The answers to the questions below were written by a church members. They are a collaborative answer from people covering all walks of live, age, gender and creed. We hope the the answers included below will help you explore your faith and come to know the love of God. Click on the questions to explore the answer.
Explore some of the questions our members have posed in the past. As Christians we never stop learning and exploring. So if you have felt unable to express your question, know that Christians of many, many years each have their own questions about God...
- Why are we given free will?
- Why is faith so difficult to hold onto in a constant way?
- What is heaven like?
- Can anyone ever really be like you?
- Why won’t people listen to God?
Out of all things known in the world, the one thing that cannot be disproved is God’s existence. We can’t entirely understand the scientific explanation of where we came from, but what I do know in my heart is that all of this, creation and all we see around us, points to the work of a wonderful creator. Let’s consider this: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
As Christians we believe God responds to us through prayer and this is often most people’s most personal experience of God. However, God does not always answer our prayers in the way we would most expect and the timeframe that we would like. Sometimes we’re not asking the right questions. To most Christians, God answers most of our real needs.
Coming to that point of being with God is a journey of learning and belief. Christians don’t suddenly have a light switched on for them with all the answers provided in a neat little package. For some Christians we see God his presence in the goodness of the people we meet and interact with and in the beauty of creation. To grow to an understanding of God where we can say ‘I can feel God in my heart’ takes many people years of being with a church community.
The question of God’s existing has been one that has been on the minds of a great number of people throughout the ages, and indeed in the mind of many Christians. However, another question would be this: how do we know God doesn’t exist? There is a need in all to know that there is someone greater than ourselves. We experience it in our daily lives by our personal relationships and response to God, and his loving care through others – and in many cases not necessarily church-going people.
Christians are guided by faith, by what we believe to be true, based on learning about God and attending church and being with other Christians. If they sold ‘Become a Christian in 2 Weeks’ books, like some fad diets we see from time to time, then I suspect there would be far more people in church. There is no easy way to God; we often have to work hard to find him in our lives. He can find us, but we can’t always find him as easily. When you find God in your heart and truly accept him, you will never be alone again.
Quite simply, being a Christian is being part of a large family and community of people who believe in the goodness of the Gospel. Being a Christian is our response to Jesus’ life and ministry on earth. He died for us on the cross, for all of us. This is what is called the Good News of the bible. His way of love influences our dealings with all people and all of his creation, hopefully making us better citizens of the world.
We accept Jesus as our saviour. Jesus died for us on the cross and in so doing saved all those that believe in him. We therefore live in our lives in fellowship with him. He shows us the way to God, because he is the way to God.
As the Apostle Paul says: to be a Christian means to run together. The difference between a competitive race and this race is we want to get the prize together. We’re not in it to beat our friends; we hold hands firmly together on our journey. One of the guiding principles of teaching in the Christian faith is the importance of acceptance. We must accept one another for who we are, because that is exactly what Jesus did. We should drive out prejudice and encourage others in society to do so. Jesus talked to everyone; he interacted with all people, even those that society (at the time) considered to be ‘unclean’, unworthy of attention. Jesus talked to the blind, prostitutes and robbers. A Christian church welcomes everyone.
We hear God in many different ways, but we need to be open and receptive at all times in order to hear him. The bible stories tell of the people of God and how God has spoken to them in many different ways. Poetry in the bible and other sources speak to us of the situation we find ourselves in and God’s grace.
We hear God through the grandeur of creation, using our senses of sight, sound, smell, hearing and touch. We can feel God through the compassionate touch of a friend or loved one. Sometimes unexpected help from people we don’t know can be enough to move us to hear God in our lives. We are also aware of God’s presence when grave illnesses are overcome against impossible odds.
We heard God in our hearts in moments of silence, when in a noisy crowd or alone in the twilight. God talks to us through other people who surround us. When we have done wrong, whether to other people or to ourselves, God will be aware of our guilt. When we are happy we can feel that he has done something good for us. Many people have experienced Jesus in their lives through unexpected help.
We hear God from his Word – the bible – which is a light to our path to him. The bible tells us the story of the people of God and how God has spoken to them in many different circumstances and situations. It includes great poetry and stories that speak to us in the situations we found ourselves. Often when we hear the Bible read aloud we hear nuances that are not picked up when we read it aloud.
Where are many conflicts and problems in the world, from which we seek release (sometimes in our own lives). People are looking for answer to their problems and are seeking to resolve them in various ways. Some people turn to the church for their answers, but may be disappointed. Others find their answers with no problem. Because someone is a Christian doesn’t make them perfect; we have our flaws just the same as everyone else.
The modern church needs to be a spiritual church, a church where people are given inner strength to meet their everyday challenges. How then do we provide that in a meaningful way? Although the church has many practical issues to address, it needs to be a place where people can encounter the spiritual side of their nature and being. This can be expressed through welcome, preaching, teaching, prayer and often an atmosphere of inner tranquillity.
Many people think of ‘church’ as a building. To most Christians the building is just a place to facilitate an act of worship. Church is really the people; it is quite simply a group of people. Their collective spirituality depends on how these people work together. We all work together, supporting each other and practising our shared faith. Quite often we are challenged to reconsider our own lives and how we deal with people through the sermons we hear each week.
The Church of Christ in every age, beset by change but always spirit-led, is made up of people of different ages, races and backgrounds. It is not a building, but a church that longs to be a partner in Christ’s sacrifice and clothed in his humanity.
Prayer is the means to communicate with God; a direct and sincere line with God. But prayer is also a dialogue because God also talks to us. Through prayer we feel comforted and protected. Jesus is constantly present with us in prayer, which is in itself a thanksgiving moment for all that we have and are to be thankful for.
Prayer is something that Jesus did; he taught us how to pray through what we now know as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. Although God knows our needs; he encourages us to talk to him about them and will guide us through the act of prayer and in being still and peaceful.
Prayer is not a wish and a want list. Prayer is having a relationship with God. You can build this at any time in any place, where ever you are, whoever you are.
We also find that prayer is a way of thanking God for his generosity and asking him for his guidance and help. Our prayers are not always answered, but it is comforting to know that God is listening. It is always a personal invitation to be with God, many Christians feel it is a personal conversation.
We have a relationship with God and prayer is a dialogue. It can have words or be in silence, it is not a wish list for us to ‘go shopping’. We look for comfort, protection and peace – prayer offers a chance for us to give our thanks for all that we have.
Jesus was asked this very question. He told us the most important commandment was the first one. Thou shall love your God with all your heart. The second commandment was to love each other. It was these two commandments, and these two only, that Jesus mentioned. From these two all the other commandments that we know so well are underpinned. The other commandments that Moses brought to us from God cannot be followed without these first two. God is love and all are based on love. We should try to follow him as he would want us to.
We have to try our best to follow and respect the commandments that God gave us. The important thing is to be true to God. He wants us to be considerate of others and not be thinking about ourselves all the time. We need to respect the commandments, not just as a law imposed upon us, but as something we really believe wholeheartedly.
Jesus’ command to love others as ourselves – not in spite of ourselves, is an affirming statement, so whilst we must put God and his will first, then the needs of others will be fulfilled. We must always love ourselves too as he loves us as we are.
The two commandments Jesus gave us are greater than the commandments of Moses because it requires a considerate approach to living your life and the way you interact with people in the community and wider world.