Looking for God

[LostNotFound]

I'm looking, searching for God. My life feels like something is missing, and out of nowhere I had this surge in my heart to start looking for God, but I'm having trouble finding Him.

I know absolutely nothing about the bible. I feel lost when I read it. Is that where I start?

Where do I begin in my path?

I feel so lost.

 

[lesliedellow]

If you decided that you wanted to learn French today, there wouldn't be much point complaining because you were not fluent in it tomorrow. Fluency comes gradually, and the same is true of religion - except that it can take even longer.

If you have some background knowledge of Christianity, there might be some point in reading the Bible, otherwise probably not - at least for the moment. Its writers took it for granted that their readers were steeped in Judeo-Christian tradition, which you might not be.

The best thing in the short term might be to find a tame pastor or priest you can talk to. Their numbers will be in the phone book, or you could just turn up at a service, and collar the minister at the end of the service, to arrange an appointment. It would be best to find one who does not tell you that you have to disbelieve the established results of science in order to be a Christian. As an atheist you would not be able to swallow that, and neither should you.

 

[jacks]

Just keep questioning an looking with an open mind/heart. The rest will follow. If I was to recommend a book in the Bible to start with it would be Ecclesiastes. There I think you will find that the Bible also asks questions and knows the human spirit.

 

[drstevej]

Hi, I am a CF Chaplain and would be glad to help you out. Below is a brief video that you might find helpful. If you wish to discuss further you can start a thread here:
http://www.christianforums.com/forums/ask-a-chaplain-private-area.1231/ and we can interact without others interjecting comments.

 

[ISTANDBYJESUS]

I'm looking, searching for God. My life feels like something is missing, and out of nowhere I had this surge in my heart to start looking for God, but I'm having trouble finding Him.

I know absolutely nothing about the bible. I feel lost when I read it. Is that where I start?

Where do I begin in my path?

I feel so lost.

You start from the beginning at Genesis 1:1 in the king James bible to understand who the Lord is when you apply that name to Jesus. You will find God through his word coming out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus. The bible interprets it self, so it is good to understand the use of the language which is consistent through out all the books because there is one author.

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

I'm looking, searching for God. My life feels like something is missing, and out of nowhere I had this surge in my heart to start looking for God, but I'm having trouble finding Him.

I know absolutely nothing about the bible. I feel lost when I read it. Is that where I start?

Where do I begin in my path?

I feel so lost.

http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20531364

Please listen to this whole message, it's only about 13 minutes long, but I know its what you need and why God has prompted you to seek him, Your path begins with the truth contained in this message.

http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20270674

that link is me telling my story of how God took me from being a drug addict without God, to a completely changed person who KNOWS God is real in my life.

Here is another http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20442150
This one is a defense and explanation of Christianity.

Here is one that tells of God's love for you and how you can experience his love:

http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20449811

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

I'm looking, searching for God. My life feels like something is missing, and out of nowhere I had this surge in my heart to start looking for God, but I'm having trouble finding Him.

I know absolutely nothing about the bible. I feel lost when I read it. Is that where I start?

Where do I begin in my path?

I feel so lost.

Please also read this:

Finding True Love

In the days that we live, people seem to be seeking for “True Love”. Deep down inside, everyone wants to be loved, it's in our nature to desire to be loved. But love today is often very misunderstood and confused. A lot of times, when someone says “I love you” what they really mean is “I love me, and you make me happy, when you stop making me happy I won't love you anymore”. That is not “True Love”. Some people mistakes lust and sex for love, but love has little to do with those things. Many people today are looking for their “soul mate”. Are you looking for “True Love”? Please allow me to invite you to find “True Love”:



Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1. 
   I. You are a sinner
   

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;



Whenever we do not do what God wants us to do, it is called SIN. For example, God says we should not lie, we should not steal, we should not have sex outside of marriage, and that we should honor our parents. God's standards are much higher than ours, for example, Jesus said that if we lust after someone in our hearts, then we are committing adultery in our hearts, God says that we hate somebody, we have murder in our hearts. God says we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. The essence of sin is going our own way, and living our lives independently of God's will. The bible tells us that God hates sin and that cannot even look on sin:



Habakkuk 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:

1. Sin has a Penalty
   

Because God cannot look upon Sin, and because God is a just God, he must punish sin, Adam and Eve committed only ONE in the Garden of Eden and God cast them out of it. God destroyed the whole world in a flood in Noah's day because of sin, and God destroyed two Cities with fire and brimstone: Sodom and Gomorrah. God hates sin and God punishes sin:



Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;



Revelation 20:11-14 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which w

erein them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

1. God Loves You
   
   
   

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.



a. God loves everyone,including you:



It doesn't matter how much sin you have committed, does not matter what social or economic class you are in, or what race you are, God loves you. God so loved the world



b. God's love is a sacrificial love:



Anybody can tell you they love you, but talk is cheap, Love is not a feeling, but it is a choice, an action. God loved you and I so much, that even though we are sinners who have rebelled against God and gone our our own way, he still chose to send his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. That's “True Love”. God proves and demonstrates his love for you, by allowing his son to take the penalty for your sin.

1. God's love cannot be earned:
   

Titus 3:4-5 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;




Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.



You cannot do anything to earn God's love and forgiveness, it is not earned by “works of righteousness we have done” but it is a “gift of God”. This means that being religious cannot take away your sin. Doing good things does not make up for the bad we do in the eyes of God. God hates sin, and it is only through God's love on the cross that is able to take mine and you sins away.

1. You must choose to receive God's Love
   

God is your “soul mate”; Mankind was made for a love relationship with God, you will only find “True Love” through Jesus Christ.



Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.





When a man desires to marry a woman, he will spend time wooing her and trying to get her attention and affection, but when he is ready to propose he gets down on one knee and present the ring and asks her to marry him, the ring is suppose to be a token of his love. His action of kneeling down and presenting the ring is him offering to love her and to provide for her needs. Today God presents his Son Jesus Christ to you, imagine Jesus' outstretched arm on the cross.. God says “this is how much I love you”. Today God is asking you if you will receive his love.



After the man proposes to the woman, she has a decision she must make, she must either accept it, or reject it. Today you must make a decision, you have two options.

1. Accept Jesus Christ as your savior, and receive God's forgiveness of sins, and his love.
   
   
2. Reject Jesus Christ, and go to hell when you die and spending an eternity in the Lake of Fire. Make no mistakes about it friend, if you die having never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, you absolutely will die and go straight to hell and you will never have mercy or forgiveness.
   

On December 6, 1829 George Wilson was convicted of a crime and sentenced to death by hanging. Before the execution a number of Wilson’s influential friends pleaded for mercy to the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, on behalf of their friend. President Jackson issued a formal pardon. The charges resulting in the death sentence were completely dropped.. But George Wilson refused the Pardon. George Wilson chose to: "...waive and decline any advantage or protection which might be supposed to arise from the pardon referred to..." In other words, George Wilson committed a crime. He was tried and found guilty. He was sentenced to be executed. A presidential decree granted him a full pardon. But George Wilson chose rather to refuse that pardon. George Wilson was eventually executed for his crime. Make no mistake friend, God does in fact love you and he has already paid for your sins on the cross, but God is also a God of judgment, if you reject Jesus Christ and your pardon, you will pay for your sins in the Lake of Fire for all eternity.. and you will have no one to blame but yourself. It wasn't that God did not love you, but you chose to reject your pardon.



Romans 10:9-13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto

salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all

that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.



Today, confess your sins to Jesus, ask him to forgive you, and receive God's love today. That is “True

Love”. Don't be contend with cheap and fake imitations of God's love. Love is not found in the backseat

of a car, the bottom of a bottle, inside a wallet, on a computer screen, a Television, or the end of a

cigarette. Even other people on this earth will let you down and will fail to love you at times. Don't

settle for less than what you were created for: a loving relationship with God.



Receive Jesus Right Now!

 

[Gentle Lamb]

You can begin getting to know God by learning about His Son Jesus Christ, and you can start that by reading the Gospel of John here https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6:9-13

Prayer is most essential in seeking God and building a relationship with Him and it is just talking out loud to God, so you can say something along the lines of "Heavenly Father, I see that you are guiding me to search for you, please help me to find you. I need you, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen" Jesus gives us a model of how to pray in the Lord's Prayer, written here:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6:9-13

Again, it's just a conversation with God, so you start by addressing Him by His name, Heavenly Father, and end it with, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen, and say whatever is on your heart in between. I hope this thread and all the resources given here will be of great help to you and may God lead you right into His loving embrace so that you may develop a personal relationship with your Creator

 

[Meowzltov]

I'm looking, searching for God. My life feels like something is missing, and out of nowhere I had this surge in my heart to start looking for God, but I'm having trouble finding Him.

I know absolutely nothing about the bible. I feel lost when I read it. Is that where I start?

Where do I begin in my path?

I feel so lost.

I'm going to pray for you as soon as I finish this post. I know what it is like to feel lost, what it is like to feel like there is an emptiness that needs to be filled.

You are on a journey that only you can take. Everyone's spiritual journey is a little bit different. For some it is more intellectual. For others it is more experience. For some it is filled with emotion. Who knows where your path will take you? I am going to offer some GENERAL guidelines that would help anyone. The holy spirit will work within this framework, within your unique life. There are basically four avenues in which God can connect with you.

1. STUDY. Read books of a spiritual nature. Start with the Bible, especially the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Go slowly and think over what you are reading. Let it digest. If you don't understand something that first time you read it, don't clobber yourself. Do the best you can.

2. WORSHIP. Find a church that you think connects you to all that is holy and sacred. Try to steer clear of churches that have unhealthy psychologies where people gossip or the pastor tries to control everyone or whatnot. If there was a church you went to as a child, that's probably a good place to start.

3. PRAYER. Any relationship needs communication. Talk to God, either in improvised prayer, or in written prayers that you can read. Then listen for what he has to say back -- this is called meditation. Listening is a skill that has to be learned. We don't hear voices. But we come to understandings, leanings of what we ought to do, or what is right.

4. SERVICE. In helping others, we become Gods eyes, hands, feet, heart. It is written that whoever loves knows God, because God is love. We serve others out of love. It is important that our service never become something we do for service sake where we forget the love. If we give our money to feed the poor but speak harshly to our children, we have it backwards. But in general, the way to love God with all our heart is to love our neighbor as ourselves.

I'd also like to add a number 5. Talk to others who have journeyed before you. They can't go on your quest, but sometimes they can walk with you for a little while. Share with them what you are learning and doing and what you are reflecting on. They can share a few things back with you. I for one would love to keep in touch with you. You are welcome to PM me.

 

[paul1149]

I'm looking, searching for God. My life feels like something is missing, and out of nowhere I had this surge in my heart to start looking for God, but I'm having trouble finding Him.

I know absolutely nothing about the bible. I feel lost when I read it. Is that where I start?

Where do I begin in my path?

I feel so lost.

This is excellent. The angels rejoice over each soul that turns to God.

I would suggest a two-fold approach. First, consciously open your heart to God, right where you are, with the understanding you already have. It could sound like, "God, if you're there I want to know you. I want to find you. Please reveal yourself to me." It could then proceed to a spiritual inventory of yourself. You can confess sin and shortcomings, and come to understand you need mercy and forgiveness, and then grace and acceptance.

At the same time, you can begin your quest for learning about God. The Bible is the place for that, and by extension, sermons, church and Christians. The Gospel of John might be a good place to begin. The Gospel of Mark, though quite different in tone, is excellent as well. There are the Psalms, which really probe the heart's interaction with the Lord. There is the wisdom of Proverbs, the beauty of Isaiah. But most of all, it's all about Jesus. The Old Testament points to Him.


Addendum: I just read Open Heart's post, which is more comprehensive than mine. The important thing is to start where you are and keep at it. God is looking for you more than you, Him. Make yourself available and He will find you. I guarantee that.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11.28-30​

 

[ViaCrucis]

I'm looking, searching for God. My life feels like something is missing, and out of nowhere I had this surge in my heart to start looking for God, but I'm having trouble finding Him.

I know absolutely nothing about the bible. I feel lost when I read it. Is that where I start?

Where do I begin in my path?

I feel so lost.

Leslie makes a good point about the fact that the Bible can be overwhelming or rather confusing to someone without any background to make heads or tales. I certainly don't think you should avoid the Bible, but having resources would definitely help--there's a lot of historical and cultural context that isn't exactly obvious (this is true of any given text from any given time period and place), there's also the fact that while most translations are pretty good, the sheer reality of translation itself means much of what is being said, especially when it is very subtle or where there are delicate nuances in language, might get lost in translation, that's just the unfortunate fact of translation.

These things are the reason why even life-long church going readers of the Bible still rely on many different resources to help them better understand the Bible, and why having well educated pastors and teachers is really important to the general well-being of the Church.

For Christians, historically, reading the Bible has always been done in community; in fact the Bible came about by way of what was to be read out loud during the course of Christian worship, this is the basis for what is called the Lectionary, used by traditional Christian churches of diverse backgrounds: Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, etc. The way the vast majority of Christians have experienced the Bible is chiefly by hearing it, rather than reading it themselves (since most Christians had no access to the copies of the Bible until the invention of the Guttenberg printing press). So while individual Bible reading is very good and important, within Christianity it is historically something we do together, relying on one another and coming together to hear, read, and experience it.

To that end one of the best things you could do is try and experience what Christianity looks like by visiting a church, or several churches, and again as Leslie pointed out, even having a sit down with a pastor/priest. Most clergy are more than happy to talk with seekers and the curious, and most churches are happy to have visitors come and see what they're all about.

As far as the Bible itself, I think it's a great idea to read it for yourself, but I recommend doing so in addition to the above. To that end here is what I usually recommend to someone who has never read the Bible:

The first four books of the New Testament are known as The Gospels, these tell the story of Jesus, of His life, death, and resurrection. It's the heart and soul of the Christian religion, all four tell the story of Jesus in different ways, but it's the same story told in all four books. I would recommend as your introduction to the Bible being either the Gospel of Luke or the Gospel of Mark. These are arguably the easiest of the four to get a handle on, Mark's Gospel is the shortest of all four, and is very concise. It gets the job of telling the story done very efficiently. Personally I think Luke's Gospel is great, it's my favorite Gospel so I'm biased, but it's also written largely to get the story across with a lot of attention to detail. Matthew's Gospel can be difficult because Matthew assumes his readers are really familiar with the Old Testament, while John's Gospel is the most theologically dense of the four--it needs a lot of unpacking.

After Luke's Gospel I recommend reading the Acts of the Apostles (usually just called Acts or the Book of Acts), it's written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, which is another reason I recommend Luke's Gospel. The Acts begins where Luke's Gospel ends. The purpose of the Acts is to tell the story of how Jesus' earliest followers, the Apostles, began to spread the message of Jesus throughout the Roman world, and it introduces us to the figure of Paul the Apostle who is responsible for writing almost half of the New Testament itself.

After Acts I recommend Paul's letter to the Romans, Romans is one of the richest and books of the New Testament, and does an exceptional job at communicating much of what Christianity is all about.

After that, you could take a stab at the Old Testament, the Psalms is probably the place you'd want to look at first. The Psalms are a collection of poems and hymns, it was in a sense the hymnbook of ancient Israel. In it there are all sorts of songs and poems, covering an entire range of human spiritual and emotional experience, from the downright beautiful Psalm 23, to the highly unpleasant Psalm 137.

Some books I wouldn't recommend reading right away:

The Revelation, it's the most difficult book in the Bible to understand and has been the source and cause of immense controversy between Christians. It's a very good book, but the nature of the writing is highly cryptic and bizarre.

The books of Joshua or Judges. I mean you could if you like, but they're among the most violent books in the Bible and can be a little hard to chew through.

Some of the other historical books like 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles. A lot of history, a lot of interesting content, but can also be pretty boring even with the violent bits strewn about. There are long passages of genealogy that can make even the most devout Bible fall asleep.

Though really it's all up to you what you want to look at next. The books of the Prophets are very good, but without context can be somewhat confusing. Think of the ancient prophets of Israel doing and saying similar sorts of things in Israel what people like Martin Luther King Jr was doing in the United States. The prophets were rallying against corruption, wickedness, and oppression, they spoke against injustices against the poor and the needy, they spoke of God's judgment upon the wicked and the affluent, and of God's promises of redemption for Israel and ultimately for the whole world.

Also, all of Paul's letters are pretty great, his letter to the Ephesians is absolutely incredible.

Hopefully by the time you get this far in your reading you'll be in a position to have people you can turn to with questions, well educated and insightful people preferably.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[LostNotFound]

Thank you all for the kind words, and advice. It is truly appreciated that you took time out of your day to reply to me. Please allow me the time to reply to you each individually.

If you decided that you wanted to learn French today, there wouldn't be much point complaining because you were not fluent in it tomorrow. Fluency comes gradually, and the same is true of religion - except that it can take even longer.

If you have some background knowledge of Christianity, there might be some point in reading the Bible, otherwise probably not - at least for the moment. Its writers took it for granted that their readers were steeped in Judeo-Christian tradition, which you might not be.

The best thing in the short term might be to find a tame pastor or priest you can talk to. Their numbers will be in the phone book, or you could just turn up at a service, and collar the minister at the end of the service, to arrange an appointment. It would be best to find one who does not tell you that you have to disbelieve the established results of science in order to be a Christian. As an atheist you would not be able to swallow that, and neither should you.

Leslie, thank you for that comparison. I never really looked at it that way, as far as becoming gradually fluent. I have a habit of expecting to be really good at something, or have stuff come to me easily right away. This is a fault in me that I'm working on, because it really does destroy expectations that I have of myself. I have to learn to relax, and let the time to learn be an enjoyable one. You are also right in finding a pastor or priest that will let science play a simultaneous role with God in my Christian belief system.

Just keep questioning an looking with an open mind/heart. The rest will follow. If I was to recommend a book in the Bible to start with it would be Ecclesiastes. There I think you will find that the Bible also asks questions and knows the human spirit.

Jacks, thank you. Keeping an open mind here is important for me, even more important is keeping an open heart. I am going to take the time at some point soon to have a quiet time and try prayer.. I am going to ask God to help me open my heart in my search. Thank you for your recommendation on Ecclesiastes. I will take a look.

Hi, I am a CF Chaplain and would be glad to help you out. Below is a brief video that you might find helpful. If you wish to discuss further you can start a thread here:
http://www.christianforums.com/forums/ask-a-chaplain-private-area.1231/ and we can interact without others interjecting comments.

Chaplain drstevej, thank you for your reply. I will watch the video, and will be glad to post in the other forum to talk with you. I feel that will be a truly rewarding experience, and a great help. I will be in contact soon.

You start from the beginning at Genesis 1:1 in the king James bible to understand who the Lord is when you apply that name to Jesus. You will find God through his word coming out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus. The bible interprets it self, so it is good to understand the use of the language which is consistent through out all the books because there is one author.

ISTANDBYJESUS, thank you for your reply. I will definitely have a look at the book of Genesis. I have probed it in the past, but did get lost on the geneology of things, which I would imagine would be a whole separate study in itself. Your specification of the King James bible is also a good ting to bring up, for me. I actually am unsure of what translation to read of the bible. Right now on my Bible app on my phone I am using the NIV. I skimmed through the KJV, but found the language to be rather difficult. Are there big differences between versions? Would it be worth it to take the extra time to learn the language of the KJV of the bible, or, are other more easier to read versions still acceptable?

 

[LostNotFound]

http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20531364

Please listen to this whole message, it's only about 13 minutes long, but I know its what you need and why God has prompted you to seek him, Your path begins with the truth contained in this message.

http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20270674

that link is me telling my story of how God took me from being a drug addict without God, to a completely changed person who KNOWS God is real in my life.

Here is another http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20442150
This one is a defense and explanation of Christianity.

Here is one that tells of God's love for you and how you can experience his love:

http://jordankurecki.sermon.net/main/main/20449811

Jordan, thank you for the links to your story with God. I will take a look when I have the time later today. I am eager to see your story with God. I look forward to visiting your website!

 

[LostNotFound]

Please also read this:

Finding True Love

In the days that we live, people seem to be seeking for “True Love”. Deep down inside, everyone wants to be loved, it's in our nature to desire to be loved. But love today is often very misunderstood and confused. A lot of times, when someone says “I love you” what they really mean is “I love me, and you make me happy, when you stop making me happy I won't love you anymore”. That is not “True Love”. Some people mistakes lust and sex for love, but love has little to do with those things. Many people today are looking for their “soul mate”. Are you looking for “True Love”? Please allow me to invite you to find “True Love”:



Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1. 
   I. You are a sinner

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;



Whenever we do not do what God wants us to do, it is called SIN. For example, God says we should not lie, we should not steal, we should not have sex outside of marriage, and that we should honor our parents. God's standards are much higher than ours, for example, Jesus said that if we lust after someone in our hearts, then we are committing adultery in our hearts, God says that we hate somebody, we have murder in our hearts. God says we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. The essence of sin is going our own way, and living our lives independently of God's will. The bible tells us that God hates sin and that cannot even look on sin:



Habakkuk 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:

1. Sin has a Penalty

​

Because God cannot look upon Sin, and because God is a just God, he must punish sin, Adam and Eve committed only ONE in the Garden of Eden and God cast them out of it. God destroyed the whole world in a flood in Noah's day because of sin, and God destroyed two Cities with fire and brimstone: Sodom and Gomorrah. God hates sin and God punishes sin:



Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;



Revelation 20:11-14 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which w

erein them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

1. God Loves You
   
   

​

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.



a. God loves everyone,including you:



It doesn't matter how much sin you have committed, does not matter what social or economic class you are in, or what race you are, God loves you. God so loved the world



b. God's love is a sacrificial love:



Anybody can tell you they love you, but talk is cheap, Love is not a feeling, but it is a choice, an action. God loved you and I so much, that even though we are sinners who have rebelled against God and gone our our own way, he still chose to send his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. That's “True Love”. God proves and demonstrates his love for you, by allowing his son to take the penalty for your sin.

1. God's love cannot be earned:

​

Titus 3:4-5 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;




Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.



You cannot do anything to earn God's love and forgiveness, it is not earned by “works of righteousness we have done” but it is a “gift of God”. This means that being religious cannot take away your sin. Doing good things does not make up for the bad we do in the eyes of God. God hates sin, and it is only through God's love on the cross that is able to take mine and you sins away.

1. You must choose to receive God's Love

​

God is your “soul mate”; Mankind was made for a love relationship with God, you will only find “True Love” through Jesus Christ.



Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.





When a man desires to marry a woman, he will spend time wooing her and trying to get her attention and affection, but when he is ready to propose he gets down on one knee and present the ring and asks her to marry him, the ring is suppose to be a token of his love. His action of kneeling down and presenting the ring is him offering to love her and to provide for her needs. Today God presents his Son Jesus Christ to you, imagine Jesus' outstretched arm on the cross.. God says “this is how much I love you”. Today God is asking you if you will receive his love.



After the man proposes to the woman, she has a decision she must make, she must either accept it, or reject it. Today you must make a decision, you have two options.

1. Accept Jesus Christ as your savior, and receive God's forgiveness of sins, and his love.
   
   
2. Reject Jesus Christ, and go to hell when you die and spending an eternity in the Lake of Fire. Make no mistakes about it friend, if you die having never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, you absolutely will die and go straight to hell and you will never have mercy or forgiveness.

On December 6, 1829 George Wilson was convicted of a crime and sentenced to death by hanging. Before the execution a number of Wilson’s influential friends pleaded for mercy to the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, on behalf of their friend. President Jackson issued a formal pardon. The charges resulting in the death sentence were completely dropped.. But George Wilson refused the Pardon. George Wilson chose to: "...waive and decline any advantage or protection which might be supposed to arise from the pardon referred to..." In other words, George Wilson committed a crime. He was tried and found guilty. He was sentenced to be executed. A presidential decree granted him a full pardon. But George Wilson chose rather to refuse that pardon. George Wilson was eventually executed for his crime. Make no mistake friend, God does in fact love you and he has already paid for your sins on the cross, but God is also a God of judgment, if you reject Jesus Christ and your pardon, you will pay for your sins in the Lake of Fire for all eternity.. and you will have no one to blame but yourself. It wasn't that God did not love you, but you chose to reject your pardon.



Romans 10:9-13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto

salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all

that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.



Today, confess your sins to Jesus, ask him to forgive you, and receive God's love today. That is “True

Love”. Don't be contend with cheap and fake imitations of God's love. Love is not found in the backseat

of a car, the bottom of a bottle, inside a wallet, on a computer screen, a Television, or the end of a

cigarette. Even other people on this earth will let you down and will fail to love you at times. Don't

settle for less than what you were created for: a loving relationship with God.



Receive Jesus Right Now!

Jordan, what a wonderful break down. Very easy to read and understand. Please allow me to digest all of this before making educated responses. This has been truly a great help, I am so very excited in your responses. I feel good, I feel enlightened with your feedback.

 

[LostNotFound]

You can begin getting to know God by learning about His Son Jesus Christ, and you can start that by reading the Gospel of John here https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6:9-13

Prayer is most essential in seeking God and building a relationship with Him and it is just talking out loud to God, so you can say something along the lines of "Heavenly Father, I see that you are guiding me to search for you, please help me to find you. I need you, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen" Jesus gives us a model of how to pray in the Lord's Prayer, written here:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6:9-13

Again, it's just a conversation with God, so you start by addressing Him by His name, Heavenly Father, and end it with, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen, and say whatever is on your heart in between. I hope this thread and all the resources given here will be of great help to you and may God lead you right into His loving embrace so that you may develop a personal relationship with your Creator

Gentle Lamb, thank you. A lot of folks are recommending me the Gospel of John to start with, so this will definitely be my starting point. I am gong to try to find some time later today to try and pray for the first time to God in a quiet place. I am going to ask him to guide my heart to Him, because I really don't know how. I feel once I have a relationship with God I will be complete. I am eagerly awaiting to see if this is true.

 

[LostNotFound]

I'm going to pray for you as soon as I finish this post. I know what it is like to feel lost, what it is like to feel like there is an emptiness that needs to be filled.

You are on a journey that only you can take. Everyone's spiritual journey is a little bit different. For some it is more intellectual. For others it is more experience. For some it is filled with emotion. Who knows where your path will take you? I am going to offer some GENERAL guidelines that would help anyone. The holy spirit will work within this framework, within your unique life. There are basically four avenues in which God can connect with you.

1. STUDY. Read books of a spiritual nature. Start with the Bible, especially the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Go slowly and think over what you are reading. Let it digest. If you don't understand something that first time you read it, don't clobber yourself. Do the best you can.

2. WORSHIP. Find a church that you think connects you to all that is holy and sacred. Try to steer clear of churches that have unhealthy psychologies where people gossip or the pastor tries to control everyone or whatnot. If there was a church you went to as a child, that's probably a good place to start.

3. PRAYER. Any relationship needs communication. Talk to God, either in improvised prayer, or in written prayers that you can read. Then listen for what he has to say back -- this is called meditation. Listening is a skill that has to be learned. We don't hear voices. But we come to understandings, leanings of what we ought to do, or what is right.

4. SERVICE. In helping others, we become Gods eyes, hands, feet, heart. It is written that whoever loves knows God, because God is love. We serve others out of love. It is important that our service never become something we do for service sake where we forget the love. If we give our money to feed the poor but speak harshly to our children, we have it backwards. But in general, the way to love God with all our heart is to love our neighbor as ourselves.

I'd also like to add a number 5. Talk to others who have journeyed before you. They can't go on your quest, but sometimes they can walk with you for a little while. Share with them what you are learning and doing and what you are reflecting on. They can share a few things back with you. I for one would love to keep in touch with you. You are welcome to PM me.

Study and Prayer will be the biggest things for me. The intellectual, and emotional side of trying to find God is what will drive me most. I am truly an emotional person. I am going to try and pray sincerely for guidance, I am going to set some time alone to do so at some point today. It's going to be a great kick start on my journey. I hope one day I can call myself a Christian, a true believer. Thank you so much for your offer to keep in touch. I woud be honored to PM you and discuss more.

 

[LostNotFound]

This is excellent. The angels rejoice over each soul that turns to God.

I would suggest a two-fold approach. First, consciously open your heart to God, right where you are, with the understanding you already have. It could sound like, "God, if you're there I want to know you. I want to find you. Please reveal yourself to me." It could then proceed to a spiritual inventory of yourself. You can confess sin and shortcomings, and come to understand you need mercy and forgiveness, and then grace and acceptance.

At the same time, you can begin your quest for learning about God. The Bible is the place for that, and by extension, sermons, church and Christians. The Gospel of John might be a good place to begin. The Gospel of Mark, though quite different in tone, is excellent as well. There are the Psalms, which really probe the heart's interaction with the Lord. There is the wisdom of Proverbs, the beauty of Isaiah. But most of all, it's all about Jesus. The Old Testament points to Him.


Addendum: I just read Open Heart's post, which is more comprehensive than mine. The important thing is to start where you are and keep at it. God is looking for you more than you, Him. Make yourself available and He will find you. I guarantee that.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11.28-30​

Paul1149, please let me start off by saying that the verse you put in at the end of your post genuinely brought tears to my eyes. It was so beautiful. It really spoke to me, it really gave me hope that I can find God, that I can accept Him into my heart sincerely! I have never seen that verse before. Once again I cannot say how much that hit me.. As far as finally praying to God, and confessing my sins to Him, please let me tell you, I have A LOT to confess. I've never been connected with God before, and I feel like I have a lot to do to get right with Him. It's unfathomable how in the dark I am, I truly hope he forgives me, and accepts me. I am truly excited to learn who Jesus is. I know very little about Jesus, and I am very excited to develop a relationship.

 

[LostNotFound]

Leslie makes a good point about the fact that the Bible can be overwhelming or rather confusing to someone without any background to make heads or tales. I certainly don't think you should avoid the Bible, but having resources would definitely help--there's a lot of historical and cultural context that isn't exactly obvious (this is true of any given text from any given time period and place), there's also the fact that while most translations are pretty good, the sheer reality of translation itself means much of what is being said, especially when it is very subtle or where there are delicate nuances in language, might get lost in translation, that's just the unfortunate fact of translation.

These things are the reason why even life-long church going readers of the Bible still rely on many different resources to help them better understand the Bible, and why having well educated pastors and teachers is really important to the general well-being of the Church.

For Christians, historically, reading the Bible has always been done in community; in fact the Bible came about by way of what was to be read out loud during the course of Christian worship, this is the basis for what is called the Lectionary, used by traditional Christian churches of diverse backgrounds: Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, etc. The way the vast majority of Christians have experienced the Bible is chiefly by hearing it, rather than reading it themselves (since most Christians had no access to the copies of the Bible until the invention of the Guttenberg printing press). So while individual Bible reading is very good and important, within Christianity it is historically something we do together, relying on one another and coming together to hear, read, and experience it.

To that end one of the best things you could do is try and experience what Christianity looks like by visiting a church, or several churches, and again as Leslie pointed out, even having a sit down with a pastor/priest. Most clergy are more than happy to talk with seekers and the curious, and most churches are happy to have visitors come and see what they're all about.

As far as the Bible itself, I think it's a great idea to read it for yourself, but I recommend doing so in addition to the above. To that end here is what I usually recommend to someone who has never read the Bible:

The first four books of the New Testament are known as The Gospels, these tell the story of Jesus, of His life, death, and resurrection. It's the heart and soul of the Christian religion, all four tell the story of Jesus in different ways, but it's the same story told in all four books. I would recommend as your introduction to the Bible being either the Gospel of Luke or the Gospel of Mark. These are arguably the easiest of the four to get a handle on, Mark's Gospel is the shortest of all four, and is very concise. It gets the job of telling the story done very efficiently. Personally I think Luke's Gospel is great, it's my favorite Gospel so I'm biased, but it's also written largely to get the story across with a lot of attention to detail. Matthew's Gospel can be difficult because Matthew assumes his readers are really familiar with the Old Testament, while John's Gospel is the most theologically dense of the four--it needs a lot of unpacking.

After Luke's Gospel I recommend reading the Acts of the Apostles (usually just called Acts or the Book of Acts), it's written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, which is another reason I recommend Luke's Gospel. The Acts begins where Luke's Gospel ends. The purpose of the Acts is to tell the story of how Jesus' earliest followers, the Apostles, began to spread the message of Jesus throughout the Roman world, and it introduces us to the figure of Paul the Apostle who is responsible for writing almost half of the New Testament itself.

After Acts I recommend Paul's letter to the Romans, Romans is one of the richest and books of the New Testament, and does an exceptional job at communicating much of what Christianity is all about.

After that, you could take a stab at the Old Testament, the Psalms is probably the place you'd want to look at first. The Psalms are a collection of poems and hymns, it was in a sense the hymnbook of ancient Israel. In it there are all sorts of songs and poems, covering an entire range of human spiritual and emotional experience, from the downright beautiful Psalm 23, to the highly unpleasant Psalm 137.

Some books I wouldn't recommend reading right away:

The Revelation, it's the most difficult book in the Bible to understand and has been the source and cause of immense controversy between Christians. It's a very good book, but the nature of the writing is highly cryptic and bizarre.

The books of Joshua or Judges. I mean you could if you like, but they're among the most violent books in the Bible and can be a little hard to chew through.

Some of the other historical books like 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles. A lot of history, a lot of interesting content, but can also be pretty boring even with the violent bits strewn about. There are long passages of genealogy that can make even the most devout Bible fall asleep.

Though really it's all up to you what you want to look at next. The books of the Prophets are very good, but without context can be somewhat confusing. Think of the ancient prophets of Israel doing and saying similar sorts of things in Israel what people like Martin Luther King Jr was doing in the United States. The prophets were rallying against corruption, wickedness, and oppression, they spoke against injustices against the poor and the needy, they spoke of God's judgment upon the wicked and the affluent, and of God's promises of redemption for Israel and ultimately for the whole world.

Also, all of Paul's letters are pretty great, his letter to the Ephesians is absolutely incredible.

Hopefully by the time you get this far in your reading you'll be in a position to have people you can turn to with questions, well educated and insightful people preferably.

-CryptoLutheran

CryptoLutheran, thank you so much for you reply. Your breakdown and order of study has helped me immensely. Your response coupled with everyones has given me such a wonderful path to begin with. I cannot thank you enough. I honestly do not think I'm ready to physically go to a church, or meet with anyone quite just yet. When I know where God is taking me, then I think I'll be more ready. I am going to touch on this in my next post after this one when I address everyone. I guess I may be shy, or scared even to physically walk into a church I've never been to before, or to contact a priest, or pastor...

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

I am praying for you my friend, please listen to my sermons, they will help you, Read John chapter 3:1-16, Your biggest need is to be born again (John 3:3), which I explain and show FROM THE BIBLE and not from my own opinions how to become born again.

 

[paul1149]

I truly hope he forgives me, and accepts me.

If you sincerely want Him, He will. There is not one case in the Bible where He turned away anyone who sincerely wanted Him. Not one. And truly, He is the one seeking us, more than we are seeking Him.

Yes, the invitation in Mt 11 is beautiful. It has brought tears to my eyes many times. It is the antithesis of religiously trying to perfect ourselves in our own strength in order to be acceptable to God. Think of a great lion with incredible strength, yet with infinite tenderness of heart toward those who are weaker. That's what Jesus is like to those who come to Him and seek His aid. He will never fail you. Please get to know Him, you will not be disappointed. His spirit is everywhere, so you can call on Him at any time from the heart.