The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most priceless asset a loving God would give freely to rebellious, sinful humankind, that through it He would reconcile us back to Himself. In God’s purpose, it should be preached to all humanity, young or old, rich or poor – all. Briefly, the Gospel is this – all have sinned and judgment awaits us. Yet God so loved the sinners that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us. He died on the cross, resurrected on the third day, and ascended into Heaven. Now it is given to mankind that whoever believes in Him shall receive salvation.
What to do to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
Now whosoever is willing, whosoever thirsts for salvation, this is what the Bible says you have to do –
“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 10:9-10)
With regard to Romans 10:9-10, to receive salvation, one is led to say this prayer, believing it with his heart — ‘Lord Jesus, I believe you came to die on the cross for my sins and resurrected on the third day. I repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I accept you as my Lord and Savior. Amen‘
Having believed and said such a simple prayer, be sure of this – Jesus has given you salvation; meaning, you have eternal life, you have been born again and forgiven of all sins committed. It is a spiritual experience. It is the work of God.
What is next? Anything to do after accepting Jesus?
Yes, what comes next is committing yourself to the ‘You-and-God Relationship’ – I mean ‘the father-son relationship’. Simply put, relate to God as a son or a daughter. Christianity is a life shared with God. The blessedness that accrues to a Christian is bigger by far beyond what we could imagine, in that the very God who created all things has become his Father; Christians are God’s family. After having accepted Jesus, you are upgraded in life from being a mere creation of God to becoming, precisely, a child and an heir of God. God is your Father. Yes, it is exactly as you have heard it. Since God is your Father, He will walk with you and manage your life as a true Father. God Himself and you, His child, share some responsibilities that keep the father-son relationship alive. Be sure of this, God will play all His parts sincerely, do the best thing at every point, making sure to preserve this father-son relationship between both of you forever. What matters now is the playing of your part. You may be asking the question, “What am I to do to keep the father-son relationship ongoing? This is the way you should go:
1. Study the Bible daily
God, your Father, is committed to the responsibility of ensuring your welfare and the security of your salvation – you are His responsibility. And he plays his responsibility as sincerely as He is God. God, your Father, is duty-bound to teach you, correct you, rebuke you, and train you for your welfare. Therefore, He has a lot to tell you, and the Bible is His voice for your hearing. It is written,
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The Bible is God’s word or God’s voice. You only begin to hear God’s voice when you begin to read the Bible and you would hear God’s voice even more and more as you commit yourself to study the Bible more and more.
It is written, “Food for the stomach (body) and the stomach (body) for food”1 Corinthians 6:13. It is food that nourishes the body to grow in health and not die. How about your inner being, your soul? What do you feed to your soul? The word of God is the true nourishment for your soul for a healthy spiritual life and spiritual growth. Your soul is refreshed every time you study the Bible. Jesus revealed this truth when He taught,
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words (Word of God) I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
(John 6:63)
Light is that which makes you see things for what they really are, such that you are able to differentiate one thing from another. God’s word (Bible) is the light. We are able to judge between good and evil depending on how much of God’s word we know; hence we are only able to make right moral choices depending on how much of the word we know. The word of God shall enlighten you to have wisdom and guidance to good moral choices in life, for it is written,
Your (God) word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
As the saying goes, it is ignorance that makes the mouse chase the cat. You can never be led to anything higher, neither can you get the most out of yourself, nor live a victorious Christian life if you should fail as a Christian to discover yourself – who you are in Christ, the power vested in you, the authority you should exercise and the God-given mission you ought to fulfill in Christ Jesus. To discover all these about yourself, it takes the study of the Bible. You cannot afford the cost of ignorance. An ignorant Christian is but a blindfolded, powerless, and exploited professor of Christianity. No doubt the Bible says,
my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. …. (Hosea 4:6)
5Jesus Christ said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). Even in Christopher Columbus’ days, there were people who held fast to the belief that the earth was flat. These same ignorant people were pessimistic about Columbus’ voyage, thinking that Columbus’ ship would approach and fall off the edge of the earth. Today we know better that the earth is round, not flat. But remember that humanity has lived with this wrong perception for thousands of years. Certainly, until you have discovered the truth, lies, deceit, and falsehood do not appear to be what they really are. The world is a cradle of falsehood, lies, deceit, and misconceptions. You can easily become a victim, being misled by other people’s lies, false teachings, deceit, and misconceptions. Yet in the midst of the falsehood, the truth is made available in the Bible. Once we consistently study it, we are immunized against deception. It is written;
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. (Ephesians 4:14)
Hence daily Bible study is as important as your daily requirement of food and water for your survival. Just as you deem it necessary to feed your body for healthy growth and development, you also have to treat your inner man, your soul, in the same way. Feed the word of God to your soul so that he may live and grow in good health.
2. Obedience to the word of God
There was an occasion in history, as recorded in the Bible, where Jesus particularly addressed some people who have believed in Him – Even as he (Jesus Christ) spoke, many put their faith in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. (John 8:30-31)
A Christian is supposed to be a true reflection of Christ; I mean, a Christian should be Christ-like; you are more of a Christian as more and more you obey the teaching of the Bible, which results in leading a holy life like Christ Jesus.
Your obedience to the word of God is the only evidence that identifies you with Christ Jesus that you are a proud follower of His. Obedience also verifies your faith. It verifies that you mean to walk with God, that you meant the prayer you prayed to accept Jesus into your life, and that you were not lying to yourself when you confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior. In short, a life of obedience verifies that you are a Christian.
3. Build a daily prayer life
Prayer is your means of communicating to God, your Father. You would deem it improper and bad manners if your child put up coldness towards you and would even bypass you in the morning without greeting. Know for certain that, in like manner, it is wrong when a Christian does away with daily prayer. How would you live on good terms with your parents if you do not talk to them? God, your Father, highly regards your prayer. He loves to hear your voice in prayer so much that He even rewards you for having spent time praying. Jesus revealed this mystery when he said,
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)
Your marriage life or your business can never do well without good communication. Similarly, communication with God is all-necessary. Hence the believer carries the mandate of a prayerful life. God commands you to pray regularly. It is written,
pray continually; (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Jesus Christ once told His followers, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19). Christian! Know for certain that supernatural power capable of healing, defeating the enemy, working miracles, etc. is vested in you. One of the effective means of exercising this freely given authority and power is by praying. Prayer releases the power of God to heal, destroy evil, etc. Hence the Bible says,
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
Your relationship with God may encounter obstacles that would try to mislead you to part with God. These obstacles are called temptations. Temptations work to ruin the father-son relationship by misleading you to rebel against God in disobedience. Temptations can come from just anywhere; from enemies, from circumstances, and even from your own inclination to disobey God. However, you can always overcome temptation if you want, for God has provided you with a way to overcome temptation. Jesus Himself said,
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
Prayer is a means of sharing the sorrowful moments of your life with God. Christian! Do not be proud, keeping your bitterness or hurtful moment to yourself, thinking you can fix it all alone. God, your Father, never deserts you in times when you are down, disappointed, hurt, sorrowful, abandoned, lonely, etc. Truly, His love for you is so sincere that He is given to share in every moment and circumstance of your life, good or bad. He does not draw away. Thus a Christian should go to God in prayer during his troubled moments. The Bible says,
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. (James 5:13)
Is there anything you would want God to do for you? Have there risen storms of problems in your life? Have you required God’s hand to give you help? Then prayer is an open door to get your needs communicated to God.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray,
believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:24)
To put it briefly, prayer is one of the pillars of the Christian faith that will keep you in touch with God, ensuring a healthy father-son relationship. Remember that a ‘prayerless’ Christian is a powerless, dying, or backsliding Christian; but a prayerful Christian is alive and powerful and is in touch with God.
4. Join a Bible-and-Holy-Spirit-believing Church
Having believed to receive salvation, you have been grafted, and absorbed into the family of God. You now belong with all saved people in one big family of God. Jesus never intended for any Christian to remain an island, isolated. We are to fellowship together, loving and being of service to one another, for no single person is self-sufficient. Jesus’ earnest desire for unity among Christians urged Him to pray this prayer,
“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name —the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. … that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:” (John 17:11,21-22)
How do you become one with others? How do you fulfill the unity requirement of your Christian life when you remain isolated? Christianity would not have come any further if it were not for the unity and fellowship of the early Christians.
Furthermore, your Christian experience is enriched when you join a church; the church will be your family. The family atmosphere inspires you, encourages you, assists you, and keeps you company. Hence the Bible says,
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrew 10:25)
Certain teachings of the Bible are better put into practice when you belong to a church (or Christian community, Ecclesia). Examples,
- Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (James 5:14)
- Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10)
- Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15), etc
Which Church should I join after accepting Jesus? Vigilance is an inevitable value in looking for a church. Be vigilant! Seek and join a Bible-and-Holy-Spirit-believing church. In case you are lost as to which one to choose, pray, asking God for help and guidance. It would be His pleasure to help you.
So Christianity is not merely saying a short prayer to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. What to do next is to have a relationship with God.