Need help rebuilding faith

[Brainer]

Hello to you all!

I'm new to this forum but shouldn't be that new to the faith.
I was born and raised in a Christian home (evangelist), my grandfather was a preacher and my parents though Christians have always been liberal towards my education in faith.
I am 25, baptised, and shameful to say that I feel like a child in the faith, incapable of educating a son in God's ways if I had to. Despite the apparent advantages in being born in a God's nurturing home, my knowledge of the scriptures and doctrine are poor to say the least. I have always believed and felt God in my life, and I can say that whatever blessings my devoted Christian family have gained, they have been passed on to me. I thrive to take a life that follows moral and Christian principles but it is not enough.

Therefore I present myself humbly here, and ask for help. What do you recommend? Where should I start to renewal my faith? How should I start reading and studying the Bible in a more profitable way (I'm an academic so studying would be a pleasure for me)? I do not wish to read it straight from cover to cover, but would welcome a guide (website resources perhaps?) to walk me through the core text, at least for now.
In the future I wouldn't mind joining groups, but I'm recently moving to a foreign country and do not know the language, so attending church/groups is going to be hard. Therefore I would like to start by rebuilding myself alone.

Sorry for the lengthy text, but this is a need I have to satisfy.

Thank you for all the help. May God bless you all.

 

[Paul.]

I'm an academic so studying would be a pleasure for me

I'm recently moving to a foreign country

In light of these two points I would recommend purchasing some books that are used as texts in Bible college. The first would be a systemic theology textbook and I recommend Bible Doctrine Essential teachings of the Christian faith - Amazon.com: Bible Doctrine Hb (9780851115948): Wayne Grudem: Books - by Wayne Grudem. This is the abridged version of his Systematic Theology which has twice as many pages and is also easy to find on Amazon.com. It provides a good solid overview of the Christian faith. To become more comfortable with the Bible and where all the books fit historically and have a summary of their doctrinal message, I recommend purchasing a survey book for each of the testaments. These recommendations are also used as textbooks in Bible colleges. New Testament Survey - Amazon.com: New Testament Survey (9780802836113): Merrill C. Tenney, Walter M. Dunnett: Books - by Merrill C Tenney and A Survey of the Old Testament - Amazon.com: A Survey of the Old Testament [SURVEY OF THE OT 2/E]: Andrew E.(Author) ; Walton, John H.(Joint Author) Hill: Books - by Hill & Walton. I think books used by Bible colleges are better because they have been through an approval process unlike information on the internet and when gaining foundational information this is an important factor to take into consideration.

 

[1watchman]

Welcome friend. The primary object should be Jesus Christ and His "great salvation". Be sure you have received the Lord Jesus into your heart as your Savior. He is worthy of our devotion, and the only way to the Father.

Then one needs to be seeking to know the Word of God, and that means to be reading it and praying over it. Look up always!

- 1 Watchman

 

[Johnnz]

Gordon Fee "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" is a very worthwhile book.

bethinking.org and veritas.org have excellent resources suitable for an academic type.

You're Included | Grace Communion International has some good teaching material available

John
NZ

 

[joey_downunder]

It is great that you are interested in returning to Christianity. I hope you find these links helpful and bookmark them.

For different Bible translations: BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.

For Bible commentaries: Bible Commentaries

If you like listening then here's SermonAudio.com

If you are interested in serious Christian theology: Free Online Library: Main Bibliographic Divisions

For christian apologetics - definitely important for you to renew your mind this way: Apologetics 315
Tekton Education and Apologetics Ministries. James Patrick Holding. Tektonitron apologetics Encyclopedia. answering Bible difficulties and Bible contradictions
Alpha and Omega Ministries, The Christian Apologetics Ministry of James R. White

 

[Sketcher]

Bible Study Tools Online – Verses, Commentaries, Concordances, Verses, Parallel Versions Pretty awesome for helping you find out what a passage means in context.

NavPress has some good resources, too. I went through Lessons On Assurance when I was a new Christian. The LifeChange series is very good, my Bible study group did a couple of those. I suggest joining a Bible study group as well, so you can learn within community - you'll be studying on your own, and you'll get the benefit of other people's experience and perspectives at the same time. Also, find someone who is both willing and able to mentor you. A good mentor will help you through various challenges to your faith, showing you the fruits of the Spirit in his life at very least. This person should be a mature and growing Christian, either a leader or someone a leader would recommend for you.

 

[acts10]

its a simple thing really . stop all sin and read matthew, mark , luke and John. you'll know what to do then as the Holy Ghost is with you. then move to acts and let the Holy Ghost move into you. all you have to do then is lift your hands and say " I praise you Jesus" over and over. you will be shown by the Holy Ghost what to do. To Love God and to serve him is not complicated. it is easy. sometimes we make it harder than it has to be.

 

[insurchoftruth]

http://biblos.com


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Romans 8:5-8,29, 12:1, 2, Psalm 1:2, 3, Joshua 1:8, 1 Corinthians 14:4, 26-33, 1 Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:11-14, 11:6, Matthew 4:4, 5:6, 7:24-27, 10:38,39, 13:11, 2 Corinthians 10:15, Colossians 1:9-12, 3:16, [/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]James 1:7-8, 4:8, John 7:37, Matthew 4:4, 22:29, Psalm 86:11, Psalm 63:1, Psalm 119:12,18, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, Psalm 119:97,98,99, Psalm 25:4,5, Psalm 63:1, 1 Peter 2:2, 5:10, Luke 9:62, 2 Peter 1:5-9, 3:18, Colossians 3:1-3, Proverbs 3:5,6, Psalm 1:2,3, Revelation 21:6, 22:17, Psalm 25:4,5[/FONT]

 

[heymikey80]

Depending on where you go, you may well find a group of people who are interested in exercising their English & helping you with their language while in a discipleship group.

Academically, I've always found the letter to the Romans one of the more theological texts, not hard to understand, but pretty direct.

Working up from there to more thoughtful commentaries would help get you grounded pretty well.

 

[Bouke285]

Go to Bible.org and check out the Theology program. It's a free online theology (degree). around 7 courses with 10 hour long sessions each. The teachers approach Theology from all major sides arguing for each in an objective way. Start here Introduction to Theology | Bible.org - Worlds Largest Bible Study Site

 

[tturt]

I'm not good at reading The Bible straight through either. Here's some ideas -
1) do topic studies such as BibleGateway.com - Bible words from Nave's Topical Bible and Torrey's New Topical Textbook.
2) watch "One Night with the King" and compare it to the book of Esther or watch "The Passion of Christ" and compare it to the gospels - realizing that theatrical liberalities were taken but you would know which parts were scriptural,
3) study the tabernacles and temples - looking at similarities and differences http://www.biblegateway.com/topical/...set=0&limit=25 or this site shows pictures of the furnishings Images of the Tabernacle of Moses: God's Prophetic Pattern | Study material, pictures, drawings, and posters
or study the feasts of the Lord - such as Biblical Holidays
4) compare the accounts of the gospels such as – http://www.redmondfamily.com/Cancy%2...s%20Comparison
5) look at a list of Biblical characters and see what the scriptures have to say about that person. Here’s one site that has some listed - Biblical people
6) Some say 2/3's of what's in the NT is from the OT and study those Scriptures that overlap.
7) love studying Jewish customs and perspectives because it causes me to have better understanding of many Scriptures.
ETC
Also, to develop a deeper relationship with Yahweh means communicating with Him often. We give Him thanksgiving, praise and worship including a time when we get our minds off ourselves and others and just focus on Him. So I encourage you to meditate (doesn’t mean emptying our minds) it means focusing on Yahweh and His Word such as Psa 135 and 145 about who He is. Play music that's about Him. You could get a list of His titles, names and attributes.Locate a list that has Scripture listed so they can be checked out.
Then think about a few of those at a time.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Brainer. The best way is: Love thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Also: Love thy neighbour as thyself. Jesus Himself told us: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law, and the Prophets." It is Love God wants from us, freely given and no conditions made. Faith is good, yet without Love it is meaningless. By loving our neighbour, ( all we know and all we meet, whether friends or not friends ) we show our love to God by being loving and caring children/sons and daughters. Love is our greatest weapon to overcome all what life throws against us. Love is not only a feel-good factor, Love is also doing-word and Love changes our characters completely. People will notice, and will treat us the same: with kind words rather than ignoring or looking the other way, with friendly smiles and helping hands, we will change all occasions, and spread Joy and Love. Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will give us His Love, also. God will notice our sincere efforts to love and care, and God will bless us. God will also know that we love Him: How?? By following His Commands to love and care. Jesus told us to " ask and ye will receive," then we share all with the people around us.
When the Bible tells us to " Repent," that is what God wants from us, Love for God with all our beings, and love and care for our neighbour . We will stumble and fall, but we ask God`s forgiveness, then thank God and carry on loving as God wants us to. God will forgive us as we will forgive others, and we have years to learn to become the children, which our Heavenly Father wants. We will enjoy Life abundant, as Jesus promised us. I say this with love, Brainer. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Emmy]

Dear acts 10. You tell us that loving God is not hard, yet you do not mention " loving your neighbour." I say this humbly and with love: when Jesus told us in Matthew, chapter 22, verses 35-40, are we to disregard verse 40? or did Jesus mean only the first Commandment counts? forget the second Commandment? Perhaps I overlooked something you said? I ask this quite puzzled. Only few replies mention the Love for our neighbour as important as we love ourselves. Do I miss something?? I really ask lovingly, dear acts10. Please let me know, I would appreciate it. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[shikyoblossom]

You should start by reading the bible, maybe find a key verse(s) that means a lot to you and memorizing then/it. So that when you need help or guidance in a situation or if your just low on faith at that moment you can always just recite that scripture(s) to help you at that moment.

 

[Peripatetic]

Welcome to the forum! The same thing happened to me. I grew up in a Christian family and have been a believer all my life. Yet, well into my adulthood, I had a sudden realization of how far behind I was in terms of understanding scripture. I too felt guilty for letting so much time go by, and wondered how I could have let that happen. But instead of depression, I channeled these feelings into motivation and just stared digging in.

Two things helped me considerably:

1. A study Bible. I use the ESV Study Bible most. It provides a lot of the historical context and common interpretations of the passages.

2. Podcasts and Internet broadcasts of teachings and/or sermons from well-respected theologians and preachers.

I think it helps to get different perspectives... not just from one denomination or school of thought. This is a great opportunity. Enjoy it!