Tyler's Salvation and Baptism

Tyler prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord on August 18th, 2007. We were all downstairs in the basement. Tyler asked me if he was a Christian. I asked him if he’d ever prayed and asked Jesus to be his Savior and Lord. He then asked me if I’d go in to the schoolroom so we could talk in private.

I asked him why he wanted to become a Christian. He said, "so he could tell more people about Jesus." He then started asking me all kinds of questions about China. Such as, if there were people in China who do not know about Jesus? What would the Chinese emporer do if he found out he was there telling people about Jesus. He then talked about the times he's told his cousins, Millie and Maddie, about Jesus.

Tyler also asked me what would happen if he didn’t stop sinning once he became a Christian. I explained to him how Jesus holds on to us once we’re saved and he will never let us go. Jesus will always forgive and never stop loving him. Ps. 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you, in the way which you should go.” This was a verse we did in our homeschol Bible curriculum last year, and it was a crucial verse during our conversation. Tyler needed to understand that God is here to instruct us and teach us how he wants us to live, where he wants us to go, or not go. We will still make mistakes, but God is always going to be there to help us get back on the right path. When you’re sinning (going the wrong way) Jesus will show you the right way to go. Tyler then said, “Mommy, you’re not sinning like you used to. You don’t get angry and yell at us like you used to.” Then, I shared how God helped me go the right way.

He asked about Heaven and Hell. He understands Heaven is for Christians and Hell is for people who are not Christians.

I then took Tyler through the ABCs (Admit, Believe, and Confess) of becoming a Christian. Tyler understood he’s a sinner and quoted Romans 3:23, and admitted he was indeed a sinner. Tyler believes Jesus is God’s son, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and He rose again. Tyler's prayer was so awesome as he confessed his faith in Jesus as his personal Savior and Lord!!!

I asked him if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to be his savior and Lord…At first he said “no…I’m alright.” So, I thought to myself...well he just had some questions and wanted some answers...so we'll leave it at that and trust Holy Spirit to continue to soften Tyler's heart and reveal the truth to him. But then, something clicked in his little head…and he realized that if he never prayed to receive Jesus…he’d have to go to Hell. So, he wanted to go into the homeschool closet and pray. He prayed aloud and he prayed on his own. This is what he prayed (to the best of my memory).“Dear Jesus, thank you for everything you made. I’m sorry for all the bad things I’ve done. Please come into my heart and be my Savior. Please help me to grow up to be more like you, Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.”

I'm really not a big fan of those "repeat after me prayers." I was amazed that a little boy who had just turned 6-years-old 11 days earlier, was willing to pray such a prayer. I will never ever forget the last line of Tyler's prayer that day...."please help me to grow up to be more like you, Jesus." Oh, how we should all have that desire...the desire to be MORE like Jesus!

Heath (Tyler's daddy) started talking to him about baptism. It took a few talks to help Tyler fully understand why we should be baptized. But, we told him once he understood and wanted to be baptized, to let us know. Baptism does not save you. He understood he was already a Christian, but baptism is simply a symbol of showing others we now belong to Jesus and want to live our lives for Him! So, on Sunday, November 18th Tyler was baptized. I think it's kind of neat that it was exactly 3 months after Tyler's salvation! Another cool thing is that his Daddy got to baptize him.

After his baptism, I was helping him dry off and get dressed. He said, "Mommy, I'm so happy! At first I was excited, but then I got a little nervous." I assured him being nervous anytime you're in front of a lot of people is normal. He also told me he saw a lady wipe tears from her eyes and he wanted to know why she was crying. I let him know her tears were not tears of sadness, but of joy. She was happy because she saw a young boy who has committed to live his life for Jesus!

Since I was pregnant with Tyler I've prayed a prayer something like this for him, and all our children. "Lord, please help Tyler understand at a young age that he's a sinner, like all of us. Help him understand how much he needs you Jesus to rescue him from his sin and be the leader of his life. May Tyler walk closely with you all the days of his life."

Thank you Lord, for answering my prayer. Tyler is indeed young, and he belongs to you now and always! I continue to pray that Tyler will walk closely with you all the days of his life.