There is a bible verse which says ‘taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.’ (Ps 34:8) and yet as we talk to people about their faith, so often we come across those who have given up going to church, even when they have come from a strong Evangelical background. I know that verse to be true from my own experience, yet it wasn’t an instantaneous understanding, but a gradual realisation as I discovered the truths sifted away from the ‘fairy tales that surround much religious dogma.
I was brought up in a ‘christian’ home, attending church, Sunday school, choir. I attending a Church school, being indoctrinated with dogma, and observing how it was a case of do as I say rather than follow my example. I went on to getting married in church, for which I am very grateful for although I didn’t understand the implications at the time, and to teaching the Sunday School. I had my Christian principles and felt they made me a better man, but no-one had really shown me the person of Jesus Christ.
One of my Sunday school teachers ( I was now the Sunday School Superintendant!) decided to start inviting me to some Christian meetings, which I enjoyed and started hearing facts from the bible that no-one else had told me. Why Jesus entered this world, why He is God, why He had to die upon a cruel Roman cross and how it all foretold biblical prophesy of hundreds of years before it happened. I was challenged, that if there was something that try as much as I could, I was unable to succeed in, then to give God a chance, ask Him for forgiveness of my sins and to take control of my life as I wasn’t making that much of a good job of it anyway! To cut the story short I surrendered my life to the Lord one September evening in Central Hall, Liverpool, and went out a changed man. That night I realised what I had asked God to do and had severe doubts, but fortunately I had the good sense to allow God to prove himself which He really did. Why did God wait (waste!) 39 years to draw me to him and how was I to live this life from then on?
Many people have ‘experiences’ and say they have become a Christian, but so often there is no change in the lifestyle ( apart from going to church), or the initial enthusiasm soon fades away. Jesus said this would happen, when He told us the parable of the sower and it’s a sad fact when one has seen the joy of a new ‘convert’.
But many of us hide behind masks of our own making. We want to look good so that we have friends and get on in the world. What better than to get a God who does things for you and a bunch of new friends who are making you very welcome. Better just enjoy this and do the right thing.
Surely that doesn’t happen does it?
Well when you became a Christian, did you repent of all your sins, admitting that you are a sinner having broken God’s laws? Because many people do not, often because no-one has shown them how they are breaking God’s laws, only to ‘be happy and have Jesus in your life’. Well that’s not a bad thing as a starter, but unless we have repented and allowed God to be in control of everything in our lives, that first enthusiasm will soon die out. Whist I fully repented on that first evening, I ended up over a 2 year period surrendering more and more of my life to Him as God showed me.
So you have repented, what now?
Well lets sing some happy chorus’s and some light sermons, but don’t bore me with some deep teaching, keep that for those clever people. Unfortunately many preachers serve up a weekly diet of milk, which is fit for spiritual babies, but never progress to the real meat of the bible message. Can you imagine a baby who does not progress to solid foods. It would never grow and get strong able to survive in this world. Likewise, a Christian who is not fed on the whole biblical message will be stunted and will soon start feeling that God has let him down.
I have studied the bible now for some 30 years and whilst I still do not understand it all, I have never found it to be wanting. Always take scripture in context, try and understand the culture of the time, compare texts and never accept a teaching of one part which is in contradiction with another. There are some very good commentaries as well as some very bad ones, but if you have repented and accepted Jesus as your Saviour, then He will be your teacher and will not leave you bereft
You have doubts about some things like Genesis?
Good, you are not alone. I did too, until I was shown through archeological evidence that there is a strong case for a ‘young earth’ and that Genesis 1-3 is true. I now wonder why I was so stupid to believe the evolution theory just because a lot of ‘educated people’ have accepted it. So far there is NO proof for evolution and the fact that a Mighty God – why put your trust in anything else- created this cosmos in all its complexity is much easier to believe.
We had an evening recently devoted to biblical archaeology, which was fascinating and reinforced many parts of the bible. Biblical cities have been found and the artefacts confirmed many bible stories. Wall paintings have confirmed activities of the day and clay tablets have given accounts again confirming biblical stories. The Dead Sea scrolls discovered in 1947 gave us the oldest copies of the bible. When the scroll of Isaiah was compared with a modern bible, they were almost identical, the differences in translation were so small that the understanding remained the same. As more and more discoveries are made they all confirm the faith of Christians through the ages who have often suffered for their beliefs, because they have known without requiring proof. In this century, even more are suffering and dying because they have ‘tasted and seen that the Lord is good’. They have experienced the living presence of God in their lives and know that it is true.
Finally, did Jesus really exist, despite what I have written?
I ask you, did Nero live or Ramaddes? Of course you will say yes, so why do you doubt Jesus, when The documented evidence for the existence of Jesus is much greater than many famous names which we remember from History. The new testament contains 27 different documents, written in the first century with eye witness accounts of what ‘had been seen and heard’. Jesus is recorded by the Jewish historian Flavious Josephus in AD 37, by a roman historian Cornelius Tacitus in AD112 and by Seutonis a Roman Historian inAD 120 to name just a few. This Jesus really did exist, he did die for our sins and he did rise as the ‘first to rise from the dead’ making the way for you if you really have repented of your sins and allowed Him to be Lord of your life.
If you feel let down by God, I urge you to find a Bible Believing Church which preaches the whole bible, come back to God, repent afresh and allow Him to lead you into truth, but this has to be a partnership with you. Study the bible, meet with other Christians to get a clearer understanding and open your mind to what the bible really is telling YOU. If you are already in such a church, then do ask for help in understanding God’s promises better and for proof of them. If we can help in any way, we will try to do so, but remember, even with Paul and his Damascus road experience, God laid him aside for many years so that experience could grow into a hard certainty. Most of us have a Journey of discovery, leading to an inward Joy and outward confidence gained through trials and temptations.
Here are some verses from Pauls’ letter to the Ephesians to encourage you
Eph 2:1-10
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no-one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
(from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society)
