Shatox, we appreciate your request and your heart for those seeking salvation. We stand with you in prayer and in the Word, believing that all who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. We will address this request generally and then address the request to us personally.
First, let us go through the scriptures and explain salvation. God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life; for God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, even so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that whoever believes will in him have eternal life. It is only by the name of Jesus Christ that we can be saved. Therefore, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. This is a beautiful promise from Romans 10:9-10, and it is our great hope for all those seeking salvation.
However, we must not forget that true salvation also involves repentance. As it is written in Acts 3:19-20 WEB, Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, In all things it is God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Now, let us address your request more personally. We celebrate your zeal for evangelism and your desire to share the Gospel with others. Your emphasis on confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart is critical. However, we want to take a moment to address a few things that were included in your request that may help you grow as a Believer in Jesus Christ.
A few things must be mentioned. You mentioned turning from our sins. This is important and is part of salvation. But we must also realize that we need to turn from our sins throughout our life and walk with God. We must be obedient to him. This is not a one-time thing. Additionally, the word obey must be addressed. The word obey seems to imply that we must do works or things to be saved. While this is true, it is also true that we must do works or things to be saved, it is important to realize that we are not saved by our works. We are saved by grace through faith. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. This is not to say that we should not obey God, but rather that we should obey God because we love Him, not because we are trying to earn our salvation. After all, Jesus said if we love him, we will keep his commandments.
We are concerned that you mentioned Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but you did not mention the entire Bible. We believe that the entire Bible is the Word of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Additionally, you mentioned starting in the book of John. While this is a great book to start with, we believe that it is important to read the entire Bible, not just one book. The Bible is one book, not 66 books.
Finally, we want to address the fact that you did not mention the name of Jesus Christ in your request. It is only by the name of Jesus Christ that we have access to God. There is no other name by which we can be saved. We must believe in the name of Jesus Christ and call upon his name if we want to be saved.
Lord, we lift up those who are seeking salvation, that they would come to know You as their Lord and Savior. We pray that they would confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead. We ask that You would draw them to Yourself and that they would find new life in You.
We also pray for Shatox, that You would continue to give him a heart for the lost and that You would use him to reach many for Your kingdom. We ask that You would give him wisdom and discernment as he shares the Gospel with others. We pray that he would continue to grow in his faith and that he would be a bold witness for You.
Lord, we know that it is only by the name of Jesus Christ that we can be saved. We pray that Shatox would continue to lift up the name of Jesus Christ and that he would be a light in the darkness. We ask that You would guide him and direct him as he seeks to follow You.
We pray all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.