What led me to Jesus Christ

[DaManInChrist]

Peace to you, dear friends.

I noticed that many people have problems with human preachers and claim that they drove them away from God.

Well, I would like to say that a couple of human preachers were what led me to God through Jesus Christ.

Please allow me to briefly tell you some things about me. I was born Orthodox and raised as a theist who believed in some god. My childhood days were wonderful days, and, thus, I was so thankful to this god for my happiness, for I always sensed that god was with me all the time.

Then, as I became a teenager, things started going downhill and go bad for me. And as it got worse, that was when I started blaming my god for all the wrongs he had done to me and I started showing anger at him ... and hatred. So, from a god of love and happiness, he became (to me) a god of cruelty and misery, and from a god who I used to thank all the time, he became a god who I would blame for every bad thing that he had caused me.

During those days, I came across believers who would say to me that God loves me ... that God has a wonderful plan for me ... and I would shake my head in irony and wonder why the God that they would talk about would love me if He doesn't make me happy. Plus, why would God love me if He might send me to hell? And such questions only caused me to hate God even more. No such believer was able to explain to me why God would send anyone to hell, because they were always focused on how God is Love, ignoring His holy side.

Now, of course, I met the fundamentalist Christians, and hearing their preaching (believe it or not) angered me more than the preaching of the "love God" believers. And, while they answered many questions that other believers could not answer, their answers only led me to be more disturbed by God and by how He acts. To me, God sounded like a god of hate.

With all this going on, I kept on believing in that god that I had always believed in, the god that didn't care about my sins (but that didn't care to make me happy anymore).

Then, recently, a close member of mine became a born again Christian and he started to witness to me along with a friend of ours. He was a good witnesser of the Lord, and I listened to many things he and our friend would say about God. They explained to me so many things I never knew before ... about God, Jesus, our nature, why Jesus died for us, about Christianity ... but all this did not click with me, because I couldn't understand how sinful I was. I actually thought I was a very good person compared to my friends and many others. I wasn't aware that I was so filthy.

I was still upset and living like the world, 'drinking' from its 'waters'. But, one night, for some reason, as I was pondering about why I was passing through all that suffering and wondering why my god neglected me so much, I started to think about what I was told about God and Jesus. I started to think about why I am a sinner according to God. After some thinking, I figured out something about me that I never realized before. I figured out that I was a sinner living in sin (not in innocence). I figured out that it was sin that led me to depresiion (not my god). I figured out that many things that no man had caught me doing were so offensive to God (before, I used to think it was normal). I figured out that hating is just as bad as murdering, and I figured out that lust is not so innocent as some people claim it is. I finally realized how bad a sinner I was.

Then I remembered what they told me about Jesus Christ, about why He died for me, and that's when I knelt down hard on the ground and begged God to forgive me for all I had done and to give me His Son Jesus Christ to be my Lord and my Saviour. God forgave me for every sin that I did and Jesus came into my life. I cried heavily that night.

From that night on, I had so many things to change in my life. I got rid of things I didn't really need anymore, and my relationship with God through Jesus grew. Praise the Lord!

Of course, I was still too weak back then (as a believer) so there were still some things that needed fixing, and it actually took months to have them fixed. I am still growing in Christ, and I still have some things to fix and some lessons to learn from God, but one thing I can be sure of is that I am saved for sure and for eternity (all because of God's grace - Jesus Christ).

My point from this post is just to tell you that Christians (especially evangelicals) are not cold insensitive robots who don't respect you. They are (at least to me) very loving men of God who preach out of the love of God (which people somehow misunderstand as hatred). So maybe human preachers are bad experience according to some members here, but human Christian preachers are who led me to Jesus Christ.

PS: It is late at night here (and I'm getting sleepy), so don't mind the English mistakes that I made above.

[coralie]

I am happy for you DaMan . this might have worked with you but not through those ppl it is because of one thing only you opened your heart ... and this is when all started to change in you ! God always work in misterous ways and enter silently but strong when you open your heart .. they talked to you and talked preached and explained yet you did nt change why ???? ... it all happened when YOU left your self you let go your anger your questions your uncertainty ... you just opened your heart ! this is when your life changed .

well as a previous unbeliever i can tell you that i runaway for years away from religion and from God ... i did nt come back because of some ppl preached God NO ... something very beautiful happened to me i was very sick ....and God came into my life and that night my life changed .
i saw ppl doing good things on daily bases helping others : sick ppl , poor ppl , lonely ppl , old ppl , .... this was the revelation for me and there i saw the face of God in the work the acts the good hearts there i found the true face of my Lord ... there all the teachings/words of God started to make sence to me all start to have true meaning ... i did nt need preaching i was experiencing it i was living it with those ppl and that was enough for me !

[Omeros]

ما الذي اوصلني الى المسيح يوما ؟
ببساطة ضعفي
ما الذي ابعدني عن المسيح؟
الحقيقة ....وهي ان كل انسان هو المسيح
ان المسيح هو رمز مثلما العهد القديم رمز ، هو رمز الكمال وان الانسان قادر على بلوغ درجات الكمال من خلال العقل فكما الامام علي وصل لاقصى درجات البلاغة في اللغة العربية ( ونافست بلاغته القران ) هكذا يجب ان نكون نحن منافسين للمسيح وذلك في اطار العقل

[gramsci]

Originally Posted by coralie

well as a previous unbeliever i can tell you that i runaway for years away from religion and from God ... i did nt come back because of some ppl preached God NO ... something very beautiful happened to me i was very sick ....and God came into my life and that night my life changed .
i saw ppl doing good things on daily bases helping others : sick ppl , poor ppl , lonely ppl , old ppl , .... this was the revelation for me and there i saw the face of God in the work the acts the good hearts there i found the true face of my Lord ... there all the teachings/words of God started to make sence to me all start to have true meaning ... i did nt need preaching i was experiencing it i was living it with those ppl and that was enough for me !

when we re sick , its normal that we have illusions , its due to the pain and o the suffer .
According to the scriptures, the Buddha taught that in life there exists Dukkha, which is in essence sorrow/suffering, that is caused by desire and it can be brought to cessation by following the Noble Eightfold Path (Sanskrit: Āryāṣṭāṅgamārgaḥ , Pāli: Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo). This teaching is called the Catvāry Āryasatyāni (Pali: Cattāri Ariyasaccāni), or the "Four Noble Truths".

Suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.



According to the scriptures, the Four Noble Truths were among the topics of the first sermon given by the Buddha after his enlightenment which was given to the five ascetics with whom he had practised austerities. The Four Noble Truths were originally spoken by the Buddha not in the form of a religious or philosophical text, but in the manner of a medical diagnosis and remedial prescription in a style that was common at that time. The early teaching[40] and the traditional understanding in the Theravada[41] is that these are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them.

NB> im not trying to change or make contradction to ur beliefs , im just explaining my point of view

[4U2IMI8]

Originally Posted by Omeros

ما الذي اوصلني الى المسيح يوما ؟
ببساطة ضعفي
ما الذي ابعدني عن المسيح؟
الحقيقة ....وهي ان كل انسان هو المسيح
ان المسيح هو رمز مثلما العهد القديم رمز ، هو رمز الكمال وان الانسان قادر على بلوغ درجات الكمال من خلال العقل فكما الامام علي وصل لاقصى درجات البلاغة في اللغة العربية ( ونافست بلاغته القران ) هكذا يجب ان نكون نحن منافسين للمسيح وذلك في اطار العقل

What made you find the Lord is your goodness,
What made you loose sight of him, is the hate and cruelty of others.
You allowed the evil in man to overcome the faith in you.

[coralie]

Originally Posted by gramsci

when we re sick , its normal that we have illusions , its due to the pain and o the suffer .
According to the scriptures, the Buddha taught that in life there exists Dukkha, which is in essence sorrow/suffering, that is caused by desire and it can be brought to cessation by following the Noble Eightfold Path (Sanskrit: Āryāṣṭāṅgamārgaḥ , Pāli: Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo). This teaching is called the Catvāry Āryasatyāni (Pali: Cattāri Ariyasaccāni), or the "Four Noble Truths".

Suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.



According to the scriptures, the Four Noble Truths were among the topics of the first sermon given by the Buddha after his enlightenment which was given to the five ascetics with whom he had practised austerities. The Four Noble Truths were originally spoken by the Buddha not in the form of a religious or philosophical text, but in the manner of a medical diagnosis and remedial prescription in a style that was common at that time. The early teaching[40] and the traditional understanding in the Theravada[41] is that these are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them.

NB> im not trying to change or make contradction to ur beliefs , im just explaining my point of view

why was i expecting you to reply to this one???? ...LOL... my sickness was from another kind ....
again i tell you i still have my full mental capacities ... sorry to disapoint you but no no illusions for me ! but again i cant explain to you knowing that you will want to search for a scientific , philosophic, or psychologic explanation !
by the way i repect Buddhisme and i am fond of this philosophy ! :)
http://www.lfpm.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25179 this is what i am talking about ! even Buddhism touched the essence of the "illusion" ! i hope you read french !

[gramsci]

coralie ,
yes i can speak french
i didnt meant that ur sikness was mental . any type of sicknes or pain have a psycological effect on u and im sure about what im talking ,
when i am sick , with temperature 41 . many illusions pass on my head ,i can remember events happend year ago , when i was child . in normal condition i cannot remember it :) thats happened with me .
concerning budhism, i m deep in it , and i have a tibetan friends , i agree on lot of things in it , specially the morals , and the explanation of life , but stiill the reincarnation dont convince me !
as well as lot of folklorique things , like monastries and such stuff , i am against the insitutions in the name of this filosophy .

[gramsci]

Originally Posted by coralie

why was i expecting you to reply on this one???? ...LOL...!

maybe its the lord revelation :)

[coralie]

Originally Posted by gramsci

coralie ,
yes i can speak french
i didnt meant that ur sikness was mental . any type of sicknes or pain have a psycological effect on u and im sure about what im talking ,
when i am sick , with temperature 41 . many illusions pass on my head ,i can remember events happend year ago , when i was child . in normal condition i cannot remember it :) thats happened with me .
concerning budhism, i m deep in it , and i have a tibetan friends , i agree on lot of things in it , specially the morals , and the explanation of life , but stiill the reincarnation dont convince me !
as well as lot of folklorique things , like monastries and such stuff , i am against the insitutions in the name of this filosophy .

i agree that with 40 tmp we can have some illusions / hallucinations even ! but again you are missing my point .
any way let us not drift off topic talking about buddhism in here i think it has its own thread !

and yes maybe knowing that you will reply to certain point you and no one else is a revelation ... lol... Naaaaa just joking !

[Omeros]

Originally Posted by 4U2IMI8

What made you find the Lord is your goodness,
What made you loose sight of him, is the hate and cruelty of others.
You allowed the evil in man to overcome the faith in you.

هذه المرة لن ارد بالشعر ،هذه المرة فقط ساقول لك ان السبب ليس من شانك
انا اؤمن بنفسي وبمن احب وهذا ما يهمني
[ لا يوجد لا رب ولا شيطان فلا ذاك يغلبني ولا هذا ....عفى الله عما مضى