Why do you believe?
- Thread starter Vince
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When I was 20, the Lord converted me over a period of 3 days. I began telling people that I didn't know what was going on but I think Christ is real and he is dealing with me.
The joy of the Holy Spirit and God's love had become real and excited me. And I didn’t want it to stop but feared that it might. On the evening of the 3rd day my happiness turned into remorse. God convicted me of sins I didn't even know existed. I began praying, sobbing and asking his forgiveness.
I also asked Jesus into my heart. I heard you are supposed to do this, probably as a child in Sunday school. I fell asleep exhausted in tears only to awake the next day absolutely convinced Christ had saved me.
I had never been so excited about anything. I began telling friends and others. I saw a whole string of conversions in and around people I knew. They believed me and wanted in on it too. None of us were churched, so we began experimenting with going to different churches. We and our girls rattled a few churches with our enthusiasm.
In a sense from my earliest memories I have always believed in God. My first memory of considering the existence of God was when at the age of 6 years I was baptized in a Catholic Church. I built on and/or God built on that first vision of Him at age 6.
There were two periods when I tried to NOT believe and it simply did not work. Both occurred during the time between leaving formal Catholicism in about 1961 [high school graduation year] and being called into Pentecostalism in 1976. Nominally I remained Catholic during those years, but other than a couple of feeble efforts on my parts early on I made no move to worship God or to attend any gathering of people for the purpose of serving or worshipping Him... yet during that time He did things to keep me from becoming atheist in the most literal sense. Agnostic, I guess I really was, or was trying to be, until I remembered what He had already done in my life.
When He called me to Him, He did so big time. With a wife and two toddlers both of us loved our marriage had reached it final breaking point. Without posting the details, God saved the two of us and our marriage. That was in 1976. We are still serving God and we are still married. It will be 47 years of marriage this coming June.
There is no place I can see to go but to God. This world offers things which have at times had their attractions to me, but I have learned sometimes through great needless [or very needful] trials to avoid such things with all of my being. My being certainly is unable to do so...alone! I also am a man!
There were two periods when I tried to NOT believe and it simply did not work. Both occurred during the time between leaving formal Catholicism in about 1961 [high school graduation year] and being called into Pentecostalism in 1976. Nominally I remained Catholic during those years, but other than a couple of feeble efforts on my parts early on I made no move to worship God or to attend any gathering of people for the purpose of serving or worshipping Him... yet during that time He did things to keep me from becoming atheist in the most literal sense. Agnostic, I guess I really was, or was trying to be, until I remembered what He had already done in my life.
When He called me to Him, He did so big time. With a wife and two toddlers both of us loved our marriage had reached it final breaking point. Without posting the details, God saved the two of us and our marriage. That was in 1976. We are still serving God and we are still married. It will be 47 years of marriage this coming June.
There is no place I can see to go but to God. This world offers things which have at times had their attractions to me, but I have learned sometimes through great needless [or very needful] trials to avoid such things with all of my being. My being certainly is unable to do so...alone! I also am a man!
I think this is how we know we are born again. When you try to doubt but cannot.
For the first thirty years of my life I avoided churches because Christians did not know what they were talking about. Even when I was a kid I could see that those people were speaking nonsense. At the age of 30 I met some people who did know what they were talking about, and it surprised me that they didn't even act religious. Most important, they seemed to be good friends. I hung around because I wanted to learn how to have some friends. I took their class in bible research, which was three weeks long. I didn't believe a word of it. I just wanted to have some friends. It took that long for me to realize that the whole story was true.
Then it came out that they were not friends at all. They were only putting up a "good witness". The ministry continued for a few more years and folded because the people couldn't practice what they preached. Every Christian church I have visited since then had the same problem: not friends, only doctrine cops.
(Mormon theology is goofy, and the more you get into it the goofier it gets. But they sure are friendly! That's why the church has survived.)
Then it came out that they were not friends at all. They were only putting up a "good witness". The ministry continued for a few more years and folded because the people couldn't practice what they preached. Every Christian church I have visited since then had the same problem: not friends, only doctrine cops.
(Mormon theology is goofy, and the more you get into it the goofier it gets. But they sure are friendly! That's why the church has survived.)
I believed initially because of the internal evidence in the Bible, especially prophecy fulfillments.
Much love!
Much love!
SkyWriting
Active Member
I continue to believe in the faith I was born again under, due to my experience with answered prayer.
I'm not a fan of Prophecy.
Helen
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Vince has not been on here since the 21st May.
Hope he hasn't left us totally. He had some good 'arguments.'
I see like Amadeus , to have been born believing in God. I never ever questioned that 'He was there'.
It wasn't until I heard of the Great Love of the Father and the price that Jesus paid on the cross to bring us back into union with God. That was when I because a "beliving-believer"
Not knowing all that , as a kid I chattered to God and believed that He listened.
So I was a believer before I saw why I believed.
Hope he hasn't left us totally. He had some good 'arguments.'
I see like Amadeus , to have been born believing in God. I never ever questioned that 'He was there'.
It wasn't until I heard of the Great Love of the Father and the price that Jesus paid on the cross to bring us back into union with God. That was when I because a "beliving-believer"
Not knowing all that , as a kid I chattered to God and believed that He listened.
So I was a believer before I saw why I believed.
I don't remember I time I didn't believe in God. I suppose I was born during an age when most decent and respectable people had their children Christened and sent them to Sunday school. Even my friends who did not go to church believed in God.
Because I believed as a child I thought I was a Christian but it wasn't until I was 35 that I discovered that actually going to church doesn't make you a Christian, being born into a Christian family doesn't make you a Christian and even believing in God doesn't make you a Christian.
Being a Christian is not a default setting for all church goers or believers, there has to be a choice.
We have to make the choice to give our lives to him, ask him into our hearts, turn to him in repentance or whatever term has that same meaning and results in our spiritual re-birth, results in our coming out of darkness into life or seeing the light as some would say. When we choose relationship over religion.
But as for why I believed in God as a child I think it must be because I was taught to, we all did. We had prayers at school morning and afternoon and had RE lessons etc. But as to why I believe in God now it is because I have known his blessings, received his healing, heard his voice in a variety of ways, felt his touch had answers to my prayers and know his love.
Because I believed as a child I thought I was a Christian but it wasn't until I was 35 that I discovered that actually going to church doesn't make you a Christian, being born into a Christian family doesn't make you a Christian and even believing in God doesn't make you a Christian.
Being a Christian is not a default setting for all church goers or believers, there has to be a choice.
We have to make the choice to give our lives to him, ask him into our hearts, turn to him in repentance or whatever term has that same meaning and results in our spiritual re-birth, results in our coming out of darkness into life or seeing the light as some would say. When we choose relationship over religion.
But as for why I believed in God as a child I think it must be because I was taught to, we all did. We had prayers at school morning and afternoon and had RE lessons etc. But as to why I believe in God now it is because I have known his blessings, received his healing, heard his voice in a variety of ways, felt his touch had answers to my prayers and know his love.
If only people would realize just how powerful prayer is, they'd have scabs on their knees!
As it was for several of my brothers and sisters above, I too was born into it...well, Catholicism and was Christened, made my 1st Holy Communion and at 12. my conformation. Went to religious instructions and had to attend Mass with two of my siblings. We eventually started to just skip and hung out at the plaza down the street until they all filed out, then we went home. So, even though I never got a thing out of Catholicism BUT the very, very basics...I had zero interest. I know I believed in God as a child but, just could never understand where HE came from, lol. Then, in my early 30's, after allot of years living as the world lives, my best friend and I had been out "partying" one night, after we went to my apartment and had a long talk. She said to me, "Nancy, we have to stop living lie this, it's wrong" And, that we needed to find a Church...I was ambivalent but, I agreed. The first one we went to was a house church and let me tell you, there were NO saved people there...just some obscure scripture then the guy days after "okay, let's get out there and have some fun! He was talking about the bars! So, needless to say, her and I never went back. It took us 3 Church's to settle on one that seemed "normal"? So, I was at the library almost daily to find material that would help me to understand the Bible. Prophecy and end times is what really caught my interest back then. I read and read and read. I can remember struggling to form some kind of prayer life back then and, felt as if I failed every time. After about 4 years...I ended up back in the world as in my mind, there was no way I could measure up to being a "real Christian"
Fast forward about 20 some later when I found myself in the deepest and darkest hole I could imagine so, I had no choice BUT to reach up to Him...the world is full of total disappointment and UN-fulfillment...NOBODY will ever be satisfied with what the world fills your cup with. Lot's more but, have WAFFLED on here too much already, lol. Bottom line is that He brought me in big time 4 years ago and, I have never looked back. It was all different then, as I was older and had better understanding. I was remembering all the things I learned in the 1990's yet, it all had a meaning this time and I could NOT stop going from window to window in my house, saying the words "I see! I SEE now!!! That went on for days and days...prob even weeks! He is just so very GOOD ♥♥♥
Fast forward about 20 some later when I found myself in the deepest and darkest hole I could imagine so, I had no choice BUT to reach up to Him...the world is full of total disappointment and UN-fulfillment...NOBODY will ever be satisfied with what the world fills your cup with. Lot's more but, have WAFFLED on here too much already, lol. Bottom line is that He brought me in big time 4 years ago and, I have never looked back. It was all different then, as I was older and had better understanding. I was remembering all the things I learned in the 1990's yet, it all had a meaning this time and I could NOT stop going from window to window in my house, saying the words "I see! I SEE now!!! That went on for days and days...prob even weeks! He is just so very GOOD ♥♥♥
'The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'
Hello there,
I have read what others have written with interest. As for me, I just heard the Word of God concerning His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and believed it. I knew that I was a sinner, and needed a Saviour, and saw that God in His infinite love and grace had given His only Son to save me.
The journey since has stripped me bare, and exposed everything I held dear, taken away every prop, and every ground of confidence in the flesh, both my own and others. Taken away all forms of religious observance, too. Until what I am left with is Him alone. He only is my ground of confidence, He alone is faithful and true. He alone can rescue and save, He alone can keep, and save to the uttermost. God is indeed my refuge, and truly - underneath are His everlasting arms.
Praise His Holy Name!
In Christ Jesus
Chris
Hello there,
I have read what others have written with interest. As for me, I just heard the Word of God concerning His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and believed it. I knew that I was a sinner, and needed a Saviour, and saw that God in His infinite love and grace had given His only Son to save me.
The journey since has stripped me bare, and exposed everything I held dear, taken away every prop, and every ground of confidence in the flesh, both my own and others. Taken away all forms of religious observance, too. Until what I am left with is Him alone. He only is my ground of confidence, He alone is faithful and true. He alone can rescue and save, He alone can keep, and save to the uttermost. God is indeed my refuge, and truly - underneath are His everlasting arms.
Praise His Holy Name!
In Christ Jesus
Chris
"The journey since has stripped me bare, and exposed everything I held dear, taken away every prop, and every ground of confidence in the flesh, both my own and others. "
How most excellently put!!! I so relate to all of this ♥ Just could NEVER put it so well.
Hello @Nancy,
Yet, although stripped bare, nothing has been taken away. I am clothed, surrounded by the trappings of life, with relationships and love and care, but none the less I stand within the light of His presence as one stripped bare.
With love.
In Christ Jesus
Chris
I felt like that too Nancy, everything was brighter and fresher and I felt clean.
aspen
“"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few
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