Follow Jesus

How can you become a Christian?

You probably have an opinion about Jesus. Maybe you think He’s a great teacher or a prophet. Maybe you think He didn’t exist at all. 

What if everything Jesus was and said was true? What if Jesus is, in fact, God? God, the Creator of the universe, comes to earth to make a way for you!

At Connexus, you can belong before you believe. But whatever you believe, you can probably agree that Jesus changed things for our world. We believe that Jesus is in your corner, and we are too.

Jesus himself said:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.
John 14:6-7

Trusting Jesus as the way to God is not an exclusive path to God, it’s completely inclusive. No matter who you are, what you’ve done, no matter where you were born or the colour of your skin, Jesus is the way for you to have a relationship with God. Everybody’s invited. Everybody’s included. Everybody’s important.

If you think you’re an exception to the rule, you’re wrong. Jesus loves you. Yes… you.

But you’re probably thinking, “Don’t I have to be a better person first?”

No, you don’t. You don’t change in order to gain God’s love, you change because you’ve experienced his love.

When you trust Jesus as your Saviour, you place your life into the hands of a loving and merciful God. Gradually, over time, God’s love changes you as you follow Jesus. You change because you’re loved, not in order to be loved.

Through His death on the cross, and then coming back from the dead, Jesus took all of your wrong and gave you all of His right.

If you believe that and commit to following Him, your life will never be the same. It’s as simple as saying sorry for your sin, declaring you want to follow Jesus, and believing He is who He says He is.

Believing in Jesus is the first step on the greatest journey of your life. You haven’t finished the race—you’ve just gotten started.

So how do you actually become a Christian?

Becoming a follower of Jesus means you come as you are. You don’t need to follow a whole lot of rules or do good deeds. To simply become a Christian you need to invite Jesus into your life, and BELIEVE that Jesus is God.

Look at what the scriptures say:

If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,‘ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

That’s it.

Confess with your mouth. Believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord…that God raised him from the dead, and your sins are forgiven and your relationship with God is begun. Do that, and you’re a Christian.

If you would like to be a follower of Jesus and become a Christian, you can pray this prayer right now and ask Him to come into your life:

“Jesus, I ask you to come into my life right now. I am sorry for the things I’ve done that have caused me to live a life without you. I believe that you are the Son of the Living God. I want to know you and experience your love. Please help me to live for you. Thank you Jesus. Amen.”

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

Let us know if you asked Jesus into your life.

Experience Alpha

Alpha is a chance to ask about life’s important questions and explore the Christian faith in a fun, no-pressure environment where you can belong before you believe. This is a great place for you if you want to learn more about the Christian faith or if you have someone in your life that you want to discuss these questions with!

Read Your Bible

So you want to get to know God. But how? Great question.

Start with prayer (just talk to God. He hears you… really!) But prayer really comes alive when you pair it with reading your Bible.

You can’t have a close relationship with someone you never talk to. God’s word—the Bible—is the primary way He speaks to us, and it’s the absolute best way to discover how to follow Jesus on a daily basis. If you want to know more about God and His promises, reading the Bible is your next step.

You can download the YouVersion bible app for free for your phone or tablet. Also, stop by our Next Steps kiosk at either of our Barrie or Orillia locations on a Sunday to get a free hard copy of the Bible on us.

Then start reading. Even a few minutes a day can enrich your life. We suggest starting with The Gospel of John and then reading Romans.

Get Baptized

Baptism is something Christians have been doing for thousands of years to symbolize their faith in Christ.

Baptism is a public declaration of a new association of faith in Jesus.

Even if you were baptized as an infant, we’ll baptize you again because this time it’s your choice.