I Believe

I am increasingly coming to see that the world is one big dysfunctional family. I know first-hand what it is like to come from a dysfunctional home, where every “discussion” dissolves into an argument. Thankfully as a psychology major and a Christian, I know what breakthroughs can be made when people stop fighting and begin making the effort to hear and be heard. One hope of Godspace.com is that people from every thought and belief pattern would engage in a civil discussion about God, human nature, and the nature of our world. Now, I would like to take the time to lay out three of my core beliefs, so that you can better understand the perspective from which I write. Here they are.

Jesus Christ is the Sacrifice for Sin
I believe that God came down from heaven in the form of his son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. Accepting Jesus Christ into one’s life is the only way one can escape eternal separation from God. The way you accept Jesus is by making a confession of faith, which is a prayer in which one, you recognize that you are a sinner in need of salvation; and two, you recognize that Jesus’ death on the cross is the means by which you receive that salvation. Jesus’ atoning death on the cross is the central message of the gospel, and as a Christian, I am called to share that good news with others. And yes, this is one of the intentions behind Godspace.

The Christian Life = Life in Partnership with God
To me, getting saved or accepting the message of the gospel is like accepting God’s proposal for marriage. This is a big decision, but also the best decision one can make. By sending his son, God was inviting man back into his family after we had been estranged from him. A very potent illustration of this is found in the story of the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-31, (link)
Some might ask, “Why should I get married to God? After all, he seems kind of sketchy.” Well, you say this only because you have never had a personal encounter with God or his son Jesus. You have only heard rumors about God, and you have never met him face to face. If you did, I am sure your feelings would change.
To get a better picture of what being in a relationship with God is like, try imagining what it would be like to be friends with a celebrity you love and admire. Get that person in mind: Oprah, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Tom Brady, Janet Jackson, Michael Jordan, Tiger Wood, Ashton Kutcher etc. Better yet, think of someone who you already have a loving relationship with: your mom, your dad, your significant other, a friend. Well, God is infinitely more wise, powerful, and loving than that person. Imagine being in a relationship with someone who was all-wise, all-powerful, always present, and who loved you with a perfect love. This, my friend, is God. When you begin to see God this way, it is hard to imagine why anyone would not want to be in a relationship with Him. God leaves no doubt that He wants to be in a relationship with us. This is the very reason why He came to earth and died. Not many people can say they have someone in their immediate circle of friends who would be willing to die for them, but this is exactly what Jesus did for you and for me.

The Holy Spirit: The means by which we live life in partnership with God
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd part of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit), and He is the version of God who comes to live inside the believer once they are saved. The Holy Spirit is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible. He is a very active, yet much neglected, part of the Triune. An essential role that the Holy Spirit plays is to be a guide to the believer. He acts something like an internal GPS system, helping us navigate our way through life. In essence, directing us to the destination (or destiny) God has prepared for each of us. The Holy Spirit not only directs the believer in their travels through life, He also gives them the fuel, or power, they need for the journey. A lot more can be said on the topic of the Holy Spirit, however I will stop here, but in the future please look out for articles where I speak about Him.

Prove It
Some of you may be quite skeptical of the beliefs I have just put forth, e.g. the significance of Jesus’ life and death; the belief that we can have a close and personal relationship with God; or the belief that God through his spirit can live in us, and instruct and empower us through life’s journey. Some of you may be saying, “prove it.” Well, to you I say, I don’t have to prove it. These things are true whether you believe them or not. BUT there is a simple way you can prove these things to yourself. The way you do this is by praying a simple prayer where you ask God to make Himself known to you. This is not the same as the prayer of salvation, but to many of you it will be an important step towards it. God is very willing, even anxious, to make Himself known to you. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” This applies even in the simple matter of finding the faith to believe in God. Some ways you can begin seeking God are by reading the Bible (particularly the New Testament), speaking with believers, and attending church services. However, if you are really serious about finding God, do all these things with an open mind and a heart bent on knowing the truth.

Resources
Some resources you may want to check out are BibleGateway.com, http://www.biblegateway.com/, an online Bible site; or LifeChurch.tv, http://www.lifechurch.tv/, which is an excellent online church (try going to the message archive page, http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive and scanning through messages). Also, for those who live in the Boston area, I highly recommend you come visit my church, Jubilee, a multinational Christian church located at 1500 Blue Hill Ave. (http://www.jubileeboston.org/)
I hope that this article was of much help to you, whether you are a believer or non-believer. I pray that the Holy Spirit himself has spoken to you through it. I thank you all very much for reading.

REMEMBER: The idea is that Godspace be an interactive site, so please leave your feedback, questions and comments.
In Christ’s Service,
Deneen