1 – BECOMING A CHRISTIAN

Acts 2:38

“Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The reason you are going through this course is because you have made a decision to follow Jesus. You have already become a Christian. But nevertheless, it’s good to start with an understanding of that decision you have made and looking at what it means.

The most important thing in the world is for you to know God in a personal way. In other words, you need to be a Christian. It’s the most important thing that can happen to any person.

But what does this exactly mean? Many people have some funny ideas about what Christianity is and how one becomes one. It’s vitally important that we understand what this means. Because this is so important our first subject will deal with this basic question. So, how does one become a Christian? To find the answer to this question we need to see what the Bible – which is our authority for everything, has to say about it.

Becoming a Christian – What it doesn’t mean.

Here are a number of false views that some hold regarding Christianity. All of them are incorrect. You are not a Christian because you :-

- - - Live a good life.
    - Give to charity.
    - Go to church.
    - Read the Bible.
    - Have been baptised or christened.
    - Were brought up in a Christian home
    - Believe there is a God.

Can you think of any false views that some hold regarding becoming a Christian?

Becoming a Christian – What it does mean?

Becoming a Christian can be defined in different ways. Here are some of them. Becoming a Christian is :-

- - - Discovering the God really does love you.
    - Accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour.
    - Being “born again.”
    - Putting your faith in Jesus and making Him Lord of your life.
    - Becoming part of a new family – with God as father and many brothers and sisters.
    - Asking God’s forgiveness and following Jesus, doing what He wants, not what you want.

Can you think of any other correct definitions and/or descriptions?

Why is it necessary to become a Christian?

It doesn’t take anyone very long to realise that the world is not a perfect place populated by perfect people. Our jails are filled with people who have done all kinds of wrong.

But imperfect people are not just found in our jails, imperfect people are found everywhere. We are all imperfect, we all do wrong, none of us are perfect, or good. Even a baby has a tendency to do wrong, that is why we try and teach them to do good. There is obviously a problem somewhere.

The Problem

Many people don’t know God or don’t believe in Him. That doesn’t stop Him existing.

The problem is, there’s a gap between God and people. It’s a twofold gap. First, God is infinitely great, while we’re so small. And, second, God is totally pure, while we are not. So what’s gone wrong? Why do people do wrong? What has caused this gap, this separation between God and man?

THE BIBLE GIVES THE ANSWER IN ONE SHORT WORD, SIN! God has given every person a choice, we can either please ourselves and go our own way, or we can please God.

We have chosen to go our own way. When we do, we sin. Romans 3:23, tells us that, “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

In what ways are people like sheep? See (OT) Isaiah 53:6

People are sheep because ________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

SIN IS A PERSON GOING HIS OWN WAY INSTEAD OF GOD’S.

It’s a bit like a car with a faulty breaking system. When you apply the breaks, instead of going straight, the car pulls to one side. If you don’t get it fixed it could land you in trouble.

SIN IS THE TENDENCY WE HAVE TO DO WRONG.

Have you ever felt like doing wrong, even though you know you should do right? Even the Apostle Paul experienced this. Turn in your Bible and lets see what he said about this in (OT) Romans 7:18-19.

In (NT) 1 John 3:4 we are told, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practises lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”

SIN IS BREAKING GOD’S LAW.

In our land, laws have been established. They are there for the safety and well being of society. If we break and disobey the laws of the land, we will be punished. The Bible tells us what God’s laws are, what we are to do and what we aren’t to do. When we break these laws we sin.

WE SIN IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.

Sin can be committed in various and different ways, but whatever it is, it is either committed with our Words, with our Actions, or with our Thoughts. The things we say, the things we do and the things we think about are what causes us to go our own way, instead of God’s, to do wrong and break God’s law.

Below is a list of some things the Bible describes as sin. Tick the ones which you have done in your life.

___ Hatred

___ Been Proud

___ Been Angry

___ Stolen

___ Been Jealous

___ Been Selfish

___ Taking God’s name in vain.

___ Had Lustful thoughts

___ Been involved in the Occult

___ Been Dishonest

___ Been Drunk

___ Been Violent

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT IS?

Read (NT) Mark 12:28-31, then fill in the blanks below.

“Love the ____ _____ ____ with all your _____ and with all your _____ and with all your ______ and with all your ______.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your _________ as ____________.’ There is no other commandment greater than these”

IN OTHER WORDS, LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT.

Have you ever done that?

SIN SEPARATES YOU FROM GOD.

Read (OT) Isaiah 59:1-2 and answer the question: What does sin do? (“iniquities” is another word for sin)

Sin________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Sin separates you from God NOW.

Because of sin, we cannot have a relationship with God. He is pure, we are sinful, these two can never meet. If we are to have a relationship with God the problem of sin in our lives must be solved.
Sin can separate you from God FOREVER.

(NT) 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that, We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things

done while in the body, whether god or bad.”

From (NT) Romans 6:23, what wage does sin pay ___________________________________

This is not just a BODILY DEATH we all face, but a SPIRITUAL and ETERNAL DEATH that separates a person from God forever – the Bible calls this HELL.

How can this problem be solved?

How can this gap problem between God and man, caused by sin, be solved? How can this gap be bridged, so that people can become Christians? Well it is:

- - - Not by being born in a so called ‘Christian’ country.

You may be born in a garage, but it doesn’t make you a car! The only ‘country’ we are born into, spiritually speaking, is Satan’s kingdom, the “dominion of darkness”
(NT) Colossians 1:13.

- - - Not by having Christian parents.

Even though Christian parents can be a great help, spiritual life is, “not of natural descent” (N.T) John 1:13.

One person put it very well when they said “God has many Children – but He has no Grandchildren”. Our faith must stand up on it’s own.

- - - Not by doing your best and living a good life, commendable though that is.

God says that salvation is “not by works” (NT) Ephesians 2:8-9

- - - Not by being christened or baptised as a baby.

The Bible knows nothing of this traditional practice, and the Bible is our guide.

This problem can only be solved by accepting GODS ANSWER

Well the GOOD News is that Jesus Christ died and rose again to deal with the problem of sin – through Him it is possible to have forgiveness, a new life and a wonderful future.

This is a spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ and it gives us the power to live the way God wants. It makes it possible for a relationship with God to take place, for this gap problem to be solved, for the sin that separates us from God to be removed. Some people refer to this as ’being saved’, ’getting converted’, or being ’born again’, or one of the other descriptions we looked at earlier. To have such an experience is the most vital thing in the world for you as an individual.

God’s answer is JESUS

From (NT) John 14:6, how many ways to God are there? _____________________________

According to (NT) Acts 4:12, where is salvation to be found? __________________________

Can it be found anywhere else? _____________

From (NT) Romans 5:8 we are told that, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

From (NT) 1 Peter 2:24, what did Jesus do as He died on the cross? ___________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions from (NT) 1 Peter 3:18.
Who was the righteous person? ________

Who are the unrighteous people? ______________ ______________________

Why did Jesus die? ________________________________________

Jesus is the Son of God, Himself Divine. He left the Father’s side in heaven and became a human being like us, though without sin.

During His earthly life He did meet God’s standards. He offered Himself on the cross as a sacrifice, taking the punishment that your sin deserved. He was raised from the dead and ascended back to the Father. Jesus is the only perfect, sinless person who has ever lived.

He is the only person who could die in our place as a substitute to take the punishment for our sins. He was separated from God on our behalf so that our relationship with God can be restored. He suffered as He took our sins away.

So Jesus through His death and resurrection has made it possible for man to be forgiven and have a relationship with God. But just knowing this is not enough. For this to become a reality we have to do a number of things.

We have to respond to this fact in three particular ways. IF A PERSON WANTS TO BE FORGIVEN AND TO KNOW PEACE WITH GOD, THESE THREE STEPS ARE A MUST!

What two things did Paul in (NT) Acts 20:21 say people must do? They must___________ ___________________________________________ and _________________________________

We must REPENT

By nature and practise you are a sinner in God’s eyes. That doesn’t mean you have necessarily committed gross crimes, it just means that you fall short of God’s standards. To repent is to say sorry to God for the wrong thoughts, words and actions you have done.

But repentance also means that you are going to change the way you live. True repentance a is a decision to start to live differently and instead of going your own way, you will now live for God, following Him and obeying His commands. To repent is to admit your sin and determine, with God’s help, to turn your back on it. It involves your mind, your emotions and your actions.

REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF MIND.

There must be a change of mind about the way you have been living. You need to admit that you have been living in the wrong way and for the wrong things. You have been on a road that has led you away from God. No longer will you make excuses like, ‘It’s the way I was brought up’ or ‘I inherited my foul temper from my dad.’ Instead, you’ll say, ‘It’s my responsibility alone, and I’ve been wrong to act that way.’

REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF HEART

There must be a change of heart. Repentance means saying sorry to God and really meaning it! If you truly repent there will be genuine sorrow for your sins as you realise it was these that sent Jesus to the cross of Calvary. In (NT) Acts 2:37 how did the people react to this truth? _______________________________________________________________

REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF DIRECTION

You must be willing, with God’s help to turn from everything you know to be wrong. You’ll actually stop doing what the Bible shows you to be wrong. This may include a habit, an immoral relationship, a friendship, a book or magazine, no longer stealing stationary from the office, asking forgiveness for your bitter attitude, etc.

What did John say the people must do in (NT) Matthew 3:8 __________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

In (NT) Acts 26:20 Paul told the people when he was preaching , “they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

In other words you must prove and show our sincerity by turning from sin and living differently, even putting things right if and where you can.

We must put our faith in Jesus and BELIEVE

Believing is having faith in what God has done for you in sending Jesus to die for your sins. True faith is not simply believing something in your head, it also affects your life, the way you live.

True faith leads to ACTION! It means giving your life to Jesus.

When you sit on a chair you believe it will support you. If you didn’t believe this you wouldn’t sit down on it. Believing in Jesus is the same. When you sit down on a chair you put your whole weight in the chair, knowing it will not let you down. Believing in Jesus is putting your whole weight on Jesus, trusting Him to support you. But He can only support you when you give your life to Him.
If you do He won’t let you down.

Other than Acts 2:20 there are many verses that tell us we must believe. Let me highlight one more. In (N.T) Acts 16:30-32, what did Paul and Silas say to the jailor when he asked, “what must I do to be saved?”

They said __________________ in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be ___________

We must ACCEPT – RECEIVE the GIFT

God has provided for us salvation, He has made it possible for us to have a relationship with God. As we’ve already seen (N.T) Romans 6:23 tell us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A gift doesn’t actually become yours until you reach out and take it from the person who’s offering it to you. The wonderful gift of knowing God isn’t a physical thing, rather it’s a spiritual thing and must be taken, accepted and received by faith.

A person receives this gift when they repent and believe and ask God to accept them. Receiving is inviting Jesus to be your new boss (Lord), and your guide. Think of your life as a house.

By receiving Jesus you are inviting Him into all the rooms – all areas of your life. Becoming a Christian is allowing Christ to rule, to be in charge of your life, it is submitting your life totally to Jesus as your Lord and boss.

In (N.T) Romans 10:9-10 what two things must you do to be saved? (“saved” is another word for becoming a Christian). You must

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE SO ALREADY OR YOU ARE UNSURE, YOU COULD GIVE YOUR LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST RIGHT NOW AND BECOME A CHRISTIAN TODAY.

He loves you so much and He’s ready to receive you today, right now. If you haven’t done so already or you are unsure, and you want to become a Christian and accept God’s gift of salvation, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, why not talk to Him (pray) now.

Here is a sample of a prayer you could pray:

Lord Jesus Christ,

I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. I ask your forgiveness. Thank you for dying on the cross for me to set me free from my sins. Please come into my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and be with me forever. I want to make you my Lord from this day forward.

Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.

If you have already done this – I hope today has helped clarify that decision you have already made.