The only way to become a Christian is to meet Jesus. He is the only door to heaven. Charles Finney was a choir leader at his church but never took the time to read the Bible. As a lawyer, he noticed that his legal books had many references to the Mosaic
code of laws and other Biblical passages, so he bought a Bible to check the references and read it at leisure. He came to realize that he needed peace with God. He needed God to save him, so he started seeking God in secret. He was too proud to let anyone know what he was doing. One day on his way to work, his heart was just bursting. He felt that he needed to give his heart to the Lord. He needed to accept God's gift of grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. He felt the Lord asking Him if he would accept it. He replied, "Yes, I will accept it today, or I will die in the attempt.” He ran into the woods to find a secret place away from prying eyes or ears where he might pray, but when he got there, he found himself dumb because he was so concerned about what anyone might think of him. When he realized his pride, he cried out, "What! such a degraded sinner I am, on my knees confessing my sins to the great and holy God; and ashamed to have any human being, and a sinner like myself, find me on my knees endeavoring to make my peace with my offended God!" It broke him down before the Lord. Just at that point God's word came to him, "Then shall ye go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. Then shall ye seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Finney took hold of God's word and felt peace with God. He went to work.After work, he decided he needed to pour out his soul to God, so he went to the back room of his office to seek the Lord, and the Lord Jesus met him there.
Fanny Crosby was blind since she was six months old. Her grandmother, with the help of a family friend, helped Fanny Crosby at the age of ten to memorize five chapters of the Bible each week, until by the age of fifteen, Fanny had memorized the four gospels, the Pentateuch, the Book of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and many of the Psalms. She was a lobbyist, a teacher, an author, a poet, a lyricist, a composer, and a wife. She wrote secular songs and some of them were very popular in the
taverns. She was a churchgoer and was raised to be a Christian. An epidemic broke out in New York City (the town in which she worked). She went out to help nurse the sick people, but many died. This made her realize the state of her soul, and the reality that she had no assurance of her own salvation. Soon after this, the Methodist revival meetings started. She went to many meetings and prayed the sinner's prayer, but she did not feel any different. She did notice that her sins were more apparent to her. A lady explained to her that she just needed to receive the Lord Jesus' grace by faith. She did right there, and the light of Christ penetrated her heart. She had the blessed assurance that Jesus was hers.
There is no such thing as secondhand salvation. The Lord Jesus must save you from your sins, or you are not saved. You can change your religion or change churches all you want, but unless you receive your salvation straight from the Lord Jesus, all your good deeds will be of no avail at heaven's gate. When I share the gospel with someone, if the Lord wills, I ask the person if he would like to meet the Lord. If I receive an affirmation, I lead him in prayer. I may be aware of the Lord's presence when the person is not, so I ask to see if he feels the peace of God. If not, I advise him to continue to seek God's face because the Lord is not far from him. I have noticed that the ones who are aware of His presence are either frightened or are very glad.
Once you receive God's salvation, Jesus promised that He will never leave you. The Lord Jesus will take away the power that sin has in your life. If Jesus started a good work in your life, you can rest assured that He will perform the work in your life and finish it. You are called to live life in a new and living way through the blood of Jesus Christ. You are to sin no more because sin is the work of the devil, and it will hinder you from having fellowship with the pure and holy God. Jesus makes you born again to have a life in God. Jesus makes us true Christians. Jesus is our redemption, our sanctification, and our righteousness. Jesus is
our teacher and our friend. Jesus is our Father and our God. Jesus is the potter, and we are the clay. He shapes us and molds us. He tempers us that we may become adamant in our
knowledge of Him. We receive Him gladly. We read His word and apply it in our lives. We trust and obey Him. We seek His face. We may continually be in His presence. Jesus is our Lord. He's our life; He's our everything. Jesus is the one who makes the true Christian.
"The impression of many seems to be, that grace will pardon what it cannot prevent; in other words,
that if the grace of the Gospel fails to save people from the commission of sin in this life;
it will nevertheless pardon them and save them in sin, if it cannot save them from sin.
Now, really, I understand the Gospel as teaching that men are saved from sin first, and as a consequence, from hell;
and that they are not saved from hell while they are not saved from sin.
Christ sanctifies when he saves.
And this is the very first element or idea of salvation, saving from sin.
'Thou shalt call his name Jesus,' said the angel, 'for he shall save his people from their sins.'
'Having raised up his Son Jesus,' says the apostle, 'he hath sent him to bless you in turning every one of you from his iniquities.' Let no one expect to be saved from hell, unless the grace of the Gospel saves him first from sin."
-- Charles Finney