Looking for God

[LostNotFound]

All,

Thank you so much for all of your replies, and guidance. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your day to help me. I feel truly hopeful thanks to all these great responses, and warm welcoming's I have received since joining this forum. This is the first time I have ever interacted with Christians, and it has been a truly positive one.

I feel absolutely energized, like there is a spring in my step since I've read and responded to all of your posts. I can't explain it, but as I head out to start my day today I feel as if I will see the world in a different light. I sincerely hope I will find my path, and will be able to call myself a Christian one day.

As far as finding a church, pastor, or priest... I feel I would first like to find my path, my belief system first, and find a denomination that is in line with my beliefs. Which, of course, I am unsure what my beliefs are yet within Christianity since I've just started to scratch the surface on who Jesus is. Please remember I am coming into this with really no knowledge at all just the very basics, if that. Do you think this is a good path for me, or should I just jump into one of the first churches I find, or follow a pastor or priest I just meet? When does one truly know, in which denomination of Christianity they belong? Or maybe I am worrying to much about that too early in my journey?

 

[Hospes]

...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.

LostNotFound, you are probably more found than you realize.

One principle reason being reconciled to God through what Jesus did is called "good news" is that no matter how insurmountable our sin is, Jesus is powerful enough to remove it and give us his lack-of-sin, i.e. his righteousness. The Bible describes it in terms of being "clothed" in his righteousness. Also, this is not a one-and-done thing he does for us. I have followed him for 30+ years and need his righteousness as much today as the first day he reconciled me to himself. My own personal righteousness continues to be horribly inadequate for meeting God's standard and it is a great comfort and joy to know it is not the basis of my adoption as his son.

Grace (God's undeserved goodness) to you.

 

[lesliedellow]

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...

I suppose I can understand that. The professionally religious vary as much amongst themselves as any other group of people. Pick a fire breathing fundamentalist, and he might scare you off of Christianity. Here is somebody who seems to have trodden a path not wholly dissimilar to yours:

 

[dogs4thewin]

I would say start in the Gospel of John. It is the last of the gospels, and is deep, yet uses simple terms. I would also suggest purchasing a study Bible. These oftentimes will have information about verses and sometimes even summaries every few chapters.

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

All,

Thank you so much for all of your replies, and guidance. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your day to help me. I feel truly hopeful thanks to all these great responses, and warm welcoming's I have received since joining this forum. This is the first time I have ever interacted with Christians, and it has been a truly positive one.

I feel absolutely energized, like there is a spring in my step since I've read and responded to all of your posts. I can't explain it, but as I head out to start my day today I feel as if I will see the world in a different light. I sincerely hope I will find my path, and will be able to call myself a Christian one day.

As far as finding a church, pastor, or priest... I feel I would first like to find my path, my belief system first, and find a denomination that is in line with my beliefs. Which, of course, I am unsure what my beliefs are yet within Christianity since I've just started to scratch the surface on who Jesus is. Please remember I am coming into this with really no knowledge at all just the very basics, if that. Do you think this is a good path for me, or should I just jump into one of the first churches I find, or follow a pastor or priest I just meet? When does one truly know, in which denomination of Christianity they belong? Or maybe I am worrying to much about that too early in my journey?

http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/keys_to_church_membership.php

http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/protestant_denominations_today.php

http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/genesis_to_revelation.php

http://www.wayoflife.org/s3/biblical_separatism.php

Read the e-books from the first link and second link. you need the information in them.

 

[lesliedellow]

http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/protestant_denominations_today.php

Judging by the way they all manage to come under the hammer, in one way or another, this is a case of "We are the only true Christians".

 

[Winken]

Judging by the way they all manage to come under the hammer, in one way or another, this is a case of "We are the only true Christians".

In post 21 lostnotfound presents wonderful insights into the calling of the Holy Spirit, who responds to her quest for knowing Jesus as Savior.

We do not need to stir up controversy from 21 on. We need to praise God for His overwhelming love.

 

[Winken]

http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/keys_to_church_membership.php

http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/protestant_denominations_today.php

http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/genesis_to_revelation.php

http://www.wayoflife.org/s3/biblical_separatism.php

Read the e-books from the first link and second link. you need the information in them.

Excellent insights into who we are and what we believe.

 

[ISTANDBYJESUS]

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.



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.



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.




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.




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?

The word of God is in the king James bible: and the Lord's sheep hear his voice, and that voice is the truth, and the truth is the word of God. Much love to you.

On January 9th 2011 while listening to the book of Matthew(kjb) on my laptop, the audio was on chapter 23 and as Jesus was was talking in the audio, my ears were opened, and I heard the word of God and believed Jesus was Christ the Lord(God), and upon this revelation I knew how filthy I was and upon this reality I knew I was going to be condemned by Jesus in the day of judgment: Then a great fear came on me that was so terrifying that I shut off the audio because I could not bear to listen anymore. I got up and paced around in my home to shake this fear of condemnation but it would not leave me, so I cried out to the Lord Jesus acknowledging my sins and the last thing I said was have mercy on me. Moments later with my eyes open, I had a vivid vision in which it looked like it was night time and there in the vision was the Son of God crucified and upon that vision I believed Jesus Christ died for my sins: as soon as I believed the fear of condemnation was gone, and I have been changed ever since.

John 6:40King James Version (KJV)
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I truly hope he forgives me, and accepts me.

You're likely to get different answers than the one I'm about to give you, in part because I'm speaking from my Lutheran understanding of Christianity so it's going to reflect a Lutheran way of thinking:

God already has forgiven you, and God already accepts you.

Too often we have things backward, we think it's up to us to do the right things to get God on our side. God's already on our side. That's the significance of Jesus.

Your sins are freely forgiven, in Christ God has forgiven you of all your sins. That's the Gospel, the good news, believe the good news!

God already accepts you, He accepts you in Christ and on Christ's account. There's nothing you can do to earn God's acceptance, because God is already for you, He is already given Himself to you, He stands next to you and is with you and He loves you. All that you are in your sin, forgiven by and in and on account of Christ, so that all that Christ is for you. This is the Gospel, the good news, believe the good news!

The Gospel is not conditional on you or me getting ourselves right, getting our beliefs right, getting our thoughts right, getting our words right, getting our works right; the Gospel is what God has done already. It's all about Jesus.

Christ died for you. And if Christ died for you then you have a Savior already who loves you, you have a God who is loves you, a God who not only loves but a God who is love. He doesn't love us because we first love Him, instead we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). It's not about your love for God, it's about God's love for you.

Salvation isn't about the Law--what we are supposed to do--it's about the Gospel, what God has already done. That we are to love God is the Law, but that God already and has always loved us is the Gospel, and it is the Gospel that gives us hope, forgives us our sins, and makes us right with God in Christ.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[graceandpeace]

All,

Thank you so much for all of your replies, and guidance. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your day to help me. I feel truly hopeful thanks to all these great responses, and warm welcoming's I have received since joining this forum. This is the first time I have ever interacted with Christians, and it has been a truly positive one.

I feel absolutely energized, like there is a spring in my step since I've read and responded to all of your posts. I can't explain it, but as I head out to start my day today I feel as if I will see the world in a different light. I sincerely hope I will find my path, and will be able to call myself a Christian one day.

As far as finding a church, pastor, or priest... I feel I would first like to find my path, my belief system first, and find a denomination that is in line with my beliefs. Which, of course, I am unsure what my beliefs are yet within Christianity since I've just started to scratch the surface on who Jesus is. Please remember I am coming into this with really no knowledge at all just the very basics, if that. Do you think this is a good path for me, or should I just jump into one of the first churches I find, or follow a pastor or priest I just meet? When does one truly know, in which denomination of Christianity they belong? Or maybe I am worrying to much about that too early in my journey?

Hello,

These are good questions, & the answers are not exactly simple.

When I became a Christian, I was mostly clueless about the faith beyond some basics, & I did not grow up religious. At that time I took some church recommendations from someone else & stuck it out with a particular tradition of churches for several years. A few years ago, I began to feel spiritually unsatisfied & realized I was still clueless about much of Christianity's history & traditions. To make a long story short, I took time to research & explore the faith more, which lead to exploring other churches, & eventually I found a new path in another church tradition.

So, there are many Christian churches, & while there are many similarities on points of belief, there are also some sometimes very significant differences - such as in worship, church polity, approach to the Bible, among other things. For this reason, I would not suggest just randomly picking one out or settling for anything.

On the other hand, trying to sort out the information when you're new to the faith can be overwhelming, & I understand the importance of connecting with a religious community.

So, I would suggest at this point taking time to research Christianity more (church history might be a place to start, for example) & perhaps when you're ready slowly visit different local churches. You could try to educate yourself while visiting churches, too, & always change direction if warranted based on what you learn.

Let me know if you have further questions or if I can offer more specific help.

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

Judging by the way they all manage to come under the hammer, in one way or another, this is a case of "We are the only true Christians".

a Biblical examination of denominations is absolutely necessary for a new convert to find the right church, plain and simple some denominations believe and teach the wrong things, there is no getting around it. If having your denomination scrutinized by the bible offends you, then there is something wrong with what you believe.True doctrine and beliefs need not fear the scriptures.

 

[ViaCrucis]

a Biblical examination of denominations is absolutely necessary for a new convert to find the right church, plain and simple some denominations believe and teach the wrong things, there is no getting around it. If having your denomination scrutinized by the bible offends you, then there is something wrong with what you believe.True doctrine and beliefs need not fear the scriptures.

Scanning the pamphlet it doesn't seem Baptists were being scrutinized, and I noticed that the scrutiny against the churches mentioned has little to do with Scripture and more to do with comparing these churches to the beliefs and practices of Baptist and Baptist-like churches.

For example, a condemnation of calling Mary the mother of God as a false doctrine. That's something even a properly seminary trained Baptist should believe, because it is a universally held Christian teaching--unless of course one denies that Jesus is true God or subscribes to some form of Nestorianism. Christian teaching, however, is explicit that Jesus Christ is both God and man, and since Jesus is the child of Mary, Mary is therefore the mother of God for she is the mother of Christ. God the Word incarnate was in her womb for nine months, and she gave birth to Him and laid Him in a manger and wrapped God in swaddling clothes.

Such demonstrates the biases, which are not biblical or orthodox, but sectarian.

A far better resource would be an objective source, rather than one that has the goal of saying "all traditions and denominations except my own are bad".

Here's something that's arguably far less biased: Handbook of Denominations in the United States

Though it restricts itself to denominations in the United States.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[LostNotFound]

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.

Thank you for your prayers Jordan. I will read those chapters. I am picking up a bible and study bible today. I will look into born again, as I don't exactly know what that means. Thank you.

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.

What beautiful words Paul thank you. Yes, I sincerely want God in my life. I am taking baby steps, but am making progress. Also yes, I sincerely wish for His forgiveness.

 

[LostNotFound]

Scanning the pamphlet it doesn't seem Baptists were being scrutinized, and I noticed that the scrutiny against the churches mentioned has little to do with Scripture and more to do with comparing these churches to the beliefs and practices of Baptist and Baptist-like churches.

For example, a condemnation of calling Mary the mother of God as a false doctrine. That's something even a properly seminary trained Baptist should believe, because it is a universally held Christian teaching--unless of course one denies that Jesus is true God or subscribes to some form of Nestorianism. Christian teaching, however, is explicit that Jesus Christ is both God and man, and since Jesus is the child of Mary, Mary is therefore the mother of God for she is the mother of Christ. God the Word incarnate was in her womb for nine months, and she gave birth to Him and laid Him in a manger and wrapped God in swaddling clothes.

Such demonstrates the biases, which are not biblical or orthodox, but sectarian.

A far better resource would be an objective source, rather than one that has the goal of saying "all traditions and denominations except my own are bad".

Here's something that's arguably far less biased: Handbook of Denominations in the United States

Though it restricts itself to denominations in the United States.

-CryptoLutheran

Thank you for the link. I researched through the other book, I will read this one next.

 

[LostNotFound]

LostNotFound, you are probably more found than you realize.

One principle reason being reconciled to God through what Jesus did is called "good news" is that no matter how insurmountable our sin is, Jesus is powerful enough to remove it and give us his lack-of-sin, i.e. his righteousness. The Bible describes it in terms of being "clothed" in his righteousness. Also, this is not a one-and-done thing he does for us. I have followed him for 30+ years and need his righteousness as much today as the first day he reconciled me to himself. My own personal righteousness continues to be horribly inadequate for meeting God's standard and it is a great comfort and joy to know it is not the basis of my adoption as his son.

Grace (God's undeserved goodness) to you.

Hospes, thank you for the kind words. This is indeed good news! I will definitely need forgiveness for the rest of my life.

 

[Hawkins]

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.

How about going to the church. If I were you, I would find a friend of mine who is a royal Christian then attend Sunday school and Sunday services with him.

 

[LostNotFound]

How about going to the church. If I were you, I would find a friend of mine who is a royal Christian then attend Sunday school and Sunday services with him.

Thanks for your reply Hawkins.

I thought I didn't have anyone in my life that was a Christian, however, just yesterday for no apparent reason it popped up in my head that I should re-connect with an old friend I hadn't seen since high school. I looked him up and added him on Facebook. He actually messaged me a day later and asked how I was and we exchanged numbers. Come to find out he found Christ maybe 3 years ago or so judging my his Facebook posts. We are going to get together in a couple days and catch up. Maybe that would be a good time to ask him about the faith.

 

[dcalling]

All,
I feel absolutely energized, like there is a spring in my step since I've read and responded to all of your posts. I can't explain it, but as I head out to start my day today I feel as if I will see the world in a different light. I sincerely hope I will find my path, and will be able to call myself a Christian one day.

It is the love you received through Christ. I came in US a hardened atheist, and was drawn by the warmth of Christians around me. Later after I started working, got into fellowships. Never believed but something there grasped me. Later I almost became a Buddhist, but eventually found by myself, I can't never archive the "awakening" described.

It is the Bible, accurately described human nature, told us how to live your life, what is true love. The need in us is strong, as I was told, we are a vessel for God's spirit, and without it, nothing can satisfy us, not money, not power, nothing but God's love.

As far as finding a church, pastor, or priest... I feel I would first like to find my path, my belief system first, and find a denomination that is in line with my beliefs. Which, of course, I am unsure what my beliefs are yet within Christianity since I've just started to scratch the surface on who Jesus is. Please remember I am coming into this with really no knowledge at all just the very basics, if that. Do you think this is a good path for me, or should I just jump into one of the first churches I find, or follow a pastor or priest I just meet? When does one truly know, in which denomination of Christianity they belong? Or maybe I am worrying to much about that too early in my journey?

I am no denominational, never really understand what the denominations are for. I will say find a church, and get in a fellowship, I enjoyed fellowships much more than a church, that is where you find support, exchange ideas, still remember the early days when I argued with my Christian friends, from Evolution to the wisdom of Bhudda . Will definitely pray for you.

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

It is the love you received through Christ. I came in US a hardened atheist, and was drawn by the warmth of Christians around me. Later after I started working, got into fellowships. Never believed but something there grasped me. Later I almost became a Buddhist, but eventually found by myself, I can't never archive the "awakening" described.

It is the Bible, accurately described human nature, told us how to live your life, what is true love. The need in us is strong, as I was told, we are a vessel for God's spirit, and without it, nothing can satisfy us, not money, not power, nothing but God's love.



I am no denominational, never really understand what the denominations are for. I will say find a church, and get in a fellowship, I enjoyed fellowships much more than a church, that is where you find support, exchange ideas, still remember the early days when I argued with my Christian friends, from Evolution to the wisdom of Bhudda . Will definitely pray for you.

non-denominational is an oxymoron, every church has a set of beliefs that tends to lean towards some denomination.
Saying "i am non denominational" is suppose to be like some sort of badge of non judgmentalism or something.

Denominations simply help others identify what you belief. If you dig far enough into the history of whatever church you attend you can probably find somewhere down the line where there was a split off of some major denomination and simply the dropping of the denominational name.