Carshalton Baptist Church
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Frequently Asked Questions
Knowing Jesus
I want to accept Jesus into my Life. What do I do?
Getting to Know Jesus - For Real
How do I know that I am a Christian?
How do I know if I am a Christian?
How do I know if I am a Christian? What exactly is a Christian? – by Jamie
What exactly is a Christian?
God, as creator of the world, has made us (humanity) to have a relationship with him, it is a built in need we have and we find fulfilment in it. Through such a relationship God pours out his blessings and gives us all that we need.
Yet our desire for independence has meant that we have turned our back on God (this is what sin is all about). Some of us do this actively by denying his existence or denying his right to demand our allegiance. But many of us do this passively by simply ignoring him.
Because of this God is angry with us our relationship with him has been fractured. It is very similar to the way a marriage relationship is fractured when a husband walks out on his wife (or vice versa).
While God is angry with us, his love for us compels him to do something about it. So through his Son, Jesus Christ, he reconciles us to himself, repairing the relationship and offering us an opportunity to come back to him. In the bible (2 Corinthians 6, vs 11-21), God’s message to humanity is that He “was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them”. So now God promises forgiveness and restored relationship with him to any who turn back to him and trust (put their faith in) in his Son Jesus.
A Christian, therefore, is someone who:
recognises that they have turned their backs on God,
recognises that out of his love for us, God has reconciled us to himself through the death of his son, and turns back to God and believes God’s promise of forgiveness, putting their trust in Jesus Christ and his death on their behalf.
You will find a more in depth description of a Christian at http://www.christianity.net.au/god/
How do you know if you are a Christian?
If you recognise that you have turned your back on God and believe and therefore trust (put your faith in) God’s promise to save you through Jesus, then you are a Christian and in a restored relationship with God. It’s that simple.
The way that you express that trust is to work hard to live as God wants you to. It stands to reason - if ignoring God led to a fractured relationship with him then having that relationship restored means paying attention to him. This means listening to him by reading the bible, it means talking to him in prayer, it means obeying him as your God and it means meeting with other Christians in church. These are the outward signs of this renewed relationship.
Finally, I want to encourage you to remember that a Christian is not perfect, so while we try to live as God wants us to, we do fail. in such cases we need to remember that Jesus died to pay the penalty for that failure, so when you fall - get up, admit your sin and give thanks for what Jesus has done for you. Look at what Jesus has done rather than what you have done because his actions, not yours, are the actions by which God has saved you.
Read More From...https://christianity.net.au/questions/know-if-christian
Is There a God?
Is There a God? - by Marilyn Adamson
Does God exist? Here are six straightforward reasons to believe that God is really there.
Just once wouldn't you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for God's existence? No arm-twisting. No statements of, "You just have to believe." Well, here is an attempt to candidly offer some of the reasons which suggest that God exists.
But first consider this. When it comes to the possibility of God's existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God. On the other hand, for those who want to know God if he is there, he says, "You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you." Before you look at the facts surrounding his existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know him? Here then, are some reasons to consider...
Before you look at the facts surrounding his existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know him? Here then, are some reasons to consider…
The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.
Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life. The Earth is located the right distance from the Sun. Picture a typical front door of a house. If the Sun were at the top of the door frame, the Earth would be like a small coin sitting on the bottom door frame. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible.
The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.
And our Moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The Moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.
Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life... Read More.
Personal Evidence for God If you want to begin a relationship with Jesus now, you can
This is your decision, no coercion here. But if you want to be forgiven by God and come into a relationship with him, you can do so right now by asking him to forgive you and come into your life. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him [or her]."
If you want to do this, but aren't sure how to put it into words, this may help: "Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. You know my life and that I need to be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me right now and come into my life. I want to know you in a real way. Come into my life now. Thank you that you wanted a relationship with me. Amen."
God views your relationship with him as permanent. Referring to all those who believe in him, Jesus Christ said of us, "I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand."
Looking at all these facts, one can conclude that a loving God does exist and can be known in an intimate, personal way.
Read More From... https://www.everystudent.com/features/is-there-a-god.html
How can Jesus help me with Anger Managment
There is so much to say and consider in such a short space. To begin with, we have to accept that anger is a normal emotion. It is one of the emotions we bear as being created the image of our Creator. Indeed, even God himself gets angry!
Anger comes about because we are hurt or let down (either deliberately or not). God gets angry with Israel because they keep on forgetting him and doing the things he has told them not to do or not doing the things he wants them to do. He is angry with us because we have failed to treat him as God in our lives (that by the way is what sin is about).
The problem with our anger in general is that we react to it in ways that are not helpful or way out of proportion to the hurt felt. In this way anger can disrupt and destroy relationships that are important to us. In the heat of the moment we want to be proved right or may even want to inflict hurt. We will say and do things that we regret later on. I imagine that I am not saying anything that you do not already understand.
So the issue with anger is not so much that you get angry but why and what to do about it. Understanding why will help you work out how to deal with it.
I think here the example of Jesus is most helpful.
God always uses his anger to bring about his good purposes. Unlike us, he does not let this anger overcome him so that he loses control. Rather he works patiently through history to bring about his plans. What drives him is not his anger but a far more potent and powerful emotion - love. Apostle Paul in the Bible writes this:
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:6-11).
Let me unpack this a little. The Apostle Paul is saying that while we were God’s enemies, rebelling against him and making him angry, God acted by sending his son to die in our place. He acted not out of his anger (which he has every right to be) but out of his love to bring forgiveness.
To me the two key element here are love and forgiveness. The Christian experience of God’s overwhelming love leads us in turn to love others. In the same way the Christian experience of God’s forgiveness leads us to forgive others. Neither of these things is easy, especially in the midst of anger but they are what we are to aim for.
In Mark 11:25, we read of the importance of forgiveness. Forgiveness is described as being necessarily present before we can know the forgiveness of God for our sins. Matthew 5: 21-26, covers anger, forgiveness and reconciliation. As Jesus clearly teaches, we should always try to make amends with people that we have fallen out of friendship with. It may not always be the case that others are prepared to forgive us when we have wronged them, but the act of expressing our remorse to them is essential. Through this act we are communicating our own desire for peace with the other person, as well as God’s requirement towards everyone of love and forgiveness.
Forgiveness is often a process. Even if we may still feel anger towards the one who has hurt us, and the effects of the damage - (emotional pain and other problems), are still with us, we can still be in an attitude of forgiveness to that person. We are effectively controlling our anger and inviting God to deal with it. Rather than the anger turning bad, and causing hate, we acknowledge it, state forgiveness and refuse through sheer will to engage in thoughts of bitterness, revenge or hate. A feeling of complete forgiveness may take a significant amount of time and effort to reach but it is worth it in the end.
Forgiveness is not just an declaration or a feeling, it is also an action. Forgiveness does not mean that we sweep the hurt under the carpet as if it never happened. Forgiveness and love for the other may mean we need to deal with the hurt and the circumstances that brought it about. But it is now done in the light of bringing about reconciliation and doing good for the other (e.g. helping them to recognise and change a wrong behaviour). After all God did not simply sweep our sin under the carpet and forget it, he acted by sending his Son to take the punishment we deserve.
Now I have said before that none of this is easy as I am sure you are aware. So God is there to help. He knows what it is like to be human (after all Jesus lived as a human) and he is willing to help. So turn to him and ask for help. When you are angry try to simply direct a thought at him - “Help me not lose control but act in love and forgive.” It would be good to find other Christian people who you trust that you can confide in and talk about these things with. They can pray for you and with you.
But most importantly you need to ask yourself have you experienced the love and forgiveness of God yourself? I have no idea if you are a Christian or if you know of God’s love for you and his overwhelming gift of forgiveness. A Christian’s love for others stems from God’s love for us and a Christian’s ability to forgive others stems from the fact that we have already been forgiven by God himself.
If you do not know this love and forgiveness than this is where you need to start. Open a Bible and start reading Mark’s gospel and ask yourself “Who do you think Jesus is?”. You can also look at http://www.christianity.net.au/god to get an overview of what a Christian is. And, of course, you can continue to ask us questions - by Beth
I Have Accepted Jesus. What Do I Do Now Going Forward?
Going Forward with God
Congratulations on your decision to ask Jesus Christ into your life. (If you someone who is searching for some true meaning to life, then accepting Jesus is only a decision away. Go To: Knowing Jesus for Real).
What now?
If this were a religion, you could expect someone to give you all sorts of Rules. Rituals. Requirements and maybe give you lots of stuff to buy; this is not the case for Christianity. When you asked Jesus into your life, you did not join a religion. Instead, you began 'a relationship with God'. And that's pretty amazing.
You might be wondering what it will be like, to be in a relationship with God
Here's What to expect? - and most importantly, how would you even begin to get to know God better? We have some ideas for you from EveryStudent.com and others to help you grow in your relationship with God.
So we present to you today something called "The Spiritual Starter Kit." It's a free series of eleven messages that will come directly from us.
Here's what you'll receive in "The Spiritual Starter Kit":
► How to be sure that Jesus Christ entered your life.
► What God did to draw you to himself.
► What's different about God's love and why that matters.
► Why your relationship with God is secured by him, not you.
► What it means to trust God.
► What if you sin? Does God still forgive you?
► How to find a church, other Christians, or a Christian group on your campus.
Please send me the Spiritual Starter Kit!: Click here to Get Your Spiritual Starter Kit
Receive this series by WhatsApp:
In WhatsApp, please send a one-word message to: 12144369498
message this word: KIT
Just signup and the first message will be sent to you in the next few minutes.
If you'd rather not sign up, please go directly to our site that will help you grow in your relationship with God… StartingwithGod.com.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Adamson
director of EveryStudent.com
Read More From: https://www.everystudent.com/features/followup.html
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Homeless Support
Where can I go if I need Homeless Support?
Love In Action is the community support division of Carshalton Baptist Church (CBC). It provides homeless support and homeless support sign posting to other community services. Click Here
