Different religious groups have their own feelings and beliefs about who He is and the kind of God he is. Who is right? Over 30 years ago, I had to take a step back and ask myself what was real. Was there a God? What was his name? Which group accurately represented him? How could I know who had the answer? With such division, maybe no one had the answer, and I couldn't assume they had. How would I know for myself who God was? I had to get my own personal understanding! (Note: I must interject this admission that religion itself is a proof that within the soul of mankind lies a drive to connect to deity. Religion is a "form" or symbol proving His existence, preparing us for our journey, and we are not to be denied.)
Jesus is listed in the history books just like Thomas Jefferson or George Washington, so he really lived. I can give a mental assent to the fact that he lived, but that doesn't (and didn't) change my life. I felt nothing. The Bible was a dead book still. I saw my need for him in my space, up close and personal. He had to be real and accessible or he couldn't really help me at all. I needed a God with a practical application, not just one for when I died. We cannot live our lives with the hope of death making everything OK. That concept is depressing. I had heard that Jesus would be with us always. What exactly did this mean?
There are hundreds of different sects of the religion known as Christianity, but a deadness is also there. Rituals, outward requirements, days of observances. But what seemed to be missing was Him--a living presence, and he was supposed to be alive, so where was he in these services? Most church goers seemed complacent, satisfied, or resigned that this was the best they could have. Could it be that most of those dear, sincere people had never touched him or experienced the presence of a real God? Did people go to church to satisfy the social requirement on them? Did they go to keep God from sending them to hell? What benefit was really reaped in church attendance?
In the past, I had met special persons who stood out in their assurance in Christ, whether they talked about him or not. There was a presence, a peace. It was like they knew him. There was a different element to them; they did not represent the majority, many of whom awaited his outward "return", and still await it. Will God show himself again, and if so, how? Does he really “hear” my prayers? IF he can hear me, then he must be here, but just not seen.
Jesus is listed in the history books just like Thomas Jefferson or George Washington, so he really lived. I can give a mental assent to the fact that he lived, but that doesn't (and didn't) change my life. I felt nothing. The Bible was a dead book still. I saw my need for him in my space, up close and personal. He had to be real and accessible or he couldn't really help me at all. I needed a God with a practical application, not just one for when I died. We cannot live our lives with the hope of death making everything OK. That concept is depressing. I had heard that Jesus would be with us always. What exactly did this mean?
There are hundreds of different sects of the religion known as Christianity, but a deadness is also there. Rituals, outward requirements, days of observances. But what seemed to be missing was Him--a living presence, and he was supposed to be alive, so where was he in these services? Most church goers seemed complacent, satisfied, or resigned that this was the best they could have. Could it be that most of those dear, sincere people had never touched him or experienced the presence of a real God? Did people go to church to satisfy the social requirement on them? Did they go to keep God from sending them to hell? What benefit was really reaped in church attendance?
In the past, I had met special persons who stood out in their assurance in Christ, whether they talked about him or not. There was a presence, a peace. It was like they knew him. There was a different element to them; they did not represent the majority, many of whom awaited his outward "return", and still await it. Will God show himself again, and if so, how? Does he really “hear” my prayers? IF he can hear me, then he must be here, but just not seen.
These were good observations, good considerations, and good questions. What I have discovered about the end of these matters has been my journey into God, into religion, and into the soul of every man. The discoveries were sometimes breathtaking. The enlightenments here are written in ordered units, complete in themselves for the subject matter. My prayer is that the reader may--God willing--drink in deeply of the living water flowing forth.
