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"How
Do I Become A Follower of Christ ?"
1. We become a follower of
Christ, or a Christian, by admitting to God that we have fallen short of
His standard and that our sin is separating us from God.
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"For all have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23
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"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord."
- Romans
6:23
2. We must believe that
Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin when He died on the cross and
rose from the dead.
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"For Christ
died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring
you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit."
-1 Peter 3:18
3. Accept that He did all that
was ever necessary for us to stand before God, and transfer our trust from
ourselves or from others to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has promised to receive
us in spite of our sinfulness.
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"Yet to all
who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right
to become children of God." - John 1:12
4. Call upon Jesus.
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"But what does
it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,'
that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with
your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess
and are saved." - Romans 10:8-10
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"for, 'Everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" - Romans 10:13
The important issue is to
place our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. There is nothing
magic about the following prayer, but it is a sample prayer to help you
express that trust.
Pray this
prayer:
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"Lord Jesus, I want to know You
personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door
of my life and receive You as My Savior, my leader, my Lord, and forgiver.
Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take
control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person you
want me to be. In Jesus' name. Amen."
Now What?
Remember, Christianity
is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, I encourage
you to grow in your love relationship with Jesus by:
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Reading the
Bible and praying each day. The Gospel of John is a good place to begin
reading.
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Telling your
pastor or a Christian friend about your commitment to follow Jesus.
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Finding a good
church that will help you grow in your relationship with God.
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Living by faith
(trust) in God and His Word which do not change, rather than by your feelings
which often change with your circumstances.
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God's Word,
the Bible, gives us great hope and confidence:
"Anyone who
believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who
does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not
believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has
the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so
that you may know that you have eternal life." - 1 John 5:10-13 |