peace . love . joy

{ side point : take a look at the latest post on "half-Gospel" at http://www.sheworships.blogspot.com/
what d'u think? =] }

i'm thinking a lot about "working out my faith". yes, i'm still caught up in that. i think it's crucial that a Christian does so and i speak from experience. i posted an entry about this issue some time back, if you recall, so this is an add-on.

in the previous post about working out one's faith, i asked that you find out what your faith rests on, and i said that mine was built on Love and Forgiveness.
let's go a little further.

have you ever thought if what you believed in was real (ie. true, not false, authentic, not made up)?

what if there is no God? what if all you're believing is a lie? what if man made religion and not the other way round?

hmmmm..

ever had questions like those pop up in your mind?
i think these issues will come up sooner or later (if you're reading this now, perhaps the moment is now, haha!), questioning the truth and authenticity of your faith. by this i do not mean whether or not your religious text, be it the Qu'Ran or the Bible or the sutras, is a collection of fairy tales, myths and legends. what i mean is this:
1. does God exist?
2. is the God we Christians profess to follow hard after the one true living God?
of course such questions will no doubt include the authenticity of the religious text, but those follow after these two basic questions. they are supplements to the answer(s) to those two fundamental questions.

i guess u might say that i'm studying too much into Weber's concepts of "rationality"; my wanting to "rationalise" or to "de-mystify" religion and faith.
but contrary to what he believes, i'd like to hypothesize that "rationalising" a concept will not always lead to disenchantment, arbitrariness and meaninglessness.
particularly in this instance, where i'd like to ask you to venture into "rationalising" your faith, or rather, to set about finding the meaning and the basis of your faith. i believe that if you do so, prayerfully, your faith will be strengthened, you conviction more certain and your love for God increase ten-fold.

i'm not going to post any "answers" in support or in opposition to the question of whether or not God exists and if our God, Yahweh, El Shaddai, Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the one true living God.

i'm going to encourage you to find out by yourself.

the internet is full of information, bookstores are full of books on this, i think it's called apologetics (?)
go find out and satisfy your curiosity and questions.
(!! note both articles on the internet and in books are written by men and women, not God. articles, especially those found on the internet, that is not to say they dont appear in books, can be good and sound, or, misleading and unsound. they may be inspired or not from God. read with a critical mind. sift and test each idea !!)

i've come across a multitude of information, and been to talks on this issue (the existence of God, and the authenticity of the Christian God). to tell the truth, i'm still looking for "evidence" that is so utterly convincing that if i tell you, you will be convicted.
but then perhaps if such evidence existed, there wld be no need of faith..hmmm..

i guess by now, you would have realised i'm not talking about the "faith" part anymore.
the previous post, where i spoke of Love and Forgiveness, is the part largely on "faith".

i'm now talking about "reason". "reason" in the way the world views "reason".
what if a non-Christian asks you, a declared Christian, "how do you know your God is real?"
can you supply sufficient, convincing evidence that leaves no doubt about the realness of your God?

be convinced, children of God, of your faith.
be convinced now because you no longer are infants suckling at your mother's breasts, but are toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, adults who require solid food.
be convinced. follow hard after God all your mind and heart and soul!

look now, i do not mean that "reason" is far more important than "faith".

"Faith and Reason are like the shoes on your feet; you can go much further with both than with one."
~ Babylon Five

"And without Faith, it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him"
~ Hebrews 11:6

"Reason" is there to support your "Faith".
God did not ask for a blind faith.
in the New Testament, the word "faith" was translated from the Greek "pistis". but here, i would refer you to a much more comprehensive "study". look at the range of meaning that the english language pales in comparison to the greek in revealing the essence of the word. look at each of the meanings. can you say of your faith that it encompasses all?

remember in the end that it is still faith that will decide the future of your relationship with God.
faith and not reason.

remember to pray.

What if His people prayed
(Casting Crowns)

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more

What if the church for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took and stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way

And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day

What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way

He said that they would hear
His promise has been made
He’s answered loud and clear, Yeah
If only we would pray

If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face, Yeah
And turn from their own way

He said that they would hear
His promise has been made
He’s answered loud and clear, Yeah
If only we would pray

What if His people prayed

love.