So you are a non Christian, you’ve heard the gospel many times, you’re interested in the way Christians live and your hearts burns with desire for such a life. You long to be a part of this community, but don’t know where to start. You don’t understand what is required of you to become a Christian; you’ve approached couple of Christians and tried to ask them how to become a Christian, however their answers turned out to be a difficult approach and full of dos and donts.
Sometimes Christians can make it really difficult for non Christians to become believers in Christ, and this is because we as Christians fail to understand the simplicity of the gospel the way Christ taught it. We start telling the non Christian the dos and donts before sharing the true meaning of the gospel of Christ, like the Pharisees we want them to uphold a law that they know nothing about yet, we want them to digest the entire theology, leaving behind the fact that some of us took years to understand the least of the gospel.
If we really want to help that one person in the community become a believer in Christ, then we have to be reminded of the way we became Christians. At the begging of our journey in faith we knew nothing, but as we continued living in God’s grace, we continue to grow in his word. Let us learn in this way so as to help our brothers and sisters become true followers of Christ through love.
Becoming a Christian is not complicated as some make it to be, however it is something that has to come as a result of free will, desire, and love. So, how do you become a Christian, or how can we help others become Christians? A part of the answer to this question can be found in Acts chapter 2, and to summarizes it, you can just take a pick a verse 36 and onward. Please take a read.....
Accepting and believing the message: When the people at Antioch heard what peter had spoken they came to him and asked ‘’ Brother, what shall we do? What did Peter say? He replied ‘’ Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins. Are you one of those who desire to become a Christian? If yes, the first step is to accept and believe in the message you’ve heard, you might have heard someone preaching of Christ’s love for you in the streets, or you might have learned from a friend, sibling, or neighbour, take a step to believe in that message they have shared with. Romans 10:10 says ‘’ for it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved’’. If the message has touched you and helped you to see the need for God in your life, then believe in God, confess Christ and you will be saved today, Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, and if you continue to verse 6 you will learn that without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes before him must believe that he exists and rewards those who love and earnestly seek him. Faith in God comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Jesus Christ Romans 10:17. Faith in God shows our commitment to him.
Duty of the Christian in the message: Your duty in this part as a Christian is to share the message with the non believer. Don’t share the gospel of law, but share the gospel of love and grace, for it is by grace we are saved, and not by law or the goods deeds. Be reminded that it’s not your duty to try change that person, let the work of transformation be carried out by the Holy Spirit. Be an example of Christ in all that you do in your life. Evangelized and let your way of life be a part of the gospel you believe in. Don't be offended if people aren't interested. God is the one who is pursing them and He will bring about fruit. He has promised in His Word to bring about the good work that He has begun in us. It’s clearly that Peter pleaded for the people in Antioch, but there is no way we see him forcing them to believe, the same should be done by us Christians.
Repenting and being baptized: After the people at Antioch heard what Peter said, they accepted the message, repented, and were baptised, and guess what! Three thousands were added to their number that day. How wonderful it was to join such an amazing family of Christ! It was a day of blessings both for the new believers and those who were already members of God’s family. Heaven and earth celebrated. Therefore, your second step in becoming a Christian is to come to God, believe that he exists and repent and be baptised. Take a step toward a change of direction. Repent of your past life - sin, uncleanness, lawlessness, and transgression, and ask God for forgiveness and mercy. 1 John 1:19 says ‘’If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. You don’t have to be perfect to come to God, just come as you are. Baptism comes as a symbol of putting all your past stains behind and being renewed and ready to walk with Christ, it is a covenant of faithfulness toward God through Jesus Christ.
Duty of the Christian in Repentance and Baptism: You as a Christian have to continue sharing the gospel with the nonbeliever, help them understand how they can be connected to God. Show them why they need to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy. Show them that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10, Romans 5:12), and all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), and the wage of sin is death and separation from God, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:23, Romans 5:8). Show them that redemption and salvation cannot be found elsewhere beside in Christ Jesus (Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5-6). Teach them the goodness of God and the blessings found in him when we live according to his will.
Receiving the Holy Spirit: The first experience of the Christian life, salvation, is the incoming of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, to give us new life, God’s life, and eternal life. The second experience is the receiving, or making welcome of the Holy Spirit, so that Jesus can cause Him to pour out this new life from our spirits, to baptize our souls and bodies and then our world around, with his refreshing and renewing power. Jesus left us a helper, a person who will help us grow in knowing him and the father, and that person is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to believe in the father, and our spirit and his spirit testifies that we are His, and through the Holy Spirit we are co hears with Christ. When you accept Jesus in your life you also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour. The Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. We receive the Holy Spirit the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. In John 3:5, Jesus says, "…unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." When we accept Christ, God immediately seals us with His Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22).
Duty of the Christian in Receiving the Holy Spirit: many new Christians are led to faith without any mention of the Holy Spirit. Continue to share the message regarding the spirit with the new believer in Christ Jesus; help them see how they can benefit from the gifts of the spirit. It’s an important step to pray with and for them so they can receive the Holy Spirit while also affirming that the Spirit is already present in her life. If there’s a new believer in your life, encourage them to pray boldly with you and ask for the Holy Spirit to be openly and powerfully received. Help them see how they can help others through the use of their newly discovered spiritual gift.
Surrendering your life to Christ: Now that you’ve accept Jesus as your personal Saviour through His sacrificial death on the cross the next step is to make Jesus the Lord over your life. Jesus must now become both your Lord and Savior, not just your Saviour. This means that you will serve the Lord, commit all your ways unto him, obey his commands, and surrender all that you do to his care. Once you fully surrender every aspect of your being and life over God the Father for Him to fully handle – then the next thing God will do is to let you know exactly what it is He wants you to do for Him in this life. Your job now, after entering into this full surrender with Him, is to seek to do His specific will for your life.
Duty of the Christian in helping the new believer surrender to Christ: It is not easy for the new believer to surrender their life to Christ, it should be your duty as Christian to help the newly believer learn how they can surrender their life to Christ Jesus. We must help them see how wonderful life can be when we are under the authority of Jesus Christ, help them find the power of freedom under Christ’s authority. They need to see how powerful they can be when they are under his lordship. Take the time to help them see the beauty of letting go of the past life
Joining a community of believers: After the people at Antioch had received Christ they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teachings and fellowshipped together. In order for you to grow in you new found faith, you need to join a community of believers who will help you to grow and mature. In the same way that we need to spend time with God in order to grow, we need to spend time with other Christians. By spending time with other Christians, we become encouraged in our faith and realize that we’re not alone -- whether we’re facing struggles or experiencing joys. We also need other Christians around us to “keep us in line” and help us see where we need to grow and what behavior or ideas we have that might be damaging to our faith. No church is perfect, but two characteristics -- truth and love -- are necessary if a church is going to help you grow in your relationship with God.
Duty of the Christian in helping the new believer connect with others: Help the new believer connect to a church for spiritual growth. Sometimes going to church with them will help them to settle in their new found faith with confidence. Take time to pray for new believers, trusting God to work in their lives. Praying with them shows that we care for them. It also gives them an example of what it looks like to communicate with God. Introduce new believers to other Christians who can encourage them and support them in this new phase of life. Invite new believers to come to your Bible study or church. Encourage new believers to talk to others about how God has changed their lives. This will help to solidify their faith and show how God is working.
Notice that the chance to receive eternal life is conditional. To remain holy and blameless before God, we must “continue in the faith.” We must put forth effort. We must produce.
To put it in Summary, this is how it should be for the person who wants to become a christian:
1. Believe in God and his message
2. Repent & Be baptized
3. Receive the Holy Spirit
4. Surrender your life to Christ Jesus
5. Join a community of believers
And for the believing Christian who wants to help, this is how he/she can help
1. Share the message of love, grace and mercy
2. Help them seek God’s forgiveness and mercy
3. Ask for the Holy Spirit to be openly and powerfully received
4. help them find the power of freedom under Christ’s authority
5. Introduce new believers to other Christians
I hope that this article helps you in becoming a Christian and helping others to do so, may it be a blessing to you and toward helping others.
Chaow chaow!
