Christianity Made Easy

[Britt12685]

I had a discussion about this topic with someone earlier this week. I was never brought up in a church, so im trying to find myself with Jesus now. It really helped me find out where I needed to start.

 

[LovingOne]

Actually, I'd be honored if anybody chose to do that. I encourage anoybody to print it out and share it with anybody they want to. May God bless anybody's endeavors by opening people's hearts while they are listening/reading it. I do ask, however that anybody that does plan to share it will PM me or something so I can pray for them

Kamtre

Thanks for your permission to print your paper out. I would like to share it with my small group at church.

Very good paper!!

 

[Kamtre]

Ya, if anybody wants to, feel free to print it out and share with anybody you might want to.

 

[donniewheeler]

?????

 

[ALIOSIAS]

Very Good.

Now take this to underprivileged people your age that live in apartment complexes and don't attend church and you will become a disciple of Jesus.
You will come to understand what it means to make Jesus the Lord of your life.

As ever in Christ Jesus,

Al

 

[Chuck®]

One more question I got...if I can believe that Jesus came back from death and walked the earth again...what else do I have to believe to be able to consider myself Christian? Or is that enough?

It is finished... He wants to pour out His goodness upon you
and provide salvation for you, He wants to do that by grace,
because of what Christ did,
accept it gladly!”

I do not frustrate the grace of God:
for if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2:21


~ Chuck ~
®

 

[Gospel Trafficker]

First let me say great paper. You really put your heart into it and I know the Holy Spirit guided you.

Now take this to underprivileged people your age that live in apartment complexes and don't attend church and you will become a disciple of Jesus.
You will come to understand what it means to make Jesus the Lord of your life.

Just keep in mind that many unchurched live there. Keep it simple, and I think you would do well.

 

[cschauer]

Hey all... I go to a Christian school and I had to write a paper for bible class on salvation, and I think it's really good, so I'm going to share it:

“You’re going to hell if you do that one more time, Billy!”, “Repent, for the time of Jesus is near.”, “Die in my place and you will go to heaven.”, and “Drink this Kool-Aid and we’ll all go to heaven together.” Are all phrases we’ve heard or heard about these days… but what is THE TRUTH? We’ve heard about the cults, religions, and beliefs, but which one is the true one? How do we REALLY get to heaven? Do we have to EARN it? Is it given by a person, or given by god, or achieved by your-self, or is there a heaven at all? These are many things people wonder about these days, and, well thinking about it, people have asked these questions through the millenniums, but read further, and you’ll find out everything you need to know in order to get to heaven.

First things first, have you ever sinned? Ever told a ‘Little White Lie’? Ever swiped that candy bar from the corner store? Ever lied? Ever wanted something so much you stole it? Ever even killed anyone? The list of possible sins goes on and on, but the simple truth is: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And here’s an even simpler truth: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). So what can you do about this? You’ve got yourself into death row, by simply stealing that quarter from little Jimmy. How fair is that? COME ON! But wait! There’s more! Along with this death sentence comes the offer of forgiveness! Yes it’s true! Don’t put this down and walk away, assuming this is one of those religious gimmicks for money or something, because it’s the total opposite. Here’s one more basic truth: “But God demonstrates his own love for us, for in that time we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

So, that’s the truth. You’ve sinned and you were stuck on an island separated from the mainland (God) but Jesus dove in and swam the ocean just for you so that you could come with him to this kingdom of God (Heaven). Now here’s something about Jesus you’ve probably been wondering who Jesus is. Now you’re likely familiar with His name, but only use it when you stub your toe, but here are the facts (and Jesus’ life) in a nutshell.

He was, is, and always will be a part of the trinity, the trinity consists of God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit, each is part of God, yet there is only one God, the best way to explain it is a triangle. There are three corners, but there’s still only one triangle, the concept is impossible for humans to comprehend, but here’s the point. Jesus was part of God, and decided it was time to save mankind from its sin. He came to earth as a baby in a virgin (Mary) and had a childhood teaching in the temple, and most of the teachers listened to him, because he told with such authority, and he explained the scriptures with such detail, and why not? He was one of the people who inspired it! And when he turned thirty, he started ministering to thousands upon thousands of people (by the way, all the while he never sinned even once, because he was God, and God is perfect and has the ability to not sin). So finally the Pharisees, who were the people that taught in the temples got really angry, because Jesus always proved that the things they made the people do were wrong, and that the legalism (getting into heaven through doing good things) they taught was also wrong. Here's another bit of info, many people back then were illiterate, they couldn’t read any of the scriptures (the bible) that had been written by other people in the past inspired by God, so the Pharisees took advantage of that fact (because they were among the few people who could read) and told the people stuff that gave advantages to them politically and monetarily. So they eventually crucified Jesus, and blamed him of things he had never done, but then Jesus was resurrected and walked around earth and appeared to his disciples, and also performed many more miracles, then finally went back to heaven. Because Jesus never sinned, but was killed for sinning, he broke the old system, now all people have to do is: “Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10). Really? Is it that simple? Sure! Why not? God agreed to let Jesus swim out and rescue you from the island! All you have to do is call for him! “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13)

So, you’ve done your part, but what happens now? What does God do? The bible says: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he himself is the sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2)”. It also says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 john 1:9-10). So it really is that simple!

So, now (after completing above steps) you are a Christian, congratulations. But what exactly does being a Christian involve? Well, Jesus said it best in Matthew 28: 18-20: “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the father, of the son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So that’s what you should do, Jesus saved you from the island, and took you back, and taught you how to swim, now why not go back and save others from the island?

So now all you do is help others to be rescued, and you don’t even have to do that, but, once you are a Christian, you don’t have to do anything to keep it, but it is a good idea to help others become Christians and its great to do good things too, but all the stuff you can do cannot save you from hell. Remember the only thing that can save you from hell is faith in Jesus. No amount of self-punishment, meditation, baptism, worship, sacrifice, or chanting will save you. Well there’s my spiel, take it or leave it, but if you want to accept Jesus and officially become a Christian (and don’t know how to pray, or don’t know what to say) pray this prayer: Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only Son, Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus, transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life. Amen.

Well that's it, but if anybody became a christian because of this essay, please PM me, Thanks

I really do not know why this essay angers since I am not a christian, but it does.

Let's start with the topic title: "Christianity Made Easy"

If that isn't the most belittling topic name, I dont know what is.This whole essay is about how easy christianity is... it also makes this essay seem sarcastic.

At the end of the first paragraph you say "but read further, and you’ll find out everything you need to know in order to get to heaven." Now i wouldn't be bothered by this but just before that you were talking about how people have had these questions for melliniums which makes you look arrogant.

"You’ve got yourself into death row, by simply stealing that quarter from little Jimmy. How fair is that? COME ON!"

More of that sarcastic feel, putting jokes on a somewhat serious topic(at least to me anyways) doesn't really please me, I don't know about everyone else. And before this you were starting off the paragraph by asking "Have you ever sinned?" Then you list common sins which then later saying that you are forgiven for all of this in the eyes of God as long as you have faith in christ, like it doesn't matter. In the eyes of God, it may not, but since you are already saved, why dont you just tell us one of those 'Little White Lies' so that instead of releasing guilt off of murderers, the guilt still remains and we are safer... "Well Michael, just because you killed your wife and your unborn son, that doesn't mean that you are going to hell, just surrender to god and have faith in christ and you will be fine, IT'S JUST THAT SIMPLE." Which brings me to my next arguement...

Saying something is "just that simple" is not exactly a good thing. In my eyes, calling any religion simple, (which im sort of repeating myself because it's the same thing as my topic arguement) is belittling, you are degrading your own religion. Because of this, if there is not already a "Dummies Guide To Christianity," you can bet there will be.

"So, now (after completing above steps) you are a Christian, congratulations. But what exactly does being a Christian involve? Well, Jesus said it best in Matthew 28: 18-20: “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the father, of the son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So that’s what you should do, Jesus saved you from the island, and took you back, and taught you how to swim, now why not go back and save others from the island?"

Children, dont do this at home, this is daredevil work:

So that's what you should do. Push your religion onto others. Since Jews, Muslims, Mormans, and every other religion out there that people believe in are not saved, you should go try to convert them into christians because otherwise, they will not be accepted into heaven.

I don't mean to be rude, but this essay is annoying me quite a bit, makes me feel like an important issue is turned into something stupid. Plus even if your essay is correct, it's like encouraging laziness... Let them read it on their own. Everything is made simple now. "Programming for dummies," "Investing For Dummies," "Learning For Dummies," "Thinking For Dummies," Where does it end? I fear it doesn't. That's just my two cents. Have a good day everyone.

 

[SH89]

One more question I got...if I can believe that Jesus came back from death and walked the earth again...what else do I have to believe to be able to consider myself Christian? Or is that enough?

You need to believe that Jesus is God almighty, the Creator(ref john 8:24, 1 john 4:1-3)

Thats about it. God made salvation simple. It was prophesied that the Messiah(The Christ, Saviour) would rise from the dead and would be God himself in the flesh. (psalms 16:10, isaiah 9:6, jeremiah 23:5-6) It was also prophesied that the messiah would die for mankind's sin(isaiah 53, daniel 9"25-6) In fact, the daniel 9 prophecy gives the time of the Messiah coming! According to Daniel 9, after the messiah would be "cut off" or suffer a penal death, the temple would be destroyed! Well, what happened in 70 AD? The temple was destroyed by the romans, so the messiah would have to have come and died for mankind's sins before 70 AD.

 

[ratto]

Here's another bit of info, many people back then were illiterate, they couldn’t read any of the scriptures (the bible) that had been written by other people in the past inspired by God, so the Pharisees took advantage of that fact (because they were among the few people who could read) and told the people stuff that gave advantages to them politically and monetarily.

You may want to check this out. As I understand it the Jewish tradition has always held tremendous value in literacy and memorization of scripture. People knew the laws and the Prophets. Now, as to interpretation of the law, I suppose some leaders did exploit it, but I don't know of any specific examples of transgressions in the Bible.

So they eventually crucified Jesus, and blamed him of things he had never done,

This is incorrect. Luke 22: 66-71 says Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin who asked him, "If you are the Christ, tell us." and "Are you then the Son of God?" to which He replied, "You are right in saying 'I am." Now, as I understand this, Jesus uses the same name that God used with Moses when God says, "Tell them 'I am'" sent you, which amounted to the most severe blasphemy in Jewish law. When he's brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, he's accused of treason for he'd been called "King of the Jews." You might make a case that he was accused of something he'd not done as he'd never asserted himself as a political king, but then he made no case to deny it and Pilate was even willing to let him go because he felt it was a false accusation. Pilate went with the will of the people, however, and had him executed for treason.

but then Jesus was resurrected and walked around earth and appeared to his disciples, and also performed many more miracles, then finally went back to heaven.

Aside from the miraculous catch of fish in John ch. 21, there is no account in the Gospels of other miracles after the resurrection. There is this, however,

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. - John 20:30

OK. I'll give you that.

...now all people have to do is: “Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10). Really? Is it that simple? Sure! Why not? God agreed to let Jesus swim out and rescue you from the island! All you have to do is call for him! “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans

10:13)

So, you’ve done your part, but what happens now? What does God do? The bible says: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he himself is the sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2)”. It also says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 john 1:9-10). So it really is that simple!

Good deal.

So, now (after completing above steps) you are a Christian, congratulations. But what exactly does being a Christian involve? Well, Jesus said it best in Matthew 28: 18-20: “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the father, of the son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." - Mark 16:15-18

When does the Mark 16:15-18 stuff happen? V.17 says these things will accompany believers, not "might" or "could."

Howzat work?

 

[Kamtre]

K, well, i'm not the christian doctrinal expert, but I do admit that I did make some crass statements in the essay. Some people who are having serious considerations about religion and changing religion and all that would consider what i wrote as offensive.. I'm sorry if my essay made you feel that way, because of what might be going on in your life surrounding religion.. But I do admit I'm not "Holier than thou art" and I was just trying to bring a simpler message to what many consider a complex web of Lies, hypocrisy and other things.. What I should tell people is to read the gospels and all the other new testament stuff about Jesus, and then dicide what to do according to just what is in there.. but it takes about 1-2 hours to read a full gospel and the new testament in its entirety would take 2 full days of reading.. The problem is that most people don't have that spare time to read all that stuff that they really don't care much about (usually) anyways.
The whole purpose of my essay was to bring people knowledge that would usually take days of reading. I didn't mean people to ask all these questions regarding doctrine and stuff.. all i meant was to paraphrase all the basic christian stuff..
If you really want to know what the definition of a christian is, check out the Nicean creed (or something like that) in the forums somewhere.
Well, I read about one guy asking about muderers getting forgiven and the like.
First, God makes the rules, not you, and not me, and not the pastor of my church.
Second, God made everything, including humans (obviously). Humans are his favorite creation (not using favorite as in favoritism, but as in I can't think of a better word) and is like your favorite model downstairs that you spent months on, painting and gluing every of the 5,000 peices on it to make a 3 foot replica of a 1940 battleship (example in here, in case u didn't catch on). If I went and smashed your model with a bat and crushed it to irrepairable pieces, you;d probably punch my head clean off, but that would be nothing to say about your irraparable model. Anyways, back to God, he made humans, an "evoluionary occurence" that have so complex of systems in the body that it would be impossible for any mortal to even dream of. God made humans "in His image" not his image as in face, but as in emotional aspects, and God loves every human, unconditionally.
Third, Because of that love, he sent Jesus to live a perfect life and die in place of sinners. And if sinners feel sincerely guilty and confess that they did wrong, and that they need God's help, God will save them.

God makes up his own rules, and only God knows what everybody has inside of them, and what they think, and if they really are sorry for what they did.. but remember one of my favorite verse in the bible: "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Rom 3:23. This means that everyone has sinned, no matter how, they have all sinned, and "The penalty of sin is death"(no matter the sin)"but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ" Rom 6:23. So, yes, if the guy that killed his pregnant wife actually thought that he would be forgiven, and lost his pride and really asked forgiveness, he would be in heaven with the saints. Jesus was on the cross wiht a murderer, the murderer asked for forgiveness and Jesus assured him that he would go to heaven. Jesus also forgave an adulteress, and many other countless sinners, and that was only while he was on earth. Well, I think My 2 centa has been spilled, and my fingers now officially have biceps.. C'yall, i'm finishing my summer vacation away from technology, so, if any christians out there can answer questions people post, i'd be grateful.. thanks

 

[Efik]

Can you help me please????? This is my essay topic:

Some people say that religious beliefs can be neither justified nor refuted by reason. However, while sometimes this claim is used as a reason for rejecting religious beliefs, at other times it is used to conclude that these beliefs are established by faith. To what extent is faith a legitimate basis for knowledge claims, in religion and different Areas of Knowledge? - I am not a believer, I do not know what to write and I have big problems with langugae because I am not a native English speaker. I just need some advice. Thank you! E.

 

[SAP84]

Hello Efik

Many people says that religious beliefs can be neither justified or be reason out of it, and that is true. For me since I am a Christian since I was a little kid, it is true that many people says the above, but you have to examine the truth, and for me the real truth of God is from His own word which is the bible, but sometimes many religion know's the bible inside out and still not wanting to belief it, sometime the way that the wanted to hear is the twisted version of it. so my hope to you is that, if you are willing to spend time on reading the bible really carefully, my suggestion is read Jesus Life from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. this four book may look different, but it is the same message in it. the message is that you will need Him(Jesus Christ) whether you belive it or not, because there is only one way to be truly save from your self, which is to belive in Him, but not Just in your lips but also in your mind and heart. which will bring up to faith, faith is not all extent to knowledge, because right now even the smartest person on earth, is not a smart person if he or she justified faith through knowledge. faith is how you trust something that you know it is the true thing and in this case, is that Jesus Christ is the only Name that is able to save you from a very painfull life (separation from God), only trust Him, give your life, your worry to Him, and ask forgiveness from Jesus Christ. Christian is not a religion but it is a faith in Christ. faith is beliving something that is true without seeing it, without doubt. right now even I am stil have alot of question but I know, with all of my heart that all will be answered in time. time is all that matter, not your time but His time. don't worry about not knowing which is the knowledge that you need to know, just know this that you are save not from your work, because all the work that you do will fall short of the Glory of God, but you need to have faith that Jesus Christ is your only savior from sin. you will have trial and temptation to fall but don't you worry. Because all that you have to remember is that we all are brother and sister in Christ. and also you only need to call on His name and He will come rushing to help you in your most troublesome day. I am also not a native English speaker also, so do not be afraid to write down from your heart, because that is what most important. belive in your heart and speak with your mouth, and know with your mind that Jesus Christ is Savior of all and all will be revealed in His time. I am sorry that the reply is long, but I hope that it will help you to understand. I will be praying for you and I am happy that you are asking question. please always be patient and stay joyfull and watch very carefully and you will see which is the truth and which is not. In Him, Jesus Christ. May God Bless you always, if you have any further question you could just post more or you could send me an email.

Thank you

one thing that I have always kept in my mind and heart is from Psalm 23, it has been a good help for me in my troublesome day, because it is His promise to me and to you also, which stated

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever"

 

[Efik]

Thanks a lot for your help, in case you gave me your email address, I would send you my essay!

 

[revdave]

Defining stealing, killing, lying as absolutes and declaring them as 'bad' already stopped me from reading through this.

Yes,I would like for you to clarify that statement.

Incidentally,all those will get you into all kinds of secular trouble!

 

[Femto]

<subscribe> I just want to watch this thread to learn more about Christianity

 

[Firecube2426]

<subscribe> I just want to watch this thread to learn more about Christianity

The best way to start is reading the Bible. Although I don't really know where to begin reading. My suggestion: I think you should start from John.

 

[Femto]

The best way to start is reading the Bible. Although I don't really know where to begin reading. My suggestion: I think you should start from John.

Sounds fair. I'll take note of that.

 

[Kamtre]

For Femto and all others that might not know alot about christianity: Usually reading the bible is the best way to find out about christianity. For those who don't like the thought of reading through all the thee's and thou's, and funnily put together sentences, there are two bible's i would reccomend, the new living translation, and the message, the new living translation is a change in basic grammar and vocabulary, to make it easier for most people, and the message (my number one fave) is a direct paraphrase from original greek and hebrew texts. Remember, (semi-quoting from the introduction in the Message Bible) "[the bible wasn't originally made in the language of upper-classes, but in the language of commoners, the ones that didn't know all the fancy words that the higher-ups used]" also the most important point, perhaps, the bible, in every christian translation has retained the same message, though vocabulary, and grammar, and even language have changed.. (note that the reason i say christian is that the jehovah's witnesses have changed the bible to suit their own motives, and have changed the message completely, there are also some other less known factions that have done the same)

Btw, if you want a computer bible, there are many sites, but my fave so far, tho i haven't been for a while is www.e-sword.com it had free downloads of diffrrent translations of the bible. But even better, just stop by your local bookstore. It's an investment that you will never regret!

Cheers!

 

[Femto]

Thank you for the link Kamtre