don't have to listen to anybody, you just live to please yourself.

In order to follow Jesus it is necessary to leave the crowd, even if our friends and relations are walking through this wide gate. We must separate from them. 'All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way;' (Isaiah 53:6)

The second gate is narrow and the road leading on from it is also narrow. Very few people are walking on this road. Those that are walking on this narrow path don't have any burdens - Jesus is carrying them. Jesus said: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:6)

Jesus said, 'if you want to follow me, you must pass through the small gate and walk on this narrow road'. In order to pass through the small gate we must recognize that we must stop going our own way, turn around and start going Jesus's way. Jesus said to everyone: 'Enter through the narrow gate' (Matthew 7:13-14). It is not enough to listen to Jesus' teaching. We must obey it and enter through the narrow gate. One day each of us has to face God alone. If we want to enter Heaven, we must leave the crowd and follow the narrow road.

Jesus gives each of us a choice - to follow Him or not to follow Him. Jesus said an amazing thing: 'For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?' (Mark 8:35-36). Worldly life and spiritual life are opposed to one another. We cannot seek after Christ and seek after worldly blessings at the same time.

Preachers don't always tell you how to find the narrow way. People are being told that all they have to do to be 'saved' is to believe in Jesus. Jesus did not teach this. The bible tells us what the Gospel is - 'Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you - unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures'. (1 Cor 15:1-4)

Jesus Is Alive Today

When Jesus was laid in the tomb no one believed at that time that a dead man could live again. But just 3 days later Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Jesus had fulfilled every promise and every expectation. Jesus Christ came back to life to prove once and for all that there is a God. God has accepted the death of his own son Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for sin. The resurrection proves that there is the possibility of forgiveness and the hope of life to come. From that day on, Jesus Christ was not just a memory, but a living presence. And He has promised his followers...... 'and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20). The truth that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is at the very heart of the Christian Gospel.

Easter Celebration..