How to Receive Salvation
In order to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one must be born again by the seed of the Word of God and by the regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Jesus told Nicodemus in the Bible, “except you be born again by water and the Spirit, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 and John 3:5) This is the first step of being born of the Spirit is to pray and talk to God, saying:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Only Begotten Son of God and also the Messiah fore-told in Scripture. I am a sinner in need of the free gift of salvation by Grace. Please come into my heart and help me to live a more satisfying and abundant life. I believe your precious blood is the only way to purge my conscience of sin and dead works. I believe you died on the Cross for my sins and I desire to be washed and renewed forever. Please send the Holy Spirit to guide me. Amen”
If people do pray this sincerely, in child-like faith, they should expect God to answer their prayer and manifest Himself in due time. It is important to open the mouth and pray and talk to God about anything we need. That is what faith is, it is speaking and praying to the Father, Abba. If we desire salvation, we must speak and pray. If we desire blessings, we must give, ask and pray. If we desire wisdom and understanding, we must ask and pray. God may never respond to people if they don’t have the faith to simply ask, seek, and knock for Him. (See Matthew 7:7) The most important thing to have is the Holy Ghost, who is the Comforter sent by Jesus, in order to lead us into all truth. (see John 16:13)
Also, it is important to know that being born again by the Spirit is only the beginning of eternal life. There is more, and more, and more, forever and ever. It is important that after people are born again, and receive common salvation, that they fight the fight of faith and study the Scriptures daily. It is important to keep God as the first Love, and always remember Him in all things we do in life. People must know that to be born again and receive common salvation is to have an exodus from the world (just as the Israelites left Egypt by the hand of Moses), but there is still a wilderness of spiritual conquest that needs to be walked through before people inherit the Promised Land.
Spiritual growth is something every child of God must do before gaining access to the inheritance of God and Christ. We must not think we are born again and can now go back to the beggarly elements of worldly cares and lusts. The Christian walk is one of seeking God and finding His spiritual blessings every day. The Lord promises there is sometimes persecution for the Saints of the Most High, but also 100 fold blessings to enjoy, so we must strengthen our testimony to receive such a godly heritage. God has wealth beyond our fondest dreams to bestow upon Saints who endure till the end of their faith, and receive glorified bodies, fullness of joy, mansions, lands, brothers, sisters, and families. (see Matthew 19:29, 1 Peter 1:8) No one will receive this glory of God except they suffer with Christ as disciples and learn His wisdom every day. The suffering is not unending, it ends when we stop sinning and yield to humility, righteousness and holiness as a regular practice of life.
The Lord's Prayer
The next thing I want to write on this page is the content of the Lord's Prayer from the Scripture. It is important to pray through the content of the Lord's Prayer when we are having trouble in life, and not so much as a vain repetitious prayer. Look at the content, and know this is God's will for His disciples:
Matthew 6:9-13 says:
Our Father
Who is in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others their tresspasses against us
Lead us not into temptation
Deliver us from evil
Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, forever.
Many times in my Christian walk I pray certain elements from this prayer. We must know the Father is in heaven, we are on earth, and His name is holy above all names. It is important to know that it is the Father's will that needs to be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is important to know that we must eat of our daily bread. There is food to eat daily in God's Church and we must grow and assimilate this bread into our souls. We must forgive others, and be forgiven ourselves. We must loose ourselves from resentment and bitterness that comes from offenses. We must tell the Father not to guide us into temptation and also tell Him to deliver us from evil. Psalm 34:17 promises that God will deliver us from all trouble if we call upon Him for help. We must know that all power belongs to God, and we must pray the contents of this prayer with genuine faith and not as a vain repetition.
Christian Faith Priorities
1. Pray always, in the heart and vocally. Ask, seek, knock your way into God’s kingdom. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 7:7)
2. Study scripture daily or as often as you can. Highlight key principals, and ask the Person of the Holy Ghost for guidance in learning His truth. Let the Holy Ghost examine us. (1 Timothy 4:13-16)
3. Learn the New Testament well. Also prioritize Old Testament reading, such as Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah as the best books of wisdom. Learn the Old Testament more and more as God leads, because it will help to understand the New Testament. Grace and Glory Bible College is a great place to find the best teachings on Old Testament types and shadows. www.gracegod.net
4. Take a page out of Solomon’s book. Ask God for wisdom and understanding as written by James 1:5-6. Ask in faith, for he gives to all men liberally. (1 Kings 3:10)
5. Learn God’s economic principals. Give and it will be given to you, overflowing blessings and joy. If we obey God in this giving principal, He promises to bless our works in life. (Psalm 1:2-3, Luke 6:38)