No one in the Bible who was seeking Christ was ever told to pray-anything- to be saved. That was not how people in the New Testament were saved.
The Apostle Paul (Saul) saw Jesus on the road to Damascus. Even talked to him. That would surely count as a “religious experience” wouldn’t it?
He BELIEVED. on the road to Damascus. Yet when he asked Jesus what he should do, Jesus did not say, just accept me into your heart, or just say a prayer (sinner’s prayer”), or you don’t have to do anything, you are already saved because you believe. Please take note that these are all answers that MEN give to that question to people today but these are NOT Jesus's answer. Jesus said for him to go into the city and it will be told you what you MUST do. There were some things he HAD to do but none of those other things were the right answer.
So what did Saul DO? He prayed for 3 days with fasting. Surely he was repenting. I know he was sorry for all he had done in persecuting the followers of Christ.
Finally, after 3 days Anninias came to him and said, ...what are you waiting for? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Acts 22:16
So faith alone did not save him, he still had his sins. Repentance by itself did not save him, he still had his sins. His sins were washed away only when he had fulfilled Mark 16:16, believed and was baptized. Baptism was the final act. These were the things Jesus told Saul he “Must” do.
He was not saved by a religious experience, prayer or faith only. Read it for yourself!! The people of Thessolonica were noble or fair minded because they searched the scriptures to see if those things are true. Search the scriptures to see how people in the Bible were really saved. For your souls sake, make sure you are saved the same way they were.