Teach The Truth, Not Existentialism.

"Existentialism" probably needs some clarification. The formal definition is "each person exists as an individual in a purposeless universe, who must oppose the hostile environment through the exercise of their free will."

Put simply, this says that since we are "on our own" in the universe, we can believe anything that seems right to us. But does believing something make it true? For example, if someone told you to use the brake on your car instead of the accelerator because it "made sense to them," how far would you get? Obviously, you need to be told the truth, so you can use the accelerator to make your car move.

The same thing is true of Christianity. Since it is true, verifiable, and provable; we need to know the truth-not some person's opinion or interpretation. It just makes sense-if God is really God, He should know exactly what we need and how to tell us using the Bible.

How Do I Go About Finding A Good Church?

Unfortunately, the only exposure many of us have had to a church is seeing someone on TV (who also happened to be a little strange). Others might make a plunge and go to a church because someone invited them. However, we can still have one or more of the following reactions:

• "What they had to say had nothing to do with the real world."
• "They used weird talk, lots of words I never heard before."
• "They didn't really use the Bible, and I didn't learn anything new."
• "They seemed more interested in my money than anything else."
• "The music was pretty bad."
• "They asked the new folks to stand up and introduce themselves."
• "Frankly, the people I met there seemed a little odd. They also seemed to have their own personal opinion of everything."

The obvious result: few new people return for more.

Actually, church should be:

• Practical and relevant to today's world.
• Use normal language.
• Follow the Bible, using it as their only source of God's truth, and their final authority.
• Let the visitors know that they are not expected to give any money.
• Have good music.
• Allow people to visit the church without putting them "under a spotlight" or have them do something they would not normally do in public.
• Teach the truth, not existentialism.

Too Much To Give Up

Some people have heard the Good News about forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ, but because of some relationship, or certain practices they think they must employ in business, or some personal ambition or habit, they say that they cannot put their faith in Christ because there is "too much to give up."

It's a good thing to recognize that faith in Christ will radically affect your lifestyle. Even if some aspect of your life is totally incompatible with faith in Christ, what temporary pleasure or benefit can possibly be worth forfeiting an eternity of bliss? What could possibly be worth the prospect of an eternity in the place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth"?

Even if it means breaking a close personal relationship or walking away from every earthly possession, as did Francis of Assisi or Sundar Singh of India, following Christ is worht it. "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain." (Revelation 5:12) That means, He is worth it.

In Paul's letter to the Philippians, Paul gives his testimony of the things he walked away from in order to follow Christ, and why he thought it was worth it. The whole letter is short enough to read aloud in 10 minutes. In his testimony in chapter 3, he employs the accounting terms of "counting as a loss" the things he left behind in view of the "surpassing value" or "profit" of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ personally and intimately. This is the favorite New Testament book of many believers. Jesus asked the question, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) Work out your own "profit and loss" balance, then run to put your trust in Jesus Christ. He's worth it.

The Christian Home

The Christian home is central to Faith, it is here that children learn to be good Christians and it is here that we forge our lives in the Spirit. Our homes need to be safe, secure, happy places and we must strive to make them homes filled with faith, praise, respect, and love. Often, the cost of living today creates a situation in which both parents must work outside the home. For that reason, it is so important that too short time spent at home to be the best time possible. A good Christian home life is built upon this kind of quality time.

How To Read The Bible For Better Understanding

The Bible is its own best teacher. The Bible however is not arranged like an encyclopedia. You cannot go to Chapter One and read everything about God and go to Chapter Two to read everything about Jesus, etc. Remember when reading the Bible the verses and chapter, breaks are placed in the scriptures by man. Some ground rules defined by Butch Walker need to be set up first:

• Pray first before opening God's Word. Ask for guidance and to be able to accept what is written and to be able to apply His will to your life.
• Never, never read the Bible trying to proof your belief on any subject. It is only human nature to take ideas out of context.
• When you are reading and come across something that does not make sense, reread the paragraph or chapter again. If you still do not understand, write down the problem area and continue onward. You may discover the answers later in your reading.
• Do not read large amounts of the Bible in one setting. Take breaks often or stay with about 4-6 chapters a day.
• Start with the New Testament, people who start with the Old Testament almost never read the Bible all the way through. The New Testament is what is binding on us today not the Old Testament. We need to follow God's will for us today not what was intended for the Jews.
• Forget everything you have ever heard about Jesus, God and the Bible before you start reading the Bible. Don't take what you want it to say with you first.

Now with those in mind, let's lay out the way to read the Bible to let it build on itself:

1. Read "Mark." (It is written in chronological order.)

2. Read "Matthew." (It goes into better detail of some events and adds more about Jesus.)
3. Read "John." (It contains a lot of the life of Jesus not before read, especially his last two weeks before the crucifixion.)
4. Read "Luke" then "Acts." (Both written by Apostle Paul's traveling companion Luke. Acts is a continuation of Luke. It describes the early church and contains the examples of New Testament conversions.)
5. Read "Galations." (It deals with the reasons why we do not follow the Old Testament Laws in a more simplified way than does Romans or Hebrews.)
6. Then read the rest of the New Testament starting at Romans and going to Revelation.
   

Your voyage through God's Word will take about five weeks. It will be the best traveling you can ever take. You will laugh and you will cry. It has everything that makes a very good book, and lots more. It can teach you the most important things for this life and the one to come.

The Power Of Prayer

Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and ye shall find, Knock, and it shall be opened unto you ~ Matthew 7:7

Prayer. Why pray? Does anyone listen?

When the world caves in around us, prayer can lift us from the depths of despair. So many times we hear that “God doesn’t listen” but is this really true? Remember, that God has His plans for each and every one of us. What we think should be the answer to our prayers is not always in God’s plan. As Christians we need to train ourselves to look where we least expect it for our answer.

Maybe we didn’t get the million dollars we prayed for, but did we really get an answer?

Did a troublesome teenager finally realize that the life he or she was leading would lead to his or her self destruction?

Did the tumor that was robbing you of health begin to shrink and disappear?

God DOES answer our prayers, we just need to learn to recognize that He knows what we need and that the answer that was in His plan for us may not be what we planned.

Trust in the Lord.

Know that He does listen. Pray with a clean heart and a healthy spirit. Pray often, pray hard. Your closest friend is listening. His love for you will never let you down if you put your faith in Him and trust that He knows what is right for us

Bible Quotes Of Comfort In Troubled Times

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.
~ Luke 11:10

The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.
~ Psalms 23:1

Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.
~ Matthew 6:32-34

But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
~ Isaiah 40:31

Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
~ Matthew 7:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
~ 1 Peter 5:7

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
~ Psalm 32:8

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:38, 39