Turning Towards Christianity

[jgh7]

Hello, for the past week or two I have been focusing on Christianity, moving towards putting my trust in God the Father and in Jesus. I have been on this site for a long time. Many years ago I was a Christian while on this site. For most of the time after that I have been agnostic.

I am writing because I seek to gain faith. I seek to gain faith to the point where I can believe in my heart in Jesus and the Father. I know there are devoted Christians on this site as I can see it in their steadfast posts. I'm not sure what it is I even desire to get out of this post (hence putting it in random ramblings). In any case, I hope that my faith will grow to where I can say in my heart that I am a Christian.

[tam]

Peace to you JGH7,


If you wish to know the Father and His Son, then it is not really Christianity that you need to turn to... it is Christ Jaheshua, Himself. As my dear Lord says:


Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.� Matthew 11:28


We must turn to Him (and He will heal us). Come to Him. Listen to Him. Learn from Him. Follow Him. He is the One who is the Truth. Many years ago when I asked God to lead me where He wanted me to be; and when I asked and sought to know HIS truth... He led me to His Son. That Son, my dear Lord Jaheshua, has continued to lead me into ALL truth; to teach me and keep me in Him, and He is the One who revealed His Father to me.



No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Matthew 11:27


“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well."
John 14:6




As the Father has Himself said:

"This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him."



So keep seeking, dear JGH, and keep knocking... and the door will be opened.



May you be given ears to hear if you wish them, that you may hear as the Spirit (Christ) and the Bride say to you, "Come!" Let all who are thirsty, "Come! Take the free gift of the water of Life!"

(which water is holy spirit, poured out from Christ Jaheshua - the Life)


Peace again to you and to your dear household,
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy

[Tcg]

I am writing because I seek to gain faith.

The conflict between faith and doubt will be a constant companion as long as you seek to strengthen your faith and remain honest about the evidence, or rather lack thereof, that supports your faith. If you truly desire to strengthen your faith, then you need to severely limit the information you examine.

If you seek to understand why you have doubt, you'll find that it is because the claims of Christianity don't add up.

I seek to gain faith to the point where I can believe in my heart in Jesus and the Father.

This is possible as long as you don't ask any difficult questions about life or reality. If you do have difficult questions, pretend that the simplistic answers you are given make sense. They won't, but if faith is your goal, that fact shouldn't matter much.

In any case, I hope that my faith will grow to where I can say in my heart that I am a Christian.

Then I'd strongly recommend you avoid reading the Bible if you are doing so now. Simply read the claims about the Bible which don't reflect what the Bible actually says and you should be fine.

[Divine Insight]

In any case, I hope that my faith will grow to where I can say in my heart that I am a Christian.

Then I'd strongly recommend you avoid reading the Bible if you are doing so now. Simply read the claims about the Bible which don't reflect what the Bible actually says and you should be fine.

I agree with Tcg. If belief in Jesus as the Son of God is truly important to you then just ignore the religion itself and have a "Personal Walk with an Imaginary Jesus" as Tam had suggested.

Then you can create a Jesus that you can easily believe in.

He just becomes an imaginary God who is in total agreement with your values.

Just out of curiosity, I can't help but wonder why this is important to you? I realize that this may be personal and you certainly don't need to address it here. But it's certainly a question that I'm sure many people may wonder about.

There are obviously many reasons one can imagine that a person feels a need to believe in Jesus. Obviously, a fear of potentially being condemned for not believing is going to be one reason that many people may suspect, especially since the religion is,... how shall I say it,.... "Hell bent" on making sure that no one dares to not believe in Jesus?

I mean, that's a pretty obvious reason I would imagine.

Of course, there are many other reasons that one could imagine as well. Perhaps you're seeking an inner peace that you cannot seem to find?

Is it an intellectual thing, that you simply want to "know" the truth? If that's the case, simply believing when you haven't truly been convinced isn't likely to fill that bill.

Is it a desire to simply believe or feel assured that you will indeed obtain eternal life and that it will be a very pleasant experience?

Like I say, you don't need to answer these questions. Other than perhaps for yourself.

We could also go into far darker places as well. I mean, another obvious guess in general could be feelings of guilt about having done something bad and having a dire need to feel that someone with supernatural authority is in a position to forgive those acts.

In fact, I can certainly understand this latter motivation. In truth, I really don't blame anyone who has done horrible things to turn to Christianity in the hope of finding peace in forgiveness. This is why I often say that Christianity actually does make sense for people who have some serious guilt they are dealing with.

What I find hard to understand is why people who have never done anything truly "bad" would need to turn to this religion. It just seems to me that people who haven't done horrible things should already be at peace within.

Anyway, my post has mainly been a "Random Ramble" as this forum permits.

You certainly don't need to answer the questions I've posed. Your reasons for wanting to believe in this religion are entirely your own business, and I certainly respect that. But surely you can understand why someone might wonder?

[jgh7]

Just out of curiosity, I can't help but wonder why this is important to you?

This was your main question correct? I have tried on my own living life, and I have struggled with depression, anxiety, and the shame of failures throughout it. I have set goals and standards for myself, most of which I've failed. And those that I've succeeded in never led to the satisfaction I was looking for. I've lost interest in most things I do and I haven't been able to gain new interests. Ultimately life has become meaningless and there has been an empty inescapable void.

I turn towards Christianity because I am accepting that through all attempts on my own, I simply can't make this life work. I look towards God who I desire to know and be guided by, and Christianity feels like the way.

[ttruscott]

Then I'd strongly recommend you avoid reading the Bible if you are doing so now. Simply read the claims about the Bible which don't reflect what the Bible actually says and you should be fine.

Hi jgh7, this is good strong Biblical advice if you understand it to means to seek GOD and not your own understanding of theology, interpretation etc. which has, as you can see, led many astray.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This could mean for instance that you do not worry about your mistakes while your concern is to find GOD...repent and move on. HE gives HIS sinful elect life to bring them to redemption as promised. This promise is fulfilled in our lives as ups and downs (Heb 12:5-11) while we practice making our decisions in faith. Commit to faith and practice living in faith - leave the growth of faith to GOD.

It is your relationship with GOD that is of supreme importance, not what you know about HIM. Make a commitment to find HIM then let HIM work out how that will succeed since as a sinner you cannot fulfill that commitment by yourself.

Faith grows in proportion to repentance. Dedicate yourself to finding a truly repentant heart and hang in...

[Divine Insight]

Just out of curiosity, I can't help but wonder why this is important to you?

This was your main question correct? I have tried on my own living life, and I have struggled with depression, anxiety, and the shame of failures throughout it. I have set goals and standards for myself, most of which I've failed. And those that I've succeeded in never led to the satisfaction I was looking for. I've lost interest in most things I do and I haven't been able to gain new interests. Ultimately life has become meaningless and there has been an empty inescapable void.

I turn towards Christianity because I am accepting that through all attempts on my own, I simply can't make this life work. I look towards God who I desire to know and be guided by, and Christianity feels like the way.

That's perfect for Christianity. You'll be welcomed with open arms to be certain.

In fact, you're almost there. All you need to do now is realize that it was never about your goals. It's about God's goals. So it's no wonder you were never able to achieve what you wanted. You were simply trying to achieve the wrong things.

In fact, if you join a Christian mission they'll make sure you always have something to do.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by jgh7]

Hey jgh7,

I'm so glad you have decided to seek faith although I'm sorry it has come through such a low in life.

Have you ever considered studying the bible? I don't mean glancing at it or debating it online. I don't mean reading random passages but getting a textbook, pen paper and sitting down with your bibland studying it by theme by theme? Convincing yourself thoroughly of each basic question and building on that is the only way to building genuine, solid, functional lifesaving, life enhancing, life changing faith.

I am convinced this manual is the way you should start... if you can be open to the idea that possibly you don't know what you are going to learn before reading it
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-study/

I have a suggestion: study just ONE chapter, any chapter. Pick one that pricks your interest. Read each paragraph and look up (meaning read) the referenced scriptures (very important). Think about each point. Don't come back to "debate" it here, don't debate with anyone but yourself.

One last thing, even if you are not 100% sure about his existence, say a prayer asking God (if he does exist) to make the way to Him clear for you.

Then STUDY a chapter of the book linked above; what have you got to lose?

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS

[youtube][/youtube]

https://tv.jw.org/#en/mediaitems/VODInt ... 5_20_VIDEO

[jgh7]

[Replying to post 8 by JehovahsWitness]

Thank you for the advice; it makes sense. I am currently reading through the New Testament. It has been a long time since I've read it. It lifts my spirits often when I read it, and I am learning a lot. I am trying to pray a lot more as well for God's guidance in numerous aspects of my life and in getting closer to Him.

[Overcomer]

Hi, jgh7!

I'm glad you're giving Jesus a second chance. Did you ever invite him into your life? Have you ever asked him to fill you with the Holy Spirit?

I ask those questions because I think a lot of people don't realize that Christianity isn't just about believing certain doctrines. It certainly includes that, but it isn't just about that. Nor is it simply about going to church or attending a Bible study. That isn't what makes a person a Christian.

Christianity differs from every other religion in that it's about a relationship with the Lord. Other religions are about people trying to reach out to a distant God. Christianity is about God coming to earth to reach us in the person of Jesus Christ.

And that's what God desires of us -- relationship. It's why he created humankind in the first place. But, of course, Adam and Eve blew it and separated us from the Lord. The Bible is all about God working to woo us back to him, to re-establish a healthy, loving relationship with us once again.

So, as you read the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it. Don't let the God-haters negatively influence you. They don't know the peace, joy, comfort, strength and, especially the love, that comes when you're in a relationship with the Lord.

If you truly want to know the Lord, that relationship will come as God himself promised:

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. {10} “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. {11} “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? {12} “Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? {13} “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!� (Luke 11:9-13).

You are wise to seek out Christians. in fact, I recommend that you find a good Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. God doesn't just want us in relationship with him. He wants us in relationship with others, too.

And when you're ready to make a commitment to Jesus, follow these instructions:

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9)

If you want to ask questions specifically about what you're reading in the Bible or about your Christian walk, there's the "Holy Huddle" Forum for Christians. You're welcome to ask and we'll do our best to answer. Also, feel free to send me a pm.

May God bless you as you read and study and pray, jgh7.