I have had many parents come to me and admit that they are anxious and unprepared to lead their children to accept Jesus. These are adults who have led other adults to Christ and have followed Jesus for a long time. And yet, there’s some hesitation in how to simplify the message and put it into words that kids can understand. Classic wording, like “invite Jesus into your heart” doesn’t make sense to children. I once had a little girl who “invited Jesus into her heart” and then refused to drink any water. I asked, “Why won’t you drink anything?” and she responded with, “I don’t want to get Jesus wet!”
Here is a simplified salvation message to help you share with your kids in your life.
God is LOVE. He loves you and He wants you to Love Him. But not all people love God! Why? Because of Sin. What is Sin? Sin is disobeying God. Sin is making a decision to do those things which you know are wrong.
James 4:17 says “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
Who has sinned? EVERYONE!
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned.”
What does sin do? Sin puts you into circumstances that are not God’s best for you. Sin separates you from God. Sin gets in between you and God and makes a relationship with God impossible. So, what is God’s answer for your sin? JESUS!
Jesus is God’s son! He lived a perfect life. Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sin and came alive again in a wonderful way!! Jesus lives in heaven today. He listens to your prayers and is preparing a place for you in heaven!! Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God and spend forever in heaven with Him.
“Jesus answered I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Here are some easy steps to say YES to Jesus and invite God to be the leader of your life.
1. Admit that you are a sinner
Every person has sinned. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Sin separates you from God“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ.” Romans 6:23
2. Repent of your sin
Repentance is feeling sorry for having sinned and having a great desire to turn in the opposite direction.
Just as repentance is turning away from sin, faith means turning toward God. You show faith when you turn toward God and His forgiveness.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. . .” Acts 3:19
3. Believe in Jesus
Realize that God loves you and Jesus died for your sin.
“God so loved the world that He gave us his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
To believe in Jesus means to trust Jesus. This means you believe Jesus is the Son of God and you trust Him to save you from your sins and to give him control of your life.
4. Receive Jesus into your life
Ask Jesus through prayer to come into your life to be your savior and Lord.
“If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead, you will be saved.”Romans 9:10
If you have never received Jesus into your life, you can pray this prayer now:
“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner. Please forgive me. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I want Jesus to come into my life and be my savior. I want to follow Him and obey Him. I want Him to be the Lord of my life. Amen.”
¨ Jesus came into your life
¨ Your sins are forgiven
¨ You became a child of God
¨ You have a home forever in heaven
¨ YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN! A Christian is someone who follows Christ!
“Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” Mathew 10:32
Who are you going to tell? How are we going to celebrate and remember this day?
Please share your stories about leading children to Jesus. They can be inspirational or funny!
Family Discipleship Path 
My [almost] 6 year old is starting to ask TONS of questions. Since she was a little baby I’ve talked about how much I love Jesus and how she will love Jesus too. This has really impacted her. She often reminds me how much she depends on Jesus to keep her safe when she is scared of the dark and how she knows Jesus loves her.
I think if we parents invite our children into what a relationship with Jesus is for us…it will break down the wall of fears and standard that Jesus/God can sometimes represent. Although I do believe they will, at some time, need to be convicted of their sin, that is the Holy Spirit’s job. Between now and then, our job is to point them to Christ.