Leaflet Step One

THE DECISION TO BE CHRISTIAN
Reaching Jesus, Step 1: To be immersed in Christ

All of us have cried out at times like the prophet, "O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save?…. (Habakkuk 1:2-3). We know that just living in our society, in any human culture, exposes us to distorted attitudes and values — most of them unrecognized — which program us to destructive behavior. Frequently, by the time we recognize how wrong our behavior is, the damage is already done. How can we escape this pattern?

It is not enough just to cry for help. We need to come to terms with what it really means to believe in Jesus as Savior, and only Savior, of the world. We need to believe he can save our lives in this world from veering off to destructiveness, distortion, mediocrity and meaninglessness. To let Jesus save our lives on this earth it is not enough just to do "all that we are ordered to do" (see Luke 17:10). We have to have the kind of faith in Jesus as Savior that will motivate us to make him the cornerstone of our lives (see Matthew 21:42).

To really accept Jesus as Savior means to commit ourselves to using him as Savior all of the time: calling on him constantly as Savior, looking to him as Savior for direction, changing our behavior in response to him as Savior in everything we do. It means interacting with him as Savior, consciously and explicitly, in every area and activity of our lives, in family and social life, at work and at school, in business and politics.

Decisions are the key to life. The decisions we make take us forward or backward. The decisions we fail to make are simply moments when we fail to live. We will be judged on our decisions alone, and there is absolutely nothing that enhances or diminishes the real value of our lives except the decisions we freely make. This is a truth we need to ponder. And we need to take a stance toward it. Jesus came to call us to the basic decision of believing or not believing in him as Savior. This decision is the "cornerstone" of our faith, of our religion, of our response to God. The decision we make about our relationship with Jesus Christ is the decision which makes us Christian. On this decision everything else depends.

As cornerstone, Jesus is the rock of foundation that must be accepted or rejected. Accepted, Jesus becomes our way, our truth, our life. Rejected, he becomes the occasion for the decision which destroys us as human beings (see John 3:16-19):

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him…. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

So we have a decision to make. To make the decision well is to embark on the path to that fullness of life Jesus came to give (see John 10:10). To refuse it is to leave ourselves and the world we live in sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death and destruction (see Matthew 4:16).

What does it mean to make the decision to believe in Jesus as Savior and only Savior of the world? It means to really believe that nothing can save our lives in this world — our family life, school life, professional, private and public activities — from veering off into destructiveness and distortion, mediocrity and meaninglessness unless we find a way to give Jesus Christ an active part, day by day, hour by hour, in everything we do.

The key word here is "interaction." We have to interact with Jesus — consciously and explicitly — in our homes and schools and offices, where we work and where we recreate. We have to think of him and talk to him about the goals we set, the directions we pursue in life, about all the decisions we make. We need to be conscious of him during all our dealings with others; in the trains of thought we follow, in the way we handle our emotions, our desires, our likes and dislikes; when we are happy and when we are sad; as we read, watch television, hold conversations with others; in short, all the time. We need to be "immersed in Christ."

It takes conscious effort, and in the beginning a lot of ingenuity to find ways to remind ourselves to make Jesus a part of everything we do. But we can do it if we talk to him, remember his words, imagine his reactions, ask him constantly for help, think ahead to what we are about to do and look back on what we have done, trying to let his truth, his way lead us into the life that saves our lives.

This is decision time. St. Paul says to us what he said to Timothy: "I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you…; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline…. relying on the power of God, who saved us …. through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (see 2Timothy 1:6-14). Do we believe and do we choose to accept Jesus as the Savior of our active lives? Do we want to be "immersed" in him?

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PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

Commitment: To interact with Jesus as Savior in everything I do.

•Decide on some things you can do to remind yourself to interact consciously with Jesus in everything you do. For example, program yourself to ask when you get into a car to go anywhere, "How can I give Jesus an active part in what I am about to do? How can I interact with him?" When you leave that place, ask, "How did I involve Jesus in that?"

•Select some principle Jesus teaches and try to apply it to everything you do all day. For example: "Do not be afraid" (Mt. 10:31, 14:27); "Abide in my love" (John 15:9); "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12); "If anyone wants to take your coat, give your cloak as well" (Mt. 5:40). Use the same principle as long as it helps, then select a new one.

•Use physical objects to remind you to call on Jesus as Savior all day. Put them where you will see, hear, smell or touch them frequently: a cross in your pocket, a picture or symbol where you work; a screen saver. Make your watch beep every hour. Burn incense.

• Form the habit of asking his help whenever you start to do something or make a decision; ask again when you go through a door, pick up the telephone, pour coffee or turn on the TV.

•Whenever you see anyone in need — physically, emotionally, spiritually — remember you are the body of the healing Christ. Try to help. Ask Jesus to show you how and to act through you.

•Ask yourself what could be better in your work, family or social life if you involved Jesus in them more. How could you?

Reflection/Discussion: To be immersed in Jesus as Savior

1. How has your life been made better by certain attitudes, values, or ways of behaving that were "programmed into you" by our culture? Do you see anything in our society’s way of thinking or acting that is destructive? Distorted? That has made your life worse?

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2. Do you think there might be other things that you don’t recognize as bad but which are liable to make your life less happy? What can help you recognize them? Does it have to be Jesus? Why?

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3. Do you believe that Jesus can teach you the way to happiness in this life? Do you believe he can teach you truths that will correct what is false in our culture? Think about this: do you really believe it can happen?

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4. What difference do you think it might make if you gave Jesus an active part to play in your family life? In school or at work? In your social life? In practice, how could you start interacting with him in these areas?

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