Interested in becoming a Christian

Hi everyone, I have been an atheist for as long as I can remember but I am very interested in becoming a Christian. I want to understand how a relationship with God can help me in my life. How can I become part of the faith? Do I need to say a prayer or do something else? Thank you!

Pray to Jesus for your sins to be forgiven. Jesus died on the cross as a penalty for your sins because He loves you. After this, invite the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide you in the life-long repentance process. This will be the best and most important decision that you will ever make.

Make it part of your routine in study and reading of the bible. The bible is your road map that will enable you to successfully navigate your life and will guide you to your ultimate destination of spending an eternity in the presence of God. The alternative is an eternal separation from God, The place is commonly referred to as hell. You don't want to there. You want to go to heaven. So, make a choice where you want to spend your eternity.

God's existence is not predicated on whether one is an atheist or not. God always was and always will be. God is love.

Spend each day in a conversation with God. He will neither leave nor forsake you. He will be your traveling companion in the adventure of life. You might want to buckle up.

Glad to have you as part of our family. Welcome to CC.

Hello biscuitsPLZ1,

You're not here by accident, welcome!

Eventually, all of us come to the place of needing God to help us with our life - we can't survive on planet Earth without God. This planet and all that are on it man, beast, and plant is decaying and dying.....God is in the process of making a new Heaven and a new Earth. He is saving as many of us as He can through all generations to be with Him in His new Heaven and new Earth.

Jesus preached for us to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven aka Kingdom of God is coming. Jesus came to show us the way of Salvation which is found ONLY in Him.

If you want to be saved and part of the family of God and have eternal life and live in the Kingdom of God/Heaven that is coming, and if you believe that you cannot save yourself - God has to save us and has done so with His Son - Jesus Christ, then simply pray......

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help me, I don't want to perish. Please forgive me for all my sins, I repent and ask for forgiveness. I confess that I believe that the Blood of Jesus takes away all my sins and I believe the Body of Jesus infuses me with His Righteousness and I am clean in Your eyes and am able to enter into fellowship with You, Your Son and Your Holy Spirit.

I turn away from this dark world and embrace Your marvelous Kingdom of Light.

Help me get water baptized just as a sign that I believe in Jesus Christ and receive all that He has done to save me. Also, seal me, baptize me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit that empowers me to live this life as a Christian - follower of Jesus Christ.

Help me to get a Bible, read it and understand what the scriptures mean. Thank You, Father for hearing my prayer, I believe I am now, Your possession - Your child, in the Name of Jesus Christ - my Savior, Lord and King, amen.


BiscuitsPLZ1 - May God bless you and keep you always, may you know and love God deeply and richly and intimately; may God's Light shine through you always bringing hope to a dark and dying world, in the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

So glad you came, Biscuits. You are very honest. I will be honest also. It may not help you in this life at all. Depends on what you are looking for.

John
15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.
15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Count the cost of following Him, but also remember that the the cost of rejecting Him is far, far, greater. The bottom line is that He loves you, He died so you could spend eternity with Him, and He knows best and has a plan for your life.

Revelation
3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

“But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”

(Acts 8:12, Berean Study Bible)

That’s still the procedure for becoming a Christian, biscuits.

If BiscuitsPLZ1 believes in and loves Jesus Christ, then she is loved and accepted in the Beloved - Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Yes, get water baptized! It's important.

Always remember - God's Love for us and our love for God is foundational to the Christian life.

Salvation is a GIFT received by faith - NOT earned and cannot be lost but, we just need to grow and mature IN CHRIST and in our knowledge of God and our love for Him - it's a process but, her salvation is secure.

Our works have consequences on Earth and in Heaven - sow bad seed on Earth, reap a bad harvest on Earth - treasures in heaven or no treasures in heaven but, Salvation is never lost.

Hello BiscuitsPLZ1, I see that you are brand new around here, so first off, welcome to CChat

You've already received some excellent answers to your questions above, but if you wouldn't mind answering one or two as well, I'd love to know what caused you to consider moving away from Atheism and towards Christianity, and also what you are hoping that you'll find by doing so

Thanks

God bless you!!

~Deut

Your sins were already forgiven 2000 years ago when Christ Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the dead conquering sin and death.

Believe/Trust IN what He has done for you.

The Gospel is not turning from sin to be saved, the Gospel is accepting/receiving Christ Jesus as Saviour.

He offers the gift of salvation to those who trust/believe in Him for it by faith.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:12

Hi everyone, thank you all for responding, I have taken your advice. I have prayed to Jesus and received Him as my Lord and Savior.

I came here because I felt like something was missing in my life, and I noticed how content Christians seemed to be so I wanted to see what it was about. Knowing that Jesus loves me so much that He gave His life for me and He has a plan for me makes me feel like I have a purpose and I belong, and that is great!

I have started reading the Gospel of John to understand more about my Savior and to develop my relationship with God. The Bible already seems interesting to me, I will keep reading it to fully understand my salvation. What chapters should I read after the four Gospels? Also, I will look into water baptism as soon as I can.

I am grateful to Jesus for giving His life for me on the cross, and I will get into the habit of conversing with Him in prayer daily and thanking Him for what He did for me.
Thank you again everyone, God bless you all!

Hello again @biscuitsPLZ1, and welcome to the family of God

One of the things that helped me 34 years ago when I came to saving faith was a 4-part teaching series by Dr. John MacArthur called, Spiritual Boot Camp. This series takes a close look at four of our most important Christian spiritual disciplines...............


.....................and they'll give you, among other things, suggestions on how you can best apply them to your life/Christian "walk".

They can be listened to and/or read online for free here: Spiritual Boot Camp. Just scroll down a bit when you get there, then click on one of the four titles.

God bless you!

~Deut

Hello again brother (@biscuitsPLZ1), the Lord is interested in you hearing from Him (which we principally do by reading the Bible), and He wants to hear from you too (which we principally do through prayer). You can do both at the same time when you read the Bible (and I recommend that you do so) because as you read/hear what He has to say to you, you can respond back to Him immediately in prayer, in thanksgiving, with a question..............

You can also pray whenever you want to apart from the word of God, worshiping and praising Him, confessing your sins to Him and asking Him to forgive you .. 1 John 1:9, asking Him for help with something and for the things that you need (and want), and on behalf of others as well. It has helped me to have a pattern to my prayer, and I typically use this one, A.C.T.S., which stands for,


Here is a short article about it: ACTS

Also, here are some links that you may find useful.


~Deut
p.s. - just FYI, Christian "meditation" always begins, centers and ends on the word of God, even if it is just one verse or one phrase from the Bible. That's how we meditate, by "chewing" on/considering His word, NEVER by emptying our minds.

I'm pretty certain that Father God would not
see us as His possessions though

So great to have you join the fellowship in Christ brother bisquitsPLZ1, it's the way to go! God bless & keep you!

Hello again @biscuitsPLZ1, you mentioned getting baptized, does that mean that you have found a church to attend? If not, there is probably nothing more important for you to do right now, especially as a brand new believer.

Church is the place where we step back out of this world to remember who we really are and Who it is that we serve, as we worship Him and pray together with all of the saints each week (you are now a "saint" BTW ).

It's also the place where we are strengthened in the faith as we hear God's word preached, and as we assemble together and fellowship with one another .. Proverbs 27:17; Hebrews 10:24-25. The church is also known as, "the body of Christ", because that is exactly what we are .. 1 Corinthians 12 (see v12 and following, in particular).

You need us, and we need you

Finally, here is an interesting and famous story from the Bible. It is the tale of two women, Mary and Martha, and it speaks to something that I believe is very important for you to understand right now. Your principle "ministry" as a new believer is to sit at the Lord's feet as often and for as long as you can, growing in both the knowledge and the understanding of God, and of the Christian faith. After the Apostle Paul became a Christian .. Acts 9, he went away and studied with the Lord for three years before He began His ministry or wrote any of His Epistles, so you are in very good company Here is the story I told you about.


God bless you! (Numbers 6:24-26; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

~Deut

Hi @Deuteronomy, thank you so much for all this guidance! I will definitely check out the Spiritual Boot Camp! I like the ACTS prayer pattern, when I pray following it I can express my love for the Lord, set things right with Him, show that I am thankful for the blessings He has placed in my life, as well as asking the Lord to help us on our journey through life.

I have been watching the live stream of my local church, and I plan on attending in person when it is possible. My understanding of the story of Mary and Martha that you posted is that what we need to do most is to sit at the feet of the Lord, meaning attend church with other believers, read the Bible, and engage with the Lord in prayer and feel His love, which I am getting into the habit of doing faithfully. What Bible study plans do you like to use? I want to make sure I have a good understanding of His Word but I am not sure where to start reading after the Gospels.

Again I thank you so much for helping me on my journey. God bless you!

Hello @biscuitsPLZ1, it's great that you're attending "Facebook"/"YouTube" church right now. I am too And my Bible study is via Zoom. I don't like it, but it is WAY better than no fellowship/no teaching at all.

I talk to my pastor, particularly my senior pastor, over the phone (or via email or text) pretty often as well.

We also have a weekly prayer meeting via Zoom.

Here's an important thing to remember, when you came to saving faith in Jesus, you received "eternal" (not "probationary") life. So as far as having time goes, you've got all that you need, yes As the Lord told us,


Of course, when opportunities to serve come along, particularly to tell others what happened to you, always prayerfully consider doing so. Unbelievably, we have a part to play in others coming to know God, because as the Apostle Paul made clear to us,


As for where to go in the Bible, I guess I'd finish the NT first if I was you (which you can do in or out of order). Romans is extremely important, but it is also pretty difficult to understand the first time you read it (so don't hesitate to ask your pastor and/or us whenever you have questions .. about any part of the Bible, actually).

Again, it may seem overwhelming at times (especially at first), but that's ok. One thing that I have come to learn over the last 34 years is to never get too upset if something doesn't seem right to you (in the Bible, about God, or about the Christian faith). Rather, write down the issue and ask someone about it. Christianity is not easy, especially at first, but I've found that there is ~always~ an answer for every question. Quite frankly, I think you'll find that the most troubling kind of questions are always the ones that end up having the most obvious answers .. of course ).

God bless you!

~Deut
p.s. - here's part of a wonderful passage to consider. What do you think about what is says, particularly of v26? What does it all mean to you? Just to be clear, you are one of the Lord's "sheep" Also, the Lord starts this passage off (in v26) by addressing the Jews (who were NOT His sheep).

Deut, I am so grateful for the gift of eternal life I have been given because of my faith in Jesus. It is assuring knowing that one day I will be with Him in heaven.

I'll start reading Romans and the rest of the NT next. I do recognize that we have a part to play in helping others know the Lord, so I will absolutely try to talk to others about my relationship with Jesus when it is appropriate, and show others how my faith is strengthened through Him.
I hope I can help more people come to faith! A friend of mine is also curious about Christianity, and I am planning on introducing him to the Lord. Do you have any tips for helping others come to faith?

If I am ever confused about something in the Bible I will pray about it and ask you or someone on the forum for advice. The passage from John 10 you posted tells me that I have eternal life and I will never die. I am loved and safe with God forever, for which I praise God. This passage inspires me to want to faithfully serve the Lord, in whatever capacity I can. I thank Him for his Grace and Mercy.
God bless you!

Hello @biscuitsPLZ1, as for Christian witnessing, first and foremost, it's a matter of telling people what you know (about God/the faith/being a Christian/your feelings, your experiences, etc.), ~not~ about what you don't know, so you're all set to be a Christian witness

Imagine a witness in a courtroom. They are asked to testify about what they know (about a person or a crime etc.), right? That's pretty much what Christian witnessing is. You tell people what you know about the One who saved you and is now sanctifying you/making you like Christ. It's also helpful to talk about why you decided to become a Christian, what your life was like before coming to faith, and what your life is like now, as a Christian (and how things have changed for you as you think about your life now, as well about the age to come).

The 4th lecture in the Spiritual Boot Camp series is about "witnessing", so you'll get some good ideas from it as well.

There is a book, if you are interested, that is HIGHLY recommended by everyone I've ever known whose read it. It's really about evangelism more than simply witnessing, but I believe it would be a big help to you with the kind of witnessing that you'll be doing right now as well. Basically, it teaches you how to ask leading questions to help the people you are witnessing to come to their own conclusions/understanding/find their own answers to their questions. It's called:

Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions Paperback – by Gregory Koukl (Author), Lee Strobel (Foreword)




~Deut
p.s. - one last thing about Christian witnessing, always be humble and loving toward the person you are talking to. And just as importantly, always be honest (because if you are not, they'll see right through you).

So, if you don't know the answer to one of their questions, just say something like, "You know what, that's a great question. In fact, it's a question that I'd like to make sure that I know the answer to myself .. (you can remind them at this point that you are still pretty knew to the faith, if you think it's necessary) .. so if it's ok with you, I'll find out what the answer is and get back to you as soon as I do. Is that ok?"

If you do that, not only will you have or gain their respect, you will also have another chance to talk to them about Jesus

Finally, take time to truly consider all of the Scripture verses/passages that I have in my signature line below. They will all be a BIG help to you in witnessing, and with your Christian walk in general too.

In fact, if you don't mind, take a special look at Matthew 7:12 and tell me what you believe the Lord is commanding us to do (this verse is often called, "The Golden Rule"). Take note of the qualifying phrase at the end of it too. What do you think it means?

Thanks