This is not an unusual question. It has been asked time and time again for 2000 years. The answer is still the same. As it is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:36, 37) After the very first sermon following the resurrection of Jesus from the dead these people were asking the same thing. Although the wording is a bit different they were still asking, “How do we become Christians?”

The Apostle Peter answers them in the following verses, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38, 39) Peter says three things here which are sometimes may sound confusing. First he says to “repent”. Second he says to “be baptized”. Thirdly he says that after that they shall “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. Let’s try to untangle that some.

Repent! This is necessary for salvation. Yet to repent you must, as did these people in Jerusalem come to know, that they needed to repent, that there were things in their lives that displeased God. This is the very basis of repentance. It is not making a show of saying I’m sorry or coming down to some altar in a church or reciting a special prayer. It is realizing that God loves us and we have hurt Him beyond measure. When we come to this place we can repent and our repentance is honest and pure and acceptable in God’s site.

Be Baptized! In the Jewish religion there is a ritual bath used for the “cleansing” of sins. While the water does not cleanse from sin it is a sign, by way of obedience, that their repentance is from their heart. Not only is it to be a sign to God, but to the world around them that they belong to God. Some will say this has to do with the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”, but I disagree. Nor do I entirely agree with the traditional Jewish view of washing in a ritual bath. Perhaps some were, maybe even all, but Peter was saying something far more profound. The word “baptize” means to immerse, to submerge. What I believe Peter was saying was that they, and we, are to “immerse” ourselves into the live, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are to submerge ourselves into the King of kings that God might make us like Him. The apostle Paul explains it this way, ”Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:3-6) Of course I concede that this may also be talking about water baptism, except for the fact that water baptism isn’t a prerequisite of salvation. It is an act of obedience following salvation. Therefore that is why Paul wrote the explanation he did. A study of the words “in him”, “in Christ” and “in Jesus” will show you exactly how important it was to be “immersed” into Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! Perhaps Peter was talking here of that great outpouring that astounded those who came to witness it. This is the prominent explanation. For this was the gift of the Holy Spirit as it refers to receiving the power of God to live godly lives, to be a true testimony of Jesus to all mankind. Yet some teach that this was the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, which is not altogether the point, right or wrong. The gift was not the ability to speak in other tongues (Acts 2:4). It was the gift to be more like Christ and less like ourselves (Acts 1:8) Yet there is another gift of the Holy Spirit, and that must ALWAYS come first, and it is THIS that I believe Peter was saying. That first gift of the Holy Spirit is to receive God into our lives, to cement a relationship with Him through the blood of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:11)

Therefore we need to do these things if we are to be “saved”: We need to realize that we have offended our Creator, we need to repent of our offenses, we need to immerse ourselves into the very person of Jesus and we need to receive that gift of the Holy Spirit which makes us children, through adoption, of God.

Even before this Jesus asks us to “count the costs” (Luke 14:27-33) The DOORWAY is open before you now. Jesus calls out to you, but He warns you to consider all things. Do not presume you have the strength to make it, but rather consider that God requires your total surrender. Only in that way can He build you up into the image of His son. If you are willing, and if you dare, you can become a child of God right now. You can find a joy that goes beyond all turmoil. I’m not talking about happiness, but joy, something that is not bound to emotion. For in Him you shall find “joy unspeakable and full of glory”, as the song says. To be set free from death is a wonderful thing, but to please the Heavenly Father is what truly brings joy into the world. You have that opportunity right now, to make a difference in, not only your life, but in the lives of those around you, perhaps even to those all the way around the world. The choice is yours.

The next 60 seconds. I want you to think for a moment about the next 60 seconds. Let us say, hypothetically, that what you do in the next 60 seconds will have a dramatic impact on the rest of your life, one way or the other. That is what life is like on this planet, just 60 seconds to make the right choice. You can be bullheaded, dogmatic, angry or whatever name you want to give it, but when your “60 seconds” on earth is up, that’s it. There is no reincarnation of the dead. No coming back and trying to get it right the next time. There is no weighing of the good against the bad. There is just this moment, this decision, these “60 seconds” to decide what your eternity will be like. Choose wisely, and quickly. The clock is ticking, not only for you, but for all those that may be reached for Christ by His Spirit through you. Won’t you click on the link “Prayer of Repentance”?

That prayer is only a GUIDE. It is meant to show you these steps in the prayer, but you should actually formulate your own prayer from your heart. Even, “God help me!” is a legitimate prayer when backed up by the heart. I urge you to go there and to read that prayer and then talk to God yourself.

Prayer of Repentence