Are You

Prepared
to Follow
Jesus
Christ?

(Just
Jesus
Evangelis
tic

Campaig
n #9)
John
1:24-27:

24 And
they
which
were
sent

were of
the
Pharisee
s.

25 And
they
asked
him, and
said unto

him, Why
baptizest
thou
then, if
thou be

not that
Christ,
nor Elias,
neither

that
prophet?
26 John
answere

d them,
saying, I
baptize
with
water:

but there
standeth
one
among
you,

whom ye
know
not;

27 He it
is, who
coming
after me
is

preferred
before
me,
whose
shoe's

latchet I
am not
worthy to
unloose.

--John, the
forerunne
r of

Jesus
Christ, is
known by
his title,
"the

Baptist."
As he
preached
to the
crowds

telling
them that
the
Messiah
was

coming
soon, he
also
baptized
many

people.
When we
think of
Baptism,
we often

think of a
ritual that
is done
after one
accepts

Christ as
Savior in
order to
identify
symbolic

ally with
Jesus'
death,
burial,
and

resurrecti
on.
However,
John
baptized

people
before
Jesus
even

began his
ministry.
So, why
did John

baptize?
The
Pharisee
s, one of
the

religious
groups
that had
come to
question

John,
also
wanted to
know the
answer to

this
question.
They
said,
"Why

baptizest
thou
then, if
thou be
not that

Christ,
nor Elias,
neither
that

prophet?
"
Baptism
was

practiced
by the
Jews
before
Jesus

came as
an act of
cleansing
. It mostly
took

place
during
the ritual
cleansing
ceremoni

es of
Gentile
proselyte
s -- nonJews

who
decided
to follow
the God
of

Abraham,
Isaac,
and
Jacob.
The

submergi
ng of the
body
beneath
the water

and the
drawing
of it back
out
indicated

one's
desire to
be
cleansed
of all past

sins and
to begin
obeying
God as
He had

revealed
Himself
in the Old
Testamen
t.

However,
John did
not just
baptize

Gentiles.
He
baptized
Jews as
well. His

message
was that
everyone
needed
to reject

their sins
in order
to
prepare
their

hearts to
receive
the
Messiah.
Merrill C.

Tenney
said, "It
is not
unlikely
that

John's
baptism
followed
the
pattern of

proselyte
baptism,
which
required
a

renunciat
ion of all
evil,
complete
immersio

n in
water,
and then
reclothin
g as a

member
of the
holy
communi

on of lawkeepers."
Again,
John

emphasiz
es that
his work
is not
about

himself,
but about
the one
who
comes

after him.
He says,
"I baptize
with
water:

but there
standeth
one
among
you,

whom ye
know
not; He it
is, who
coming

after me
is
preferred
before
me,

whose
shoe's
latchet I
am not
worthy to

unloose."
Loosenin
g the
straps on
one's

sandals
was a job
reserved
for the
lowest of

the
house
servants.
John did
not even

consider
himself
worthy
enough
to do

that.
John was
not trying
to get
people to

follow
him. He
was not
trying to
start his

own
religious
movemen
t. He was
trying to

get
people to
see their
own
sinfulnes

s and to
see that
they
needed a
Savior.

As the
forerunne
r, he was
preparing
them to

follow
Jesus
Christ.

Are you
prepared
to follow
Jesus
Christ?

Have you
recognize
d your
own
sinfulnes

s and
your
need for
a
Saviour?

Then
allow me
to show
you the
steps to

salvation
through
Jesus
Christ.

1. Accept
the fact
that you
are a
sinner,

and that
you have
broken
Gods
law. The

Bible
says in
Ecclesias
tes 7:20:
For

there is
not a just
man
upon
earth that

doeth
good,
and
sinneth
not.

Romans
3:23
reads:
For all
have

sinned
and come
short of
the glory
of God.

In fact, I
am the
chief of
sinners,
so dont

think that
youre
alone.

2. Accept
the fact
that there
is a
penalty

for sin.
The Bible
states in
Romans
6:23:

For the
wages of
sin is
death

3. Accept
the fact
that you
are on
the road

to hell.
Jesus
Christ
said in
Matthew

10:28:
And fear
not them
which kill
the body,

but are
not able
to kill the
soul: but
rather

fear him
which is
able to
destroy
both soul

and body
in hell.
The Bible
says in
Revelatio

n 21:8:
But the
fearful,
and
unbelievi

ng, and
the
abomina
ble, and
murderer

s, and
whoremo
ngers
and
sorcerers

, and
idolaters,
and all
liars,
shall

have
their part
in the
lake
which

burneth
with fire
and
brimston
e: which

is the
second
death.

4. Accept
the fact
that you
cannot
do

anything
to save
yourself!
The Bible
states in

Ephesian
s 2: 8, 9:
For by
grace are
ye saved

through
faith: and
that not
of
yourselve

s: it is a
gift of
God. Not
of works,
lest any

man
should
boast.

5. Accept
the fact
that God
loves you
more

than you
love
yourself,
and that
He wants

to save
you from
hell.
Jesus
Christ

said in
John
3:16, For
God so
loved the

world,
that He
gave His
only
begotten

Son, that
whosoev
er
believeth
in Him

should
not
perish,
but have

everlastin
g life.
6. With
these

facts in
mind,
please
repent of
your

sins,
believe
on the
Lord
Jesus

Christ
and pray
and ask
Him to
come

into your
heart and
save you
this very
moment.

The Bible
states in
the book
of
Romans

10:9, 13:
That if
thou
shalt
confess

with thy
mouth
the Lord
Jesus,
and shalt

believe in
thine
heart that
God hath
raised

Him from
the dead,
thou
shalt be
saved.

For
whosoev
er shall
call upon
the name

of the
Lord
shall be
saved.

Dear
friend, if
you are
willing to
believe

on the
Lord
Jesus
Christ for
salvation,

please
pray with
me this
simple
prayer:

Heavenly
Father, I
realize
that I am
a sinner

and that I
have
done
some bad
things in

my life.
For
Jesus
Christ
sake,

please
forgive
me of my
sins. I
now

believe
with all of
my heart
that
Jesus

Christ
died for
me, was
buried,
and rose

again.
Lord
Jesus,
please
come

into my
heart and
save my
soul and
change

my life
today.
Amen.

If you
believed
in your
heart that
Jesus

Christ
died on
the
cross,
was

buried,
and rose
again,
allow me
to say,

congratul
ations on
doing the
most
important

thing in
life and
that is
accepting
Jesus

Christ as
your Lord
and
Saviour!
For more

informati
on to
help you
grow in
your

newfoun
d faith in
Christ, go
to Gospel
Light

Society.c
om and
read
What To
Do After

You Enter
Through
the
Door.
Jesus

Christ
said in
John
10:9, I
am the

door: by
me if any
man
enter in,
he shall

be saved,
and shall
go in and
out, and

find
pasture.
God
loves

you. We
love you.
And may
God

bless
you.