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any people have a misconception of what a Christian really is? Some think that as long as you’re a good person and have some concept of Jesus, you are a Christian. Others consider themselves Christians because they are a good person or they go to church and give money to worthy causes. None of those things make a person a Christian.
Some of the falsehoods have even crept into some children’s ministries. Children aren’t taught that they need to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. They’re taught that they need to be good to go to Heaven. Some of the misconceptions might even be because the people teaching them aren’t really Christians although they might believe they are.
This is what every child and adult needs to do to become a Christian.
John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is the only way of salvation. There are not many ways to God. Good people who are members of other religions won’t make it into Heaven. God provided only one way – through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God provides the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus isn’t the only way to Heaven because God is mean or vindictive to anyone who disagrees. God loves us. Without Jesus, there would be no salvation. That’s why He sent His Son, so that we can be saved.
Romans 3:23 (NIV) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
We all have sinned. Nobody is good enough for Heaven. We’ve all failed. We’ve all sinned. If you don’t believe me, have you ever told a lie? Have you ever disobeyed your parents? Have you ever felt hate or lust in your heart? Have you ever been prideful? You’re not alone. This is where we start. We acknowledge we are sinners.
Romans 6:23 (NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We deserve Hell. Now that we’ve established we are all sinners, the next step is to understand that sinners deserve death, not just physical death, but spiritual death. We deserve Hell. Out only hope for Heaven is through God’s free gift, Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
We have to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Salvation is a free gift, but we aren’t saved unless we accept that free gift. Romans 10:9-10 tells us what to do. There are two steps. First we believe in our heart through faith that Jesus died and was raised from the dead to save us from our sins. We can’t accept this salvation until we understand we need it. Once we accept that we have sinned, we accept Him as our Savior.
But there is another step. We must confess or declare Jesus is Lord. We can’t keep it to ourselves. We have given our lives to God and we must declare that He is Lord of our lives, both verbally and by a changes lifestyle. The change may not happen all at once. For most people it is a gradual change. But there must be a change to prove that we have made Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:13 (NIV) For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Pray the sinner’s prayer. If you call upon the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, in prayer, you will be saved. It’s that simple.
Here’s a prayer you can lead your students to pray:
Lord, Jesus. I am a sinner. I deserve Hell. I have no excuses. But you died on the cross and rose again to save me from my sin. I accept your free gift of salvation. I believe you are the Son of God, my Savoir. I give my life to you and declare you as my Lord. Thank you.
It’s simple, but there is a catch. Many have prayed this prayer but have not been saved. When you or your students pray it, you have to mean it from deep inside. If you do, this prayer will change your life.
