Do You Want To Become A Christian?

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Becoming a Christian has two burdens to consider.
The first burden is one of unloading. Jesus takes that one Himself. The penalty for our sins. Our own inability to ever be able to get right with God.
The second is the yoke. This yoke isn't like buckling down to great discipline, like someone training in the martial arts. This yoke is something very special, which we'll examine more closely in a moment. Christianity does mean a denial, however:

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mark 8:34

Christian denial is not the same as the pagan religions require. That kind of life is no more than essential Confucianism with Jesus as the figurehead. Coming to Jesus, means putting your trust in Him. It means surrendering totally to Him. It means allowing Him to live out His godly living in you.
Never having experienced the Holy Spirit before, you may not be able to understand how this new godly life-style will be accomplished. All you need to know now, is that if you let Him, He will live it out through you. Since He will do what you can't do, this is the basis of Jesus saying, "I will give you rest". You will not be doing the working, He will.

Jesus also pointed out another important element in His calls:

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27-33

Jesus said to count the cost. Having said He will do the work, there still has to be the understanding of a price. Just like having a new house built, to replace an existing one, Jesus will supply all the labor and materials. The catch? You have to sign the paper that allows Him to. It will mean destroying the existing building, maybe ripping out some beloved trees and bushes. Are you willing to quit trying it on your own? Are you willing to loose those old treasures that have held your heart? Your old life-style, pleasures, possessions, career, your own will and rulership? Jesus said for us to count the cost. If you have trouble facing this, know that if you call on Him for help, He will enable you to face and do this. Remember, He will do the labor, right on down to the coming to Him.

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:16-22

Jesus asked for more than the rich young man could give. Jesus knew He was asking too much. Did Jesus intend to just pile it on, until He would walk away sad? NO! What Jesus would have rejoiced to see would be that young man falling before Him crying, "Oh Lord, you ask more than I can bear, help me!" Jesus would have done the rest (Matthew 19:26).

Counting the cost leads us to the 'repent' that Jesus called for:

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Mark 1:15

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19

Repentance, in brief, is to acknowledge:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

and to turn from our evil ways:

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Titus 1:16

Believing in Jesus without repentance is no different than the devils. They believe, but have no repentance (James 2:19,20). If you believe to salvation, repentance will accompany it.

The Bible tells us we are to believe in Jesus:

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36

In just learning about Jesus, you may not know much of anything about Him. You may not understand things like 'atonement' or 'kingdom'. Is this understanding necessary to be saved? No.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. . . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:9,10,13

Call upon Him to forgive you, cleanse you, and make you His own. When you do this, what will then be done inside you will begin to manifest itself. Confession both verbally and behaviorally will begin to flow out of you. There will be battles and there is much to learn, but the life will be there.

I heard about a youth meeting where the speaker asked whoever hadn't been saved, to raise their hands. Next, he asked them to come forward. When they did, he had them repeat after him. He said "The Sinner's Prayer" as it is typically called. When he was finished, he told them they were all now saved, and could go sit down.
I almost hate to give a "Prayer" as such, for others to say to be saved. Many treat such a prayer almost as an incantation. Say the magic words and 'poof', you're saved. That's just what the above example demonstrated. A typical prayer can serve some good however, for someone inquiring how to be saved. It serves the purpose of directing them in their approach to God. It helps bring up the issues that need addressing. Jesus gave us "The Lord's Prayer", as it is called, right after He condemned prayers that are mere recitations (Matthew 6:7-13). His point was, "Talk with God about these sorts of things, and approach God in this way." He never intended everyone to start reciting "The Lord's Prayer" as their prayer time. Bearing in mind such a reflection, I would like to give a sinner's prayer for those who want to become Christians, but are unsure how to proceed:

"God, I have begun to see myself as you see me. I have never really known you, but I want to know you now. You have said I need to repent and believe in your Son, Jesus Christ. I do repent and accept Jesus, who was killed and rose from the dead for me, as my Lord and Savior. Thank you God, now my Father, for making me your new adopted child. Thank you for your mercy and love. In Jesus name, amen."

If you've done this, there will begin to be growth as you learn about Him in reading the Bible, prayer and Christian fellowship. His Spirit will guide, and you will progress as you allow Him to lead. The initial call to repentance must never end. The heart that's humbled before God must always remain so. God will keep bringing up new areas in your life that are not humbled before Him (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:12-15). As He reveals these to you, that repentance must manifest itself again and again. Walking in this state, is the meekness that Christians are to have. As you remain sensitive to His leading you continue to grow in Him. If you harden to His revelation of hardness or sin, the fellowship is broken by rebellion. He'll keep working on you, but progress in your Christian walk, after this rebellion to His revelation, is only make-believe growth. You can memorize the whole Bible after this, but His life has ceased to flow. You may add intellectually, but the spiritual door closes. As Paul said in Romans:

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

If we harden our hearts, we have a way of convincing ourselves we're not really hardened. We still believe we're right with God:

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. Proverbs 21:2

We need to call upon God, in fear and trembling, to expose this state of our heart. He has to reopen our eyes to see and receive:

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23,24

The Lord is always aware of the state of our heart. We can deceive ourselves, but not Him. If our heart is corrupted through hardness, we have this warning:

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Psalms 66:18

Don't play around in staying serious with God. The loss will truly come back on you.
If the repentance is hard in coming, like the rich young man, call upon the Lord to give His ability. He'll be faithful to do the rest.
May you indeed be one of God's jewels:

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Malachi 3:16-18

Now you've begun your journey, you'll need to continue growing and learning.

BIBLE READING: You need to get into the Bible. Though some complain it's hard to read, I recommend the King James Version. If you start reading it, with a true longing heart for God, you'll be amazed at how understandable it is. Others have given me this very testimony. Read through the New Testament first. Don't get bogged down by the genealogies. They pass quick enough, and you'll get into some real spiritual food. The more you read, the more you'll understand parts that were once confusing to you. Don't get bogged down and stop in some difficult area, read on. Later you'll have enough foundation to understand.

PRAYER: In addition to Bible reading, PRAY. You can't have much of a relationship with anyone if you don't talk with them. The same goes for your relationship with God. Take all your needs to Him. Share all your joys and thanksgivings with Him.

FELLOWSHIP: Fellowship also gives support, and you'll be able to support others. You tend to become like those you hang around with. Hang around the world, and you'll stay that way. Hang around Christians, and you'll be challenged to live for Him.

WITNESS: Tell others what you've done. If you wait to tell, it'll become harder to share your faith. If you start telling others right away, you'll find it natural, through life, to tell others about Him. These first few months of your Christian life may set the pattern for the rest of your life. Make it a good run!