HOW TO BECOME A TRUE CHRISTIAN AND STAY SAVED

These days, many ideas float around about religion, God, and salvation, and people are seeking after God through several man-made religious pathways. But God has already simplified his method of salvation and specified the only real channel to Himself for us in the Bible --- our Lord Jesus Christ. I seriously recommend Jesus to you. It is not just religion that we are talking about, but the discussion is about real LIFE (connection and fellowship with God Almighty our Creator).

 

I (Samuel Kisseadoo) gave my heart and life to Jesus Christ when I was 17 years old in High School. My father died when I was 12 years old. I was in church but following friends to do whatever pleased me, and giving my mother heartaches. But when I was confronted with the truth of God’s love for me and His punishment for sin, and made to understand that Christ is the only real Savior of mankind who died and shed His Blood to save us all, I became convicted and convinced to give myself to Christ in a prayer of confession of my sins, and acceptance of Jesus into my heart (soul) by faith.

I began reading my Bible and praying daily, and saw tremendous changes in my mind, heart, and life. I even adopted a motto NBNB (No Bible No Breakfast) as a guided principle, and tenaciously stuck to it in order to develop a habit of daily Bible reading and meditation. That was in 1969, and up till today, Jesus has been my personal Savior, and has also been Lord over my life as I worship and consult Him in prayer and through the scriptures for wisdom, guidance, and power in all aspects of my life. It is the Lord who has kept me and my wife, and watched over our family in my years of marriage since 1982.

 

The basic facts you need to understand, and the necessary steps you have to follow are these:

 

1) I was born in sin, just like everyone else (Romans 3:23). No one is without sin in this world (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

 

2) No one is righteous on his or her own merits before God (Romans 3:10; Isaiah 64:6).

 

3) Sin separates me from God, and will land me in hell after death. I also lose God's blessings in this life by having no relationship with God. (Romans 6:23).

 

4) Every human being will one day stand before God to be judged by Him, and sentenced to Hell, or justified to be in Heaven forever with God (2 Corinthians 5: 10; Revelations 15: 11-15; Romans 2:4-11).  We are warned that one day God will judge all the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16).

 

5) God sent His only Son Jesus to come and die for me on the Cross of Calvary. Eternal life is given to us by God the father only through Christ. Jesus is the only one who can redeem me and set me free (Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23; St. John 3:16; St. John 8:32, 36). Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Jesus does not have life (is dead and spiritually separated from God) – 1 John 5:11-13; Romans 8:9, 14, 16.

 

6) Only the Blood of Jesus can deal with my sin nature, wash away my sins, make me clean before a Holy God, justify me, and give me peace within my soul (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 9:22; Romans 5:1).

 

7) If I confess with my mouth that I was born in sin, repent of my sins, ask Jesus to wash (cleanse) me in His Blood, come to live in me with His Spirit (Holy Spirit), and sincerely believe all of it in my heart,

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Jesus will faithfully forgive all of my sins and come to reside in my soul for me to become saved (Romans 10:9-13). This is how to be born again, and is the only way to be saved and become a true Christian (St. John 3:3; Acts 4:12; Romans 8:1, 5-8, 9, 14).

 

8) God does not reject anyone who comes to Him through Jesus Christ (St. John 6:37).

 

9) I must confess Jesus and pray by faith, and believe that God keeps his promises, and will definitely save me (Romans 5:1, 2; Hebrews 11:6; 2 Corinthians 5:7).

 

10) After being born again, I must grow in the Lord, know him more, and become stronger by reading my Bible and meditating on some scriptures daily, along with daily prayers. I must do my best to obey God's teachings in the Bible by His help, practice righteousness, and live in holiness, which will enable me to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).

I should not just have Jesus as Savior, but surrender all areas of my life to Jesus and make Him Lord over my life as well. I must persistently use His word and prayer plus God's grace to fortify my willingness to say no to every form of sin, and take steps to overcome all temptations by the power of the Spirit of Jesus within me (Colossians 2:6, 7; 2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 6:10; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

 

11) I must become a member of a good Bible–believing church and fellowship of true Christians, where I can fellowship with God’s children and enhance my spiritual growth and the development of my talents and gifts (Hebrews 10: 23-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

 

12) I should witness (share my experience, and let others know about my faith) by my lifestyle, and by telling them about my new life, the great faith, and joy that I have found in Jesus Christ (Mathew 5:16; Acts 5:32; 1 Peter 2:9).

 

The Lord Jesus wants you not only to be born again, but He has a plan for you to become His disciple (disciplined follower) for the rest of your life. The blessings are incalculable.

 

I trust that you will carefully consider these points, and act upon them. I pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to you, give you understanding of His love for you, show you more of His ways as you humbly walk with God, and help you to draw close to Him.

I hope to meet you one day, but if we never meet at all on this earth, then please promise me that we shall meet in Heaven.

 

“For by grace you are saved through faith; it is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

“He (God our Savior) is able to keep YOU from falling, and to present YOU faultless before the

presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).

“Faithful is He who calls YOU, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

“The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (2 Timothy 4:22).

 

Copyright, April 2010. Rev. Dr. Samuel Kisseadoo, Founder and President, Fruitful Ministries International Inc.                    Professor of Biology  6 Red Robin Turn, Hampton, Virginia 23669, USA           E-mail: kisseadoo@msn.com.                                  Website: www.fruitfulministriesint.com.                         Phone: 757-7289330                          Fax: 757-7289335