In my last post, I shared how you can ensure your oxygen mask is on securely so you can better help others during these trying times.
Today, I want to share how you can give life-saving oxygen to others.
In golf terms, God has teed it up for us to preach the Gospel with a sense of urgency and intentionality. You may not have a pulpit, but you still preach. You preach by how you live your life. You preach by how you build relationships and tell what Jesus has done in your life. You preach by how you respond on social media. You preach by how you trust God in the middle of the storm. You preach by how you serve others calmly while the world is going nuts. You preach.
You may not fill stadiums and present the Gospel, but you can ask God to send you people whom he wants to reach. I dare you to pray that and see what God does next? Often, we assume no one will listen. We don’t have to go out on a street corner with a bullhorn and a sandwich board, but we can ask God to show us who to reach. We can ask God to send those to us who need to hear the Gospel. And we can ask God to guide us as how to point them to our Savior.
Perhaps God will lead you to give one of my books to someone. Perhaps you are that someone who received one of these books as a gift.
If that is the case, I want to make sure you do not put this book down until you have heard about how to be saved through the sacrificial death of Christ. You can’t earn it. None of us are good enough to obtain it. It is a gift. Jesus paid it all. We need only to receive the gift and put our trust in Jesus alone for salvation. Here is a simple way to understand it. I use this in all of my books. It is so simple a child can understand it. It is so profound that it can change the direction of your life and your eternal destination.
One does not become a Christian by following a formula, but I’ve found that what I’m about to share is an effective way to explain what it means to receive Christ and become a true Christian. We often make it complex, but it’s so simple a child can understand it. It’s as simple as A, B, C.
Admit that you are a sinner. None of us are perfect. We all fall short. Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23: “The wages [payment] of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that he died on the cross with your sins on him. Romans 5:8: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Confess him as your Lord. This doesn’t mean you will never mess up again. Rather, it means you will serve him and learn his ways as you grow spiritually. Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Here’s a simple prayer you can pray. These words aren’t magic. Again, this is not a formula. But if these words accurately reflect the motives of your heart, then when you pray this prayer you will become a Christian. You will have placed your faith in Christ and will have had your sins forgiven. You will look forward to an eternity with Jesus in heaven, and you will avoid the terrible time of tribulation that will soon come to the world. Pray this prayer now.
“Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I have sinned against you, and sin separates me from you. I thank you that you died on the cross for me. You took my sins upon you and paid my penalty at the cross. I believe you are who you say you are—God in the flesh. I believe you died for my sins. I want to accept your gift of salvation and, at this moment, I ask you to be my Savior. I thank you for this great forgiveness. I now have new life. I now claim you as my Savior and my Lord. In Jesus’s name, amen.”
If you just prayed that prayer, you are a new creation. The Bible tells us that heaven is celebrating right now because of your decision. The Holy Spirit now indwells you and will guide you and keep you.
You won’t be perfect, but you are forgiven, and he will never leave you. His work in you has just begun. You are an adopted co-heir with Christ. You will one day live and reign with him in the millennial kingdom and forever in eternity.
Welcome to the family of God!
This post has been adapted from my book, The Chronological Guide to Bible Prophecy.