How Can I Become A Christian

People have different views on how someone can become a christian. If there are any doubts that this is true, we can interview people arbitrarily. Ask family members, employers, employees, co-workers, neighbors, friends, children or even strangers on what we need to do to become a Christian. There can be a variety of answers which can make choosing to become a Christian appear as a very difficult and confusing task. A common belief is that anyone can become a Christian by being good, or by obeying the Bible. I believed this when I was a child, and I worked so hard to become to be good. I failed miserably. I became very frustrated and overwhelmed by the difficulty I had to 'be good' even though I was already a Christian at the time.

Many times I came to the 'false' conclusion that it was impossible to be a 'true' Christian. I am sure many others had a similar experience. They try to follow all the 'rules', then they give up. There are several reasons we become disillusioned. In my case, I was not really clear on how I became a Christian. I thought it was my 'good deeds' and 'obedience' that qualified me as a Christian. As long as I had that concept, I accomplished absolutely nothing.

I discovered that religion does that to you. It makes you think that you can attain perfection, or come close enough to perfection by following all the rules. While I was an undergraduate, I pursued courses in religion mainly out of curiosity. I realized they all resembled Christianity in so many ways, but it was the major things that made Christianity different that really counts.

Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is a relationship with God. Religion is man's desire to reach God. God is not interested in religion, and neither should man be. Religion was designed by man to fill the void caused by the absence of a relationship with God. Until man has a genuine relationship with God, there will always be a void in their lives. Hence they try alcohol, drugs, religion, marriage, sex, riches, gambling and a host of other things without realizing that those things can only provide temporary gratification.

The truth is there is only one way to become a Christian. It is by first believing in the founder of Christianity who is Jesus Christ Himself. There can be no Christianity without Jesus Christ. The very word Christianity includes His name. Jesus said: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Once this truth is established in our hearts, we will know that there is nothing else, and no other person, that can make us become a Christian.

When we recognize that Jesus Christ is real, He will make us aware of our sinful nature. Yes, we were all born as sinful creatures. Sin is rebellion against God. Rebellion involves disobedience and dishonor. Obviously those things displease God. If we have an encounter with Jesus Christ we will begin to feel convicted of our sins. The only way to deal with that feeling is to confess that we are sinners, and to ask Jesus to cleanse us from all of our sins. The Bible states that 'if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness'. In other words, He will make us right and acceptable to Him if we acknowledge that we have gone astray.

The next step is to ask Him to come into our hearts. What we are really doing at this point is giving Jesus Christ the right to make us who we were intended to be from before we were even created. You see, God had a great plan for us. He loved us enough to create us, and to give us everything we need to live a prosperous and fulfilling life. However, because of sin we have not been able to enjoy all the great things He provided for us.

I can guarantee that if we go through the stages listed above, we will feel different inside and we will even begin to look on life differently. You see, some people make Christianity look like an impossible feat. Others try to give the impression that it is not important to become a Christian. In other words, they downplay Christianity and misrepresent it in several ways.

It is vital to know that our works do not save us. We can never ever please God by being good. The Bible states that what pleases Him is our faith in Him: 'without faith it is impossible to please God, for He that cometh to the Father must first believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him'. In essence, our works do not save us or cause us to be Christians. However, we do receive rewards for our works. We get recognition here on earth for being good. In addition, God will reward us if the good we do is for His glory and not ours.

Unfortunately, too many people become frustrated and overwhelmed with what they deem to be Christianity, but in reality is not. They think it is their works that make them Christians, so they give up when they feel they have not met God's expectations. In extreme cases they 'backslide' in other words, they revert to living a worldly life. This is unfortunate because God is not expecting us to do anything that He has not given us the provision to do through the power and presence of Jesus Christ.

Steve Harvey did a great job introducing Jesus Christ. Incidentally, he was inspired by God to give this introduction and it touched so many hearts as you can see. I will let him do the talking for me.

Salvation is a word that is used in Church often. Salvation refers to what Jesus Christ offers us. You see when Adam and Eve, the first people on earth sinned, they deserved to die. Death entered the world because of their sin. When they sinned we inherited their sinful nature, even before we were born, and we all deserve the same penalty of their sin. The Bible says the 'wages of sin is death, but the gift of God, is eternal life'. In other words we all deserve to die.

Thankfully God made a way for us to escape permanent death. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ who never sinned. He never ever rebelled against God, and we all know about rebellion since it's our nature to rebel. He was the only person who qualified to take the penalty of our sin by dying on the cross for us. If He did not die on the cross, we would all go to hell when we died and receive the suffering that we deserve permanently. When Jesus Christ died on the cross we were saved from the penalty and power of sin. In other words, we can receive salvation and this is an ongoing process. Therefore only Jesus Christ has the power to save us. This is the reason we have to first believe in Him. We cannot save ourselves through good works, wishful thinking or even magic.

This incidentally is the fundamental difference between Christianity and any religion. Jesus came, He died for us and He rose from the grave. He is in heaven with other saints making intercession for us. The power and mystery of God through Jesus Christ separates Christianity from religion. Jesus Christ is the only One who died, resurrected and ascended into heaven. No one else can claim to have done this.

When Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, He conquered the penalty of sin, sickness, poverty and death. Yes, He conquered death. The major concern of Christians should never be circumstances surrounding when they die. Instead they should become preoccupied with living a life of faith and leading others to Christ, since 'it is impossible to please God' without faith.

When we state that we are 'saved', it is our spirits that are actually saved. Our bodies still die, even when we become Christians. The only way to escape death, or the deterioration of our bodies is to still be alive when Jesus Christ comes back. Yes, He will come again. This is the hope that we have as 'believers'.   We will see Him one day. In addition, even though we do die, as soon as we die we are ushered into the presence of God. The Bible states 'to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord'.

We have no reason to fear death, because death is actually better for us. We will never die again. We will have no sickness nor sorrow after we die. We reunite with family and friends who died before us who were Christians. We only have the opportunity to become Christians while we are alive. We cannot make that decision after we die. We must decide while we  have the chance to accept Him.

Since we all have an evil nature because of the sin we are born with, we can only experience Jesus gift of eternal life by being 'born again'. It does not mean we have another physical birth, but we have a spiritual birth. This means we are 'born again' by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength and the ability to live in an acceptable manner to God. We may never be perfect like Jesus Christ, but we do have the ability through the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to God's principles. When we do so, we can never take credit for this. It is purely as a result of God's power living within us.

Therefore as Christians we will 'mess up' sometimes. There is a battle going on within us and around us. We still have impure desires and interests even though we are Christians. It is a result of the evil nature which is still there and will not go away permanently until we physically die. Sometimes we yield to the temptation to say and do things which are wrong. It is therefore not fair to us when others judge us. We cannot live a successful Christian life without God's help.

Thankfully if we acknowledge our weakness and humbly ask God to forgive, us and to keep us on the right path He will. He has made provisions for us, because He knows we will not stop sinning once we become Christians, even though we are likely to sin less. Therefore we need to read the Bible regularly and pray often for strength and guidance. In addition, we need to ask Him to direct us to a Church that is ideal for us, so that we can fellowship with other believers, serve Him and grow according to His will and purpose for us.

Becoming members of a church does not make us become Christians. We become members of a church because we are Christians. Our participation in baptism and communism will not make us become Christians. We do those things only because we are being obedient to Jesus after we have made the decision to serve Him. As mentioned before, our good works do not make us Christians either.

There is what is known as the 'prayer of salvation' or 'the sinners' prayer'. This is a prayer sinners are led to pray once they have decided to 'follow' Jesus or become a christian or a 'disciple'. Any words can be used in this prayer. There is no set format. However, every sinner has to acknowledge these things when making the decision to become a christian:

• He is a sinner
  
• He believes in Jesus Christ, and the fact that He died for everyone
• Ask for forgiveness for all sins he has committed
  
• Ask Jesus to become the Lord of his life, so that he can live a successful christian life.

Please note this applies to both men and women even though I used only the pronoun 'he' .

Anyone can accept Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their life. In other words, anyone can become a Christian. It does not matter how evil you have been or what religion you have been associated with. God still loves you and He sent His Son to redeem you. If you are feeling sorry because of your sins at this time, or if you would like to become a Christian now, you can simply pray the following words, or you may use your own:

Dear God, I have sinned against you. I am sorry. I believe that you died for my sins. Please forgive me, cleanse me and come into my heart. I have decided to live a life pleasing to You and I am depending on your power living in me. Please help me to please you.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

If you have prayed that prayer, or a similar prayer, with sincerity, the angels in heaven can now rejoice, because of your salvation. You have become a part of a new family and your life will never ever be the same as it was before. I welcome you to the family of God my brother or sister, and advise you to attend Church services with the intention of eventually joining the membership.

It is impossible to live a victorious or successful life as a Christian in our own strength. We will fail. God gives us the power through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We can experience this anointing if we dwell in His presence by studying the Bible, singing praises to Him, telling others about Him and praying regularly.

We also need to worship with others regularly. Church membership encourages regular worship and service to God. It is therefore a requirement for us to thrive as Christians. These videos show the effects of the sweet anointing which equips us for ministry and victory over circumstances.

The anointing also causes us to focus on Jesus Christ.  Enjoy!

We can celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, because He brought joy, peace and love into the world. Men have tried to deny His birth, or state that it has no significance. Efforts have been made from even when I was a child to take out the 'Christ' part of Christmas by calling the celebration 'Xmas'. As a child I innocently thought it was an abbreviation to the word, so I used it accordingly. Now I know better. There can be no 'Christmas' without 'Christ'. Even though the celebration started as a pagan holiday, we have a right to declare that He did in fact come into the world.

More recently there are plans to replace the greeting 'Merry Christmas' with 'Happy Holidays' because it is the 'political correct' thing to do. 'Holidays' suggest that they are 'Holy days' and they are, because they announce the birth of the 'Holy One'. I will greet others by saying 'Merry Christmas' and I will say "Happy Holidays' . I have decided to give honor to whom honor is due. Jesus Christ deserves the recognition, and I will give Him that honor.

There has been an emphasis on Santa Claus, reindeer and elves at Christmas time. Most, if not all of the movies at this time of the year are usually about Santa Claus and not Jesus Christ. Children are being encouraged by their parents and these movies to believe in Santa Claus.  The decorations and greeting cards highlight him. Some stores even have Santa Claus there for children to sit on his knees for pictures. They are not being taught about the birth of Jesus Christ and the importance of believing in Him. This coupled by the fact that prayer has been banned from public schools across the nation basically undermines the importance of Christianity.

When Jesus Christ was born the whole world was affected. There was a significant change to how history was viewed. The period in history before his birth is known as B.C. or before Christ. The year of His birth to the present is known as A.D., or in the year of our Lord as well as after Christ. It is also interesting to note that centuries ago the sovereign rulers in Europe wanted to expand their borders and they also wanted to spread Christianity to new territories they acquired around the world. Hence the discovery of North America, South America and the many islands in the western hemisphere.

The Constitution, education system and the Government of the United States of America has been founded upon Christian principles since the founders adhered to the tenets of Christianity. Even the money America uses has the imprint of the words 'In God We Trust'. The Bible is used in the court of law as a means of ensuring that witnesses speak the truth, and even the words used to acknowledge this state 'so help me God'.

Several institutions including orphanages, schools, universities and hospitals were funded or founded by Christians. Some of the finest teachers, doctors, nurses and other professionals have been Christians who believe in the power of God, and they have served in a spirit of excellence.

Many holidays originated in Christian beliefs such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. All of these changes were the result of Christ's birth. Even though there have been attempts to undermine the power and presence of Christianity in the past and the present.

Man has tried to destroy the Bible. Some have even tried to discredit the stories, truths and doctrines written it. However, all those attempts have been and will always be to no avail. Scripture itself declares that the Word of God is 'settled in heaven'. It will last forever. God elevates His Word above His name. Therefore, regardless of what man tries to do to Christians and Christianity, God's will is inevitable. It will endure regardless of man tries to do.