ELI WRITES: Should I care what people think if I am following God to the best of my ability? Should our actions be manipulated by the way society views our decisions? If this is the case, then I am burdened by society and inhibited in what I can and cannot do. I would suffer these restrictions because of what someone else has done, what someone else thinks, or what society would say I’m doing.
If I am obligated to “look good” for the sake of my reputation, then does that not limit and shape my decisions to that of what the world thinks of me? We are to represent Christ, but He ate with sinners! The religious, zealous Pharisees hated Him. Yet He went about doing His Father’s work.
The Bible says to “avoid every appearance of evil.” But if I do what I feel is right, but only in so much as I think people will approve, am I a selfish conformist? Am I looking for my own gain and preserving my reputation, possibly at the cost of another person’s well-being? Or am I trying to preserve Christ’s reputation? How do I know? Would I have ulterior motives?
What happened to following Christ’s example? He was an outcast. We’re called to be the same. Where does morality play into all this?
Ultimately, if I do the will of God, but it looks like I’m sinning, would it be wrong to do it?
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In answer to your last sentence: NO! If God is calling you to do something then DO IT! And if I’m being honest, if God is calling you to do something, I really doubt it will “look like you’re sinning”. People may disagree with your decision or not understand why you’re doing what you are doing, but I doubt it will look like you are sinning…Does that make sense??
As for your motivation behind doing something right, it is very possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason…It doesn’t make what you did wrong; it just makes your HEART behind that action wrong…So for example, I can “do the right thing” of going to church on a Sunday, but what if I’m going because I just want to hang out with friends?? -Right thing, wrong reason…So what we need to do is examine our hearts before we make decisions. We need to be sure our heart’s desire is to honor and serve the Lord in our actions, words, thoughts, etc. This isn’t always easy…It’s something I think every single person struggles with to some extent! I mean, after all, if our heart’s desire was ALWAYS to please the Lord above ourselves then we’d never sin!
So ultimately, “do the right thing. come what may”….But do the right thing for the right reason, always strive to honor God, and always do what the Lord is leading you to do… 😉 =) I hope this is helpful!!!
If you wanna follow God, the world is gonna think you’re stupid and hate you for following Christ. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” ““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” What the world thinks of us doesn’t matter. =)
To add to my last comment…in answer to your last question, if other believers think you’re sinning in what you do, you might need to re-examine your motives for doing what you’re doing. Other believers have a way of seeing blindspots that we can’t. =) And @disqus_Sh6PyJ3MsP:disqus said some good things too. =)
I would say that it’s more important to DO the right thing than to LOOK LIKE you’re doing the right thing. Always do the right thing regardless of people’s opinions, because they can’t see your heart and God can.
When possible, do your best to avoid situations where you could appear to be sinning, but if it’s impossible, let God be the only judge.
Let’s just say that God doesn’t will for you to sin, so that shouldn’t be a problem… Now I’d have to know more of what is happening in order to make any sort of judgement, but it is pretty safe to say, if it looks like sin, I don’t think that is what God wants you to do… The Bible says that we are to be above even the appearance of wrongdoing, so I think that if your gut tells you it’s wrong, don’t do it. 😀
Now with regards to what others think, if you are doing the right thing, the right people will think highly of you, and the wrong people won’t. Light has nothing to do with the darkness, so it’s pretty straightforward that the world’s opinion of you doesn’t really matter, beyond they know you do what you think is right (or what God says is right).
The right thing done in the wrong way is wrong. Amen!
Hey Eli, I’ve never
commented on one these things before, but I’m 21 and still don’t have all this
people-pleasing stuff all figured out either.
But what I CAN tell you are a
few things from my own experience, and a few things from talking to older men
in my life.
The biggest thing that you
need to remember is your salvation. You are saved by a Holy God that loves you
more than anything else. Now ask yourself this question, forget everything you
wonder about society and all that stuff…If God is all that you need, why are
you so consumed by what society tells you? The book of Romans has all the
things you need to know about how to be a Christian. The book 1 Peter tells how
to be Christians in a society that’s corrupt and against you. Take some time
and read these scriptures and pray and ask God to speak to you about where your
heart is.
Now if you are bought with a
price, then Jesus has picked you specifically to do things for his kingdom. And
this should over encompass everything that you do. “In everything that you
do, do it as unto the lord.”
So if you are saved, you
will want to abstain from sin, and do God’s will. The fight you’re struggling
with is the fear of people. The trouble with fearing people is that you forget
about doing God’s will. When you said that Jesus ate with Sinners, yes he did,
but you have to evaluate what his purpose was from the start. Jesus wasn’t
hanging around eating with sinners to be cool. He came to heal them, and bring
light into their lives. Being light means you stick out a lot. If you’re
planning on reaching out to your buddies that don’t know Jesus, that’s an
EXCELLENT heart to have! But then I would beg the question, how are you
conducting yourself around them? Are you being salt to them? Or better, are you
different than them? Do you stick out as that Christian friend? Those are more
important questions to ask then whether they like you or not. If people hate
you for being a Christian, that’s pretty normal. Remember that you hated Jesus
at one time too, you know. Matter of fact, even Jesus’ followers turned against
him. Jesus knows what being hated feels like, so don’t expect being salt and
light to world means it’s gonna be easy and fun. Rejection to the gospel is a
common thing to happen.
Here’s another applicable
example. Let’s say you wanted to go on a mission trip! That’s a fantastic idea!
God is absolutely honored and glorified for that! But pause and evaluate your
heart, are you strictly going on that mission trip because you wanna come back to
your friends, brag about your righteousness, and have people like you more? Or
are you strictly wanting to go and serve for God’s glory? Again, Jesus wasn’t
walking around healing people to get attention.
The Bible states that no one
is righteous unless through Jesus. So keep in mind that you are going to constantly
be at war with your flesh. Proverbs talks a lot about wisdom, and wisdom isn’t
about making a lot of people notice you, and it’s definitely not simply head
knowledge on things. Rather wisdom is the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 1:7) And
fear of the lord means that you will do things that will glorify him. HENCE,
you will abstain from sin. So when you ask, “…if I do what I feel is right, but only in so much as I think
people will approve, am I a selfish conformist?”, stop there and ask another question, “Is what I’m doing a
sign of fear of the Lord?” The only way you will know is by knowing what God
calls you to be, not what others want you to be. Cause if you were crazy enough
to do everything people told you to be, than you wouldn’t be Eli anymore. And
God made you to be Eli.
Here’s one more question
that I can’t answer for you, but I think you should think about and read
scripture on it. Do you truly accept who God made you to be? Are you thankful
for the way God has made your personality, your talents, your gifts, and your
stories? Are you thankful for the ministry that he has given you at where you
are located?
One thing I can tell you, is
that once you start embracing your identify in God’s salvation for you, then
you actually become your true self, and become less afraid of other people. You
will grow and mature into being a Christian God designed you to be.
I like your last point…”other believers have a way of seeing blindspots that we can’t”….SO true!!!
I think it may depend on what it is people think about you. If they think you are a hypocritical person who says one thing and does another it reflects poorly on Christ. Of course nobody is perfect and some people are just mean to be mean. But I think we should really, really, want people to say, “Wow something is different about them… I want whatever they have.” Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12).
Thanks! =)
It matters what they think of Jesus. So yeah, be careful to make him look as good as He is. But since they hate Him, they’re going to hate you too. Sometimes you’ll look like an idiot or a bigot. That’s okay, just don’t add offense to the truth.
Hey, Eli!! These aren´t easy questions and I can´t promise I have all the answers, but I want to share something that totally blew me away in Matthew 6 a while back as I was struggling with these same questions. This chapter is Jesus teaching the disciples about how to live a life of godliness in a world of fakers; how to serve, how to pray, how to fast, how to think, how to live. Near the end when Jesus is talking about life´s worries he says the coolest thing ever “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God knows exactly what is needed for you to accomplish his purpose, and so as long as you seek the kingdom of God and his rightousness first, everything is of secondary importance and God will take care of you in whatever way he sees fit.
We need to show Christ to people and try to make other see us in a god light, but w should not go as far as to let the culture and what they say shape our desisions
So, I was pretty sure of how I would respond till the last question. I’ve always been an outcast. I’ve always been uncool, and I think most of the people on theReb have. The Bible tells us to “Not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” On the other hand, if what we’re doing looks like to sin to our parents and close friends who know us well (if you’ve got any of those) then we should probably at least think an pray really hard before we continue doing whatever it is. In terms of trying to reach out to unbelievers or others with different standards than us, we should not lower ourselves to their standards but invite them to do something that aligns with our standards. I have realized that reaching out to cool people and being cool are completely opposite things. If you can be uncool, be yourself, and let yourself be vulnerable with cool people, they may see that as an opportunity to hurt you, but more likely they will see that as an invitation for them to be open too. Is that helpful?
(Most of this is theory, and is a lot easier said than done, but it is what I truly believe.)
Yes beacuse how society views u is important m8 it may affect even your job or life
Personally, I believe in any divine entity, if any, that supposedly lives in an upward direction, and follow whatever word that entity may have to the best of my ability.
no one does
have the answers except whatever divine entity supposedly up above
Question. I’ve been wanting to accept Jesus, but part of my family is Atheist, so i dunno what to believe. What if there is no god? what if there are gods? WHat if… these questions are asked by millions every day. And sometimes I wonder… will they really be answered after death?
except for the 50% of the world that is Christian you silly goose
why does it reflect poorly on him? He didn’t make us or anything. Oh wait.. Iforgot, sry. God is his own son. Trinity or whatevs. Also I have asked every religious person i know and none of them know how Jesus is his own son. CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN??
spam. Is th@t a sin m80?
remeber, ALMOST everything is a sin… such as the screen u r on right now.
To add to what @programguy:disqus has said, think about this. When I was asking the same questions, my mum told me to ask myself these questions.
If God is real and I put all my faith in him and surrender to him and love him with all my heart, soul, strength and mind and I am his disciple– then when I die I will go to Heaven. But if God isn’t real and I do all these things, then when I die, I just cease to exist and I’ve lost nothing. But imagine if you didn’t chose him and you didn’t put your trust in him and then you die. What if you were wrong? What if God was real? You will now spend eternity separated from him. You would have lost everything.
But I also agree with what Sam said. I know God is real because of the way he has changed me and loved me. Life feels different now that I am a disciple of Christ than before I was. Life is still tough and pretty horrible sometimes, but it is a lot more comforting knowing that I have Jesus right beside me and supporting me when I need it; knowing that he will never leave me nor forsake me.
Your testimony is AMAZING!!! God is such a loving God and he’s so faithful to help us!! It takes a lot of courage to share so openly your testimony like that Sam!! Thanks for sharing what Christ has done in your life and being so open…
Hey!
While it may be true that a large percent of the population is nominally Christian, many of those people just check a box in a survey, and haven’t been truly changed by God. In order to become a Christian, you have to repent of your sins, God has to change your heart, and then you have to live your life for Christ, loving Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might. Most people who claim to be Christian sadly do not fall into this category. =/
You are an ambassador for God; first know who you are and how God sees you. Than in any situation you will respond right . If you sit at home none will know the Glory of God and none will see his love. I see your heart Eli i have had the same questions but do not let fear of man stop you. The enemy tries to get you to do nothing for the kingdom of God. Nothing of worth. Use wisdom and if any lack wisdom let him ask of God and he will give them wisdom. Some might criticize you if you ate with sinners. But Jesus did as well and he offended the religious. Live for God and use his wisdom. Hope this helps
Aiden, the short answer is no, no one can really explain it, because none of us *really* know. That’s where faith comes in–we know something is true, even though we don’t understand it completely. (Check out Isaiah 55:8-9). I have heard it described as being like an egg before… You have a shell, the egg white, and the yoke. But it’s one egg. Or the three points on a triangle. This article talks about the topic in more depth: http://christianity.net.au/questions/how_can_jesus_be_both_god_and_gods_son.
In an above comment, I see you mentioned that you’re from an mostly atheist family, but are considering following Jesus. That’s pretty awesome! I imagine it would be very hard in an atheist family to consider breaking away from those beliefs. Have you read from the Bible before? If you’re looking for answers, that is the best place to start. You could start by reading some of the New Testament, such as Romans or Corinthians 🙂 If you have more questions, or would like to talk about some of the stuff in the Bible, you can comment back, and I will try to the best of my ability to answer or discus it with you.
Hey Aiden,
Great question. Really. I’ll do what I can to answer it. But ultimately you do have to realize that it’s not about understanding everything about God and Christianity that will save you. It’s not about having all the right answers. It’s about your standing before God–His work on the cross and what that means to you.
That being said, the Bible gives us more than enough evidence to know that it is the Truth. I’ll deal with the Trinity first. Jesus is not His own Son, obviously. Scripture is quite clear that there is one God. In the very first chapter, however, He already refers to Himself in the plural form (“Let us make man in our image”). There are other verses that describe His plurality as well (I John 5:7 – “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Matthew 28:19 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name [indicates a person] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”).
This is basically what the Bible teaches: God is one Being with three distinct Persons. He is not one God with three parts, nor is He three different gods. Each Person is equally God. But each Person has very different roles. I wish I could give an appropriate analogy, but obviously anything falls short of the describing the nature of God Himself. In addition to the other comment, think of it this way: my dad, my mom, and I are equally human. But we have very different roles with the family unit. Similarly (sort of, but not really), each member of the Trinity is equally divine, but they are separate in other ways. Only the Son became a man and came to earth. The Father and the Holy Spirit did not. If you want to know more about the Trinity, go to https://www.rca.org/resources/belgic-confession and read sections 8 and 9. It’s just one resource of many, but it has lots of Biblical basis.
As far as whether or not God exists, believe me, it’s much more difficult to prove why the universe exists, why you are a conscious being, why there is such a thing as life, why you know the difference between right and wrong, why the universe is ordered and follows laws, why miracles happen, etc. if you believe there is no God. It takes more faith to be an atheist. But Jesus tells us to count the cost when considering putting our faith in Him: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?” (Luke 14:26-30).
But He’s your only hope, Aiden. You cannot hope to stand before God on the basis of your own works. It’s not enough to “follow whatever word that entity may have to the best of your ability,” like you said. That will only condemn you in the end. In an unparalleled expression of love and justice, Christ was crushed (Isaiah 53) by His Father when on the cross, bearing the just penalty for sin against a holy God. That included the payment for our “good works,” which in reality are nothing more then filthy rags. And yet He was raised from the dead. His perfect sacrifice has been accepted. No one who believes on Him will find his faith misplaced.
Wow! Sam, that is an awesome testimony!
Debatable … I mean, God probably does. Just saying…
i said except god
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https://disqus.com/home/channel/cfb/
spread the word for college football chat
Sam, your testimony was amazing! Like others said God is a loving God! Thanks for sharing!
Is there a way we can use that to discuss this further? I’d like that.
Hey Aiden,
Though I would agree that God does change ones life for the better, I do know that personal experience are not enough to validate the existence and truth of God. I see the experiences and changes in my life as rather a personal affirmation that God is there. But I don’t base my faith in that.
The Christian faith is not blind faith.
The existence of God isn’t something very hard to prove. All arguments usually fall short with the assumption that the the universe can indeed come from nothing, and have no cause. That is simply illogical, since nothing is nothing, and there must be a known or unknown cause if there is an effect. To put it in physical terms, the universe cannot come from nothing because nothing is nothing, and if there was something during a point in time which somehow caused the universe, it cannot have happened by itself due to the law of cause and effect. But that is granting that it is possible for matter and physical laws to have always existed. Case and point, even the tiniest particle must have a reason for its existence, and the idea that it either made itself, was pulled out of nothing, or was always there is simply absurd. I believe the same thing would apply to metaphysical laws too. (like quantum physics)
I would check out the resources from Mr Craig’s site concerning this issue,
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/popular-articles-does-god-exist
The next question which obviously will come up after establishing the existence of God is, there are so many ideas of god, which god?
What you then have to see, is which religion is established in truth. Which one is true? How can we know its true? I will make a brief support for Christianity.
No other religion besides Christianity has its doctrines truly made in history. I’ll give one example. The Life and Resurrection of Jesus. Despite it happening 2,000 years ago, Jesus was a real person. Christianity makes the best support for his life, ministry, and death. Even his resurrection! The Bible has faced scrutiny for many centuries and has withheld. Internally the Bible is coherent, meaning it has no contradictions (all supposed ones have been refuted), prophecies made hundreds of years prior have came to pass, and time and time again archaeology supports the Bible’s claims in history.
I could certainly go on, and I did not in any way make an rigorous defence of Christianity. I don’t have all that time, since it would take books.
But let me direct you to some websites and sources I have found helpful for my searching in these areas.
creation.com
reasonablefaith.com
http://www.tektonics.org/TK-GEN.php
Book:
New Evidence that Demands a Verdict: Josh Mcdowell
Aiden, if you want to understand the Gospel of Christ I recommend this book,
http://www.amazon.com/Gospels-Power-Message-Recovering-Gospel/dp/1601781954/ref=la_B00DXKZZLS_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446847704&sr=1-3
also watching this,
http://illbehonest.com/the-gospel-of-christ-powerfully-saves-paul-washer
There is so much out there, but I gotta run.
And note: I will only respond to anyone but Aiden on this since I do lack time and find internet debates unfruitful.
But anyways, I hope this helps. Before responding to me I would do some reading. My comments were never made to be a super strong argument for Christianity.
God Bless,
Liam S.
Everything that has been replied as an answer to your question is true. As a matter in fact, I want to say something that has happened to me (as a 15 year old).
I’ve been saved for quite some time, but until about a month ago I never had the excitement Christians have when serving the Lord. Sure, I had trusted the Lord through many different times, and He (as a real God) really did help me through them, but I never paid much attention to the help he gave. Later, however, I decided that I couldn’t keep thinking like I was. I then prayed that He (the loving Lord) would help me, and I surrendered my life completely (unlike before) to Him, After praying, I realized that the Lord really will always help me through everything. Even if I get laughed or jeered at, I know that the Lord will help me if I trust in Him.
To put it simple, if a person is a Christian, he can trust the Lord no matter what, and since the Lord is so kind and loving, He will help you through any situation. Psalm 56:3-4 says the following: ” Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You (the Lord)………..I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” David (in the Old Testament) wrote this psalm. What he was saying is that whenever a Christian is afraid, he can trust in the Lord and not fear anything. David wasn’t afraid of anything because he trusted in God. The Lord therefore helped him through everything.
I have a great joy and happiness living as a Christian in the Lord! Seriously, trusting in the Lord as your Savior will be the best thing that ever happened to you. Just recognize that you are a sinner and that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and then ask Him to enter your heart. Despite the problems that you may have with your family (or anything else) because of being a Christian, you will be able to trust in the Lord, and I am positive that He will help you through all the situations you may have to face.
You can know that God loves you because He says so in His Word. As John 3:16 says, God sent His Son (Jesus Christ) to die for you, that you might be saved and have eternal life in heaven with Him. I will be praying that you will accept Christ as your Savior. Please recognize what I said!
God loves you!
“Ultimately, if I do the will of God, but it looks like I’m sinning, would it be wrong to do it?”
Yes. Are you still doing the will of God?
It does not matter what other people think.
This reminds me of a sign in our house above our fireplace;
“….In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
IT WAS NEVER BETWEEN YOU AND THEM ANYWAY.”
(Capitalized letters are as on the sign)
Your next door neighbor isn`t going to judge you. Neither is your mom, your dad, your pastor, or the guy with the dog across the street. There is only one Judge, and He will decide whether you did right or wrong.
I am really confused by this comment. Is being cool a sin? Is that what you’re asking?
haha yep. Sorry about that.
spam is not cool
But how are you to know what is that entities word if you do not even know who that entity is? If you could have a real-life relationship with the creator of the entire universe, wouldn’t that be kind of amazing? A God who has the power to heal, to bring life to the dead, to cast out demons and dark forces? Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for being open about this. It can be hard and scary to face doubt, and we want to stand with you in this.
Can I ask you two more questions? 1) If there is no God and no afterlife what’s the point of this life? Isn’t it pretty awful if their isn’t some purpose to it? People die. People kill others. People hate each other and cuss each other.
2) Do you have any Christian real-life friends or have you read any Christian books?
Your advice sounds really wise, but might their more than just this life and our job in this life? I mean, if there is a next life, shouldn’t we think about that and how we will spend our time then?
then our life is wasted
to have a life
yes i do
No. Being cool isn’t a sin, but caring more about what other people think than what God thinks is a sin. It’s making other people our god and making God something extra in our life. It’s super tempting to care too much about what other people think, or try to use them to “fill us” instead of truly loving them and I know it’s hard because it’s something I deal with all the time.
Not if we’re living for the next life. If we “store up treasure in heaven.” If we seek to truly obey Jesus so that when we get to Heaven he will say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
true
servant? this sounds like slave thing fr. 1700’s
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”-Romans 6:16.
Yes, let us be slaves to Jesus, slaves of love and life and truth. Is that not better than being slaves of the emptiness of being slaves to sin and death. I would really encourage you to read Romans. It is a book full of compact truth (if you haven’t already.)
P.S. Please let me know weather these comments are helpful or not! Thanks 🙂
yes they r
Good. I really don’t want to just argue with you, but if it’s helpful for me to talk to you then that’s great!
Thanks for your testimony. It’s super cool! People need to talk about things like that more often.
What is the point of having a life? I mean really, wouldn’t it be better just to avoid the suffering, and die?
i finally finished reading ur comment after 2 days
there are good things in life. ok so if u h8 it so much here are steps:
1 go in a plane
2. jump off @ 55 k miles in the air
3 fall to the solid ground yelling “FOR JESUS”!!
without life we wouldnt have death, we would never exist. Ohh if u ever have a kid, since life sucks, hve it be born and then abort it/ kill it so it goes str8 2 heaven
I’m not saying that I hate life, but I would if I didn’t know Jesus.
There would be no sense of meaning. No one’s going to remember me. I’m not going to have a legacy. Nothing will ever be different. What would be the point?
http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/if-babies-go-to-heaven-why-oppose-abortion. Here’s John Piper’s response to that.
always try. Well if there is no point cease 2 exist.
I’m sorry for being so negative and argumentative. Just tell me if it’s too much. I don’t want this to become an argument.
just give me ur username and pw first
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, but walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”-part of 1 John.
This is actually something that kind of bugs me. Why do we make lust a secret sin and not talk about it if we’re so open about other sins? Why is it “Don’t talk about it”?
Haha! Yeah it was a little long. Hopefully it made some sense though. So do you understand the Christian gospel? Is something holding you back? I’m just trying to get a sense of where you are.
kind of… just i’m worried about what to believe in and worship because if I pick the wrong god, I will be punished in the supposedly existing afterlife
Your testimony (besides being awesome) is basically what it is like in my life. My good-sized comment to Aiden kind of explains what has happened in my life.
Anyways, another thing I would like to ask you is as to how to make a discussion question. I have a great question to ask, but I don’t know how to make it…..could you please tell me?
the important thing is that you are doing the will of God nothing in this earth will last except for our souls so what people thought about you when you dint want to do things that were against God won’t matter to God so all those people should stop treating believers as outcasts I’m sure they wouldn’t humiliate a person with no arms or legs so why should they humiliate people with different beliefs why would a college professor try to tear apart a christian’s beliefs but wouldn’t do that to someone who has a different sexual preference (I’m not saying its wrong just that as christianity it is different than what most people are) most humans won’t care if people bully christians for being christians but they would care if someone was being bullied for being gay they would think that as insensitive personally i don’t know if being gay is good or bad in God’s eyes but people should treat everyone equally because everyone is different in someway and no one wants to be treated badly for it.
What do you have to lose by believing in God? you could gain eternity for the price of laying down your pride… What’s the worst that could happen…? There is no God? In that case, the cause of life is without purpose.
Gotcha. Why the Christian God as opposed to other gods?
1. Every other religion is about making good people better or bad people good. The Bible says it’s about making dead people alive. There is no book that describes our condition as accurately as the Bible. If it was a man-made book, it would say (as many or all of the other books say) that man is basically good. But why would men make up a book that describes themselves as “dead in trespasses and sins,” and that by ourselves we can do no good, which is what the Bible teaches?
2. The Bible can be trusted completely. There is no book as historically accurate and verified, nor is there any book that predicts future events so perfectly. Here is a short video clip that summarizes why the Bible can be trusted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHRP0I2SrVs. Watch everything by this guy (Ravi Zacharias) that you can. He does a great job explaining why Christianity is the truth.
3. Grace. Every other religion says you have to DO something to earn heaven or the afterlife or whatever. In Islam your good deeds have to outweigh your bad deeds (unless you’re a martyr). In Buddhism you have to follow the Eight-fold Path. And so on. In Christianity, it’s not about what you do, because even your best works cannot possibly earn you heaven. It’s about what Christ did on the cross. He is the ONLY one who could possibly satisfy what God demands of us, which is nothing short of perfection.
4. Jesus. He’s not dead. He lived on this earth (verified by historians), was killed (also verified), and then rose and never died again. Everyone else who was raised from the dead eventually died again. But not Him. The resurrection is really true, and it’s the key to our hope. Why else would His followers, who were so depressed and scared when He died, suddenly become passionate preachers and go all over the world spreading the message of Jesus? It’s because they saw Him risen and then ascend to heaven.
I could go on. But again, it’s not just about head knowledge, although that helps. What you need to do is ask, seek, and knock in prayer, and PERSEVERE in doing so. The Lord promises the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Matthew 7:7-11). And read the Bible if you aren’t. Start in the book of John.
If you have more questions, keep asking. I’m always willing to answer. And I’m praying for you.
Hey Sam! Jesus is indeed awesome!
Sorry I couldn’t answer right away, but I can only get on the rebelution on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Sometimes Thursdays are available, but with my school and all, I can’t get on that much.
Anyways, I was wondering if there is any way I can keep in contact with you besides talking on the rebelution. I have had Christian friends, but only one of them is actually talks a lot about the Lord and His Word. So could you be my friend (if that’s all right with you)? Thanks!
Jesus is 100% incredible!!!
K. Thanks! I’ll try that.
Amen, I like your wisdom, knowledge & most of all your understandin of GODs word, may HE BLESS YOU graciously my friend
Your amazin, stand strong always & 4eva my friend, keep up the great work for the LORD
Thomas, look & put your fingers into my side, BLESSED is he that does not see & believes,
Amen, accept the free gift of salvation, accept JESUS as your LORD & SAVIOUR. GOD BLESS you my friend
Thank you but it is not me it is Jesus through me.
I f you want to learn more look up Andrew Wommack! I have just learned what i know from others and what God has showed me but thanks for the encouragement!
Thank you, your a BLESSIN to know.
Thank you, I will try, but I can ONLY do it through the Lord!
Come on guys! There is SO much to do in life if your a Christian! If one is a Christian, than God will help that person through EVERYTHING in life. And John, not meaning to interfere in your business, but is your testimony helping Aiden to want to trust in the Lord as his Savior??? You might want to think about this.
Amen
Do you have something specific to confront me about? In the previous comment, I was only referring to the fact that the Bible does call us slaves to Christ, but the truth is: We’re always slaves (either to Christ or to sin.) It is far better to be a slave of Christ than of sin.
Just email your question to [email protected]
Uh, Sam….this website that you gave doesn’t come up! I’m a MK in Brazil, and the Portuguese connection here doesn’t recognize your website….so what now?!?
Whoops! Sorry. I guess that was already answered.
At the same time, if your parents don’t think it’s a good idea you should listen to their advice. There’s a reason God put them in your life!
WHOOPS!!! I just was able to get on Revive just now, so you can forget about the comment below.
Stephen, I would really like to know if there is something specific about my Christian testimony that you feel is lacking. Thanks!-John 🙂
That’s OK.
I might go ahead and do that soon. Thanks!
Whoops, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to nose into it….seriously, I’m sorry.
Your right about what you just said though…..that is SO true! There is nothing better than being in Christ!
If you did notice something specific please don’t be afraid to tell me. I really don’t want to be a hinderance. This is serious stuff! Thanks 🙂
Btw. I need to go, but how old are you?
As I said above, It now works….so you can forget about this comment 🙂
I also have to go, but just to let you know, I’m 15 years old. What about you?
I totally understand not having so many friends to talk about important, God-stuff with. I know this was to Sam S. but my email is: [email protected] so anyone can feel free to email me there at any time!
Ditto. Well, tomorrow!
Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less necessary for the use of Apologetics in defense of the faith. One can still live by faith, but one must be able to defend it.
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always beprepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” -1 Peter 3:15
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/christian-apologetics-who-needs-it
Yeah. Again, I’m sorry about the way I sounded, but there is something that I would like to mention. About the way you and Aiden were talking about life, I just thought that Aiden might take it this way: “If there isn’t any point in life, then why would I need a Savior?” I understand that you were trying to say that living in Christ now changes your view about life, but Aiden might have taken it the wrong way.
Anyways, that’s all I wanted to say (I was able to get on now just to post a comment or two, but other than that, I will have to talk to you either tomorrow or Sunday:).
By the way, Sam, I’m curious as to who this other person in Brazil is…..if you can tell me. Thanks! I’ll talk to you tomorrow or Sunday 🙂
I thought I had already posted an answer, but just in case, I am 15 years old. What about you?
Hi again! It doesn’t matter what others think of you if you become a Christian. A Christian can trust in the Lord and He will give that person strength to get through ANY difficulties. I’m not saying that He will solve all your problems, but I do know that the Lord is ALWAYS willing to help a Christian that trusts in Him! Aiden, the Lord will help you….please know that the Lord does love you! He died on the cross for you….won’t you accept Him as your Savior?
As I said before, no matter what others may think of you, the Lord WILL help you. I seriously have never had a greater joy and happiness than to be Christian.
Being a Christian may seem like a sacrifice (i.e. losing your job), but It will be the greatest thing that has happened to you. Believe me; I’ve experienced it.
Please accept the Lord as your Savior! I’m praying for you.
So, I definitely meant that without Jesus life is meaningless not that now as a Christian life is meaningless. I guess what I was trying to say is that if you’re not living for something than you’re life is pretty pointless and Jesus is the only thing worth living for (Everything else will let you down.)
Thanks for helping me refine my thoughts. -John
You did, and I said, “ditto. Tomorrow.” Lol.
Who’s bein apologetic?
Apologetics means using like science and/or history to “prove” Christianity. We can’t actually prove the Bible or God through these means because God is self-proving (in other words, because science and history are not our ultimate authorities, but the Bible is, we can only use these means to help us in our faith not actually “prove” God through them.) I agree with Liam that apologetics are helpful. . .but real exposure to God’s Word should be what we mainly turn to in doubt (because, to tell you the truth, no matter how much scientific evidence we have we can’t believe unless we want to and we our powerless to want to believe unless God gives us the desire and the power to believe.)
HMMMMM! Well I wasn’t tryin to make seem like I was apologetic for showin sum1 like JESUS showed Thomas, but any way you have your way I have mine, rather you agree or not, I’ll always use it & don’t consider it bein apologetic in any way, shape or form. Oh well!
I don’t need what I said for my proof, my FAITH is very strong & will never waver! Ummm, wasn’t that GOD in the form of man JESUS showin Thomas FAITH.
?
I think you don’t understand. I’m not talking about apologizing.
Yes, the Holy Spirit gives us assurance and proof of God. I for one have been strengthened in Christ by learning that believing is indeed reasonable. From there I can be dependant on God without having to doubt whether He even exists. This I believe is self validation from the Holy Spirit.
Though what one must avoid is intellectualism. We aren’t saved by works (believing) but by faith through Grace.
@evantrowbridge:disqus
I think that’s what you don’t approve of. Intellectualism I assume?
Well then why say I was usin apologetic ways for mentionin Thomas or did I miss sumthin here. You tell me since you are tryin to say sumthin that I don’t understand, enlighten me
looks like you said apologetics in defense! What am I missin here? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Either you don’t understand or I don’t understand the words your tryin to get me to understand!! HHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, I don’t know, you tell me!
WoW you kids don’t make sense, I quote script from the bible & you say I’m wrong,WoW
What works, JESUS was just provin to Thomas tha HE’s real, dang excuse me for quotin JESUS.
I have never said you were wrong. I perceived your comment as an attack against the use of apologetics, and I only gave a scriptural defense back. In all reality, yes, “blessed are those who believe yet do not see!”, but that is not a condemnation against those who haven’t seen. Take that verse in it’s context, and he was talking about those who believe He was risen yet didn’t see it. Thomas doubted until Jesus showed himself to him. Nowhere does it negate apologetics. (the defense of the faith)
And sir, you are being a bit harsh, and I encourage you to talk in a more respectful and Christ like tone.
I wasn’t answering what you said. I think I miss understood your question. I thought you were asking what apologetics were.
Yeah. What I was trying to say is history and science can’t “prove” the Bible because that means that they, not the Bible, is your ultimate authority.
So, are you arguing for or against apologetics.
If an “apologetic” statement converts even 1 of these little ones over to the TRUTH what really would it matter what I stood for besides the CREATOR! That’s what I will stand for, not pity lil words you seem deem to call apologetic.
It’s kool peace my friend
Well what would “prove the Bible” mean? I think that’s a little misleading. To prove the Bible would be to affirm its accuracy, and reliability. So in fact proving the Bible would really be in opposition to authority.
I don’t think this is necessarily THAT important, and it probably has no huge practical implications. I guess all I was saying is that when we say that science “proves”, or if you don’t like that word, well I can’t really think of a better word. Well, when we say that it has the power to do that, that’s saying we really more heavily on science as our ultimate source of truth than the Bible. We should look to the Bible to prove science instead of visa versa.
Um…what do you mean by that??? (just curious)
I so wish I could email you. Can you join Revive, by any chance?
My public email is: [email protected].
Yeah, the problem is that I’m not allowed to email people I haven’t met in person. =/
But we’re on a fairly old thread, so I don’t feel bad about being off-topic. 🙂 How are you doing, John?
I’m doing okay. I turned 15 this Saturday!
How old are you again?
Happy birthday!
I’m sixteen for a couple more months.
What did you do for your birthday?
Thx!
Thanks 🙂
I wish I was sixteen. Do you have your license or just your permit?
Long story there. 🙂 In my state, permits automatically upgrade to a full license after six months. But I haven’t driven much, so as far as how I use it it’s like a permit. I can only drive with my parents in the car. But technically I have a license, so if I had to drive somebody to the ER or something I could do that.
Interesting.
WOW! Happy B-day!
Hey Aiden, just wanted to check and see how you were doing! Let me know if there’s any specific way I can be praying for you.
I’m ok 4 now
I know that I already have wished you a happy birthday, but I wanted to say that my birthday is about a month behind yours…..October 15th.
Also, sorry I didn’t email you yet, though I will try soon. 🙂 So how does it feel to be fifteen?
Oh, and there is one more thing that I was wanting to ask you before I go. I don’t know if you have thought much about this yet, but what college do you think you might go to? My parents want me to have one year at an ambassador college. After that, I’m planning to go to BJ (Bob Jones)….maybe you’ve heard about it.
Anyways, I’ll talk to you tomorrow!
I went out for ice-cream with my sister and then I had my friend over.
Happy belated birthday to you too then! Np about not emailing me. I hardly check that email anyway, so comments on theReb are way more effective at getting my attention.
Hmmm, 15 is one of those ages where there’s not like a huge jump. You’re 14, and then you’re 15. . .and that’s it. To tell you the truth, I’ve felt 15 since like August. What about you? How does 15 feel for you?
Hmmm…I’ve actually thought about this one somewhat, but I’m no closer to reaching a clear decision. Most days (when I want to be a normal human) I have four options that I’m thinking about, 2 and a half of which are valid options. Other days, I don’t want to go to college at all-either start a life or intern. Random question. Have you heard of Sight and Sound in PA? I have not heard of BJ. Do you want to go to an ambassador college or is it mostly your parents?
Oh and do you write poetry?
That sounds fun! 😀
Thanks! To tell you the truth, I never really felt that I was 15 until I actually turned 15. Now, though, It feels great! I’m not quite sure exactly why, but I do know that it’s one step closer to college, dating ( may seem weird, but it’s true), and other things. Fifteen is one of the two ages (15 and 18) in Brazil that is a huge “accomplishment”….you know…great.
So another question, that is, if you want to answer….where do you live? I mean, there is always a possibility that our paths will cross 🙂
Oh yeah, I forgot you live in the Philippines. Are you a missionary kid then? Sorry. I don’t feel super comfortable sharing my location rather than just saying I live in the U.S. So, how many languages do you know? Just Portuguese and English?
And btw. wanting to date is a totally legitimate reason to want to grow up (and you forgot being able to drive next year)
Many different corrections (not that I’m angry or anything)…First of all, I am a MK in Brazil (like I just said). Second, I am going to be in Brazil for only 2.5 years more, then I’m going back to the U.S. for my senior year and then college (I’m in 9th grade right now). Also, like next year, my family and I try to go to the U.S. for about a month, so it’s OK if you don’t tell me your location…could you at least tell me the state your in? It’s OK if you don’t, but I’ll go ahead and say that when my family and I do go to the U.S., we usually stay in southern (and I mean waaay down) Alabama….close to Robertsdale.The only exception is furlough or college; that’s when we drive up to Concord, New Hampshire, for school (Trinity Christian School).
I really only know two and a half languages. English and Portuguese are the “official languages” that I speak. However, I am learning Spanish in “my homeschool” (which is super close to Portuguese).
No, I don’t write poetry except when I have to…like in Grammar, but I am thinking of writing a song or two. The song “Ave Maria” is one that I am hoping to replace with Christian words. It’s a good song and all, but it gives adoration to Mary…not to the Lord.
Thank you for understanding me on that 🙂 About being able to drive, though, I want to and don’t want to. Yes, because I can get around faster, drive people to places, and other reasons. No, because I think I’ll get in an accident…..lol. Seriously, just thinking of driving makes me feel excited at the same time feeling nervous; I know the Lord will help me, though!
Don’t forget shaving too.
I haven’t heard of Sight and Sound, but I do know that I want a good Christian college…whatever the Lord decides. It’s actually half and half about going to an ambassador college. I want to go because I can get good Christian training, but I also don’t because I still want to do all four years of electrical engineering (yep, that’s what I’m hoping for…if it’s the Lord’s will). So what do you want to be in college? Btw, BJ is in Greenville, SC.
Songs are super cool! I also know Spanish. (My mom’s from Argentina!)
Yeah, I always die in driving games and I’m awful with go-carts, so there definitely is that…but I think just being able to go hang out with friends on a whim will be super awesome!
I am like totally the opposite of you (although my dad does electrical engineering), but I’m also totally the opposite of him. I want to either be a novelist or something that involves dance and singing and poetry!
Should I try changing peoples opinion about me if I think that what they think about me is wrong? Should I care? What should I do?
Sorry that I didn’t reply to this earlier. Anyways, I hope your Thanksgiving was an awesome one! I know that mine was…with tons of good food, friends, and other things.
I’m actually somewhat similar to you in that too. I would also like to do something with songs and dancing. However, on the subject of dancing, it has to be good dancing. I like the dancing as in old-time movies (barn dancing for instance), but dancing as in the moving of hips really isn’t the right kind of dance. Also, dancing need to be for the right reasons too…as in dancing to show off (there are other reasons to though).
So, are you going for ballet dancing? :):):):):):)
Happy Thanksgiving! My Thanksgiving was pretty good. We went to my aunt and uncles/grandparents. It’s kind of ballet dancing, but it’s a mix of Christian dance. This year we’re doing The First Christmas Gift, a Christian variation on the Nutcracker,
Hey, John! I’m sorry that it has been so long since I last talked to you, but there was problems with the Wi-Fi here.
Now I’m curious. So what do you mean about the Nutcracker? Do you mean something like a movie? A skit?Whatever it is, it sounds pretty cool!
Oh, and also, how is your Christmas decorating going? My family’s Christmas tree is already set up (it’s pretty big, although it’s artificial), with all the amazing lights and decorations. We also have a manger scene under the tree.
So I’ll talk to you later…see ya 🙂
Oh, the Nutcracker is like the ballet production of American Christmas. Maybe the only reason I know that and haven’t just heard the name is because my sister is a dancer.
Christmas decorating is pretty much complete. It wasn’t a big deal this year, and I wasn’t really involved except for picking the first tree we saw.
Welcome to theReb, Alex!
Hey, brother in Christ (technically true)!
Uh…I don’t know why, but Aiden has apparently deleted all his comments! I was hoping to be able to witness some more, but now I don’t know if that’s possible….it’s sad to see that the lost aren’t interested in learning about the Lord. So is there a way that I can get back in contact with Aiden?
Btw, that’s OK if you didn’t do much Christmas decorating…so long that you remember the real reason for Christmas-that God sent His son into the world to save sinners, and that He was born in a manger to show how humble He really is:)
(I still don’t get this Nutcracker thing that you’re doing:)
Hey, Alex! Welcome to the Reb 🙂 I’m fifteen years old and am a MK down in southern Brazil. I just glanced through your comment, and I appreciate (a ton) your love and testimony for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope you have a “Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year…:)
In October, near the beginning, I surrendered my life to the Lord, and man, I’m so glad that I did! I now have the true joy and fulfillment as a Christian and son of my loving Father…Christ Jesus. Christmas is sure awesome, but without recognizing the real reason for Christmas, then it isn’t truly Christmas.
So how’s your Christmas decorating going? My family has a pretty large artificial tree completely decorated with ornaments and lights. We also have a manger scene under the tree. Sadly….no snow here 🙂 It’s too hot for it anways…specifically with the opposite seasons (in contrast to the U.S.) here.
Oh, and what are you doing for college? I’m hoping (if the Lord decides) to be an electric engineer….super cool!
Hey bro in Christ,
We can always pray for Aiden even if we can’t directly talk to him. (I don’t actually have a way to contact him other than here on theReb, so I can’t help you there. But I can tell you, that God is listening to our prayers!)
Also, it’s totally about not understanding what the Nutcracker is. I wasn’t super clear. It’s basically just the name of a ballet production/story. It’s where the main character falls asleep and goes to this candy land with a bunch of different countries/candies. It’s a little confusing