Post by James Blankenship on May 7, 2012 10:40:03 GMT -5
Why is believng God so hard?
I'm 13 and i'm a Christian, and it's just so hard for me to believe in God and also enjoy my life. Everytime i go to do something i'm always being threatened with "God is watching you" and being threatened with the fires of Hell. It irriates me when my pastor is always saying we have to act a certain way to be accepted into heaven, or we go to Hell. He's bacisl telling us to be perfect. I'm expected to serve God all day. And if i don't, i'm being threatened with Hell. I can't masturbate because it's a sin. Like you can't even enjoy your life or have time to yourself without being threatened with God watching your, or your going to Hell. It's basicly like you have to be inhuman and walk on egg shells to please God.
I'm 13 and i'm a Christian, and it's just so hard for me to believe in God and also enjoy my life. Everytime i go to do something i'm always being threatened with "God is watching you" and being threatened with the fires of Hell. It irriates me when my pastor is always saying we have to act a certain way to be accepted into heaven, or we go to Hell. He's bacisl telling us to be perfect. I'm expected to serve God all day. And if i don't, i'm being threatened with Hell. I can't masturbate because it's a sin. Like you can't even enjoy your life or have time to yourself without being threatened with God watching your, or your going to Hell. It's basicly like you have to be inhuman and walk on egg shells to please God.
Ok, I see so many things wrong here.
#1 This persons says: I'm 13 and i'm a Christian
I really question whether or not this person really DOES have that personal relationship with Christ or not.
Before I begin, I feel lead to talk about the term "christian".
Bottom line:
What the Biblical definition of a "Christian" is & what people THINK a "christian" is, are 2 entirely different things.
This is all due to man's creation of "denominations", which I talk about here:
solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=unbiblical&action=display&thread=8&page=1
There is the catholic version of what a "christian"
There is the Baptist version of what a "christian" is.
There is the Methodist version of what a "christian" is.
And on & on & on.
"christianity" today is a lie!. It has been so watered down, by the lies of denominations, that it is not even CLOSE to what the Bible teaches.
What do we see in the early Christian Church? It can be summed up in one word-UNITY! There was Absolute unity among ALL Believers! Can we truley say that there is that same unity in the Christian Church today? No. The Christian Church is so fractured today, that there is very LITTLE unity today!
What qualities did the early Christian Church have?
1. They all prayed together DAILY!
2. They were ALL of one mind!
3. They shared EVERYTHING!
4. They prayed for their leaders DAILY!
*SIGH* Can the Christian Church of today, claim to be like the early Christian Church was? No. Why? Because MAN has introduced all kinds of doctrines into the Church over the centuries, doctrines that God never intended to be introduced, & created DENOMINATIONS, instead of following the very principles tthat the early church was run. Praying together, sharing everything that they had with other Believers, praying for their leaders DAILY, meeting together DAILY! And what happened when they did? GOD BLESSED THEM, & ADDED TO THEIR NUMBERS DAILY!
We have introduced so many man made beliefs into the simple faith of the early Church & the Christian Church SPLIT-into denominations created by MAN-NOT GOD! MAN decided to try to interpret Scripture, instead of letting the Holy Spirit guide them, & the CHURCH, AS JESUS MEANT IT TO BE, fractured into beliefs that were ruled by MAN'S beliefs-NOT GODS!
And that is the real key here: The Apostles & the early Believers were lead by the Holy Spirit-not any man-made doctrines. They KNEW what God wanted, & they KNEW who Christ Jesus is, by the power of God, through the Holy Spirit.
That is NOT what people perceive as 'christianity" today.
A BIBLICAL Christian is one who has come before Christ and:
It is about freely admitting to God that you CAN'T stop sinning.
It is about freely admitting to God, that you CAN'T do anything to Earn His favor!
It is about freely admitting to God, that you need Him, & can't do anything without Him!
It is about total self denial, & confessing to God that He & He alone is perfect, & you are NOT!
THIS and only THIS is a BIBLICAL Christian.
OK, sorry to digress.
Look at what this person says here:
I'm 13 and i'm a Christian, and it's just so hard for me to believe in God and also enjoy my life. Everytime i go to do something i'm always being threatened with "God is watching you" and being threatened with the fires of Hell.
This person says:
"God is watching you" and being threatened with the fires of Hell.
First of all, the way that this is worded, it makes God sound like He is some kind of pervert, who is staring in your window at night, & getting His "jollies" off watching them undress.
Anyone who knows Christ in the personal way that He wants them to, KNOWS that this is NOT true! This is why I very seriously question whether or not this person really DOES know Christ. To them, they are making Him out to be the "boogyman"!
Than we have this:
being threatened with the fires of Hell.
If this person really DID personally know Christ Jesus, they would know that that is NOT what Christ preached, as seen here:
John 6:51:("I am) the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;"
John 8:23: And He said to them, "You are from beneath; (I AM) from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ("I AM) the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, (I AM.)"
John 10:9: ("I AM) the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
John 10:11: ("I AM) the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 11:25: Jesus said to her,( "I AM) the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
John 14:6: Jesus said to him, ("I AM) the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 15:1:( "I AM) the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 8:57-58 (New International Version, ©2010)
Does THIS sound like Jesus is threatening ANYONE with hell?
Than they say this:
It irriates me when my pastor is always saying we have to act a certain way to be accepted into heaven, or we go to Hell.
Uh, if they DID have that personal relationship with Christ, their pastors wouldn't be the ones telling them that a person has to act a certain way to be accepted into heaven, especially when Scripture clearly says this:
1 Samuel 16:7 (New International Version)
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
It isn't how you "act"-it is about what God sees in your heart that is important.
And Jesus says this:
John 14:6 (New International Version)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
God isn't interested about how you act, & how you act is irrelevant to going to Heaven.
The only thing that matters, is that you follow Christ. The Holy Spirit will direct those who belong to God-not what some "pastor" says.
Now, I must emphasize something here.
Pastors ARE very important to those who actually KNOW Christ Jesus-they are called to guide those who belong to Christ. But what a pastor says MUST be held up to what SCRIPTURE says-it what he says DOES agree with Scripture, than it is Biblical. If what they say DOESN'T agree with Scripture, than what Scripture says must be followed.
If the person asking this question really DOES feel this way, I can't believe that the DO belong to Christ Jesus, because it sounds like they are being convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, how much they DO need Christ in their life.
Then they say:
I'm expected to serve God all day. And if i don't, i'm being threatened with Hell.
This is the biggest proof that this person probably doesn't have that personal realtionship with Christ. The only people that Jesus ever "threatened" were the Jewish leaders, as seen here:
classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011:42-53&version=NIV
To those who sought God with an open heart-Jesus NEVER threatened anyone, as I have shown above.
Then they say this:
I can't masturbate because it's a sin. Like you can't even enjoy your life or have time to yourself without being threatened with God watching your, or your going to Hell.
Ok, let me break this down.
Mastubation IS a sin, as seen here:
Major Premise-Lust is a sin
Minor Premise-Masturbation is the end result OF lust.
Conclusion-Masturbation is a sin.
But what is even more revealing about this person, is when they say this:
Like you can't even enjoy your life or have time to yourself without being threatened with God watching your, or your going to Hell.
This person obviously thinks what so many atheists/non-believers think-that following Christ is nothing but a set of rules.
No it isn't.
It is about letting the Holy Spirit, (who comes to live in all those who accept the forgiveness of Christ), DIRECTING us as to what God wants.
This person is obviously NOT willing to live for Christ, INSTEAD, they only want to live for themselves, (can we say "selfishness?"), & this is why they think this.
Also, when a person DOES come to personally know Christ, they have THIS Biblical assurance:
1 John 5:13 (New International Version)
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
The way that this person keeps talking about going to hell, is a clear indication that the do NOT personally KNOW Christ, let alone have the Holy Spirit directing their lives.
And they conclude with this:
It's basicly like you have to be inhuman and walk on egg shells to please God.
No you don't.
Nowhere in Scripture did God EVER force anyone to do anything that He asked. I talk about that here:
solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=choice&action=display&thread=11&page=1
This person may be thinking of where Jesus says this:
Matthew 5:48 (New International Version)
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus is well aware that we can't be perfect as God. That why He said this:
Matthew 9:13 (New International Version)
13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Christ Jesus isn't asking us to be perfect. He is setting a goal for us who KNOW Christ, who HAVE come into that personal relationship with Him, to trust the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives-knowing that we will fall from time to time, but that He will always be there to pick us up, forgive us when we DO fall & ask for forgiveness, & set us on the way that He WANT us, (but never forces us), to follow.
James
