AAA Christian Encouragement and Fellowship Community Group
Anyone can join, you don't have to be "Christian". Belief in God is all you need. We have only 2 rules---1. God is in control 2. When all else fails, refer to rule #1.
I have been a Christian for a few years and I have a lot of challenges.
Sometimes I get spiritually attacked, sometimes people persecute me or just have
hate speeches directed at me.
I live in a fallen world and a sin nature and I have to fight it all the time, I also face
a lot of pressure to witness to people, pray for various types of people that they
will not go to hell.
I do not go to parties and I miss out on a lot, when people go to parties, I just stay
home and pray for them. I have been so hurt before and I have felt pressure to
compromise my beliefs to look cool to other people and be accepted.
The truth is that I don't really care. I'm not in it for the money or some blessing. I
am a Christian because I like to worship Jesus and I just want to please God.
I feel like that is my purpose in life, that is why I exist.
Sometimes I am rebuked, almost everyday, I am like clay and God refines me
all the time. Yes, it is not always a flashy or glamorous life but the truth is that
I just want to be free from my sin nature.
I serve a very profound, glorious and eternal God, words cannot describe this.
I believe that God cares for all his creation, I don't believe God originally wanted
anyone to go to hell.
Psalm 145.9 "The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."
Ezekiel 18.23 "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"
John 6.39 "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."
It is kind of like to me, the parable of the vineyard workers.
Matthew 20.12 "These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'"
We have some Christians, who have been persecuted throughout the centuries. Suffering so much that
words cannot describe..
Hebrews 11.37 "They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--"
Hebrews 11.38 "the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground."
But God gives as he pleases, if you are a Christian and you are saved, I think you should be happy with
what you do have. Maybe you wish you had more money or some physical look or more pleasure but
consider that you have been saved from hell only because of Jesus Christ.
We all are sinners, you did not earn a place in heaven, Jesus did this. We are born with nothing, we will
leave this world with nothing so don't get so caught up in stuff. A lot of people come to Jesus and they want
stuff and God knows what the creations need but we should seek God first.
Matthew 6.33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Hebrews 13.5 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
This is not easy, I have to crucify my flesh and it is only possible with the help of God.
You should consider where you want to go in life, how far do you want to go with God? Also realize that it
may come with a cost, you cannot have two masters. This is why it is hard for a rich man to enter into heaven.
If you are sad, if you are poor, if you feel like you have nothing to life for.. You don't even realize it but God has
chosen you..
1 Corinthians 1.27 "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
If you are weak and foolish, if you feel like you don't matter in the eyes of the world, I just want to tell you that
you matter in the eyes of God. You are God's creation and Jesus loved you so much that Jesus died a
horrible death on the cross and even after that rose from the dead to redeem you from your failure.
That is why I am a Christian, because of Jesus. That is why I am a child of God and not an evolved monkey
on an assembly belt headed towards death.
I am crazy but I would like to know why people have decided to give their lives to Christ. I want to refine my
faith and meet people of faith so we can sharpen each other and encourage each other.
God bless you,
Sometimes I get spiritually attacked, sometimes people persecute me or just have
hate speeches directed at me.
I live in a fallen world and a sin nature and I have to fight it all the time, I also face
a lot of pressure to witness to people, pray for various types of people that they
will not go to hell.
I do not go to parties and I miss out on a lot, when people go to parties, I just stay
home and pray for them. I have been so hurt before and I have felt pressure to
compromise my beliefs to look cool to other people and be accepted.
The truth is that I don't really care. I'm not in it for the money or some blessing. I
am a Christian because I like to worship Jesus and I just want to please God.
I feel like that is my purpose in life, that is why I exist.
Sometimes I am rebuked, almost everyday, I am like clay and God refines me
all the time. Yes, it is not always a flashy or glamorous life but the truth is that
I just want to be free from my sin nature.
I serve a very profound, glorious and eternal God, words cannot describe this.
I believe that God cares for all his creation, I don't believe God originally wanted
anyone to go to hell.
Psalm 145.9 "The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."
Ezekiel 18.23 "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"
John 6.39 "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."
It is kind of like to me, the parable of the vineyard workers.
Matthew 20.12 "These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'"
We have some Christians, who have been persecuted throughout the centuries. Suffering so much that
words cannot describe..
Hebrews 11.37 "They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--"
Hebrews 11.38 "the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground."
But God gives as he pleases, if you are a Christian and you are saved, I think you should be happy with
what you do have. Maybe you wish you had more money or some physical look or more pleasure but
consider that you have been saved from hell only because of Jesus Christ.
We all are sinners, you did not earn a place in heaven, Jesus did this. We are born with nothing, we will
leave this world with nothing so don't get so caught up in stuff. A lot of people come to Jesus and they want
stuff and God knows what the creations need but we should seek God first.
Matthew 6.33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Hebrews 13.5 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
This is not easy, I have to crucify my flesh and it is only possible with the help of God.
You should consider where you want to go in life, how far do you want to go with God? Also realize that it
may come with a cost, you cannot have two masters. This is why it is hard for a rich man to enter into heaven.
If you are sad, if you are poor, if you feel like you have nothing to life for.. You don't even realize it but God has
chosen you..
1 Corinthians 1.27 "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
If you are weak and foolish, if you feel like you don't matter in the eyes of the world, I just want to tell you that
you matter in the eyes of God. You are God's creation and Jesus loved you so much that Jesus died a
horrible death on the cross and even after that rose from the dead to redeem you from your failure.
That is why I am a Christian, because of Jesus. That is why I am a child of God and not an evolved monkey
on an assembly belt headed towards death.
I am crazy but I would like to know why people have decided to give their lives to Christ. I want to refine my
faith and meet people of faith so we can sharpen each other and encourage each other.
God bless you,
WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN? I HAD NO CHOSE IN THE MATTER. I HAD HEARD THE WORD OF GOD SINCE I WAS IN SUNDAY SCHOOL. I HAS HEARD THE WORD OF GOD FROM THE PULPIT. I HAD LEARNED AS A CHILD THAT JESUS DIED FOR ME. I HAD LEARNED THAT HE NOT ONLY DIED FOR ME, BUT HE WAS BURIED FOR ME AND THAT HE AROSE FROM THE GRAVE FOR ME. WHAT LOVE I HAD LEARNED. BUT IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICED ME THAT I NEEDED A SAVIOR AND ON THAT DAY I BELIEVED IN JESUS AND ACCEPTED HIM AS MY LORD AND SAVIOR.
NOT I BUT CHRIST.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Here is my reply...
To denigh God would be to denigh my own existence. I was and am a medical miracle. It was medically imposable for me to have been created. It was medically imposable for my mother to carry me in her womb. I was a breech baby, critical birth, a preemie, and the nurses wouldn't allow me to be born and kept shoving me back in. If that wasn't all bad enough, I was born with the cord wrapped around my neck abd the nurses refused to unwrap it ot touch me. I was blue, not breathing and the Dr arrived after all of this took place. He put me in an oxigen tent and hours later when I finally started breathing on my own, he was over heard saying... Only God could have saved this child.
Than at age 19 I was given 6 months to live. No hope, no chance of living. I am now 56 and dying medically again. God id real, he is in control and I live because God sustains me and has work for me to do. My work on easrth is not done and only God can say it is time for me to go home.
Now if afyer all of that, I was to learn (which I won't) that there is no God and I worshiped and believed in something that doesn't exist... I would have no sorrow or regrets because my faith and beliefs have made me who I am. They have changed me for the better and made me a better person. So I would loose nothing.
I am a christian because I CHOOSE to follow God and worship him. It is my desire and my choice. One I will never regret.
He has yet to figure out a way to dispute all of that, even though he chooses not to believe.
THERE IS ONE FLAW IN YOUR FRIEND'S STATEMENT. IF THERE WAS NO GOD AND I DIED; I WOULD NOT KNOW IT. IF THERE WAS NO GOD, WE WOULD JUST DIE.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Colossians 3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.
I do not believe that God wants to to never have fun or be playful and happy... In fact, I think he LOVES for us to enjoy ourselves. I have many friends who are not Christians, but if I plant ONE little seed, it may grow into something huge one day in their hearts.
In the Bible when they were asking why Jesus was sitting and mingling with sinners.. He answered them that THEY needed him the most.
We can do good works all our lives and that won't get us to Heaven. Accepting Jesus Christ as the Son of God and being Baptized washes away our sins.
For ME.. I am a Christian because I want to be. I am humbled and awed that God and Jesus loved us THAT much..and I bow before my God and his Son and thank him.. I LOVE my Heavenly Father and my Savior and for them to love me so much, a lowly sinner.... I can only be in awe of that kind of love...
So, I want to be joyful and happy. When others attack me for my beliefs or the way I choose to live my life.. I won't argue with them.. I pray for them.. I think each of us has our our path to follow with God...and we need to be true to the path that is right for us. When I am attacked for being friends with non-believers.. well, to ME, if even ONE of those souls are saved as a result of some tiny seed I planted...that is one more soul for Heaven...
Thanks for the question.. It was very good.
Well, a day not so long ago changed my life entirely. I did not suspect the magnitude of the event. But it happened and then I was forced to face reality. It was like staring at a 100-foot tidal wave coming right at me, with unimaginable force, and no matter how fast I tried to run from it I knew that it was naturally impossible. Eventually it would catch up behind me and swallow me whole. I had always denied, and doubted the existence of God. I hated that religion had caused so many wars and deaths in the past and I simply did not want to side myself with a force responsible for so much global despair. But then I realized that believing in God was not about religion, it was about living a life of hope and faith. When I saw that and felt that it was right, I decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and place my faith in him.
Simply put, I realized that I would prefer to live a life where I could have faith in the good of all things and live a life following the teachings of a man who once upon a time wished nothing else but to help and save everyone even at the expense of his own life.