Though this is not a thread for questions, I have one. Anony, can I go on?

Mr_Anony:

Folks, tell us your stories.

Let us hear about how you came to know Christ.

@Mr_Anony

Does knowing Christ, just, know alone, count?

because almost everyone has a knowledge or information of some sort concerning Jesus, if not Christ

and not done anything with the knowledge or information.

So you'll have to be clearer, more detailed

and not generalising or leaving things implied

else risk lulling someone into a false sense of security.

"After the homeowner gets up and closes the door, [it's too late].
You can stand outside, knock at the door, and say, 'Sir, open the door for us!'
But he will answer you, 'I don't know who you are.'

Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

But he will tell you, 'I don't know who you are. Get away from me, all you evil people.'"
- Luke 13:25 27 GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)

Take the POTUS or POTFRON for example, everyone knows them

aware of them likely via the tabloids, TV/radio media, through observation, information learned etc

however with no meaningful business or relationship with them,

if you turn up at the White House or Aso Rock,

you'll receive an emphatic about turn

Of course you know them, no doubt but there is no connection, no relationship with them

In the same vein, to know Christ, without a relationship or meaningful business,

is one thinking everything is fine, but really, it isn't,

because there's a danger in which one will find oneself with a state of mind like that.

To know Christ, is being introduced to , discovering the, or finding out the Father

and then subsequently finding way about the Fatherhood, Family of God, Fellowship, Fraternity etc framework.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
- John 1:12 American Standard Version

"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God."
- 1 Peter 1:23 New Living Translation (©2007)

Nothing is wrong with using the word 'know' to describe our relationship with christ. Let's not drag this into another arguement. I think you answered yourself here.

moredendisc:

@Mr_Anony

Does knowing Christ, just, know alone, count?
After the homeowner gets up and closes the door, [it's too late].
You can stand outside, knock at the door, and say, 'Sir, open the door for us!'
But he will answer you, 'I don't know who you are.'
To know Christ, is being introduced to , discovering the, or finding out the Father

and then subsequently finding way about the Fatherhood, Family of God, Fellowship, [i]Fraternity etc framework.

Now, what's wrong with using the word? Rhetoric question.

Reyginus:

Nothing is wrong with using the word 'know' to describe our relationship with christ.

Let's not drag this into another arguement. I think you answered yourself here.

Now, what's wrong with using the word? Rhetoric question.

@Reyginus

With more, the need to be explicit

because a lot know Christ with no relationship with Him

"What's wrong with using the word?"

Well, reiterating, what is wrong, is that using just "know" gives a false of security

People get to know Jesus, if not Christ and still don't get born again, which incidentally was what the subject/post title was about, talk less mentioning relationship et al

Less responding to you, an observation of an inaccuracy was made

and an explanation given on how a non existing and/or non meaningful relationship invalidates a "know" Christ

The poster solicited for stories on how got to know without mentioning relationship - i.e. " . . .to share their stories of how they came to know Christ . . ."

Leave no room for doubt, was the rule of thumb suggested here.

moredendisc:



@Reyginus

With more, the need to be explicit

because a lot know Christ with no relationship with Him

"What's wrong with using the word?"

Well, reiterating, what is wrong, is that using just "know" gives a false of security

People get to know Jesus, if not Christ and still don't get born again, which was what the subject/post title was, talk less mentioning relationship et al

Less responding to you, an observation of an inaccuracy was made

and an explanation given on how a non existing and meaningful relationship invalidates a "know" Christ

Leave no room for doubt, was the rule of thumb suggested here.

Okay. But my point is, if you are going to make a case against the word 'know', using it to explain itself is just redundant.
On one hand, you expressed the word know could be a surface acquintance on the person of christ, on the otherhand, you also hold that knowing christ is what is required. I think the problem is with the understanding of the definitions of the word 'know'. The 'Know' here is synonymous with experience.

Reyginus: Though this is not a thread for questions, I have one. Anony, can I go on?

feel free to ask

Reyginus:

Okay. But my point is, if you are going to make a case against the word 'know',

using it to explain itself is just redundant.

On one hand, you are expressed the word know could be a surface acquintance of christ, on the otherhand, you also hold that knowing christ is what is required.

I think the problem is with the understanding of the word 'know'.

Know here is synonymous with experience

@Reyginus

That is exactly my observation,

the redundancy is a luxury that cant be afforded,

as it again gives a false sense of security, - Pfft am sounding more like a broken record now by the minute, SMH

It is not healthy because it is not ". . . knowing Christ is what is required . . ." but having a connection and/or relationship with Christ that matters

as it is possible to know Jesus and not having a relationship with Christ

Few people know Jesus, experienced Jesus but have no relationship thereafter or thereon . . .

Reyginus tell me.

Do you know Obama, Mohammad Ali, Ghaddafi, GEJ, Fela, Kurtis Blow, Tai Solarin, Nduka 'Duke' Odizor etc

Sense you say, you do know a few, if not all, but do you really know them?

Do you have a rapport etc with anyone or any of them?

Lets call a spade a spade and say things as it is meant to be said. Brother.

Simplifying born gain with merely a knowing, will distort the feedback based on faulty understanding, the poster receives

You have the last word

Mr_Anony:
feel free to ask

Thank you. Aside from the fact that in your atheist phase you didn't believe God existed, I guess their were some other things you found contradicting and confusing. Now, that you've become a born-again, I would like to know those problems and the answers that neutralized them?

moredendisc:

@Reyginus

That is exactly my observation,

the redundancy is a luxury that cant be afforded,

as it again gives a false sense of security, - Pfft am sounding more like a broken record now by the minute, SMH

It is not healthy because it is not ". . . knowing Christ is what is required . . ." but having a connection and/or relationship with Christ that matters

as it is possible to know Jesus and not having a relationship with Christ

Few people know Jesus, experienced Jesus but have no relationship thereafter or thereon . . .

Reyginus tell me.

Do you know Obama, Mohammad Ali, Ghaddafi, GEJ, Fela, Kurtis Blow, Tai Solarin, Nduka 'Duke' Odizor etc

Sense you say, you do know a few, if not all, but do you really know them?

Do you have a rapport etc with anyone or any of them?

Lets call a spade a spade and say things as it is meant to be said. Brother.

You have the last word

Okay. Let's not derail

Reyginus:
Thank you. Aside from the fact that in your atheist phase you didn't believe God existed, I guess their were some other things you found contradicting and confusing. Now, that you've become a born-again, I would like to know those problems and the answers that neutralized them?

Do you mean things I have found confusing as a Christian or things I had found confusing as an atheist?

Mr_Anony:
Do you mean things I have found confusing as a Christian or things I had found confusing as an atheist?

As an atheist, things you found to be stupid, questionable and contradicting about the christain faith. And how you dealt with them when you became a born-again.

Reyginus: As an atheist, things you found to be stupid and contradicting about the christain faith. And how you dealt with them when you became a born-again.

Oh I see what you mean....
They were many:
1. For starters almost everything in the OT sounded like a fairy tale especially the creation story
2. Predestination and freewill- Did God select those going to hell even before they were born? Also to me a christian was never free - slaves of God on earth and slaves of God in heaven.
3. The sin of lust - does it mean that whenever I have an erection, I have sinned?
4. How was it possible that Jesus did not sin even in his thoughts?
5. Why can't God just turn everyone into Christians if He is All-Powerful?

These will do for now. I'll talk about them later. For now I need to sleep. If there's one that you want us to focus on, point to it and we'll handle it.

P/s: At the time of of my conversion, all these arguments were not floating around my head. All I could see was Christ. It was later after being born-again that I would begin to ask the same questions only now with a renewed mind. The thing with unbelief is that it is not really arguments that save a man, it is all about the Holy Spirit.
As much as I like arguing, I know that it almost never happens that during an argument, your opponent suddenly stops and says "Wow! That's so true....I see what you are saying now!" rather it is during his quiet moments that he comes to the truth.
As in my case, I won the argument but on that day, that fellowship leader won a soul. Funny thing is she may never know it on this side of eternity.

My earliest memories of church were of Celestial church of Christ or ‘white garment churches’ as most would refer to them. Funnily, i learnt alot about the bible there. We left it for the catholic church later on. Being in the catholic church was a new and exciting experience because it afforded the opportunity of being a part of something. Lots of activity there to make one feel saved whilst not. I was about 10 then. In secondary school my catholic principal loved me not just cause i was a stellar student but a pillar of the fellowship. I basically did everything for the church and i mean everything. However, i noticed there was so much evil in me and all my diligence in service failed to rid me to my demons. I was LUSTFUL, PERVERTED and lying was second nature to me. I also noticed hypocrisy in the lives of people i was supposed to look up to; parents, priests and my principal. Then i started to doubt God. Being the only boy sandwiched between four sisters and effeminate my dad thought it wise to take me out of the public school to a single-sex private school. In the one year i was there i was physically and sexually abused and came in contact with porn for the first time(its grip would take ten yrs to disentangle). I subsequently came to hate guys a lot and most learned the hard way not to touch me, even across the shoulders. I hated that school and even though i couldnt explicitly tell my parents why, they saw i had no intentions of returning after one year. Plus they had noticed changes in me. For one i was an angry child. I once was beating daylights out of my younger sister and my mum and my elder sister tried to wrest me off of her and failed. My mum started slapping and hitting me from behind and it wasn’t till her finger inadvertently entered my eye that i turned only to find her out of breath and panting. She had been there for ten minutes. I was then sent to my former school.
Here and back again, i was changed. Angry lustful child. I chased everything in skirts. I was very faithful to my catholic roots though but truly agnostic with serious doubts as to God’s existence. I despised FCS students or so-called protestant fellowship and was constantly arguing with them. i cant explain this, but even till today i have a knack for finding people in ‘compromising’ positions.’ So even when occasionally they seemed close to victory when we argued, i would bring up something i had seen, a compromise in their lives so to speak and that would clinch it.
One day, quite early in the morning one member of the protestant fellowship was singing, i knew the song he was singing and joined. He was suprised i could sing as well as i did and then asked me to do the number at his fellowship the next day. Of course i declined and not nicely too, but he would’nt give up. He kept coming to my room from about 10am in the morning till 10pm in the evening till i finally gave in.
The next morning during the service, two things struck me about his fellowship. One was the warmth with which we were received, despite their knowledge of who i was and my prejudice. Two was i had never heard God spoken about like i heard from the pastor that morning. For the first time in my life i knew, i knew nothing about God. There was no altar call but i clearly heard a voice say during the service twice “its time.” So i went home fell on my knees and said “God i know now that i do not know u, please help me follow you the way these people follow you.”
I started to go for bible studies, sometimes i would stay up with the president of the fellowship asking questions till 3am in the morning. I studied the bible and i knew that for something like this a man would die. One of the greatest reasons for my disbelief in Jesus death previously was that i could’nt see a man dying just so i could mumble some prayers repeatedly in church only to go home and continue living in sin. In that fellowship the males decided to live like the early church, owning nothing. We shared towels even toothbrushes lol. It was truly one of the most trying as well as happiest times of my life. I was punished by my principal and at home by my parents routinely for my choice. My dad slapped me once 15times, my fellowship suffered persecutions because of me. But boy did we grow? Gradually my love for the rosary and so many other doctrines waned as the truth grew especially following the Holy Spirit’s baptism. I cant say i havent struggled with a lot and haven’t wandered many a time, like my decade struggle with porn, masturbation and lust. But God never left me, i could never get rid of his love and it healed and brought me back time and time again. God healed of all my hatred for guys and in this fellowship for the first time in my life i heard the words ‘l love u’. Trust me it changed a lot. I can hug my brothers and my family noticed the changes. Today, more than a decade after, two of my sisters are born again and i hope for the rest of my family. Even though my father disowned me for “apostasy.” He’s been the everything to me, Jesus...my everything

My story is neither long nor interesting...

See, i was one of the "lucky" few or perhaps you may want to consider me one of those who was "indoctrinated" from birth. I was born to parents who had been strong conservative christians at least 10 yrs before they were married... i grew up in a home where reading the bible at least 2ce a day and prayer was not negotiable. By the age of 6 i could recite Ps 23 flawlessly... by the time i was 10 i could basically preach an entire sermon on the book of John chapter 3. By the time i reach senior sec school... there was barely anything in the bible you could tell me that i did not know or at least have a vague idea of. I knew so so much... i was lulled into a false sense of security that i knew the Lord. But did i really?

The experimental years:
I never truly understood something my dad always said to me growing up - "God has no grandkids"... well until i got into college fulltime. For the first time in my 17 yrs on earth, i didnt have to read my bible... i could skip prayer when i wanted and best of all i didnt have to go to church! For once i could experiment with drinking alcohol (i never really liked it and stopped real quick), rebellion and girls and did i have a field day with the last 2! College was fun with Jesus as an after-thought. Since i was relatively good at school, i laughed at those who made exams prayer points... i easily dismissed those who tried to preach to me because they soon found out i knew more about the very same bible far better than they. Being top of the class helped as well and most would rather avoid me than have me point out to them that God must not be answering their prayers if he let me (a complete sinner) be their head while they struggled as the tail.

Despite my open rebellion to the word of God, i was genuinely blessed to have parents who, night and day, never ceased to lift me up before the Lord. For some weird reason, my best friends happened to be committed christians and i found myself being dragged to church time and time again against my will. I could sing relatively well so i ended up in the church choir and stayed there for many years. But the more i got closer to the church... the more i realized it for what it was... a sham! The church had become nothing more than a social gathering of moral hypocrites... i could count many who stood with me on sundays to "minister" who had spent the previous night in the beds of strange men. Yes i was a christian but more as a function of cultural association than anything to do with being truly born again (i had no idea what that meant anyway).

Grad school was almost the beginning of the end for me. For the first time, i started to have a lot of questions. If truly God was a healer... why had i never seen the crippled walk? Why was it that God NEVER answered my prayers when i wanted Him to? why did He routinely let bad things happen to "good people"? why did the wicked live longer, get richer and enjoy relatively better lives than those of us who spent hours singing songs to someone who for all we know did not exist? The more i dabbled into scientific research... the more distant i felt from the church, i had started to hate the "shackles" that religion had begun to represent. Why couldnt i drink like everyone else? why did they know the best spots in town, the best girls and have the finest things of life while i had just a tattered bible to my name? After many months of struggling... i eventually gave in to my desires... for 2.5 yrs i would have nothing to do with a church, bible or christians in general. Slowly, i had started to laugh at the "stupidity" of many who sat around waiting for a rapture that had been "delayed" for 2000 yrs and counting... poor peasants who preferred to "pray" rather than work hard. I despised a boring set of folks who told us about a Jesus who had filled the heads of christians with so much fluff you could barely have a coherent scientific discussion with them. The more i delved into the world of science, the more "intelligent" i felt and the more i thought i no longer needed God.

But in all these... i could not help but notice the peace and joy that radiated in the lives of my parents, cousins, uncles and aunts who truly knew Jesus. I saw my youngest brother transform from an abusive and rebellious man to one with so much love and joy to share. Each time i stood with them, i realized how empty my life truly was. I had the girls, i was the smart one, i was starting to make some good money YET i was the one who spent more time seeking advice from those i had once looked down on.

Life changed one day while listening to a sermon. All my life i had come to know God as some abstract angry judge... waiting in some corner to strike me down each time i sinned. while i had flirted with the church in and out for about 2 years, the summer of 2010 was the turning point... i only remember going into my bedroom and just talking to God... pouring my heart out to Him just as i would my mom or best friend. I talked and cried... said everything that had been on my mind for years - the hurts, the pain... and when i was through... i had never felt lighter, more joyful and more at peace than at anytime ever. I have come to understand so much that i didnt know - God does answer prayers... in His time. We sometimes get so focused on the me me me part of life that we seldom remember to thank Him for the simple things in life - your salvation, the joys of being able to breathe without effort, the comfort of a loving family, food to eat, water to drink, favor before men, abundant grace and guidance in all facets of your life.

Things i learnt:

1. Just being born into a christian family does not make you a christian... you truly need to define your own walk with God.

2. God is a FATHER, a JUDGE... but most of all HE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. He is just as interested in the little things in your life as He is interested in your prayer life. Make it a habit to get to talk to Him, there will be times when you may not know what to say... just go ahead and speak... He is always listening and will always answer you.

3. The bible is NOT a set of rules meant to keep you from enjoying life. The day i understood this point, my concept of the bible radically changed. Being a child of God is not so much a legalistic label but a genuine relationship with the bible as a guide. If you truly love Him, you dont need a copy of the 10 commandments nailed to your chest to obey His commandments, it just flows out of you as an outward expression of your burning desire to please the One who has called you His own.

4. The greatest love in the world is when a man chooses to die for you and me. If you cannot do that for your own child, just think how much love it took for another to do it for you who never met Him before? Incredible.

5. Being a christian does not automatically lead to a life of luxury, sound health and no tears. God isnt coming into your life like the genie in alladin's lamp... rather He is a gentle voice in the midst of your storm, providing you comfort when everything looks to be falling apart.

6. Jesus truly loves YOU, He is real and cares so much for you. Just give Him a chance... it is ok to approach Him in all honesty... He knows you better than you do anyway so why bother to pretend lol.

Mr_Anony:
At the time of of my conversion, all these arguments were not floating around my head. All I could see was Christ. It was later after being born-again that I would begin to ask the same questions only now with a renewed mind. The thing with unbelief is that it is not really arguments that save a man, it is all about the Holy Spirit.
As much as I like arguing, I know that it almost never happens that during an argument, your opponent suddenly stops and says "Wow! That's so true....I see what you are saying now!" rather it is during his quiet moments that he comes to the truth.
. Funny thing is she may never know it on this side of eternity.
As in my case, I won the argument but on that day, that fellowship leader won a soul

Beautiful!!!
is all about the Holy Spirit...Instead of unwarranted arguments I would rather be praying for the person...shekinah

Mr_Anony:
Oh I see what you mean....
They were many:
1. For starters almost everything in the OT sounded like a fairy tale especially the creation story
2. Predestination and freewill- Did God select those going to hell even before they were born? Also to me a christian was never free - slaves of God on earth and slaves of God in heaven.
3. The sin of lust - does it mean that whenever I have an erection, I have sinned?
4. How was it possible that Jesus did not sin even in his thoughts?
5. Why can't God just turn everyone into Christians if He is All-Powerful?

These will do for now. I'll talk about them later. For now I need to sleep. If there's one that you want us to focus on, point to it and we'll handle it.

P/s: At the time of of my conversion, all these arguments were not floating around my head. All I could see was Christ. It was later after being born-again that I would begin to ask the same questions only now with a renewed mind. The thing with unbelief is that it is not really arguments that save a man, it is all about the Holy Spirit.
As much as I like arguing, I know that it almost never happens that during an argument, your opponent suddenly stops and says "Wow! That's so true....I see what you are saying now!" rather it is during his quiet moments that he comes to the truth.
As in my case, I won the argument but on that day, that fellowship leader won a soul. Funny thing is she may never know it on this side of eternity.

This is what I'm talking about. I think 2 and 3 will do. Happy sunday by the way.

@Rhowly and davidylan thank you for the lecture.

davidylan: My story is neither long nor interesting...

See, i was one of the "lucky" few or perhaps you may want to consider me one of those who was "indoctrinated" from birth. I was born to parents who had been strong conservative christians at least 10 yrs before they were married... i grew up in a home where reading the bible at least 2ce a day and prayer was not negotiable. By the age of 6 i could recite Ps 23 flawlessly... by the time i was 10 i could basically preach an entire sermon on the book of John chapter 3. By the time i reach senior sec school... there was barely anything in the bible you could tell me that i did not know or at least have a vague idea of. I knew so so much... i was lulled into a false sense of security that i knew the Lord. But did i really?

The experimental years:
I never truly understood something my dad always said to me growing up - "God has no grandkids"... well until i got into college fulltime. For the first time in my 17 yrs on earth, i didnt have to read my bible... i could skip prayer when i wanted and best of all i didnt have to go to church! For once i could experiment with drinking alcohol (i never really liked it and stopped real quick), rebellion and girls and did i have a field day with the last 2! College was fun with Jesus as an after-thought. Since i was relatively good at school, i laughed at those who made exams prayer points... i easily dismissed those who tried to preach to me because they soon found out i knew more about the very same bible far better than they. Being top of the class helped as well and most would rather avoid me than have me point out to them that God must not be answering their prayers if he let me (a complete sinner) be their head while they struggled as the tail.

Despite my open rebellion to the word of God, i was genuinely blessed to have parents who, night and day, never ceased to lift me up before the Lord. For some weird reason, my best friends happened to be committed christians and i found myself being dragged to church time and time again against my will. I could sing relatively well so i ended up in the church choir and stayed there for many years. But the more i got closer to the church... the more i realized it for what it was... a sham! The church had become nothing more than a social gathering of moral hypocrites... i could count many who stood with me on sundays to "minister" who had spent the previous night in the beds of strange men. Yes i was a christian but more as a function of cultural association than anything to do with being truly born again (i had no idea what that meant anyway).

Grad school was almost the beginning of the end for me. For the first time, i started to have a lot of questions. If truly God was a healer... why had i never seen the crippled walk? Why was it that God NEVER answered my prayers when i wanted Him to? why did He routinely let bad things happen to "good people"? why did the wicked live longer, get richer and enjoy relatively better lives than those of us who spent hours singing songs to someone who for all we know did not exist? The more i dabbled into scientific research... the more distant i felt from the church, i had started to hate the "shackles" that religion had begun to represent. Why couldnt i drink like everyone else? why did they know the best spots in town, the best girls and have the finest things of life while i had just a tattered bible to my name? After many months of struggling... i eventually gave in to my desires... for 2.5 yrs i would have nothing to do with a church, bible or christians in general. Slowly, i had started to laugh at the "stupidity" of many who sat around waiting for a rapture that had been "delayed" for 2000 yrs and counting... poor peasants who preferred to "pray" rather than work hard. I despised a boring set of folks who told us about a Jesus who had filled the heads of christians with so much fluff you could barely have a coherent scientific discussion with them. The more i delved into the world of science, the more "intelligent" i felt and the more i thought i no longer needed God.

But in all these... i could not help but notice the peace and joy that radiated in the lives of my parents, cousins, uncles and aunts who truly knew Jesus. I saw my youngest brother transform from an abusive and rebellious man to one with so much love and joy to share. Each time i stood with them, i realized how empty my life truly was. I had the girls, i was the smart one, i was starting to make some good money YET i was the one who spent more time seeking advice from those i had once looked down on.

Life changed one day while listening to a sermon. All my life i had come to know God as some abstract angry judge... waiting in some corner to strike me down each time i sinned. while i had flirted with the church in and out for about 2 years, the summer of 2010 was the turning point... i only remember going into my bedroom and just talking to God... pouring my heart out to Him just as i would my mom or best friend. I talked and cried... said everything that had been on my mind for years - the hurts, the pain... and when i was through... i had never felt lighter, more joyful and more at peace than at anytime ever. I have come to understand so much that i didnt know - God does answer prayers... in His time. We sometimes get so focused on the me me me part of life that we seldom remember to thank Him for the simple things in life - your salvation, the joys of being able to breathe without effort, the comfort of a loving family, food to eat, water to drink, favor before men, abundant grace and guidance in all facets of your life.

Things i learnt:

1. Just being born into a christian family does not make you a christian... you truly need to define your own walk with God.

2. God is a FATHER, a JUDGE... but most of all HE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. He is just as interested in the little things in your life as He is interested in your prayer life. Make it a habit to get to talk to Him, there will be times when you may not know what to say... just go ahead and speak... He is always listening and will always answer you.

3. The bible is NOT a set of rules meant to keep you from enjoying life. The day i understood this point, my concept of the bible radically changed. Being a child of God is not so much a legalistic label but a genuine relationship with the bible as a guide. If you truly love Him, you dont need a copy of the 10 commandments nailed to your chest to obey His commandments, it just flows out of you as an outward expression of your burning desire to please the One who has called you His own.

4. The greatest love in the world is when a man chooses to die for you and me. If you cannot do that for your own child, just think how much love it took for another to do it for you who never met Him before? Incredible.

5. Being a christian does not automatically lead to a life of luxury, sound health and no tears. God isnt coming into your life like the genie in alladin's lamp... rather He is a gentle voice in the midst of your storm, providing you comfort when everything looks to be falling apart.

6. Jesus truly loves YOU, He is real and cares so much for you. Just give Him a chance... it is ok to approach Him in all honesty... He knows you better than you do anyway so why bother to pretend lol.

Beautiful... I'm inspired.

Ishilove:
Beautiful... I'm inspired.

You don't have to quote everything.:-O

[quote author=frosbel][/quote] ok share wit us how you got born again too

Reyginus: You don't have to quote everything.:-O

I know that, but in this case I just couldn't help it because I find his story captivating.

Reyginus: This is what I'm talking about. I think 2 and 3 will do. Happy sunday by the way.

haba abeg make him answer all ko

davidylan: My story is neither long nor interesting...

See, i was one of the "lucky" few or perhaps you may want to consider me one of those who was "indoctrinated" from birth. I was born to parents who had been strong conservative christians at least 10 yrs before they were married... i grew up in a home where reading the bible at least 2ce a day and prayer was not negotiable. By the age of 6 i could recite Ps 23 flawlessly... by the time i was 10 i could basically preach an entire sermon on the book of John chapter 3. By the time i reach senior sec school... there was barely anything in the bible you could tell me that i did not know or at least have a vague idea of. I knew so so much... i was lulled into a false sense of security that i knew the Lord. But did i really?

The experimental years:
I never truly understood something my dad always said to me growing up - "God has no grandkids"... well until i got into college fulltime. For the first time in my 17 yrs on earth, i didnt have to read my bible... i could skip prayer when i wanted and best of all i didnt have to go to church! For once i could experiment with drinking alcohol (i never really liked it and stopped real quick), rebellion and girls and did i have a field day with the last 2! College was fun with Jesus as an after-thought. Since i was relatively good at school, i laughed at those who made exams prayer points... i easily dismissed those who tried to preach to me because they soon found out i knew more about the very same bible far better than they. Being top of the class helped as well and most would rather avoid me than have me point out to them that God must not be answering their prayers if he let me (a complete sinner) be their head while they struggled as the tail.

Despite my open rebellion to the word of God, i was genuinely blessed to have parents who, night and day, never ceased to lift me up before the Lord. For some weird reason, my best friends happened to be committed christians and i found myself being dragged to church time and time again against my will. I could sing relatively well so i ended up in the church choir and stayed there for many years. But the more i got closer to the church... the more i realized it for what it was... a sham! The church had become nothing more than a social gathering of moral hypocrites... i could count many who stood with me on sundays to "minister" who had spent the previous night in the beds of strange men. Yes i was a christian but more as a function of cultural association than anything to do with being truly born again (i had no idea what that meant anyway).

Grad school was almost the beginning of the end for me. For the first time, i started to have a lot of questions. If truly God was a healer... why had i never seen the crippled walk? Why was it that God NEVER answered my prayers when i wanted Him to? why did He routinely let bad things happen to "good people"? why did the wicked live longer, get richer and enjoy relatively better lives than those of us who spent hours singing songs to someone who for all we know did not exist? The more i dabbled into scientific research... the more distant i felt from the church, i had started to hate the "shackles" that religion had begun to represent. Why couldnt i drink like everyone else? why did they know the best spots in town, the best girls and have the finest things of life while i had just a tattered bible to my name? After many months of struggling... i eventually gave in to my desires... for 2.5 yrs i would have nothing to do with a church, bible or christians in general. Slowly, i had started to laugh at the "stupidity" of many who sat around waiting for a rapture that had been "delayed" for 2000 yrs and counting... poor peasants who preferred to "pray" rather than work hard. I despised a boring set of folks who told us about a Jesus who had filled the heads of christians with so much fluff you could barely have a coherent scientific discussion with them. The more i delved into the world of science, the more "intelligent" i felt and the more i thought i no longer needed God.

But in all these... i could not help but notice the peace and joy that radiated in the lives of my parents, cousins, uncles and aunts who truly knew Jesus. I saw my youngest brother transform from an abusive and rebellious man to one with so much love and joy to share. Each time i stood with them, i realized how empty my life truly was. I had the girls, i was the smart one, i was starting to make some good money YET i was the one who spent more time seeking advice from those i had once looked down on.

Life changed one day while listening to a sermon. All my life i had come to know God as some abstract angry judge... waiting in some corner to strike me down each time i sinned. while i had flirted with the church in and out for about 2 years, the summer of 2010 was the turning point... i only remember going into my bedroom and just talking to God... pouring my heart out to Him just as i would my mom or best friend. I talked and cried... said everything that had been on my mind for years - the hurts, the pain... and when i was through... i had never felt lighter, more joyful and more at peace than at anytime ever. I have come to understand so much that i didnt know - God does answer prayers... in His time. We sometimes get so focused on the me me me part of life that we seldom remember to thank Him for the simple things in life - your salvation, the joys of being able to breathe without effort, the comfort of a loving family, food to eat, water to drink, favor before men, abundant grace and guidance in all facets of your life.

Things i learnt:

1. Just being born into a christian family does not make you a christian... you truly need to define your own walk with God.

2. God is a FATHER, a JUDGE... but most of all HE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. He is just as interested in the little things in your life as He is interested in your prayer life. Make it a habit to get to talk to Him, there will be times when you may not know what to say... just go ahead and speak... He is always listening and will always answer you.

3. The bible is NOT a set of rules meant to keep you from enjoying life. The day i understood this point, my concept of the bible radically changed. Being a child of God is not so much a legalistic label but a genuine relationship with the bible as a guide. If you truly love Him, you dont need a copy of the 10 commandments nailed to your chest to obey His commandments, it just flows out of you as an outward expression of your burning desire to please the One who has called you His own.

4. The greatest love in the world is when a man chooses to die for you and me. If you cannot do that for your own child, just think how much love it took for another to do it for you who never met Him before? Incredible.

5. Being a christian does not automatically lead to a life of luxury, sound health and no tears. God isnt coming into your life like the genie in alladin's lamp... rather He is a gentle voice in the midst of your storm, providing you comfort when everything looks to be falling apart.

6. Jesus truly loves YOU, He is real and cares so much for you. Just give Him a chance... it is ok to approach Him in all honesty... He knows you better than you do anyway so why bother to pretend lol.

This man despite his nasty and hot headed ejaculations most times remains the most honest christian on the nairaland religion section to me. . .He tries to be sincere most of the time and I respect him for that. . .

mazaje:

This man despite his nasty and hot headed ejaculations most times remains the most honest christian on the nairaland religion section to me. . .He tries to be sincere most of the time and I respect him for that. . .

Lol. I love his style. You'd usually see him arguing with the men-worshippers on some of the Christian threads.

There'll be only one davidylan..

Ishilove:
I know that, but in this case I just couldn't help it because I find his story captivating.

Okay. I understand.

hisblud: haba abeg make him answer all ko

All? Lol. I trust Anony will brush the rest briefly.B-)

mazaje:

This man despite his nasty and hot headed ejaculations most times remains the most honest christian on the nairaland religion section to me. . .He tries to be sincere most of the time and I respect him for that. . .

And you are one of the few atheists i really like here. I still believe you are not far from God. Some of you may later be used by God to kick away some falsehood among some so called christians by the time you embrace God. I pray for you.

Wow. God bless you. For all those who shared their conversion testimonies here, i would also love you to paste it at http://testifyaloud.com to help other christians struggling to grow, or permit me to. God bless you. Pls reply

amazing grace. grace told.

Rhowly, i found your story more stirring than i can describe. It bears an eerie degree of similarity to my own experience. This thread's just the thing i needed to see. It's. . . invigorating. Thank y'all.

mazaje:

This man despite his nasty and hot headed ejaculations most times remains the most honest christian on the nairaland religion section to me. . .He tries to be sincere most of the time and I respect him for that. . .

lol funny guy.
But truth be told though, i see myself in the many many questions you ask. I was once in your shoes... doubting like you and asking the very same questions i see you ask here. while i may not have all the answers to your queries, this much i know - God truly is real! Now that i understand a lot better... i know that the problem with so many of us is that we have been presented with a "God" that is largely made in our own respective images. It is not so hard to understand the cynical nature of many nigerians to the things of God when you note that the type of God we were taught is one who simply exists to serve our own selfish needs (give us fame, money and make sure we suffer naught).

The key to understanding Jesus came from studying my father. There are so many things i disliked about my dad growing up - too strict, always angry at something i did, never satisfied with a B+, too demanding... until i grew up and maturity began to help me see things from his perspective. It was not that he hated me (infact he loved me enough to go without food just so me and my brothers would lack nothing), but he loved me so much that he was willing to hurt me temporarily to prevent me from making mistakes with grievous consequences in future.

That is the nature of God our Father. Most times He lets us make our own decisions knowing that He has given us His Spirit to serve as a guide. Yes we will not all be rich - but we sometimes forget that riches is not just in terms of money alone. Yes we sometimes fall sick - that is just the nature of the human existence and we trust that He is able to heal us according to His will in Christ Jesus.

Will we understand all things? No... just the same way you cant understand why your dad says not to go to your neighbour's to play... because he can see dangers that our little minds cannot comprehend. when i was out there i wanted to do all things by myself, i thought i was smart enough to figure out my own way. But now i can rest knowing that there is a God who cares so much for me that He is interested in how i brush my teeth in the morning! Jesus is fun... as much as He is the Lord of heaven and earth, He also wants to be able to come around and fellowship with you and me. Sometimes it is ok to not know tomorrow... Jesus knows and that is all that matters.

I pray that someday you will come to know this Lord... believe me... you wont regret it for one minute.

ALL THESE THESIS. *SMDH*