Exploring Ways to Know and Have a Personal Relationship with God
The presentation delves into ways to know God and develop a personal relationship with Him, highlighting the importance of understanding His role as the creator and the purpose behind our existence. It emphasizes the significance of spending time with God through reading the Bible, engaging with fellow believers, and communicating directly with Him. Through these avenues, individuals can seek to know God on a deeper level and experience a meaningful connection with Him.
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CAN GOD BE KNOWN? The presentation looks at ways we can know God and how we can have a personal relationship with Him and He with us. God the Father The painting is attributed to Cima da Conegliano - The Courtauld Institute of Art 1
This presentation is No. 2 of a series of 4 topics. Each topic is complete. 1. 2. 3. 4. Where you will be the Moment you Die, from a Christian perspective Can God be Known The End of the World Prophecy The Prophecy regarding Jesus Note: Abbreviations, in red colour, are bible book and chapter references. Example: book - 1 John, Chapter 4 Verse 3 There is a free, searchable, online bible at www.biblegateway.com and answers to biblical questions at www.gotquestions.org ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please note that this presentation is the expressed opinions of the author and should not be construed as being approved or agreed by any church, organization or individual. Any part of this presentation may be used to bring glory to God. I am a Christian. I would like to publicly declare that I believe that Jesus has come in the flesh (1 John Chapter 4: verses1-3). 2
Sometimes we cannot see the Wood for the Trees If you cannot see the wood for the trees, you cannot see the whole picture clearly The Big Picture The whole of the bible is about God showing himself to us, making himself known. Every aspect of the bible, every act, every story and illustration shows us who God is; the creator, the one in control of everything. Once you understand this, everything that happens in this world begins to make more sense. 3
Why God Created Us Logically; if you consider that if God went to the trouble of creating the universe and everything in it then it is also reasonable to believe that he would want to make his purposes for all this creation known to his creation. One way He does this is through the Bible. In a similar way as a manufacturer provides an instruction manual. God created us for his pleasure, and so that we, as his creation, would have the pleasure of knowing him; this is the purpose for which we were created. Many people today do not know or purposely ignore this. Rev 4:11 Being created for God s pleasure does not mean humanity was made to entertain God or provide him with amusement. God is a personal God, and it gives him pleasure to have beings he can have a genuine relationship with. Col 1:16 God wants you to know him and He wants an intimate, loving and caring relationship with you. 4
Getting to Know Someone To get to know someone you have to spend time with them, the same goes for God. God can be known if you: - Read what he has written about himself in the Bible Read what others have discovered about him Talk to Christians, find out what they have discovered about him Talk to Him as you would talk to someone you know and Listen to Him The bible is for those who really want to know if he exists and if he cares about us. You do not have to be a bible scholar; God will reach out to you at a level you can understand He will reveal himself to you. Try starting with: God if you are there help me to know you . God says in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29 verses 10-14 you will find me when you seek me with all your heart . 5
Coming to Know God People come to know God in different ways; some need hard evidence, other read God s word and believe without the need for evidence. You will never come to believe through acquiring knowledge, not even by accepting the evidence I will present. You will only believe and know the truth if you have faith in what God says and promises.Eph 1:13-14 6
A step of faith To take a step of faith is like stepping through a door frame, with no door, from one room into another. On one side (the side you are on now) are all the doubts, arguments and rational; as you step through the door frame, in faith and look back you think Why did I bother with all those concerns ? Your new life begins. If you feel you need to say something as you step through just say Lord God I am stepping through into your kingdom in faith in you and in your promises . 7
Faith and trust go together Christian Faith means that you have faith to completely trust that God will take care of all your needs: - Your family needs, Your financial needs, he will Enable you to fulfil your responsibilities, He will protect you and love you all of your life. Heb 11:6 with all Faith might look a little different to that which you were expecting or had in mind 8
Helpless Situations Trusting in God to do this can initially make you feel very, very, very vulnerable. It is like being in a powerless position with great threats or consequences all about you. When you are at this stage this is the position God wants you to be in, totally trusting and relying on him and not in your own strength or the strength of others. God is faithful all the time, even when we cannot understand why he lets a situation happen. 9
Trust & Faith Produces Action Trust & Faith The more you put your faith and trust in God the less vulnerable you start to feel and you start to reach a place that you feel that no matter what happens (pleasant or unpleasant) you know that God is in control and that he is caring for you. Faith produces Action One other important element is needed with faith and that is actions; your faith, belief and trust must result in doing actions that show you love and care for those around you, that you have put your old, selfish ways behind you. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also James 2:26 Why action because: - Faith without works reveals an unchanged life or a spiritually dead heart. 10
Our Part in Gods restoration plan Our part in God s plan for us to become part of His family is to believe and have faith in what the bible says. First, we need to say sorry to God for all the things we know we have done wrong. We need to ask God for strength, which will be given to us by the Holy Spirit; for we cannot rely on our own strength. God will forgive you. We need to confess our faith. Romans Chapter 10 verse 9 says that: - if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved . Romans 10 verse 13 says: - For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved However, before you can say Jesus is (my) Lord (my God) find out what you are committing yourself to by reading God s word in the Bible, especially the New Testament part, understanding and applying God s 10 Commandments to your life Ex 20:3-17 11
Faith - Where to start? God s 10 Commandments are a good place to start This outlines Gods will. See how good it is. Why not try to align your will with his? The 10 Commandments are found in the Bibles book of Exodus 20:3-17 GOD MAN 1. Do not Worship any other gods Do not make idols Do not misuse the name of God Keep the Sabbath holy 1. Honour your mother and father Do not murder Do not commit adultery Do not steal Do not lie Do not covet 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 5. 6. 4. Why not give the 10 commandments a trial and dip into the attributes of un-selfish love and see what a difference it makes to you and those around you. God is there and He will help you to know him. Jesus summed up the 10 commandments by saying: - The first and greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to love your neighbour .Matt 22:36-40 Note: An idol is an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship or a person or thing that is greatly admired. The Sabbath is a day commanded by God to be kept sacred: like Sunday. To Covet is to yearn to posses something especially something belonging to another. 12
Regarding LOVE of our fellow men (and especially our spouses and children) We can tell if God is with us and our will is aligned with His when we do the things, naturally and unconsciously, that he has commanded us to do, such as loving our neighbours, forgiving offences done against us and putting others interests before our own. Definition of LOVE Taken from a letter to the Christians living in Corinth (southern Greece), found in the bible book 1 Corinthians 13 on how we should live our lives. Love 1. is Patient 2. is kind 3. does not envy, 4. does not boast, 5. is not proud. 6. does not dishonour others, 7. is not self-seeking, 8. is not easily angered, 9. keeps no record of wrongs. 10. does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 11. always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 12. Love never fails. 13
Imagine finding yourself in a Mine Field Image finding yourself outside in a very wide, featureless expanse with nothing much to distinguish a direction to travel; then as you look beside you, you see a sign which says, DangerMine Field . Underneath the sign it says; Only one way out North . But which way is North? Without a compass to be 100% safe you could observe where the sun rises and where the sun sets, giving you a line East to West. With East on your right and West on your left you are facing north, the safe direction to travel. Only one way out NORTH 14
Now imagine you are in a Moral Dilemma (A Moral Mine Field) Imaging you are in a moral dilemma: how do you proceed to safety? Whichever direction you are facing it does not matter, rely on God s compass, His word, trust in God, pray for guidance and obey His ten commandments: that is the safe direction to travel. A good maxim is to say to yourself. What would Jesus do in this situation? The 10 Commandments About God About Man GOD MAN 1. Do not Worship any other gods Do not make idols Do not misuse the name of God Keep the Sabbath holy 1. Honour your mother and father Do not murder Do not commit adultery Do not steal Do not lie Do not covert 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 5. 6. 4. Remember we always have a choice we may not relish the consequences of the right choice, but God will remember your action. A dilemma is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives (In this case Good and Evil) 15
The Lords Prayer This is a prayer which Christians pray; it is a prayer that sums up everything God does for us; it gives us a perspective of who God is and what we long for: it is called the Lord's prayer. Because God created us, Christians call him our Father. Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be your name Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us Lead us not into temptation for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever, Amen. 16
What God is like If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus life and actions. Jesus did everything God wants us to do. Col 1:15-21 Choosing Gods way is not always easy: totally relying on God for everything from our daily bread to our protection from evil. Try: - choosing good in place of evil every time, choosing the honest, unselfish way, not being proud, telling the truth, In essence following Gods Ten Commandment. It takes some practice, some faith and trust; we have to be brave. Sometimes we will fail; sometimes we will give in to weakness, don t beat yourself up over something, get over it and persevere. 17
If God judged, you today Which road would you be going down? There is only one way and that is God s way. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? WHAT CHOICE ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE? REMEMBER YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL YOU DIE TO MAKE YOUR CHOICE. Heb 9:27 CHOOSE GODS WAY 18
CONCLUSION: Can God Be Known? YES End of Presentation A very brief overview of God s promises can be found in the Bible book of Genesis. Genesis Chapters 1 to 3 Genesis Chapter 12 Verses 1 to 3, Genesis Chapter 17 Verses 1 to 21 Note: Genesis 17: verse 21 is important for Muslims to understand Followed by the New Testament books of Luke chapter 1 Verses 1 to 38, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There is a free, searchable, online bible at www.biblegateway.com and answers to biblical questions at www.gotquestions.org The Bible is not for the casual reader (no tyre kickers). Some times God want you to think a little deeper into a passage. This passage in the Old Testament (Isaiah 40:3-5) along with the passage from the New Testament (Mark 1:4) shows that Jesus is God. 19
