In need of a little help please.

[Sorciere Gothique]

Hi all, I'm not a christian, but I'm intrigued.

My question is about the bible...I have a Good News one, but I have no idea where to start in reading it, can you help? I'd like a general overview of the christian faith, to begin with, and then I will look deeper later on.

Any tips on where to start?

Thanks.

 

[drich0150]

Start in Matthew and read from there. The first for books are known as the gospels and they are the telling of the story of Jesus from 4 different perspectives. Following is the Book of Acts. It sets up the christian church, and introduces the apostle Paul. The rest of the books are written to different area churches (for the most part) in response to specific need of that church, and to give direction for the christian follower. Last comes the book of revelations. which is the end times book. It should be studied with someone who knows the book. (It is a bit confusing.)

 

[Sayci]

Great to hear! The Bible can be a little difficult to understand at times, but God says that if you are seeking, you will find. Matthew is definitely a good place to start. Get to know Jesus, look at what He said and did, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Your openness right now is awesome! Is there anyone in your life that you trust and can talk to? A pastor? A Christian friend? Christian relative? Having someone there to help personally can really make a difference. But make sure it is someone you feel you can trust.

1 Corinthians is called the book for new believers and it gives a lot of insight on Christian life. I would recommend starting in Matthew, get through the family trees, they'll become more important later on, and experience the record of Jesus. Then you might want to read a little in Acts, it'll give you an idea of the early church and what happened when Christianity first began.

I will definitely be praying for you!

 

[Sorciere Gothique]

Thank you so much for your replies, most helpful. Sadly, I have no-one in my circle that is christian in anyway, even the churches near me are now closed (they don't even really understand my interest, but I feel that one cannot really understand others without understanding why they believe the things they do).

Thank you for your suggestions, the new testament (first) it is then

 

[Dasein]

I would heartily agree with the responses so far, but also I would recommend a couple more easy, couple-of-minute reads of a less 'technical' (for want of a better word) nature. These won't inform you about the role of the church, or about Jesus, or about morality and so on, but I think they are wonderful places to see the glory and appeal of God.

I found Psalms very useful, and it is beautiful poetry on top!
I would recommend Psalm 18 to understand the strength and support of God,
Psalm 22 to understand how God is there even in the hardest of times,
Psalm 23 because it's one of the most beautiful parts of the whole Bible,
Psalm 100 to know that God should be exalted and praised!
Psalm 121 to know that God is always there
Psalms 145 and 147 to praise God more.
These are only a tiny selection of Psalms for their purposes, and I'm sure many could have done a better job than me of recommending some, but see what you think. Think of the beauty of that which these Psalms are directed to (God!).

Other than that, for someone coming to religion from a period away from God, Jonah can deliver a powerful message, especially his speech in Jonah 2. It is worth thinking about this from the point of view of someone who wishes to be returned to God's favour.

I hope this helps.



(I realise that this post technically breaks the rules for this section of the forum as I have not tagged myself as a Christian, but I hope that the content of my post shows that I am merely attempting to lend a helping hand, as opposed to assert any undue non-religious influences on the thread!)

 

[ebia]

Hi all, I'm not a christian, but I'm intrigued.

My question is about the bible...I have a Good News one, but I have no idea where to start in reading it, can you help? I'd like a general overview of the christian faith, to begin with, and then I will look deeper later on.

Any tips on where to start?

Thanks.

If you want an introduction to the Christian faith you might like to find a church offering a course like Alpha or, better still, Christianity Explored. The latter will take you through Mark's gospel helping you to understand how what you are reading fits in the bigger picture.

Otherwise see if you can pick up a copy of Luke for Everyone by Tom Wright (which will take you through Luke's gospel) and Simply Christian also by Tom Wright, which will give you an overview (both published by SPCK in the UK).

 

[andreha]

Hey Gothique

I've sent you a PM.

 

[vespasia]

Have a look on the Christiangoth website; it has links to christian goths and where they meet in London.

 

[Sorciere Gothique]

A big, big thank you to everyone for their replies, and thank you for the mention of ChristianGoth, I'd never heard of that before

 

[salida]

If you have any questions at all, I can help. Feel free to email me anytime about anything about the Bible. Yes, the New Testament is a place to start.

The overview of the christian faith starts here: Are you a good person? http://www.livingwaters.com/good/ Can you keep all the 10 Commandments 100% of the time all the time? Only Jesus could. This is why mankind needs a Lord and Savior. I mentioned this because this is why Jesus died for mankind. This is the core of christianity.

 

[drich0150]

Christian Radio, Listen Free Online, Ministries, Stations, The Bible, Oneplace.com Internet Ministry

If your not able to get to a church then this link may provide you with some help.
It's an archive of alot of good radio sermons. Most of the featured speakers are very good at what they do and deliver the bible in easy to understand terms. Although this is not a replacement for church it is a good place to start.

 

[vespasia]

There are Christian Goths out there even in the UK.

 

[Sorciere Gothique]

There are Christian Goths out there even in the UK.

I have no doubt...there is a lot of christian imagery used in the Goth scene (crosses, rosaries, churches, etc...)

 

[ProScribe]

Hi all, I'm not a christian, but I'm intrigued.

My question is about the bible...I have a Good News one, but I have no idea where to start in reading it, can you help? I'd like a general overview of the christian faith, to begin with, and then I will look deeper later on.

Any tips on where to start?

Thanks.

You can start with basic message of Christianity which is John 3.16

-For God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in His only-begotten Son shall not perish but have eternal life.-

 

[emmauk007]

Hello Gothique, I just saw your post today about you wanting to know more about the bible. The Bible can give you satisfying answers to many of lifes questions i.e. ▪ Why do we suffer?

▪ How can we cope with life’s anxieties?

▪ How can we make our family life happier?

▪ What happens to us when we die?

▪ Will we ever see our dead loved ones again?

▪ How can we be sure that God will fulfill his promises for the future?

And for somebody new like yourself, how can you trust the bible? This was also important for myself as I always viewed the Bible as just a good book. If you would like to know the answers to any of the questions above, or you need any help then please feel free to e-mail me at emmauk007@yahoo.com and I will do my best to answer your questions scriptually.

Thankyou

Emma