So what is the meaning of all of this? Why did God go to so much trouble to tell us what is going to happen in the future? Two thousand years ago the people who asked these very questions were the ones who were looking for the coming of Messiah. They recognized Jesus for who He was and they believed in him. They accepted the Gospel, or “Good News” about Christ. Today when you recognize these “Signs of the Times” it may cause you to ask the most important question of all: What must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:32) And the answer is: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved (Acts 16:33). But what exactly does this mean? First, you must admit that you have sinned: fallen short of God’s expectations of you, and that the payment of sin is death. You could never pay for your own sin, but Jesus Christ paid for it by dying in your place.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… – Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23
Then, you must ask Christ to be your Savior and your Lord. Here are several verses of Scripture that say the same thing in slightly different ways:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. – John 1:12
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. – Romans 10:9-10
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. – Revelation 3:20
You may ask Christ into your life by prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. Tell him something like this: “Dear Lord, I know that I’m a sinner, and I need Jesus Christ to save me from my sin. Right now, I open the door of my life and ask Jesus to come in. Be my Savior and my Lord.” Did you pray? It isn’t the exact words that count, but in your own way, if you confessed your sin and asked Christ to become your Savior, he kept his promise and entered your life. This is what the Bible means about being “born again.” (John 3:3,5) You have been born into the family of God. Now, be sure to tell someone what you have done! There is one other thing. The Bible teaches that all believers should be baptized (Matthew
28:18-20 and the example of all converts in the Book of Acts). Find a good Bible-teaching church in your area and ask to be baptized right away in order to be identified with Christ and to be obedient to him. If you have made that decision and would like to have help to get started in your Christian life, contact either of the authors via their web sites (See Bibliography), and we will be happy to send you some simple follow-up materials.
