Many people want to find God, but they don’t want to go back to basic Christianity to do it.
There are too many other interesting options out there, a literal buffet of spiritual choices. It’s like folks are standing around the spiritual buffet table with a platter, making their choices…
You’ve got friends, or co-workers, or neighbors, or family members who are like that, don’t you?
The problem is that spiritual reality is not that way. Spiritual reality is based on truth (there is such a thing), and truth only comes from one place: The one, true and living God, Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Even if a person is willing to go back to basic Christianity, it can still be a confusing path.
They’ll have to…
- Wade through all the Christianese
- Deal with their past negative experiences with churches and church people
- Overcome the stereotypes about what it means to be a Christian
- and many, many more issues.
How would you counsel your friend, co-worker, neighbor, or family member about how to navigate all of that?
Can I make a suggestion?
You need to point them to resources that take into consideration where they are at and how hard the journey could be. But at the same time it’s got to be deep enough to provide the truth of spiritual reality.
Years ago, when I was Pastoring a church in Mililani, Hawaii I put together a resource specifically aimed at people entirely unfamiliar with the Christian faith. At that time, it was a series of lessons in a 3-ring binder that I gave to people who either trusted in Christ, or were interested in finding out more about Christianity. In our little community it was pretty well received. One guy even took it, made copies, and began using it as a curriculum for his “New Believers” Sunday school class.
I think it’s the kind of resource you’d need… and just last week I finally put it into book form.
It’s called “Moving Toward God: Finding God from square one – a newbie’s guide to the basics of Christianity
It really does start from square one, assuming no knowledge of the Bible or all things Christian. It’s broken into 19, self-paced, self-study lessons that explain the truth of the scriptures, give opportunities for reflection and application, and build on one another. Here’s the table of contents…
- Beginning to move toward God
- Beginning to hear God speak
- Beginning to speak to God
- Beginning to enjoy the family
- Beginning to obey God
- Beginning to tell others about Jesus
- The help of offering yourself to God
- The help of knowing who you are
- The help of God the Father
- The help of the Holy Spirit
- The help of the Church
- The help others need from you
- Dealing with sin
- Dealing with trials and suffering
- Dealing with your enemy
- Learning how to worship
- Learning how to live by grace
- Learning how to manage God’s blessings
- Learning to persevere
As you can see, it’s pretty thorough, but I don’t think it’s overwhelming. It’s illustrated, simple, and easy to understand. I think your friend would enjoy it. They’d definitely find God… through the spiritual reality of basic Christianity.
And that’s the truth.
If you’re interested in getting or gifting a copy of “Moving Toward God” – you can find ebook copies here and a paperback copy here. (Paperback is recommended since there are lots of blanks to fill in and exercises to complete).
Speaking of basic Christianity… here’s a video I’ve always enjoyed about basic beliefs.
by 