No you dont.
So if you want to please ‘Christ’ or do what’s best by him.
Make your life the best it can be, enjoy and respect the planet we’ve been given and be as good of a person as you can be
Read the bible if you want, but that wont get you closer to your ‘Jesus’
Just be a good person.
Good clean living and be as nice as you can be
Ask Him to pull you closer. Also, something that has always helped me is music that focuses on God. I tend to get angry sort of easily at stuff that happens very often and my music, while loud and sometimes abrasive, helps me to focus on God because that is what my music focuses on. Tell me what sort of prayers do you pray?
Why not live the way he supposedly lived, going around lifting up the people that no one else would touch? The poor, the downtrodden, the prostitutes, the criminals, etc. He was penniless and homeless and devoted himself to helping others whatever the cost to himself. Reading a book won’t get you close to that. Living it will.
Sir Cody † invited 4 users to read this post 3 months, 2 weeks ago.
Yea I love music! That’s really important to me. I managed to say the Rosary every day for a week a little while ago. I think I wanna find something else though. I often speak directly to God.
Speaking directly to God is the way to go I can tell you. What sort of scripture do you prefer to read? Also, what sort of music do you listen to?
Newsboys, David Crowder Band, Tenth Avenue North, and a smattering of praise and worship songs. I’m looking for different kinds of christian music though maybe something more meditative. I like any type of scripture, I guess? I once in a whille just open in up and see what’s there. The Gospels, anything by ****. Paul, and Psalms, of course.
For the intellectual side of things, I have another book to recommend: Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. When I was still going through a very long, difficult conversion, this book was an important factor in my newly forming beliefs. It is the most reasonable, logical argument for the Christian worldview that I have have ever heard of. If you are having any problems with doubt this should help, and if you just don’t feel as excited about Christ as you used to, Lewis has a way of explaining just why God’s love is so very amazing and necessary in very easy to understand and yet very beautiful terms.
The other suggestions here are definitely good ones–if Christ seems to be getting further from you then maybe you should be following Him ;) Remember to make Him a part of it and it will definitely bring you closer to Him. It doesn’t even have to be something very big–I find if I help a friend through a tough time with the conscious effort to love this person just as Christ would, it has a greater effect than an actual service project that I do just because it makes me feel good to help. Remember why you’re there.
Prayer is important for me but I also do I guess what you could call meditation. Sometimes I am just talking to God and that’s prayer, but I also like to look at the stars or the trees or some part of His creation–sometimes listening to my own heartbeat is the most powerful of all–and I reflect on who He is and how many amazing things He has done for me.
Just some stuff that helps me, hope it helps you too (:
Here is something I think may be a problem. Now first I need to ask a question to show you my point. If that is ok with you here is a question. Who do you worship?
Sir Cody † wrote:
Here is something I think may be a problem. Now first I need to ask a question to show you my point. If that is ok with you here is a question. Who do you worship?
Oh for goodness sake, i know what’s coming and can i just say, let him/her live their lives
Dont go all brainwashed christian on them and try to regiment them
Just be a good person
Doing the rosary and scripture. means. nothing
How on earth do you think that pleases god more than actually you living your life?
Scripture is important. You can’t beleive in someone if you don’t understand who they are. If you don’t believe in them that’s fine, but this person wants to get closer to Christ, and how do you do that with any person? You get to know them.
Darkness, you’re obviously talking to a group of christians here haha. Don’t worry I won’t be brainwashed. I’m very objective ;].
Sir Cody, i’d like to see where you’re going with this. I worship God, the Trinity.
Hope, that helped so much! I identify with a lot of that. Thank you! I love CS Lewis and definitely want to read it!
hopelikefire4 wrote:
Scripture is important. You can’t beleive in someone if you don’t understand who they are. If you don’t believe in them that’s fine, but this person wants to get closer to Christ, and how do you do that with any person? You get to know them.
No absolutely, knowlege is important as opposed to blind belief, but regimented study of reread scripture?
To me seems more a hinderence
Well if you believe that God can speak to you through scripture, then by no means is it regimented or a hindrance. It is hard to hear Him sometimes though.
mikem7 wrote:
Darkness, you’re obviously talking to a group of christians here haha. Don’t worry I won’t be brainwashed. I’m very objective ;].
Sir Cody, i’d like to see where you’re going with this. I worship God, the Trinity.
Hope, that helped so much! I identify with a lot of that. Thank you! I love CS Lewis and definitely want to read it!
this is very good. I was concerned about something that a friend of mine once told me. He told me that he worshiped God along with Saints. Worshiping something other than God no matter how benevolent or benign it appears will always get in the way.
Mere Christianity is a very good book. C.S. Lewis happens to be my favorite dead author.
hopelikefire4 wrote:
Scripture is important. You can’t beleive in someone if you don’t understand who they are. If you don’t believe in them that’s fine, but this person wants to get closer to Christ, and how do you do that with any person? You get to know them.
this is spot on
mikem7 wrote:
Well if you believe that God can speak to you through scripture, then by no means is it regimented or a hindrance. It is hard to hear Him sometimes though.
very well put
Fair enough
You all seem disillusional to me though :P
You seem to have no idea about what is important in life
I hope your memorising of the human written stories in the bible will serve you well in replacement of actually impostant things
Oh haha you’re worried that I worship the saints and Mary because I’m catholic? No no I love the saints and Mary, and ask them to pray for me, but do not worship them.
Cody I’m reading the Shack now! I really like most of it.
The Shack is a good, book, but keep in mind that if a work of literature is not part of the Bible is has the potential of being flawed. Ask God for discernment when reading anything. I read that book and enjoyed it, but there are flaws. I remember that at one point one of the God characters tells Mack that God wants us to be equal with Him. This of course cannot ever be. My point is that we have to trust God and not the work of man.
One thing that I did get out of that book that I had been thinking about was that every act of God is out of love. Everything that He does is out of love for us.
Oh yea you gotta be really objective. At one point he says “all things are lawful?” Uh, no. Don’t think so. Flaws indeed. But also really helpful.
Darkness you seem to think that we’re too wrapped up in the rituals of religion and not in actually living? That is a legitimate concern, because many “religious” people are like that. I think we understand however how important our life is, and that Christ wants to dwell in us as we go about the EVERYDAY processes of life.
Sir Cody † wrote:
One thing that I did get out of that book that I had been thinking about was that every act of God is out of love. Everything that He does is out of love for us.
So when he doesnt prevent child abuse? That is love?
Then my god, the being you worship is sick
Natural disasters? Love?
Murder and torture… love?
All these ‘holy’ wars… Wow, what pure love
Wow someone needs to read this book…God does not EVER use evil. He does allow it to happen. If he stopped evil he’d be interfering with human will. We’d be robots. Evil is a reality we chose, but God will make it right in the end.
Of course he will
If he sees this evil happening to his children, children torn apart by it, in desperate need of help, and yet he still chooses not to help them, then he is mercyless.
If he is not mercyless then he is obviously powerless.
Or perhaps just a charade we cling to for reassurance to make everything ok when we are scared.
Oh, im having a hard time atm, never mind, God will make it better
Oh, I’ve been a complete nasty piece of ***t, never mind, god will forgive me
You will soon (hopefully) Come to realise that this God is a man created reassurance
Which if you think about it, is quite sacreligious to build him up and make excuses for him so you can keep believing
Dont get me wrong, i am technically a catholic, although im not practising
And i have lived 17 years of my life studying christianity very closely untell I came to my own conclusion
I believe in having something to believe in, a good force, but not at all to the extent that Sir Cody is portraying
Anyway, it is 4.15am here and im very tired (probably why im not wording things very well at all) and im going to bed
Im sorry if i caused offence
Im sorry im in a bad mood today :P
But please dont sacrifice your life for something with no proof other than niavity and wishfull thinking
No offense, just different beliefs. That’s all. Goodnight.
:) Night
And thank you, you seem like a really nice perso
What was the last part of scripture did you read? when?
Hmm…I suppose it was Peter’s healing the lame man and addressing the people at the temple. Last week.
Hmm, do you generally stay in the NT or do you tend to spread your reads out?
Speak to him, if you really believe in him. I mean sure prayer is all well and good, but to many people it can feel like a chore. If you want to get closer to him, speak to him. He is your god after all, a part of your life. you may feel a bit silly having a one-sided conversation, but he’s there, he cares and he will listen.
Prayer, Worship, reading the Bible, are all daily spiritual anointing’s so that’s good to practice and its a necessity to do, because once u stop doing that, is right when you give the devil a foothold in your life. Its really simple, but most people don’t want to do it, because they live in what is seen to much, and no what is unseen. So if you want to become closer to Christ, then you have to separate yourself from the world, for example look how much time we waste watching t.v. and look how much of it is just trash, some people say they watch t.v. for the news, but even the news is corrupted. Look at what type of music you listen too, if you want to get closer to God, then you’ll give up all music that doesn’t glorify Him. Who do you hang out with, and what is talked about when your around those people. 2 Timothy 2:16 talks about shunning pointless talk, most people want to talk about so and so and what he said or she said, and its all just pointless, and most of the time that stuff leads to gossiping and nothing productive comes out of it. If you look at it this way, if we spent more time praying or reading the bible, instead of watching t.v. at all, or if we were worshiping God instead of hearing that secular music, or if we were praying with our friends and feeding them positive things to help them grow with their faith, so you and your friends can brush shoulders with those who have no clue about Christ, and instead of trying to convert them and make them accept Christ right then and there and force it down their throat, but just let the light of Christ show in how you talk and what you say and what you do. And gently show them Truth, and be patient and loving, and allow Christ to do the work and to move their hearts, where they’re hungry for it, they’re hungry for what you have. Unfortunately most Christians find that to hard or not fun, but i find it exciting, i love getting revelation from God and talking about Him, i can’t constantly stop thinking of Him, and i truly want Him to use me. If only all the Christians really understood, that our body is not our own, its bought at a price, by the blood of Jesus Christ, therefore its not my own, its a vessel to do His will. So many people just think once they get saved and that’s it, but there’s so much more, I look at people around me daily of so called “Christians” and they would rather do something other then go to Church on Sunday, they would rather do stuff of the world. If only people understood, that you’re life will never find fulfillment unless you completely give your life to Christ.
105 wrote:
If only people understood, that you’re life will never find fulfillment unless you completely give your life to Christ.
You give a prescription for isolating and brainwashing yourself and avoiding anything that disagrees with your current beliefs. The real Jesus spent all his time wandering the real world helping real people with real problems and sharing the concept that people must not judge each other (which you are doing in your posting) but lift each other up regardless of their past wrongs. If you want to be closer to him, you’d do the same thing. Of course this is the same teaching that other religions and gods have, but that’s another story.
You give a prescription for isolating and brainwashing yourself and avoiding anything that disagrees with your current beliefs. The real Jesus spent all his time wandering the real world helping real people with real problems and sharing the concept that people must not judge each other (which you are doing in your posting) but lift each other up regardless of their past wrongs. If you want to be closer to him, you’d do the same thing. Of course this is the same teaching that other religions and gods have, but that’s another story.
lol? you obviously didnt read my post then, here i’ll re quote myself,
“if we were praying with our friends and feeding them positive things to help them grow with their faith”
but remember if you don’t believe in Christianity, what i said there will sound crazy and judgmental, cause that was for originally the person who made that post. Building up someones faith to a believer, and introducing Christ to someone are two totally different approaches. I’m sorry if i offended you, but you must of misunderstood what i was trying to say to the original person.
And im not brainwashed with my belief, cause ive seen the effects of Good and Evil, God and the Devil, with my eyes in the natural world and the supernatural world.
Worshiping God is what draws me closer to Him. I like songs by Hillsong. Also going to church helps me. And praying with others.
Everyone who has posted here has helped a lot. There were a lot of varying and useful insights. Thanks!
darkness_and_stars
linuxya
hopelikefire4
105
Cell