My girlfriend may be close

[BornAgainGrace414]

Hi everyone!
Hope you're having a good week and thank you in advance.
Ok,
My girlfriend has been taking an interest in faith, as I surrendered myself to Jesus over the past months and she has been very good about adapting to changes.

She had no knowledge of the Bible or real teachings of Jesus. We now do nightly chapter readings and I can tell the Christian wants to break out of her but she doesn't understand what it actually means.
For example, she says things like, I'd go to hell because I pray only at night, you wouldn't because you pray all the time and yada yada (speaking of works) even though i've explained that works are a product of faith.

How can I explain the basic foundation of what it means to put all your trust in Jesus, and to explain the reason for the NEED for Him to die for our sins, and what it truly means, to an unbaptized person with no prior knowledge. Square one stuff

 

[candle glow]

Sounds like you both need to take a long hard look at what Jesus actually told his followers to do. I'd not want to discourage any sincerity, but at the same time, genuine sincerity will look for the truth with a capital T.

"Born again" isn't just a cliche we use to say who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, or, more popularly, who is "saved" and who is not "saved".

Being born again means being spiritually born again into a totally new set of values, completely different from the values of this world. This is especially true regarding issues like work, money, family, relationships, respectability, etc...

You can find more info on my website (in my signature).

 

[BornAgainGrace414]

Sounds like you both need to take a long hard look at what Jesus actually told his followers to do. I'd not want to discourage any sincerity, but at the same time, genuine sincerity will look for the truth with a capital T.

"Born again" isn't just a cliche we use to say who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, or, more popularly, who is "saved" and who is not "saved".

Being born again means being spiritually born again into a totally new set of values, completely different from the values of this world. This is especially true regarding issues like work, money, family, relationships, respectability, etc...

You can find more info on my website (in my signature).

I disagree. I think you could say any saved person is born again. I'm aware in it's literal meaning in the transformation of the priority and belief system.
I was just saying i'm having difficulty getting the point across to her as a whole by the ways I've been explaining to her.

 

[powerpoint]

2 words mate:

Alpha Course.

There should be one in your area. Some of the theology isn't brilliant (and I'm an alpha advisor) but it covers the basics and will give her the chance to ask any question she wants.

ailing that, you can get the videos at alphafriends.org

 

[NewUser777]

I was just saying i'm having difficulty getting the point across to her as a whole by the ways I've been explaining to her.

Congratulations on coming to Christ. While you may be a Christian now, you are probably not the best preacher or evangelist at this point. The best thing to do is start going to a good church and take her with you.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. An anointed pastor can explain things better and you'll both be edified.

 

[iambren]

If the Holy Spirit resides within her he will guide her into all truth.

 

[Autumnleaf]

How can I explain the basic foundation of what it means to put all your trust in Jesus, and to explain the reason for the NEED for Him to die for our sins, and what it truly means, to an unbaptized person with no prior knowledge. Square one stuff

To show her you should sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then spread the good news.

 

[candle glow]

I was just saying i'm having difficulty getting the point across to her as a whole by the ways I've been explaining to her.

Well, I am also talking about "the point". "Saved". "Born again". What do they actually mean?

I suggested that, the best way to answer that question is to look at the teachings of Jesus. What did he tell his followers to do? What did he himself do with his life? What kind of example did he give?

For example, what did Jesus say about money and work? What did he say about enemies and forgiveness. What did he say about loyalty and worship. He had somes fairly radical points of view on all those issues, most of which are totally different to the norms of society around us today.

If you wan your girlfriend to become a Christian, perhaps, rather than trying to find a way to persuade her, you should be asking her to "count the cost". In Luke 14 Jesus told a couple parables about people who start something, but then later never finish, because they didn't sit down before hand and deeply consider the requirements.

He said that his teachings are like salt, but if we water the salt down (i.e. take away the flavor) then what is it good for? Nothing, but to be thrown out with the rest of the...dung.

To show her you should sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then spread the good news.

Actually, yeah he did say that, in several places.

 

[eachallberg]

Peace be to all of you through Christ,

To show her you should sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then spread the good news.

Actions do speak louder than words. I really like your response.

Actually, yeah he did say that, in several places.

Do you like the idea of being homeless, no possessions, and putting Christ above everybody?
If so, have joy in the simplicity and the discretion between doing the will of God and doing the will of a corrupted world.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."


Bornagain,
Whats a basic foundation for putting your trust in Jesus?
Its all in the words; trust, and Lord. Define them and there is your answer.

A verse comes to mind to tie in both your questions.

What is the reason Jesus Christ had to die for are sins?
Theres a few... They are very theological. Not square one type of ideas.
I can tell you my standpoints on the specifics in another place but in a nut shell...
Jesus needed to be put to death, so he could defeat death. Sin=death.

Thats the Good News, we don't need to be scared to die.

John 14:6 says Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
The way to trust him, and the One that gives life.

Hope that helps you all, keep encouraging the family of God to grow in knowledge.
Peace, mercy, and grace be to you all.

 

[alatir]

I think you should explain your girlfriend that a person is saved only through faith in Jesus Christ. What is faith?

Faiths is only a simple trust that Jesus has paid your sins by His death on the cross and that He is risen from the grave (1. Cor. 15:1-5).

Faith is not moral reformation nor a decision to clean up your life of all sin. You're not saved through having a consistent prayer life. These things are the work of the Holy Spirit AFTER we have been saved and born-again through faith.

This way God get's all the glory saving us sinners from our moral and spiritual death. We can not earn our salvation. We can only boast in Christ!

 

[Quasicentennial]

I feel relaxed with the peace of Jesus knowing that life is not short and your life is never wasted if you have many problems and failures in your life because there is no time limit for you to become wise like Jesus. Quality not quantity: because Jesus loves anyone who loves him back, even if you suffered one of the most life-wasting experiences in the world, such as suffering a physical disability like losing your legs while tramping on icy slopes of Mt Everest, you know that you will get your legs back when Jesus returns in the future to transform us into new glorious minds and bodies of Christ, just like Jesus where every inch of your new body is perfect in shape, size and weight. Especially our new minds of Christ with the supernatural intelligence and mega-memory that far exceeds normal limits of human brain activity. There's not one mention in the bible that Jesus is forgetful during his life mission on Earth. I believe the eighth or ninth wonder of the world is the kingdom of God: the most modern and most massive place of community. As I viewed the videogame images of Halo from my netbook, I noticed the huge metallic alien mega-structures and my imagination just exploded from then on as I began to wonder how God could have created such a place where I believe some kind of supernatural technology is used that is light years ahead of our time. I wrongly imagined God's kingdom might look like those Greek temples in ancient times in Rome.:*:. I pray that the patience of Jesus be with all new Christians as well as every other longtime Christian so that the supernatural wisdom of God's Word will be uploaded instantly with our future new minds of Christ - along with millions of questions that will be already answered without waiting in the queue outside the home or meeting place of Jesus because Jesus knows our hearts since day one of our acceptance of Jesus into our lives.

 

[BornAgainGrace414]

To show her you should sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then spread the good news.

Your response confuses me.
Have you actually done this?
I have felt very confident in my relationship with Him but then people sometimes feel the need to say things like this that are open ended and could have a negative effect on what His message really is.
Clearly, me being a college student with an upcoming child makes it very unrealistic for you to suggest this.
So what's your point... .

 

[Autumnleaf]

Your response confuses me.
Have you actually done this?
I have felt very confident in my relationship with Him but then people sometimes feel the need to say things like this that are open ended and could have a negative effect on what His message really is.
Clearly, me being a college student with an upcoming child makes it very unrealistic for you to suggest this.
So what's your point... .

Jesus more or less suggested it to someone who asked him a similar question to the one you asked. I suspect he was met with a similar response.

 

[BornAgainGrace414]

Jesus more or less suggested it to someone who asked him a similar question to the one you asked. I suspect he was met with a similar response.

Actually, my question had nothing to do with those verses your speaking of.
And if I took your advice, my unborn child and I sure would not be using our blessings for the greater good.
Have you sold 'everything'?

Are you suggesting that pursing my opportunity for education and staying away from welfare even though I value charity will damage my spirituality?

 

[LovedByGod76]

Hmmm. Square one stuff. I'd probably explain it something like this - keeping in mind that I'm watering it down:

There's this guy called God - he's way up high on the totem pole. He created the earth, and all life on it, including ourselves. He made man in his image and created all the world for US. He was really proud of this whole thing - he really did a nice job creating everything.

While all this is going on, he had also created angels. They are their own species, and they're very real! One of his most gifted and entrusted angels had a power trip, was fired - could never return the heavens, and was cast to the earth for the time being. It was kinda like the beginning of a very long punishment. This is Satan. Permanently laid-off.

Now - when god created man, he started with Adam and then Eve. God told them not to eat the fruits of a certain tree. Why? I'm not sure. However, Satan (referred to as a serpent), coerced Even to eat one of the fruits in a peer pressure kinda way. She was disobedient, and did so! This didn't make god to happy.

From this point on - they knew the difference between good and bad or right and wrong. This means, there was no longer innocence!

Now, I'm not sure if sin started with Eve eating the fruit, or if the sinful nature was there in the first place as demonstrated by the disobedience, however, from that point forward - god laid down some house rules about how to live life - and the consequences for not following the rules were harsh. Furthermore, people started blatantly disrespecting their faith and obedience to the very one that created them, and became very selfish. And believe me - Satan (who was/is a mighty beautiful multi-talented president of the Angel commission) did everything he could to encourage the disobedience. Eventually, all the problems of man became overbearing and God realizes that the majority of his creation is disobedient. People simply don't seem what to do as they are told - and more importantly - they know they're doing wrong!

He sends his son, Jesus, to earth - via Mary the virgin mother of Jesus to straighten out the problems down here on this planet. But god kinda knew sending him was a sacrifice - because he knew that the evil, wicked, and disobedient would want to kill him despite his good acts, love, and messages. It truly showed god who was good, and who was evil.

So, for our benefit - he sends Jesus. His death paid for our sin. I mean, if you sent your child to straighten a problem out and they were killed by the wicked, and you're left with two groups of people; one group that supported your child and his teachings that believed you sent your child for our benefit - I think you'd favor for them. They're the ones that are provided passage - simply knowing that the whole reason why Jesus ended up on that cross was because of our sin - and the only reason why we're forgiven of our sin, is because we believe in Jesus and (on some level) accept the sacrifice of Jesus.

On the contrary, those who don't accept the death of the son or deny the sacrifice of Jesus - well, then they're simply not going to be on god's favored list - they won't be invited to the big party after they die!

The beautiful thing of being a Christian is that god is actually a forgiving god. Once we accept the sacrifice of Jesus in exchange for our sins, then we are saved. We return to God's graces and begin to evolve as we should.

 

[razeontherock]

How can I explain the basic foundation of what it means to put all your trust in Jesus, and to explain the reason for the NEED for Him to die for our sins, and what it truly means, to an unbaptized person with no prior knowledge. Square one stuff

Hi - this is good news! My .02:

you CAN'T. You need to be concentrating on your own growth. If that's something the two of you can share - GREAT! If it winds up with you in a position of Spiritual leadership - GREAT!

Don't let that make you make the mistake of thinking you have all the answers. You DON'T. You are quite young in the Lord yourself, and there are specific warnings about that. Your humility will do FAR more good here, than anything else. And don't be afraid to let the Lord use HER to show you things

Are you in a good Church? Are you in involved in their prayer meetings, and Bible studies, over and above worship services?

 

[razeontherock]

Actually, my question had nothing to do with those verses your speaking of.

You're right. The shoe doesn't fit.

 

[BornAgainGrace414]

Hmmm. Square one stuff. I'd probably explain it something like this - keeping in mind that I'm watering it down:

There's this guy called God - he's way up high on the totem pole. He created the earth, and all life on it, including ourselves. He made man in his image and created all the world for US. He was really proud of this whole thing - he really did a nice job creating everything.

While all this is going on, he had also created angels. They are their own species, and they're very real! One of his most gifted and entrusted angels had a power trip, was fired - could never return the heavens, and was cast to the earth for the time being. It was kinda like the beginning of a very long punishment. This is Satan. Permanently laid-off.

Now - when god created man, he started with Adam and then Eve. God told them not to eat the fruits of a certain tree. Why? I'm not sure. However, Satan (referred to as a serpent), coerced Even to eat one of the fruits in a peer pressure kinda way. She was disobedient, and did so! This didn't make god to happy.

From this point on - they knew the difference between good and bad or right and wrong. This means, there was no longer innocence!

Now, I'm not sure if sin started with Eve eating the fruit, or if the sinful nature was there in the first place as demonstrated by the disobedience, however, from that point forward - god laid down some house rules about how to live life - and the consequences for not following the rules were harsh. Furthermore, people started blatantly disrespecting their faith and obedience to the very one that created them, and became very selfish. And believe me - Satan (who was/is a mighty beautiful multi-talented president of the Angel commission) did everything he could to encourage the disobedience. Eventually, all the problems of man became overbearing and God realizes that the majority of his creation is disobedient. People simply don't seem what to do as they are told - and more importantly - they know they're doing wrong!

He sends his son, Jesus, to earth - via Mary the virgin mother of Jesus to straighten out the problems down here on this planet. But god kinda knew sending him was a sacrifice - because he knew that the evil, wicked, and disobedient would want to kill him despite his good acts, love, and messages. It truly showed god who was good, and who was evil.

So, for our benefit - he sends Jesus. His death paid for our sin. I mean, if you sent your child to straighten a problem out and they were killed by the wicked, and you're left with two groups of people; one group that supported your child and his teachings that believed you sent your child for our benefit - I think you'd favor for them. They're the ones that are provided passage - simply knowing that the whole reason why Jesus ended up on that cross was because of our sin - and the only reason why we're forgiven of our sin, is because we believe in Jesus and (on some level) accept the sacrifice of Jesus.

On the contrary, those who don't accept the death of the son or deny the sacrifice of Jesus - well, then they're simply not going to be on god's favored list - they won't be invited to the big party after they die!

The beautiful thing of being a Christian is that god is actually a forgiving god. Once we accept the sacrifice of Jesus in exchange for our sins, then we are saved. We return to God's graces and begin to evolve as we should.

Very nice! I enjoyed reading this and it is around the kind of thing I was looking for. Thanks

 

[BornAgainGrace414]

Hi - this is good news! My .02:

you CAN'T. You need to be concentrating on your own growth. If that's something the two of you can share - GREAT! If it winds up with you in a position of Spiritual leadership - GREAT!

Don't let that make you make the mistake of thinking you have all the answers. You DON'T. You are quite young in the Lord yourself, and there are specific warnings about that. Your humility will do FAR more good here, than anything else. And don't be afraid to let the Lord use HER to show you things

Are you in a good Church? Are you in involved in their prayer meetings, and Bible studies, over and above worship services?

Yes, I'm a confirmed Catholic but never actually lived for Jesus. I was living for sin as a matter of fact...
But the Holy Spirit came upon me and I had a revelation in living for Jesus.
It's been a life changing 4 months, with a spiritual battle nevertheless.
I'm now going to a church with fun/modern music in the beginning, non-denominational. I love it

 

[LovedByGod76]

Very nice! I enjoyed reading this and it is around the kind of thing I was looking for. Thanks

My pleasure with the story, I hope it provides a quick perspective regarding Christianity.

I'm a big fan of the sermons presented by a pastor named Dan Fessler. They're available at thewaters.info - and also on iTunes as a podcast.

I think if you check them out, you'll find that they are very progressive sermons that focus on how faith impacts our daily lives in a style that is very positive, outgoing, and useable versus stern, commanding, and discipline oriented. Even better, they provide substance and understanding that anybody can comprehend - regardless of how well versed or well read one may be.

I think learning about Christianity is similar to learning how to play a musical instrument. It's sometimes easier to get some satisfaction from it that is useable and effective, and then to follow up and learn why.

Regards & blessings,

Matthew

Always remember the devil wants to play god, as he wants the praise and worship that we're supposed to be giving to the GOD. He's like a kidnapper that wants to steal a child so he can be thanked for being a parent!