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Conversation:
Your First Step toward God
The "prayer of salvation" is the
most important prayer we'll ever pray. When
we're ready to become a Christian, we're
ready to have our first real conversation
with God, and these are its components:
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We
acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God;
that He
came to earth as a man in order
to live the sinless life that we cannot
live; that He died in our place, so that
we would not have to pay the penalty we
deserve.
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We
confess our past life of sin -- living
for ourselves rather than God.
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We
admit we are ready to trust Jesus
Christ as our Lord and Savior.
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We
ask Jesus to come into our heart, that
He will send His Holy Spirit to take up
residence there, and begin living
through us.
Salvation
Begins With Faith in God
When we pray the prayer of salvation, we're
letting God know we believe His Word is
true. By the faith He has given us, we
choose to believe in Him. The Bible tells us
that "without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
(Hebrews 11:6)
So, when we pray, asking God for the gift of
salvation, we're exercising our free will to
acknowledge that we believe in Him. That
demonstration of faith pleases God, because
we have freely chosen to know Him.
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Prayer
of Salvation - Confessing Our Sin
When we pray the prayer of
salvation, we're admitting that
we've sinned. As the Bible says of
everyone, save Christ alone:
"For all have sinned, and
fall short of the glory of God."
(Romans 3:23)
To sin is simply to fall short of
the mark, as an arrow that does
not quite hit the bull's-eye. The
glory of God that we fall short of
is found only in Jesus Christ:
"For it is the God who
commanded light to shine out of
darkness, who has shone in our
hearts to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ."
(2 Corinthians 4:6)
The prayer of salvation, then,
recognizes that Jesus Christ is
the only human who ever lived
without sin. "For He made
Him who knew no sin to be sin for
us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him."
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
Prayer
of Salvation - Professing Faith in
Christ as Savior and Lord
With Christ as our standard of
perfection, we're now
acknowledging faith in Him as God,
agreeing with the Apostle John
that: "In the beginning
was the Word (Christ), and the
Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things were made
through Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made."
(John 1:1-3)
Because God could only accept a
perfect, sinless sacrifice, and
because He knew that we could not
possibly accomplish that, He sent
His Son to die for us and pay the
eternal price. "For God so
loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.."
(John 3:16)
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Are
You Ready For A Fulfilling Relationship?
You don't have to wait to start your new
life in Jesus Christ at this very moment,
and experience the joy that is found only in
Christ. We invite you to pray this
prayer with us now....
| "Dear
God, I acknowledge that
Jesus Christ is the Son of
God. I believe that He was
born of the Virgin Mary. I
believe that He died on
the cross, that His blood
was shed for my sins and
that He arose from the
dead. I confess that I
have disobeyed your
commandments. I ask you to
forgive me for these sins.
I now ask Jesus to come
into my heart. Be my
Savior. Be my Lord. Be my
soon coming King. Please
send your Holy Spirit to
help me obey You, and to
do Your will for the rest
of my life. In Jesus' name
I pray, Amen." |
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The
Next Steps
If you've prayed this prayer of salvation
with true conviction and heart, you are now
a follower of Jesus. This is a fact, whether
or not you feel any different. Religious
systems may have led you to believe that you
should feel something - a warm glow, a
tingle, or some other mystical experience.
The fact is, you may, or you may not. If you
have prayed the prayer of salvation and
meant it, you are now a follower of Jesus.
The Bible tells us that your eternal
salvation is secure! "that if you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved."
(Romans 10:9)
Welcome to the Family of God! We
encourage you now to find a local church
where you can be baptized and grow in the
knowledge of God through His Word, the
Bible. You are always welcome to join us for
Sunday Worship Services or any of our other
activities. Click
here to view our church schedule.
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