Amy's Yes to Jesus

So I said, “Well… that depends.” Then I looked at Amy and asked, “How do you feel about it?”
She said, “Yeah, I’ve never done it, so I guess I should.”
Now, some people don’t like when I say this, but there isn’t actually a specific “sinner’s prayer” in the Bible. There’s no script we’re told to repeat to get saved.
So, to clarify, I shared my own story.
When I came to God, I was at one of the lowest points in my life. I cried out to Him, and He met me there. And when He revealed Himself to me, I knew I needed to give Him everything. My prayer was simple: “You win. I give up.”
We explained to Amy that people look at the outside, but God looks at the heart. It’s not about saying the right words—it’s about truly surrendering your life to Jesus.

We walked through a few key Scriptures.
John 1:12 says that anyone who receives Jesus becomes a child of God. So we asked: what does it really mean to receive Him?
We explained that when someone truly comes to Christ, there’s a real change. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, they become a new creation—the old is gone, the new has come.
We also talked about being born again. Jesus says in John 3:3 that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they’re born again.
It’s actually pretty simple.
You’re born into your physical family without choosing it. But when you realize you’re a sinner and need a Savior, you must choose to receive Jesus—and that’s when you’re born into God’s family.
Amy seemed to get that. She had already been born into her earthly family, and now she was ready and willing to become part of God’s family.

We also talked about John 3:16. Everyone knows it—but we wanted to be clear about what “believe” means.
It’s not just acknowledging something exists. It means trusting in Jesus, relying on Him, putting your life in His hands.
We also made it clear—Jesus isn’t just our Savior, He's also our Lord.
And we didn’t avoid the hard part. Jesus says in Luke 9 that following Him means denying yourself, taking up your cross daily, and following Him. In Luke 14, He says you have to love Him above everything else and be willing to give up everything to follow Him.

After all of that… Amy still wanted to move forward.
So I said, “Normally this is done ‘repeat after me,’ but if I say anything you don’t agree with, just stop.”
She said, “Okay.”
So we prayed together, slowly:
“Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, and I need You to save me. I can’t save myself. I believe You died for my sins and rose again to give me new life. I receive You as my Savior—and as my Lord, the authority over my whole life. I’m not living for myself anymore. I want to live for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

When we finished, Amy said, “I have tears in my eyes—I feel like I’m going to cry.”
We told her that’s often a sign something real just happened—that it came from her heart. It was not just words.

And when you look at Scripture, the pattern is incredibly consistent. Baptism happens immediately after someone believes:

• In John 3 Jesus was preaching, healing, and baptizing.
• In John 4 He is training His disciples to baptize people
• In Acts 2, people were baptized the same day they believed
• In Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized immediately
• In Acts 10, Cornelius’s household was baptized right away
• In Acts 16, Lydia and her household were baptized immediately
• Also in Acts 16, the Philippian jailer and his household were baptized before the sun came up!

So the pattern is clear: belief comes first, then baptism—and it happens as soon as possible AFTER salvation.
Because of that, baptism shouldn’t happen before someone personally chooses to follow Jesus, and it shouldn’t be delayed for months or years either.

In Scripture, we don’t see hesitation—we see immediate obedience.
If you haven’t received Jesus yet, I’d just ask—why wait?
Without Him, a person is separated from God, headed for eternal death, and trying to figure life out on their own. But with Him, we receive forgiveness of sins, purpose,power, and eternal life—and God Himself walks with us guiding us through life.

After salvation and baptism, it’s about staying connected to God and others.
Spend time with Him daily—talk to Him, read His Word, and obey what He says.
And stay connected to other believers.
One of the best ways to do that is simply gathering in homes—sharing meals, reading Scripture, praying, helping one another live for Him, and worshiping the Lord together.
That’s exactly what the early church did.
So if you aren’t saved and haven’t been born again yet, you can come to Jesus and be born into God's family just like Amy did—with a sincere, surrendered heart. 
Just pray the prayer that Amy prayed. If you mean every word, then you too will cross over from death to life.
Then get baptized as soon as possible. Any baptized, born-again follower of Jesus can baptize you. It does not have to be done by a professional Christian.
And from there, build your life around knowing and following Him—daily, and with others.
Amy—and anyone else who makes that decision—welcome to the family of God.
You’ve made the most important decision of your life.

As Jesus said in John 5:24:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”