'I want to know how I can become a Christian'
People have encountered Jesus Christ for the first time in a million different ways. For C.S. Lewis it was on the top deck of a bus; for David Sheppard, the cricketer, it was in a quiet conversation with a Christian friend; for me, it was in the middle of a youth alive concert, when three african black guys were teaching dance steps to their song. I can't reduce the process to a standard formula for you. But I can tell you one good way of doing it.
Before I do, let me try to put you off! Jesus Christ never promised an easy time to those who followed him. He advised them to count the cost first. He said, 'Whoever puts his hand to the plough, then turns back, simply cannot be my disciple.' No way do we want to coax you into the kingdom with false promises of thrills, delights, and winning the pools within a fortnight. Being a follower of Jesus has its tough side:
The reason the world does not understand us is because it did not understand him... Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What will it cost? Sometimes, the respect and friendship of people who just will not try to understand what has happened to you - who ridicule you, sneer at you and treat you like a simpleton. Sometimes, having to give up habits which are deeply ingrained and a comfortable part of your lifestyle - but are wrong. Following Jesus in a world of starvation, social inequality and political injustice may have implications for your bank balance and some of your free time. You will have to be prepared to associate yourself with a group of Jesus' followers, and start to learn more from them, in a good, lively chuch. You will have to put your own inclinations and convenience second, and do whatever your new Master tells you to do, no matter how reluctant you feel about it.
Some things will have to go, then: your selfishness and independence, your isolation from others, your freewheeling lack of commitment. But they never did you that much good anyway. And some things don't have to go; your ability to think rationally and honesty; your sheer enjoyment of life; your sense of purpose and challenge in living. Christian faith will deepen all of those things tremendously!
Undeterred as yet? Good. Let's talk about what exactly you need to do.
Becoming a Christian is not something happens as a result of an intensive course of churchgoing, or 'instruction in the faith'.
It is not a mystical experience that descends in great clouds of emotion when somebody lays hands on your or baptises you. In fact, you may feel no different. Do you remember how the Christmas carol 'O little town of Bethlehem' puts it? Talking about how quiet and unobserved the birth of Jesus was, it says:
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven;
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
Jesus compared the coming of the Holy Spirit into a person's life (which is what happens when you become a Christian) to the invisible wind. 'You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.'
So what do you do?
Simply talk to God. (In any words you like - no need to learn a special formula.) Tell him that you realize your life falls far short of what he originally intended. That you have been living independent of his guidance and promptings, and that you cannot make a success of life - morally, or in terms of contentment - on your own. That you now realize you need him to rule and govern your experience of living; and that you have heard that Jesus gave his life to gain forgiveness for your shortcomings and wrongdoing. That you now commit your life into his control, as Lord and King from this moment on.
Then find a Christian friend who can help you and advise you about where to go from here. You want to get the very best out of living the Christian life, and not just have a five-minute thrill which fades away quickly. So your new brothers and sisters can be very important, especially right at the outset, in making sure that all is going well. There are also good books you can read too.
If you have just done what I have suggested - congratulations! And welcome to the family of God. We know that you have just begun on the most exciting journey of your life. You are going to find out things about yourself, about the faithfulness of God, and about your potential with him in charge, which you'd never dream possible at this moment.
But many readers will have skimmed through this section simply out of curiosity. Perhaps you have no personal intention of doing anything about it. Or you did, but our description makes it all seem too simple. You're daunted now, in case it doesn't work...
Listen. Millions of people down through history have found that Jesus Christ always keeps his promises. Around the world right now, over 420,000,000 people claim to have each had a personal, individual, life-transforming experience of the friendship and reality of Jesus. It could be a delusion. But what a massive delusion it would be!
Can you afford to miss something as big as this? Have you a better answer to the mysteries of life, the human craving for fulfilment and certainty, your own moral shortcomings and your need of forgiveness? Have you any answer?
We challenge you to take God at his word.