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  Why I need
to become a Christian?
How do I
become a Christian?
What to
do now ...
How can
I be sure I am a Christian?
Why
I need to become a Christian?
Is there a God? Who am I? Why do we exist? Why
are we here? Does human life have any meaning
or purpose? Many people are asking questions like
this, to find meaning and purpose to their existence.
The only satisfactory answers to these questions
are found in the bible.
Does God exist? This is the fundamental question.
If God does not exist, then searching for Him
is pointless. Anyone who comes to Him must believe
that He exists. Whilst it is impossible to 'prove'
God in the mathematical sense, the evidence is
convincing. In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth. Creation had a beginning and it
was God who brought the whole world into being.
(Heb 11:6; Genesis 1:1)
The bible makes it clear that man God created
does not merely 'exist'. God made Man in His own
image. Man is more than a highly developed animal
or ape. God has given man a unique and honoured
place in the universe. Man is God's personal representative
on earth, with authority over all other living
creatures. The first man initially constantly
chose to obey all commands and as a result lived
in perfect harmony with Him. However this is hardly
the situation today. (Gen 1: 26-27; Psalm 4-8)
Sin entered the world through one man, and death
through him. The first man and woman (Adam and
Eve) were given great freedom but also one serious
warning: You must not eat from the tree of the
Knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of
it you will surely die. This was the ideal test
of man's willingness to obey what God said simply
because God said it. But the devil tempted Eve
to disbelieve and disobey God's words and she
did. (Genesis 3)
At that moment 'sin entered the world'. By this
deliberate disobedience man cut himself off from
God. He died spiritually. He also began to die
physically, and now had a dead soul and a dying
body. Instead of loving God Adam and Eve were
terrified of Him. They hid from the Lord God among
the trees of the garden; From then on the poison
of sin has flowed to all Adam's descendants, and
in this way death came to all men, because all
sinned. We are all sinners and we are dying. If
we claim that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us, and if we claim not
to be dying we are being ridiculous. Fooling around
with the facts does nothing to change them. (Romans
5:12; 6:23; Genesis 3)
Many of today's newspapers, television and radio
headlines remind us of the fact that the world
is in a mess. It is easy to condemn violence,
injustice, disorder and wrongdoing in society,
but before criticizing others ask yourself whether
you are perfect and living a life pleasing to
the holy God. All have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God You are a sinner by birth, by
nature, by practice and by choice, and you urgently
need the facts- and the consequences. (Romans
3:23;Isaiah 53:6; Galatians 3:22)
The Bible says that the spiritual disease of
sin is very serious and so are its consequences.
God is holy and therefore will punish sin. (Psalm
5:4-6; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
However, God loves us, even in our hopeless condition,
and therefore sent His son Jesus Christ. Christ
took upon Himself the punishment for our sins.
Because of the cross, Christ shed blood, we can
be freely forgiven of our sins and get into a
right relationship with God. (Is 53: 3-6; Isaiah
55:7; John 3:16; Acts 16.31; 1 John 1:9)
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How
do I become a Christian?
There are various ways in which the question
can be put. Do you want to be saved? Do you want
to commit your life to Christ? Do you want to
be born again?
If God has shown you your need, and you genuinely
want to get it right with God, then you must turn
to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ.
You must repent.
This means a complete change regarding sin. There
must be a change of mind. You must admit that
you are a sinner, a rebel against a holy and loving
God. There must be change of heart - genuine sorrow
and shame at the vileness and filthiness of your
sin. Then you must be willing to forsake it and
change the direction of your life. God challenges
people to prove their repentance by their deeds.
You must do this. God will not forgive any sin
you are not willing to forsake. To repent is to
go a new direction, seeking wholeheartedly to
live in a way that pleases God. (Isaiah 55:7;
1 John 1:9)
You must have faith in Christ.
First of all, this means accepting that Jesus
is the Christ, the son of the living God and that
Christ died for the ungodly. Secondly, it means
believing that in his power and love Christ is
able and wiling to save you. Thirdly, it means
actually putting your trust in Christ, relying
on Him alone to make you right with God. Jesus
Christ is able to save completely those who come
to God through Him. (John 3:16; Acts 16:31)
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What
to do now.
If God has shown you your need, and given you
this desire, then turn to Christ - and do it now!
Ideally, pray aloud to him as follows:
- Confess that you are
guilty, lost and helpless sinner
- With your heart ask
Christ to save you, and take his rightful place
as lord of your life, enabling you to turn from
sin and live for Him
The bible says 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, and that everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21; Romans
10:9)
If you truly trust Christ as your Saviour and
acknowledge him as your Lord, you can claim these
promises as your own
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How
can I be sure I am a Christian?
You might not feel anything now that you are
a Christian. But facts can be trusted. Facts are
what makes a Christian's faith secure. Here are
five facts to encourage you :
- Jesus came to this
earth as God's son
- Jesus teaches us what
GOD WANTS
- Jesus died to make
it possible for God TO ACCEPT US
- Jesus died and CAME
ALIVE AGAIN
- Jesus is with you
now through the HOLY SPIRIT
Walking with Jesus.
The Christian life can be hard work and it is
always better if you can walk with someone else,
perhaps a friend or family member who is a Christian
already, or you might find a group of Christians
with a church, school, or office. As a Christian,
you will need to learn about the following :
Prayer:
We can pray to God anytime, anywhere. Find a time
that suits you to pray. Start with 10 minutes
a day and see how it goes. God is listening, God's
holy spirit will guide you but it helps to have
a pattern. Start with Praise, thank God for who
He is and what He has done. Say sorry and remember
that you have done wrong. Then pray about your
needs and those of others. Close by thanking God
again for what He has done. Remember talking to
God is like to a friend.
Bible reading:
In prayer you speak to God, in Bible reading,
God speaks to you. It is therefore important that
you read it every day, to find out more about
the Lord and what pleases Him. As you do this,
ask God to enable you to understand it's meaning
and to obey it's teaching, so that by it you may
grow up in your salvation. If you need help in
beginning to study the Bible, send for your free
copy of the New Testament.
Serving God.
As we grow up in our Christian life, we have to
give our lives to God's use. We need to do this
in our daily life, whether at home, work or school.
We can also serve God through our local church.
God needs our abilities in His local Church. As
we join with other Christians in the local church
we help each other grow by serving each other
with our gifts and abilitie
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