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Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
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Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
https://christianforums.net/threads/psalm-70-1-save-me-o-god-lord-help-me-now.108509/
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Depending upon the Holy Spirit for all you do?
Read through the following study by Tenchi for more on this topic
https://christianforums.net/threads/without-the-holy-spirit-we-can-do-nothing.109419/
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How are famous preachers sometimes effected by sin?
Join Sola Scriptura for a discussion on the subject
https://christianforums.net/threads/anointed-preaching-teaching.109331/#post-1912042
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how to get back to Jesus...?
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Jethro Bodine
Member
Start reading your Bible.
Ten minutes a day in a quiet undisturbed place.
You need to open up a way for you to start hearing God. This will do that.
You could also start looking for a good Bible based church group to associate with. Could even be as simple as a small prayer group. For example, I attend a men's prayer breakfast every Tuesday morning with a group. My company sponsors weekly devotions every Tuesday as well. Our company chaplain also organizes periodic luncheon meetings which I attend. I also attend a monthly men's group. Our church has a weekly prayer meeting on Wednesdays open to all genders. These are a few examples. The point is that whether we admit it or not I believe we need Christian fellowship as explained in Hebrews chapter 10 among others. It is helpful for spiritual growth and there is strength in numbers as we are at war with our carnal selves as Paul points out in Romans chapter 7.
Obadiah
Member
Fellowship is important. It doesn't have to be an organized church, but it needs to be Christian. Through fellowship people get to know us and we get to know them. We can get advice from people who actually know us and communicate with us face to face. (70% or more of what you are trying to really say is lost when it's just words typed on a screen!) And we can learn from them and be encouraged by them. Right now I don't go to church because of some severe internal problems in the one I had been a member as well as an employee of. I've not been able to find another church where I feel I can fit in that is near enough to my home to get committed to. But I am part of a fellowship group and also work for a Christian company in a ministry outside of any one organized church. As a Christian I need these things for encouragement and motivation.
But the main thing is we need to have turned out lives over to God for His service and direction. That is an actual, conscious decision we need to make at some point in our lives. And then we need to follow God's word to us, as this is His instruction book to us. That means actually reading and studying scripture so you know what it says and it will automatically be on your mind when you need to know it and follow it in your daily life. And not just read a verse here or there, but actually sitting down and reading a lot of it as if it were any other book or novel. A pastor once gave a study on how much this is neglected, and proved to us that the majority of Christians actually spend much more time in their lives brushing their teeth than they do reading or hearing God's word! That's pathetic!
So Jesus always wants to be in your life, and he's waiting for you to come to him. Do the things that I and others are suggesting here and He will guide you from there.
But the main thing is we need to have turned out lives over to God for His service and direction. That is an actual, conscious decision we need to make at some point in our lives. And then we need to follow God's word to us, as this is His instruction book to us. That means actually reading and studying scripture so you know what it says and it will automatically be on your mind when you need to know it and follow it in your daily life. And not just read a verse here or there, but actually sitting down and reading a lot of it as if it were any other book or novel. A pastor once gave a study on how much this is neglected, and proved to us that the majority of Christians actually spend much more time in their lives brushing their teeth than they do reading or hearing God's word! That's pathetic!
So Jesus always wants to be in your life, and he's waiting for you to come to him. Do the things that I and others are suggesting here and He will guide you from there.
Jethro Bodine
Member
I was going to tell you NOT to start in the Old Testament.
For the 'right to the point' clear messages in the Bible, read Paul's writings--Ephesians, 1 & 2nd Thessalonians, etc. And Peter's letters, and James. If you do read one of the gospels, read Luke.
Obadiah
Member
Yeah, that's good advice and a good idea. The Old Testament is a lot more than just a bunch of stories, but it takes a lot of studying to know what it's all about and how it applies to us as Christians today... and some of the history such as the genealogies can be really boring if all you are doing is reading through them trying to get closer to God!
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Jethro Bodine
Member
Social anxiety, right?
That was my first guess.
Meet the pastor first outside of a church service. Explain everything to him. Then go from there.
Not_Now.Soon
Member
A bible study group might help. Between you and a few other Christians reading the same verses when you get together and talk about it, one might share something you didn't see. And you can do the same for them. There's a bible study thing a pastor I know started. The people in the group stared reading the bible from beginning to end and read the same portions throughout the week. The pastor meets with them one day of the week, and they talk about what they've read. There are other bible studies out there that are very good too. Study one book at a time and might have historical supliments and cross references as part of the already made bible study.
Just a thought if you can't find a point on your own, join a group and see how that works.
