A fellow writer/friend, CJ Sledgehammer, asked the question.
"If someone asked you about how they could become a "Christian, How would you help them? What guidance and direction would you give.
As I was giving an answer to the question, I thought rather than it being a simple answer, why not make it into an article for others to read too. So thank you CJ sledghammer for inspiring this article.
First and foremost I would introduce myself. Name exchange has a way of relieving tension and putting people at ease. If you know a person by name, they become more relaxed.
I would invite them if they so desired, to enter into a prayer with me, whereby I would give Thanks to God for guiding and introducing this person to me, and for the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work through me as I work to guide this lost sheep, back to the Good Shepherd who is Jesus. I would ask God to open our hearts and our minds as I begin to listen to and deal with the concerns and doubts, that may be blocking this person.
After our short prayer, I would explain briefly, how tremendously important prayer is, explaining how it is our sincerest form of personal and intimate communication with God, and I would explain that God is not only just our creator, but since God gave us life, God is Our Father.
The fact that this person is asking how to become a Christian, what is required to become a Christian implies that their curiosity, about God and Jesus is not just idle curiosity, that they are genuine and have a hunger to learn about God.
I would ask what they knew, about God, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit and about the Holy Bible, and then I would listen very carefully to their response. Their response would indicate what is lacking in their knowledge, and where their faith and belief needs strengthening.
I would do my best to deal with and address their questions, their concerns, their misgivings, their wrongful understandings or teachings with regards to christianity and being or becoming a Christian, thus hopefully releiving their tension misunderstandings and fears.
I would explain to them, that becoming a Christian is a simple process. Remaining as a Christian is as simple as one chooses to make it.
I would explain that through belief and through faith one is required to believe, to believe in God, and that God is the creator and the sole provider of all that is good and righteous in life and in man.
I would explain that man is sinful, in other words man falls short of God’s expectations for each man and their lives.
I would explain that because we are sinful, and God hates all sin, man was banned from returning to heaven, and God, so long as they were with sin.
I’d explain that God asked His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to offer himself as a Godly perfect sacrifice, to erase man’s sins, provided man is willing to accept that sacrifice as their atonement.
I’d explain that we were first spiritual beings created in heaven, and that we were sent by God to earth, to inhabit the bodies we are in, to serve God and to do His will, and that one day, God will recall us back to heaven, to continue serving him.
I’d explain that to become a "Christian" simply means to become a true believer and follower in the teachings of God and Jesus Christ, and as a part of that belief, that faith, as Jesus put it one has to become "Born Again" meaning that we spiritually are dead because of our sinfulness, but by believing that Jesus crucifixion, His death served to erase our sin we are no longer dead in sinfulness, and we further believe by faith that Jesus rose again from the dead, meaning He conquerd death, therefore we too by faith accept that death, a physical death no longer has power over our spirit.
Through Jesus death and the remission of all of man’s sins through that death, every man who confesses Jesus as saviour, and accepts by faith his cleansing and repents of their sinfulness is purified, cleansed, justified, and has the right to stand before God and be seen as a "Child of God" and Co-Heir to the rewards of heaven.
To sum up becoming "Born Again": Through our sins we become spiritually dead. Through Christ’s Crucifixion, and death, we become cleansed from sin and reborn through Christs resurrection back to life.
That is the easy part of becoming a Christian. The hard part is when we are asked by Jesus to continuously walk the walk and talk the talk of a good Christian expressing love not just to God and Jesus, but also to our neighbors and to our enemies.
This is where satan tries his hardest to try and cause us to trip up, to stumble, or maybe even to turn away from our path and turn away from God.
Let us not give him that opportunity, but remain steadfast in our desire to happily serve God as He wills, until we finally return home to heaven, and to our Father, Almighty God.