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Who doesn't want to yell "way to go"! for seekers. I love 'em! Man o man... just keep seeking.
Try reading C.S. Lewis. He was a non believer who came to belief. His insight may resonate with you. I always loved this quote as a template of belief.
~ C. S. Lewis
Terrific quote. I'm going to steal it and put it on another thread!! Thanks Dave!! Go Volunteers for Jesus!
I am very attracted to Christianity, but I was not raised in a Christian home. For the past few months, I have attended a Protestant church and have frequently read the Bible. I am at the point that I can say that it is very possible that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. The problem is that I am not 100 percent sure even though I'd like it to be true. How I can make that leap of faith?
Do true Christians have areas of doubt? How do you deal with that, especially if you do not come from a Christian background. Isn't it easier to believe if you were exposed to Christianity as a child rather than as an adult?
Billy Graham and the Pope have areas of doubt, take my word for it. Anyone who claims to be "100% sure" is whistling past the graveyard because it is impossible to be 100% sure.
I wasn't raised in a Christian home either. It may be "easier to believe" in a superficial way if you were indoctrinated into Christianity from an early age, but I think everyone (whether raised in a Christian home or not) ultimately has to make a mature decision as to whether Christianity is really the path for them. A decision that will take root and stay with you for the rest of your life must acknowledge and confront the doubts that are natural to everyone. It seems to me that many people who are raised in Christian homes never advance beyond the superficial stage; Christianity has been "too easy" for them, pretty much of a cultural thing, and they've never really given it much thought. (I'm not saying they aren't saved or aren't Christians, merely that their Christianity seems superficial in comparison to someone who has come to Christianity out of a real need for, and a mature understanding of, what it offers. I used to be active in some Christian groups where most of the people had been raised in Christian homes, and I always felt very much like a fish out of water, as though our perspectives were so different that we could have been from different planets.)
Indeed, it is quite difficult for someone who is indoctrinated into a religion from an early age ever to disbelieve. I have always lived in a predominantly Mormon area, and I have known many folks who intellectually reject the LDS history and doctrines but can never quite break entirely free of what Mom, Dad and the Bishop drummed into their little heads. I have always been very thankful that I was raised in a home where there was utterly no pressure to believe anything, and I thus was free to choose my own path.
If I were you, I wouldn't be troubled in the slightest by your doubts. If you simply have a nagging doubt that it "might not be true at all," I would say "Accept it, because you, like Billy Graham, the Pope, The Venerable Bede and every other Christian, are always going to have this doubt to one degree or another, and pretending you don't will only make you look silly and mess up your mind." God doesn't requires 100% certainty. He requires a decision. I have always defined faith as "choosing to live as though Christianity were true while accepting that it might not be." The leap of faith is simply choosing to follow the Christian path and seeing where it leads you. For most people, the truth unfolds and the doubts diminish after you make that decision.
I came to Christ as my home became haunted by corrupt spirits and their very existence proved to me that Jesus did do what He did in the New Testament and He did cleans people of demons spirits , because no other religion in the world cleanses corrupt spirit from people , or their homes but Lord Jesus does and He did just that after I repented and turned to Christ and went to church , My home got cleansed , the ailment on my body disappeared , the hopelessness of life on my own disappeared ............... And I did witness Gods Holy Angels which came flying by me in the spirit and I seen fully awake , as they were pure white , ................And I did see God`s eternal light at a prayer meeting which was a light of pure white , as I was the only one at the prayer meeting which seen His eternal light ... I have witness His presence and I will endure to the end knowing the truth
Thank all of you so much for your concern and lengthy responses. I will continue to read Scripture and read the verses that you suggested. I am amazed that so many people have come to help me with my search for spiritual truth. Your words are very appreciated.
I am very attracted to Christianity, but I was not raised in a Christian home. For the past few months, I have attended a Protestant church and have frequently read the Bible. I am at the point that I can say that it is very possible that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. The problem is that I am not 100 percent sure even though I'd like it to be true. How I can make that leap of faith?
Do true Christians have areas of doubt? How do you deal with that, especially if you do not come from a Christian background. Isn't it easier to believe if you were exposed to Christianity as a child rather than as an adult?
The fallen sinful nature will not bring you to God. Romans 3 states "none seek after God". The natural Man is trying to escape God. Hide away from Him.. explain the reality of His existence away.. Hide behind intellectualism the issues of the heart.
The Bible gives us a message.. we are GUILTY before God.. We stand before Him Justly CONDEMNED for transgressing against Him.. This is not the good news..
The good news is that God in JESUS Christ reconciled the world unto the Father through His blood being judged as a sinner in their place, and the undeserving guilty (all of us) can freely come to receive of what He's done for us on our behalf.
When I was unsaved, the LAST PLACE I wanted to go to is church.. because the natural man is against/an enemy of the things of the Holy Spirit. The two are at war with each other.. Sinful Man is running from God.
The only way for Man to come to God is for God to draw them to the Son.. The desire to come to the Son for Salvation and the faith to believe in Him comes from God.. The Grace of God draws sinners to the Son.
So I can not help your unbelief or argue into a Faith in Jesus Christ, BUT you can certainly come to the Son for salvation.. The offer is there for ANYONE that comes to JESUS in heart.
If you have seen the things you say you've seen, then it would have made media attention globally...
Yeah, because the news covers EVERY miracle, sign and wonder!!! There's no way the news is going to cover the amazing works of God. If they did, they would stay busy all the time trying to keep up with the many miraculous wonders of God.
Doesn't matter anyway, those who don't believe would still go on not believing. After all, when Jesus walked the earth no one believed in Him. And He was standing there in the flesh performing miracles. He could come back today and many still would not believe. What makes you think a news article would make any difference if Jesus Himself couldn't make them believe? Believing comes within and through faith. Not from the news. If you believed everything you see and hear in the news, you'd be a mindless zombie. You'd be willing to give up your constitutional rights in exchange for a nice pillow under your head at a FEMA camp. Only brainwashed people watch mainstream media.
Yeah, because the news covers EVERY miracle, sign and wonder!!! There's no way the news is going to cover the amazing works of God. If they did, they would stay busy all the time trying to keep up with the many miraculous wonders of God.
Doesn't matter anyway, those who don't believe would still go on not believing. After all, when Jesus walked the earth no one believed in Him. And He was standing there in the flesh performing miracles. He could come back today and many still would not believe. What makes you think a news article would make any difference if Jesus Himself couldn't make them believe? Believing comes within and through faith. Not from the news. If you believed everything you see and hear in the news, you'd be a mindless zombie. You'd be willing to give up your constitutional rights in exchange for a nice pillow under your head at a FEMA camp. Only brainwashed people watch mainstream media.
Another great post! in complete agreement.. only I believe all are "brainwashed" without Christ. led by the prince the power of the air... and he's certainly using the media..
Another great post! in complete agreement.. only I believe all are "brainwashed" without Christ. led by the prince the power of the air... and he's certainly using the media..
Hahahaha, yes, this is true! I should have expanded on that =) Thanks for clearing that up. (THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY JBROWN0830)
I am very attracted to Christianity, but I was not raised in a Christian home. For the past few months, I have attended a Protestant church and have frequently read the Bible. I am at the point that I can say that it is very possible that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. The problem is that I am not 100 percent sure even though I'd like it to be true. How I can make that leap of faith?
Do true Christians have areas of doubt? How do you deal with that, especially if you do not come from a Christian background. Isn't it easier to believe if you were exposed to Christianity as a child rather than as an adult?
Belief and faith are not a result of human reasoning, logic or choice. They are only and always a result of God's sovereign will and choice on the life of a person he has chosen to display his mercy and grace. Do you have an honest desire to know God? Have you reached the point where you realize that you are spiritually bankrupt and totally unable to do anything at all about that on your own? Do you understand where unforgiven sinners stand in relation to a Holy God? Most importantly, do you have a desire to love God and to have communion with him?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the Holy spirit is already drawing you towards himself. Pray fervently for faith and for trust in what God promises to his own. Jesus promises that all who seek him will come to faith.
I am very attracted to Christianity, but I was not raised in a Christian home. For the past few months, I have attended a Protestant church and have frequently read the Bible. I am at the point that I can say that it is very possible that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. The problem is that I am not 100 percent sure even though I'd like it to be true. How I can make that leap of faith?
Do true Christians have areas of doubt? How do you deal with that, especially if you do not come from a Christian background. Isn't it easier to believe if you were exposed to Christianity as a child rather than as an adult?
The following few sentences are from a sermon I can provide you a link to if you're interested:
When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your “unbelief.” That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you... want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.
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