About God

On this page you can find out a few things about God.

• Do you want to experience what life is like with God? Let us help you find the way.
• Are you facing obstacles to believing in God? We want to help you get past them.

If you have questions or concerns like these, then enjoy browsing this page, and feel free to contact us if you have more questions.

Do You Want to Experience God?

Most of us, at one time or another, have wished that there was a God in Heaven (or somewhere) and that we could just make contact.

The reason that so many of us have these deep longings is explained by realizing that we are just yearning for "home." The Bible shows us where we actually came from and what we were made for—and it wasn't for making more money than we could spend or blowing our minds out with chemicals or adrenaline.

We were made for relationship with God. The creator of the whole of time and space made us to be in loving and intimate relationship with himself. His original design was for us to know him intimately, love him completely (as he loves us) and to rule and manage this planet as co-laborers with him.

No wonder we flounder around on this planet trying anything and everything, but never feeling that we've found "it!"

Do you know what you are looking for?

The truth is that what we're looking for is something that would be lost forever to us, except for the loving initiative of God himself.

The Bible helps us to understand what has gone wrong with us. Haven't you ever wondered why it's so hard to find God? Why he seems so distant? It's because of our rebellion against God. That's what the Bible means by the word "sin." [I know that that's not what most people nowadays mean by the word "sin." People today think sin means something that is forbidden (for some arbitrary reason) and anyone, if they had the choice, would probably enjoy a little bit of it, you know, just to spice things up a bit!]

Actually, sin is just stupidity. It is stupid to rebel against the loving care of the one true God—who knows everything, only has our very best in mind, and has committed all of his limitless resources to helping us realize the fullness of his GREAT purposes for our lives—when all our rebellion accomplishes is death, destruction, disease and despair. [A lot of people think that the "problem of evil" is a problem with God. Actually it is a problem with us. All the destruction, pain and sorrow in this world is directly or indirectly the result of our rebellions against a loving God who made us for something so much better than that for which we have settled.]

Do you know how to find what
you are looking for?

So, how do we reconnect with our creator? How are we to get home? How can we experience relationship with God?

The Bible tells us that there is only ONE WAY. I know that that is not the word on the street. Current wisdom is that there are many ways to God. All the major religions of the world offer a way. Any bookstore has at least one shelf with books about how to have spiritual experiences. And the thing is, many, many people are having them! But that doesn't change what Jesus said about how people get to God. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, from the New Living Translation) This doesn't change the fact that a lot of people are having spiritual experiences apart from Jesus, but spiritual experiences are not necessarily experiences of God—the real God who created everything. The Bible makes it very plain that from early in recorded history (and even before) people have been worshipping lots of things and have been having lots of amazing (and sometimes frightening) spiritual experiences. What is the good of all these spiritual experiences if we are not coming home to God who created us to be the objects of his love and the vehicles of his kindly rule upon the earth?

Jesus, who by the way is actually God come to earth as a man, has done what we could not do for ourselves. He has resolved the terrible problem of our rebellion and opened the way for each of us to begin having a living, personal relationship with God. The Bible is pretty clear about how this works. It's not about our super human effort, our amazing self-control or our outstanding virtue. It's about facing the gift that God offers to us through his son, Jesus, and simply believing him and receiving"it" (a ticket "home"—free to us, but extremely costly to God). That's what one of Jesus' first followers was trying to explain to people in his generation when he said:

"In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent John the Baptist to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world. But although the world was made through him, the world didn't recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan--this rebirth comes from God. So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." (John 1:1-14, from the New Living Translation).

So, do you want to experience relationship with God? So do we! And we are. You can too through Jesus the Christ. If you want to talk with someone to find out more about all of this why not visit with us one of these Sundays or contact us and we'll do everything we can to be of help to you in your quest for the real God.

Facing Obstacles to Believing in God

Are you one of those people who want to have a relationship with God, but you find that you just can't?

Are there obstacles that you face that seem to make it impossible for you to ever "find" whatever it is that others say they have found (faith or salvation or something like that)? If this is your situation, I want to encourage you to read on—there is help!

Many people have faced one or more of the following obstacles to believing in God and have turned back from pursuing a relationship with him. But you don't have to! Just understanding what these obstacles are can free you to face them and overcome them so that you can find your way "back home" to the real God who created you in love, who wants you to live with him forever. We stand ready to do anything we can to help you overcome these obstacles and to begin your own adventure of knowing the real God who loves you.

Five Obstacles to Believing in God

• Ignorance (not having all the facts)
• Pride
• Shame
• Anger (at the church and Christians)

Obstacle One: Ignorance

Before you get angry thinking that I'm calling you names (ignorant doesn't mean stupid), ignorance is simply the lack of the necessary information to truly understand something. Here's the issue: many people "think" that they know all about God, Jesus, the Bible, etc., and find the whole thing unbelievable, when actually they don't have all the facts.

Biblical Christianity (which is a formal way of describing what the followers of Jesus believe and practice) is a very logical, rational, historical, reasonable, and consistent way of understanding what is real and true in life. It's not about a set of religious or philosophical opinions that "some people" hold, rather it is a description of what is actually going on in this world of ours. The Bible is the story of the whole world, and all the peoples in it. It describes what God, the real God who created everything, is doing in the world and how he can be found and known.

What Christians believe about God (which includes what we believe to be true about Jesus) is based on historical facts and is logical and reasonable. All of the objections which people raise about God (the problem of evil, the reliability of the Bible, etc.) can be answered, not with mystical mumbo-jumbo, but with sound reasons.

For example: one of the most critical issues that you need to know about is the facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his crucifixion. Everything in Christianity hinges on the truth of the Bible's claim that Jesus was crucified, was buried and was raised to life again on the 3rd day. Because this happened, Jesus was vindicated. Everything that he claimed about himself and God and everything he did is shown to be valid and authoritative because of his resurrection from the dead. Why, because he predicted that this was exactly how he would complete the mission that God, his father, had sent him to do. Likewise, if it didn't really happen then every claim he made was false and he was just one more failed religious trouble-maker crucified by the Romans in 1st century Jerusalem. And, Christianity is a fake and a fraud, no matter how much good it has done or how many people find it to be a comfort in their lives (a lot of people find comfort in drugs, too!).

Obstacle Two: Pride

This one is a little harder to talk about, but it's a real problem to some people. Once, many years ago I was having a conversation with a member of the faculty of a State College (a pretty bright guy) about the issues of church and faith in God and the like. Our conversation ranged all over the place until finally I asked him, "If what the Bible says about Jesus is true, and if he is who he claimed to be, and if he did what he claimed to do, then would you give your life to him?" Without a moment's hesitation, he shot back, "No way! I know a few women I might give myself to, but Jesus, no way!" And then he walked off and I never saw him again.

What was the obstacle? It was pride. When it came down to it, the idea of letting someone else be in charge of his life, to have control or huge influence over who he was and what he did, was absolutely OUT OF THE QUESTION! Nobody, but nobody, especially God, was going to run his life but him.

This self-sufficient, macho-man attitude (I don't need anybody, I can do it all myself) is one of the things our culture highly values. What most people don't know is that pride is really the deepest source of all our sin problems and the destruction and pain that engulfs our world from pole to pole! God (in the Bible) makes it clear that pride is one of the things that he hates the most.

But, think about it. What does this pride get you? Nothing but trouble. Saying that you've got it all together and you don't need or want anyone else's help or intrusion into your plans doesn't change the fact that we desperately need to get back "home" to God. We are made to be completely autonomous and independent. That's all just a lie anyway. Every proud person who "stands on their own" is really, and inevitably going to be dependent on others for help at sometime. And when it comes to the true fulfillment of our humanity—the only way that is going to ever happen is if we give up our pride and come back to the God who created us and find out what he has in mind.

What does God have in mind anyway? Well, the the first book in the Bible (Genesis) says that God created us to rule and reign over the whole earth, to manage the whole thing! The last book of the Bible (Revelation) says that those who have humbled their pride and come back to God through Jesus will rule and reign forever (these people will even judge angels) with incredible authority and responsibility. Frankly, that college professor was holding onto his little, tiny bit of authority and power in this life, while forfeiting ultimate fulfillment and purpose (with power and authority) in the process. If you ask me, sin and pride are just plain stupid. Why settle for so little when you could have so much. God doesn't intend to humiliate us when we humble ourselves before him, quite the opposite. Those who humble their pride before God will be greatly exalted by him!

Obstacle Three: Shame

Shame is a powerful deterrent in our lives. It keeps us from seeking help. It keeps us from admitting the truth. It keeps us from looking for a way "out" (if we're looking for escape) or a way "in" (if you are looking for something better for your life). Shame, for many people, is a huge obstacle in their path back to God. The personal weight of guilt and shame for what you have done and been is so great that it is inconceivable that God (or the church) would be able to do anything other than reject you—so why even try?

A lot of us can sympathize with anyone feeling this way, but it's not a good enough reason for turning your back on your search for God. The truth is, Jesus has already dealt with all of the evil, vicious, or shameful things you have ever done. He personally shouldered the guilt and the shame we all have deserved in order to set us free from it all.

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! 6 All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all."

While the shame we feel is real and powerful, let us assure you that it is no reason to give up on having a relationship with God. This church is full of people who will tell you that God is a loving and forgiving Father who accepts us when we come to him through his son Jesus.

Obstacle Five: Anger with the church

This is really one of the most embarrassing obstacles for us to talk about. Why? Because, to be perfectly honest, if you are angry about what you have experienced or what you have observed at the hands of someone or some group claiming to be representatives of God (i.e., Christians), chances are it wasn't your imagination—they really were jerks! The truth is we've all had some bad experiences with "religious people" who didn't "walk the talk" in their personal lives or in their leadership roles.

But as embarrassing as it is to admit that these things happen, it is still important to stress that it is not a good enough reason for pulling away from God or abandoning your search for him in your life. What do I mean?

1. Sometimes people who claim to be followers of Jesus haven't gotten very far yet in their journey of learning how to live the new life they have with God. They are still struggling with some areas of their old way of living and can be observed "flailing about" from time to time. If you thought that becoming a Christian means instant transformation, you may need to reexamine your assumptions (see Ignorance).
2. Sometimes people who claim to be followers of Jesus are lying. Once the Christian church became recognized as an official religion, even THE official religion by ancient Rome (about 500 years after Jesus), lots of people joined the church organization, attended the meetings and even assumed roles of authority and leadership, but never really became true followers of Jesus like the first disciples did (in radical faith and submission of one's whole life to God through Jesus). It is impossible to keep all of these "imitation" believers out of things or to not bump into them from time to time. Because they are not really followers of Jesus they don't really act like it. They can predictably be very manipulative, political, domineering, and abusive (which is not at all anything like Jesus).
3. People aren't the real issue anyway—though I am not minimizing the pain and the damage that people do to other people who are seeking to find God for themselves. However, the fact that there are so many messed up people hanging around the church is really not evidence for why you can't trust God, but why we should. He is surrounded by such a mess BECAUSE he accepts broken, wounded and sinful people. He is constantly gathering those who have been estranged from him and from the true life we were created to live so that his love can begin to restore and heal them. No wonder the church can be so messy. But that is really good news, not bad news.

	What are you looking for?
	How can you find it?

	Ignorance?
	Pride?
	Shame?
	Anger at the Church?