FAQ

#1           How do I know for sure that I'm saved and going to heaven?

Some people when they experience being "Born Again" are quite emotional moved while others are not. Feelings can be great and by that I mean it feels great to be saved but feeling can be very inconsistent and there are times when you might not "feel" very saved. God has given us His Word and it is upon this that we MUST base our spiritual knowledge. If we have sincerely sought God's forgiveness through genuine repentance of our sins and we believe with all our heart in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross when he shed His blood to purchase our freed from sin and have received Him as our personal Lord and Savior then we have obeyed God and therefore receive from God what He promised.

        Rom 10:9-11 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe
        in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it
        is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by
        confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us,
        "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced."

If Romans 10:9-11 expresses your heart and experience then based on God's Word
you are saved from your sins regardless of how you are feeling.

Make no mistake about it, to be genuinely "Born Again" will effect transformation and a changed life. Some changes are immediate others come over time but there MUST be change.

        Col 1:6 - This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the
        world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your
        lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's
        wonderful grace.

        2 Cor. 5:17- This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a
        new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

        1Jn 3:9 - Those who have been born into God's family do not make a
        practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on
        sinning, because they are children of God.

Living a life in love with Jesus is one lived free from sinning and is very powerful proof
of genuine salvation.

# 2    What's going on; I'm having lots of mind problems?

To be "Born Again" by the power of God's Holy Spirit is an immediate experience. At initial salvation God creates a new spiritual person in the human heart (spirit). This is powerful and often times dramatic and immediate change in some ares of a persons life is noticeable.

It is not at all uncommon for some confusion to set in shortly after a genuine salvation experience. This comes as a result of our thinking. While the human heart experiences some immediate change, the human mind, on the other is not "Born Again". God has chosen for the mind to be renewed through reading His Word. The mind is like a computer the needs to be reprogrammed, overwritten with the new program of God's Word.

It is vital to make the reading of God's Word a regular disciplined habit. Only then are we able to begin to think as God thinks. Only then will we know what God has promised to us.

        Rom 12:2 - Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God
        transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will
        learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

As the mind is renewed through God's Word it then thinks as God desires this then allows the new person created by God in the human heart to grow resulting in a transformed life. It should be understood that this is a process and Christ-likeness happens over a period of time. Your journey has begun and you will progressively become more spiritually mature as you continue in your intimate and personal relationship with God.

        2 Cor. 3:18 - So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the
        glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like Him
        as we are changed into His glorious image.

# 3 Now that I'm Born Again what's next?

The decision to accept Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and Savior is the single greatest decision you'll ever make in your life. Next to it comes the decision to continue in right relationship with Christ no matter what the cost. I say cost because true spiritual growth will cost you. You will be constantly choosing to say, "No" to your old sin nature and choosing to say, "Yes" to the ways of God. This is the process commonly known as spiritual growth.

From the point of conversion until the end of your spiritual journey here on earth God will be moving you along the pathway to Christ-likeness. It's a positive and wonderfully optimistic journey but you wont find it easy. Pr. 4:18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

The old sin nature doesn't surrender readily to dyeing but die it must if the new nature, the new life of Christ in you is to come to the forefront and live freely in you.
Col 3:5-10 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing
to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a
greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these
sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was
still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious
behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped
off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

Your life now is all about growing into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll need to give yourself to studying the life of Christ and from the New Testament find what the new nature God has put in your heart looks like. Always remember that God is working with you to bring you along, to mature you and to bless your life. He is committed to your well being. Ph. 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Never doubt God's good intentions for you even though at times you might begin to wonder where he ids and what's taking Him so long. Romans 8:28 will become increasingly more meaningful to you as time goes on. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

# 4 Why so many different churches and which is the right one?

To a New Believer with little or no Christian heritage or previous Christian influence there are few things about Church life that seem different and at times even contradictory to the Bible. One of these is why are there so many different local churches, with such a variety of beliefs. Personally it's one of the things that I've had to come to grips with over the years and hope that what I have to share with you will help you.

First of all attitude is what counts here. If you haven't already discovered this about Christianity you will (if you are at all honest) there are some things that we do not fully understand about why God chooses to do things the way He does or why He chooses to allow certain things. It's important that you have a good solid footing on the reality that everyone who has sincerely repented of their sins and has received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior is a child of God and a part of His eternal family and needs to be treated as such even when their beliefs differ from yours or your local church. 1Cor. 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

There's little doubt that some of God's people will be closer to perfect truth than others what is important is that you personal know what you believe and why you believe it and that you have a right attitude towards those who don't quite see things the same way you do.

I have come to accept the various evangelical Christian denominations as fingers on a spiritual hand, all different in appearance, all with a different function and purpose yet all part of the same body and all working together as an important part of the hand of God in the earth today.

This is what Jesus' is saying to us today, John 13:34,35 - So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples." It's absolutely possible for us to love one another when we don't quite understand the Word of God exactly the same way. In this we show the world that we really are God's people and Jesus true followers. Attitude is vital in this. We love one another as Jesus loves us.

# 5    If God knows everything why do I need to pray?
God is, without question, Omniscient! He knows everything about everything and why not He created it all. It's difficult for us with our finite minds to comprehend such a concept as, "all knowing". This definitely proves human limitations and it's important that we learn not to judge God on the basis of human limitation. Let God be who He is and learn to accept Him on the basis of what His Word reveals to us about Him.

King David had a good understanding on the omniscience of God. Ps. 139:1-4 O LORD, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. This being the case then why is there any need for prayer. If God knows what I'm thinking and what I'm going to say then why bother communicating to Him? This can be the basis for a very wonderful yet theological study, one that would bless and encourage any child of God yet for our purposes here I want to simply draw your attention to one or two things. One, God has created us for relationship with Him, communication play a vital role in this. Secondly, God never forces Himself upon anyone, He always responds to invitation.

        Rev 3:20 "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open
        the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

God knows your thoughts and actions and even knows what you're going to say but He looks to be invited into your life, into your situations. We looks to you to welcome Him, to ask Him. Do you want His fellowship, His help, protection, wisdom etc? He responds to invitation and that we do through prayer. Luke 11:9,10 - "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep
on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

# 6 What does it mean to be lead by the Spirit?

A true "Born Again" Believer is someone who has experienced spiritual rebirth by the power of God. When a person acknowledges to God that they are a sinner, repents of their sin and receives Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior that person is given new life. The the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that dwelt in the Lord Jesus Christ comes to live in the new human heart (spirit). This is when we really become the legitamate children of God. God becomes our Heavenly Father because He's the One who spiritual fathered us and His life is within every Born Again Believer. Gal 4:6 - And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."

The fundamental difference between the unsaved and the saved is the human heart. Prior
to salvation the human heart is sinful. That's just the way it is. People sin because it's
their nature to do so. They're powerless to help themselves! This is way people must be
"Born Again". People need a new heart, and a new source of power to live God pleasing
lives.

When born into this world all people do what comes natural to them. After a true salvation experience with God things change dramatically. Born Again Believers now have the Spirit of God alive in them, energizing them to live free from sin. 1Jn 3:9 - Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

It very important that we learn to understand how God works in our life. He never forces Himself upon anyone. He only operates and functions in our life through invitation. He'll never make us live right. He lets us make the choice. Once we choose God's way then He's there with His power enabling us to do it.

Being lead of the Spirit has somewhat of a mystic ring to it, however it's actually very basic, fundamental and applicable to every child of God. The purpose of a Spirit lead life is to have us live free from sinning. In order for this to happen we must know how the Lord wants us to live. This happens as we read God's Word, our Bible. Jn. 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. Reading the Word gives the Holy Spirit opportunity to reveal God's truth to us and Jesus said that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free.(Jn. 8:32) Obeying the Truth is being Spirit lead.

#7 Where do my feelings fit into all this?

People are God's creation. You are, and you've been made with feelings! Humans feel joy, excitement, love, fear, even hatred. Some feelings, feel great others we'd like to do without. Prior to the genuine salvation experience of being spiritually rebirthed through the power of God's Holy Spirit feelings pretty much govern what we do. The saying, "If it feels good, do it" seems to have become the moral value system in North America. Based on humanistic knowledge this slogan seems quite logic. The problem with this however, is that few people really understand human nature. It's very natural for people to sin. In fact the Word of God informs us that the human nature even enjoys sin. In other words, sin can feel good. Gal 5:17 - The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

As a new Believer it is important that you understand that you are now in transition. God, by His Holy Spirit has entered your life and is in the process of changing you into the likeness of Christ. This change is progress. As you learn and choose to obey God's Word you will experience and enjoy the Christlikeness God releases in you. It's also important for you to understand that you MUST ALWAYS choose to do what God's Word says regardless of human feelings. For the genuine children of God obedience supercedes our feelings and emotions. We choose to do what is right all the time. Isa 56:1 - This is what the LORD says: "Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display My righteousness among you.

One greatest misconceptions regarding Christian love, and I'm now referring to loving one another is that love, genuine love requires pleasant feelings. Love is action. We're instructed to love our enemies. This will never if we wait to be motivated out of feelings. We show love by doing what God instructs us. 1Cor. 13:4-7 - Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Because Christians are in the process of being perfected it's very likely that we'll need to love each other when we don't really feel like it. Remember: obedience first, feelings later. Remember: love first, feelings later.