Regain Faith

[Joha]

Hi guys, I'm a 22 year old male. My name is Joha. The following is a short summary of my thoughts during the church service on Sunday morning. Please can you offer some solutions to me? :


Why do I go to church?
I go to church because I have responsibilities.
I go to church to protect my reputation.
Those are not the right reasons.
Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite.
Am I a true worshiper of God at church?
Not at all.
I go because I grew up going.
I go out of habit.
My parents are very committed to Christ.
That makes it difficult to not go to church.
It's something we as a family have done for the past 13 years. We go to church Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Twice every Sunday! As youngsters we never really had a choice. We had to go wherever our parents went. Nowadays it feels like I can't just decide that I'm not going to church, I will hurt people with such a decision. Mostly my parents. But damn. I'm 22.
I once walked out of church during evening service, it felt like my spirit was at war whilst sitting there. I was constantly arguing in my head as to why I was really there. I saw no reason. I couldn't sit there pretending any longer. I felt completely out of place. I got up and walked home. Why would I do such a thing?
Because I'm not a believer.
It's never clear to me. Why would I keep going to church?!
I don't grow in faith although I've heard the clear word of God for the past 13 years! Twice on most Sundays!
I never serve God. I'm lost. I choose not to follow God. I don't pray. I don't attend Bible studies, and never have! Once again. Why and what am I doing at church beside pretending.
The only benefit is gaining a good reputation.
When will I change. When will I truly serve God?
I need a break. I need to get away. I need to understand myself. I need to see clearly. My spirit is drifting in the wind. This way, that way, never in The right Way.

 

[Halbhh]

Hi guys, I'm a 22 year old male. My name is Joha. The following is a short summary of my thoughts during the church service on Sunday morning. Please can you offer some solutions to me? :


Why do I go to church?
I go to church because I have responsibilities.
I go to church to protect my reputation.
Those are not the right reasons.
Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite.
Am I a true worshiper of God at church?
Not at all.
I go because I grew up going.
I go out of habit.
My parents are very committed to Christ.
That makes it difficult to not go to church.
It's something we as a family have done for the past 13 years. We go to church Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Twice every Sunday! As youngsters we never really had a choice. We had to go wherever our parents went. Nowadays it feels like I can't just decide that I'm not going to church, I will hurt people with such a decision. Mostly my parents. But damn. I'm 22.
I once walked out of church during evening service, it felt like my spirit was at war whilst sitting there. I was constantly arguing in my head as to why I was really there. I saw no reason. I couldn't sit there pretending any longer. I felt completely out of place. I got up and walked home. Why would I do such a thing?
Because I'm not a believer.
It's never clear to me. Why would I keep going to church?!
I don't grow in faith although I've heard the clear word of God for the past 13 years! Twice on most Sundays!
I never serve God. I'm lost. I choose not to follow God. I don't pray. I don't attend Bible studies, and never have! Once again. Why and what am I doing at church beside pretending.
The only benefit is gaining a good reputation.
When will I change. When will I truly serve God?
I need a break. I need to get away. I need to understand myself. I need to see clearly. My spirit is drifting in the wind. This way, that way, never in The right Way.

From my own experience let me say I did not hear the word of God in the full way that happens to you when you read through -- reading without an agenda but only to hear what Christ said -- I did not hear that way from sermons (and from many preachers in many churches of various kinds) even though often the sermons were directly about something or another from scripture, or connected, and sometimes even included some reading of several verses.

It's not the same.

As actually reading/listening fully through -- where instead of intending to get a single passage, instead the goal is to hear, and thus the reading is from chapter 1 verse 1, without any hurry at all, willing to stop and reread over and over as needed, not worried if the book, like Matthew or Luke, takes a few days, a few weeks or a few months.

Because the goal is not to finish, but instead very different -- to hear. To be with.

That listening is the kind that helps awaken faith, as Paul was touching on in Romans 10:17 -- hearing in that more full way is the kind of happens-to-you we really need the most. The most key thing is the attitude of listening.


--------
Learning doctrines, summaries, is not the same as listening to Christ, to God's word, no matter that lists or doctrines can sometimes help a little, they are not a good substitute for real listening.

In every church believers should check, test, what the church or pastor says: Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. They even checked on Paul!), find out if what is said is really what the scripture truly is saying.

No matter the church, no matter how good the pastor is thought to be in the eyes of men -- test what you hear or read by comparing the full passages the verses used for doctrines come from, to test the doctrines against the Word, by full reading of the passages, to see whether the suggested meaning is the same as the real meaning in context.

Very often it will happen a pastor does not know what the true meaning of a verse is, because they went to find a verse to fit their own idea/doctrine, without truly listening.

Even good pastors can make mistakes. But avoid a pastor that knows more doctrines than they do full passage understandings.

When you read the full passage, you can begin to get the real meaning, or find out it's not yet clear and you need more like a full chapter or full book. Eventually, you will be reading through the full books the verses come from, which allows a more full understanding.

 

[AvgJoe]

Because I'm not a believer.

When will I change. When will I truly serve God?

Perhaps, when you follow God's plan of salvation:

God’s Plan of Salvation
​

The Futility of Human Effort
The Bible teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality or religious activity can get anyone into Heaven. Being a good person, belonging to a religious family, being baptized, going to church, none of these can save anyone. Everyone still falls short of God’s perfect standard. (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-7)


The Only Way
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) me.” (John 14:6)


What must I do to be saved?
1) Realize that you’re are a sinner. (Romans 3:23, 5:12; 1 John 1:10)

2) Change your mind about Jesus (repent).

• Jesus said: “…unless you repent (have a change of mind that results in a change of action), you will all perish and be lost eternally. (Luke 13:5)
• …now God charges all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)

3) Believe the Gospel, that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried and rose from the dead.

• We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in the same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His Life for us. (Romans 3:22, 25)
• For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

4) Go to God in prayer, confessing Jesus as Lord and your need for forgiveness of your sins. Give your life to Jesus, making Him the Lord of your life.

• For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:10)
• For anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.(Romans 10:13)

What should I pray?
Following is an example:

Dear God,

I know I am a sinner. I have broken your Law and deserve to pay the penalty for my sins, which is eternal separation from you. God, I need your forgiveness. I believe that your Son, Jesus the Christ, is Lord of all, that He shed His precious blood as payment for my sins and that, on the third day, You raised Him from the dead. I am willing to turn from sin. Jesus, please come into my heart, to be the Lord and Savior of my life. Live your life through me. In Jesus Christ name, Amen.


If you sincerely prayed this prayer, you are now saved and the newest member of God’s family. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! (John 1:12-13)

Your acceptance or rejection of Jesus is the most important decision you will make in this life. It is a matter of eternal life and eternal death.


I accepted God’s plan of salvation, what next?
A good place to start: Bible Truth - New Convert's Class

 

[Southernscotty]

I am lifting you up in prayer but I am going to send you a private message because I want to talk to you my friend