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How One Becomes a Follower of Jesus
More than 95 percent of Americans, if given a choice between Jesus and Satan, would choose to spend eternity with Jesus Christ.
To become a follower of Jesus Christ, you must do two things.
You must ask Jesus to be your Savior. You accomplish that by asking Him to forgive you of all your sins. When you ask Him to be your Savior and to forgive you, the request must be from the heart. You cannot just ramble off a few words and go on your merry way. At the core of every appeal for forgiveness is remorse. If you have remorse for your sinful state, you will receive God's forgiveness.
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After you commit yourself in words to Jesus, you then begin to follow Him with your actions. Do this by reading His Word and implementing His teachings into your life. If He says, "Love your neighbor," then love your neighbor. If He says, "Do not commit adultery," then do not commit adultery. Do this until the day He comes for you in the rapture or until the day you join Him in death.
Let us see why so few people will gain salvation.
Jesus foretold that a small number of people would choose to be
saved: "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Mat. 7:14).
- The first reason people do not make it to Heaven is because they put off salvation or neglect it altogether. Too many are more worried with the cares of this life than they are of the one choice that will last for all eternity.
- The second reason people don’t go to Heaven is that they reject Christ's gift of eternal life. People's pride and unwillingness to face up to their need for a Savior holds them back. Some reject salvation because they do not understand how His death 2,000 years ago could affect them now.
- The third reason few people make Heaven their home is that they trust in a salvation that is not based on the blood of Jesus Christ. Some think, "If I've been a good boy or girl all my life, then He'll let me in." If anyone could
live a good enough life to gain favor from God, they would also be able to
clean themselves by rolling in mud.
Nothing is more important than a decision to follow Jesus.
The cares of this world do not compare with the importance of being prepared
for the world to come. If you missed out on the eternal bliss of heaven and
ended up in hell, the extremeness of your mistake would be impossible to
measure.
As the world falls apart all around us, we should be praying more and more, studying God's Word passionately, and sharing our resources with others. When the rapture takes place, the only items that will be raptured with you into glory are your works. Your house, car, money, and unsaved friends will remain behind.
A final thought to remember: "In such an hour as you think not
the son of man cometh"(Mat. 24:44).
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