INTRODUCTION
Some people say that the Christian faith is not in touch with reality. But the
life and death of Jesus proved that this was not true. A real Jesus was pinned
with real nails, to a piece of real wood and shed real blood. The cross was a
terrifying, bloody execution. It was as real as you can imagine.
The question is, how can sin be cured?
Repent:
It simply means "change your mind". Take time to evaluate how you live. You will need to
ask God's forgiveness for all that is wrong in your life - and ask Him to save you
and set you free.
Repentance means that you turn away from your sin to God. If you change your position,
then Jesus will change your situation.
Believe:
Faith is an act, not a feeling. It is up to the individual to decide to believe. If you
open your heart, and invite Jesus to come in, He will not delay by investigating your
suitability, your past, or your worthiness. Jesus has never once failed, and will NOT
fail you either. It is stated in the bible,"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved." One believing call, in simple language, addressed to Jesus Christ for
forgiveness and salvation; and He will intervene for you.
He promised it.
Well, I was born a Catholic, because my father is, but I never followed the practices of
Catholics. I seldom went to church, hardly touched the Bible, and was never close to God. In
other words, I was a phoney Christian, so to speak. In fact, I had my reservations about going
for Sunday service; for in my mind I had stereotyped most Christians as Bible-quoting,
anti-social, and self-righteous freaks. Many years ago I knew of this Christian friend who
would frown upon anyone who said, "Damn", "Shit", or "What the Hell" in front of him. I
suppose he felt "tainted" by our "un-godly" language...? Anyway,I myself was reproved
once for forgetfully exclaiming, "Goddammit!" in his presence. This was what he said to me,
"Don't you dare swear in the name of God!" And I was taken aback.
Because of my bias (I say 'bias' because I realised later that particular friend mentioned
above, belonged only to a very small group of extreme Christians) against Christians, I was
pretty reluctant to attend church, until I finally gave in to my friend's persistent attempts
to get me to join her church. Initially I only meant to humour her, and planned to "disappear"
after one or two visits. But that particular church,called City Harvest, proved to be a
turning point in my life. The powerful, brilliant, and totally refreshing speech
delivered by the pastor was like nothing I've ever heard! His words struck me, and they
struck me hard! I was overcome by this feeling of euphoria, and all I wanted to do was to
be admitted into His loving kingdom. It was like discovering something precious.
However, as we all might have experienced, laziness often sets in. There was a point when
almost everything in my life was really screwed up, and in my exasperation I thought,
"How could God allow all this to happen? Why should I continue to believe in Him?" So, I
stopped going to church, and chucked the Bible away where I couldn't see it. I felt
that God had failed me.
However, I was not at peace with myself. Try as I might, I still felt a big gap in my
life, and I knew what that was. By God's grace, He gently "pulled" me back to
church, to encourage me to spur on, making me remember His Word which I had long
forgotten. This had actually happened a few times in my Christian life. Every time, Lord
has graciously sought me back.
When I was 18, I joined a Bible-study group in my school. In those few months, my
spiritual life improved by leaps and bounds. Though I'm now too busy to attend Bible-
study faithfully every week, it had definitely brought the fellowship between
Christ and I to a higher level than before.
Recently, I began to evaluate the quality of life I have been leading. Have I been
the kind of Christian that He had wanted? I swore frequently and needlessly, lied a
lot, and was sometimes a hypocrite. I knew very well that as a Christian, such
actions were really insults to Christ. I had to change! So far I have been trying very
hard not to swear every time something crops up, and keep away from unclean jokes
(which I once thought were very funny). It's not easy...there is still a lot to be done,
but I believe if I have the will to change, and to be a good testimony for Christ;
all I need to do is to pray, then God will surely see me through. Don't you think so?
Some Christians wear a cross or carry a crucifix. Well, I don't.It is merely a superstition,
which does nothing for them. It is not stated in the Bible that we must wear a cross in order
to show others that we are Christians...? In fact, I know of some non-Christians who wear a
cross solely for decoration purposes. Ain't it a shame, if Christians are to be identified by
the cross they wear, and not by their character which ought to reflect the grace and glory of
God?
I also remember this incident which had left me rather disturbed then. During an outing, I
was enjoying my newly-bought Oasis album, when a fellow Christian said to me, point-blank:
"Don't listen to worldly music!" I could not suppress a loud, incredulous "What?!". Of
course I did not bear a grudge against her for that, but I could not help wondering: since
when did Jesus say, in the Bible, "Thou shalt not listen to the music of Spice Girls or Guns
N Roses???" They're not immoral. And if we were to watch television or surf the Net,
does it make us lesser Christians? That makes no sense, I thought. I do know how to
differentiate the Word of God, from over-zealous Christian opinions. Anyone of you
who knows me personally, will probably agree that I don't behave like a fanatical, extreme,
and zealous Christian anyway...!!!:-
Right now, I have a lot of family problems bugging me too, but now I face these challenges
with a cheerful heart. Remember, brothers and sisters, don't make the mistake of blaming God
as I once did. Trials and obstacles in our lives are given by God to test our faith, and as
we can pass these tests simply by praying daily and putting our trust totally in Him. We
may not see the results immediately, but trust Him: He wants the best for us, and He's got
everything planned for us. So just hang on tight and pray hard, and "the peace of God
which trancends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus." Cos God says so!=)
And why should we believe in God if he seems to do nothing about it at all?
The truth is that God HAS done something about the evil and suffering in our
world. 2000 years ago, he sent his only Son Jesus into one of the world's worst
trouble spots, Palestine. He grew up and became a carpenter, living in a country
occupied by foreign troops.
Surrounded by violence, poverty, and disease, Jesus spent his life bringing the
love of God to the ordinary people. He healed the sick, taught the people to
love those who hated them. He showed people how much God loved them. He
turned the minus of their lives into a glorious plus.
But Jesus also made some powerful enemies. In the end, the politicians decided to
get rid of him. He was arrested, tortured, and handed over to the occupation troops.
They took him to the execution ground and nailed Him to death.
Christianity does not turn a blind eye to human suffering. Like the bulletins
we see on the news, Jesus's cruxifixion tells us that something has gone
terribly wrong with the human race. But it also tells us that there is a
solution. It tells us that God has done something to change it all.
THE TERRIBLE TRUTH
ABOUT OURSELVES
The problem of suffering and evil is actually in our own hearts. The
Bible is not just honest about human suffering and evil in the world
- it forces us to be honest about ourselves, too.
Jesus pinpointed this when he said:"From the inside, from a person's heart,
come the evil ideas that lead him to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit
adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things..."
Jesus used a simple word to describe what has gone wrong with us - the word
"sin". To sin means to miss the mark of what God intended us to be. One part
of the Bible says this: "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"
This makes sense. We have all done things that we feel ashamed of. We have
all hurt others, and ourselves. But the Bible goes even further. It says
that sin is a negative force that constantly spoils our best aims.
SEARCHING IN THE DARKNESS
For many people, life has no meaning or purpose. This is not how God
planned it. He created us to live in a relationship of love with him. But
instead we have run away and hidden from God because of stubborn
disbelief.
Jesus put it like this:"Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead
of light."
Lost in the darkness, there seems to be no hope for us. Or is there?
Some people see no hope in any direction - tragically, they give up and sink into despair.
Others get easily tangled in a web of destruction - such as drugs or alcohol. These
addictions have never solved a single problem, they only produce a mirage in a desert.
Some become addicted to the pursuit of success. Their diaries get fuller, their bank
accounts fatter - but they never catch up with happiness. Meanwhile, in today's religious
supermarket, many people are attracted by various brands of do-it-yourself salvation:
pyramid power, hypotherapy, white magic...None of them can reach the heart of the human
problem.
We need more than a cheap solution. What we need is peace with God. We need him to
forgive us, bring us home, restore us to the relationship he has always wanted to
have with us. As God says in the Bible: "I love those who love me, and those who seek me,
find me..."
And he makes this promise:"I know the
plans I have for you,...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future. Then you will call upon me and pray to me, and I will listen
to you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek with all your heart."
THE LOGO OF GOD'S LOVE
The story of Jesus, of course, does not end with his crucifixion. If it did,
the cross would be a symbol of crusing defeat and despair. But Jesus not
only destroyed the power of sin on the cross, he also beat the power of
death. On the third day, God raised him back to life, triumphant over darkness, death, and
Satan.
That is why the cross is the symbol of the Christian faith. It belongs to Jesus alone! No
founder or leader of another religion would dare to use this logo because it stands for
something that they themselves have never done!
None of them has been crucified for the sins of this world.
None of them has been raised from the dead.
None of them can give us the help we so desperately need."
Only Jesus is able to save us. As he said,"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no
one goes to the Father except by me."
BECOMING A CHILD OF GOD
If you are ready to come to the cross for the help you need,
there are two steps you need to take:
You will move out of darkness and into God's wonderful light.
Amen.
If you would like to get close to God,this is my suggested prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come before you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.
I come with all my sins and my heartaches.
I want to turn away from evil, and turn to You, Lord.
I put my faith in You alone, You are the Son of the Living God.
I believe with all my heart, what I now confess with my mouth:
You are my Saviour, my Lord and my God.
Thank you for having accepted me as your child.
I open myself for your Holy Spirit,
and will follow you all my life.
I believe you and receive you.
I ask it in the name of Jesus.
Amen!
You can be very sure that God has heard and answered your prayer! Even if you do not feel
any different yet, you can be sure that you have entered into a new life!
Source: (I have forgotten which pamphlet I've taken the above text from! However, if the
author is unhappy about me using unauthorized material, inform
me and I will remove it at once.)
MY PERSONAL FEELINGS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
Don't worry, I won't be bible-quoting in this section,for the benefit of those who haven't read
the Bible before...
Tell your Christian/non-Christian friends about this page too!)
If you need any help,feel free to Email me!