Church Goer Vs. Christian

[NinasLongAmbition]

My youth pastors said this to us: "Many people want Jesus to be their savior...but they don't all want Him to be their Lord."

We like to accept the gift that Jesus gave...accept him as our savior but when it comes to doing what he says and living how he wants...He can keep alla dat!...save me but then leave me alone...

So true, people open their ears for the good stuff and close it for the bad stuff( stop fornicating, forgive your enemies and tithe)......

 

[ktykaty]

@ktykaty - To answer your first question, I would say I have experienced both accusation and conviction according to your terms above.

No, I do not have a Christian support group in real life. I am someone that is very to myself. 90% of the time, I am alone and by myself. I have family and friends but I don't get good Christian support really. My dad is a pastor and we have conflicting views about certain things in the Bible which makes it hard to have Christian support. My mom is quiet and reserved like me and pretty much feels like "whatever makes you happy" when it comes to anything. My 2 younger siblings have started to feel like me about church. They still believe but I've noticed they are starting to question their beliefs as well. I also have a boyfriend but usually get to see him on weekends since we live in different cities. We've talked on the phone about religious beliefs but not alot. I used to go to church regularly every Sunday but stopped back in July of 2010 because of my disagreements with my father. I was going to the church that he is the pastor of.

Poohbear,
As we say in the RCC, a lonely christian is a christian in danger.
It seems to me that you are both struggling with some doctrinal stuff and being under attack.
You really really need Jesus as your best friend. You can talk to Him like you would talk to a family member. He is not only our Lord and Savior, He is also our brother.
I'm an introvert. I don't have lot of friends. I like to stay by myself. But, when I feel lonely and want to have a chat, I start a conversation with Jesus who is my BFF or with my heavenly father. They are always willing to listen to me and to talk.

 

[Poohbear]

Poohbear,
As we say in the RCC, a lonely christian is a christian in danger.
It seems to me that you are both struggling with some doctrinal stuff and being under attack.
You really really need Jesus as your best friend. You can talk to Him like you would talk to a family member. He is not only our Lord and Savior, He is also our brother.
I'm an introvert. I don't have lot of friends. I like to stay by myself. But, when I feel lonely and want to have a chat, I start a conversation with Jesus who is my BFF or with my heavenly father. They are always willing to listen to me and to talk.

ktykaty - I'm introverted too....99%! I too have a small circle of friends and do not care to have many friends like most other people do. I like not having to deal with alot of people....I also tend to have a bit of social anxiety/awkwardness as well. But this is also my dilemma... when I was younger and really strong in my belief in Jesus, I felt like I was talking to Him and/or God whenever I was alone....even a few years ago. But now, I sometimes feel like I'm just silently talking to myself in my head. I don't know the difference between talking to Him and talking to myself. Maybe I am under attack because it can sometimes make me feel like I'm talking to an imaginary friend.

 

[Poohbear]

So true, people open their ears for the good stuff and close it for the bad stuff( stop fornicating, forgive your enemies and tithe)......

Yep, and see, this is the thing too... Christians have different ideas about certain things being the "bad stuff" and "good stuff" per se. For instance, I feel like fornication is a sin, however, I feel like "not tithing" is not a sin.

Going back to Church Goer vs. Christian..... I feel like the Church Goer would put more emphasis on tithing rather than not fornicating when it comes to Christian living.

 

[ktykaty]

@ktykaty - I'm introverted too....99%! I too have a small circle of friends and do not care to have many friends like most other people do. I like not having to deal with alot of people....I also tend to have a bit of social anxiety/awkwardness as well. But this is also my dilemma... when I was younger and really strong in my belief in Jesus, I felt like I was talking to Him and/or God whenever I was alone....even a few years ago. But now, I sometimes feel like I'm just silently talking to myself in my head. I don't know the difference between talking to Him and talking to myself. Maybe I am under attack because it can sometimes make me feel like I'm talking to an imaginary friend.

One quick question, was He answering when you talked to Him ?

 

[Poohbear]

One quick question, was He answering when you talked to Him ?

ktykaty - I don't know! I cannot tell the difference in myself talking to myself versus Him talking to me.

 

[makeupgirl]

@makeupgirl, thank you so much for your testimony and scriptures. It was very helpful. The book of Job is a good read.

It's just that when people say "we all have a problem with sin" or "no one can stop sinning", it makes me feel like it's okay to sin when I know in my heart it's not. It's been very conflicting in my heart. That's why it makes me question whether or not I am born of God or not. Then you have people who say "being good" is not enough either.

I can definitely understand your confussion. Just continue to talk to the Lord about how you're feeling but also keep studying his word. That's where the growth comes from. Lets just put it this way, when we're filled with the Holy Spirit, we don't sin because asking the Holy Spirit to fill us at that moment is giving him complete control so that we do not get out of fellowship. 1 Thes 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. So, pray for everything and anything, even when temptations fall upon you. I had to do it a few mins ago, that the Lord will control my tongue. I also need to ask him to take control of my thoughts as well.

You'll be ok and you definitely have a strong support system here as well.