the abc's of being a christian.....all of them

it is vacation bible school season and across the country churches are singing and teaching and crafting away at children.  they are learning all about Jesus and His plan of salvation.  i myself took that scary step up to the front in June 1991 at VBS.  For several years now the literature has taught the ABC's of becoming a christian.


 "A" stands for Admit. A person must admit to God that she is a sinner. She must be sorry for her sin and turn away from sinning. Verses that support this step are Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Acts 3:19; and 1 John 1:9.

"B" stands for Believe. A person must believe that Jesus is God's Son and that God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for sin. Verses about believing include John 3:16; John 14:6; and Romans 5:8.

"C" stands for Confess. A person must confess her faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Read Romans 10:9-10, 13. 

simple.  easy to remember.  and I know God wants it that way. 

but what has always bothered me is that we don't help them with what comes next.  now that i have abc'ed and i'm saved, how to LIVE, how do i be a Christian?  i don't think God wants that to be hard for us either.  So Monday night as we sang the ABC song with this years music God spoke and said write it down.  As soon as the opening was over I ran to the car, grabbed my little note book and started writing the ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.  And the words flowed from the pencil.  Then I thought they need verses so I turned to the concordance of the Bible and all the words were there with VERSES!  God is always ready for me.   Here ya go the letters after the ABC's

"D" - Depend - stop depending on the world and depend on God

 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. Romans 9:16

"E" - Encourage - Encourage one another always.

 Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:18

"F" - Faith - God is always in control.

 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith. Romans 1:17

"G" - Go - Tell!

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15

"H" - Heaven - Keep your eyes on the eternal.

 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Philippians 3:20

"I" - Iniquity - Only He can save us.

 Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.  Psalm 51:2

"J" - Joy 

Rejoice always.  1 Thessalonians 5:16

"K" - Kindness

 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

"L" - Love

 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  Matthew 5:44

"M" - Mercy

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8

"N" - New

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3

"O" - Obey

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! Acts 5:29

"P" - Pray

 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26

"Q" - Quench

Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19

"R" - Rejoice

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

"S" - Seek

 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Luke 12:31

"T" - Trust

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." John 14:1

"U" - Uphold

for the power of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous. Psalm 37:17

"V" - Vow     (this was the only letter I couldn't think of, I admit to cheating and using the concordance)

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people. Psalm 116:14

"W" - Worship

Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:6

"X" - eXalt

I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Psalm 30:1

"Y" - Yearn

My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God. Psalm 84:2

"Z" - Zealous

 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11 (one of my favorite verses in the bible)

I heard a preacher at revival once say that we should be so full of the Holy Spirit and Christ that we should smell like a Christian.  God has the instructions right there for us all written down.  I didn't think of anything new or different from Him.  He just gave me the words to lay it out.  I pray these words help you as they have helped me.