So what should a person do when they want to give their lives to Christ?
If someone approaches you wanting to do this, in my observance so far of scripture, simply tell them of their need to repent, as John did, and of their need to believe in Christ as the Son of God, sent from heaven to die for our sins, so we can be connected with God again, and their need to confess their sins before Christ.
When viewing the scriptures together, they all point to this.
Putting someone on the spot to give their hearts to God now, with you, and leading them in a repeat after me prayer, and then telling them that because they said that prayer they are now saved and born again, from my observance of scripture, should not be done.
We are not born again because of a special prayer that is repeated. We are born again and enter in to God's kingdom when we repent and confess our sins, and believe in Christ Jesus who gave His life so we can have everlasting life.
Do we believe what Jesus said?
Joh 6:40 "This is the will of my Father who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
So, how does prayer fit in? Well, any conversation between us and God is prayer. We talk to Him and He talks to us. Prayer is not a one sided communication with God.
This is all I have read being preached: repent, confess, believe in Christ and you will be saved, or have everlasting life.
I think the same applies when sharing the word to a group or crowd, and the Holy Spirit prompts to call those present to repentance, then simply do so as John and Peter did, and share the need to repent, confess their sins, and believe (committing yourself fully) in Christ.
See, we need to trust God that that person was sincere in their repentance, confession, and believing in Christ. We can't see their hearts.
However, the fruit of repentance will be seen immediately if that person truely repented. (Matthew 3:8)
Then, after being born again, that person follows Christ through His word and the Holy Spirit leading. You can't just believe in Christ truely and not follow Him. Because the Apostles believe Christ,  they followed Him. (John 6: 68 & 69)
Another important thing that must follow accepting Christ is discipleship. We must make sure the new believer understand what happened to him/her, and be taught the requirements Christ has to follow Him.
May we walk as Christ teaches us to.

Sinner's Prayer/Altar Call; Is it Biblical?

I have been thinking a lot lately about the practice of 'sinner's prayer' and 'altar call'.
I have read some history,  and found out that it was a practice developed in the church to facilitate people becoming born again.
I have also been seeing in scripture that it was never so.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman, she believed in Him. Simply. She believed who Christ told her He is. Simply. No songs, sinner's prayer, nor an alter call. She called people from her village,  and they believed in Christ too. Simply. No sinner's prayer.
The villagers begged Jesus to stay with them, and He did for 2 days. Even more believed in Him. Simply. No alter call, no sinner's prayer.
(Read John chapter 4)
When Jesus taught the thousands of people, He did no altar call. He didn't play music and asked who all wanted to believe in Him to come forward or repeat a sinner's prayer. He taught them. Simply. The people choose to believe in Him. They choose to receive His words.
Whenever I think of a person giving their lives to Christ, automatically I think of sinner's prayer. That I will have to lead them in it, or check if they prayed it. That prayer has become the way to verify that a person is truely born again. Again, from scripture, it was not so.
In Acts, when Peter gave his first sermon, this was the response,  and his response:
Act 2:37& 38& 41 'Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
The receiving of God's word, and the believing in God's word is the door to being born again.
We hear God's word, we are convicted, we confess sins and repent of them, and we believe in and receive Christ.
Joh 1:12, 'But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:'
Do we truely believe this? This is God's word. Are we going to hold on to religious traditions and practices, or are we going to believe God's word and obey and follow Him.
(To be continued. ....)