Brad has asked to have a new thread started on the topic you discussed last night with Pastor Gerry. I'm really interested on hearing your perspectives, having not been able to attend.
So what Brad really wants to know is your answer to the question of a non-believer 'What do I NEED to know?" Here is his post, so you don't have to go back to look for it. . . .
Brad said...
I'm going to hijack this thread to start a discussion on something from last night (perhaps whomever is organizing this blogature would be so kind as to start a seperate topic on it?).Last night we watched a clip from the National in which a reporter went around to a bunch of churches exploring and asking questions. It was in no way confrontational or deceiving...he was asking legitimate questions that any non-believer would have. The one question he asked everyone but was never answered was "What do I NEED to know?"Ie. What do I, as a non-believer, NEED to know from you that would make me change my beliefs or at least consider Jesus' message?So what I want to know is how people would answer that question if it was asked to them by a non-believer.
April 13, 2007 10:38 AM
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Here' my response to this question......I think.
http://potsie13.blogspot.com/
Under "What You Need To Know"
What got deleted, i feel ashamed it wasn't my comments this time, i have failed myself and others now.
I deleted my comment 'cuz I copy n patsed the wrong link.
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Booyah!
Muhahahahah,
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These comments have no actual content. You guys are such dorks. :P
Post some content, then!
I honestly don't know what people need to know if i am going to answer the question. Until people experience God for themselves they will never really understand it. Its very simple.
How, then, do you experience God? If you're openly exploring what you believe, how do you experience God? And how do you know its the God that Christianity follows and not a Sikh god or something?
To a non-believer, like myself at one time, "experiencing God" means nothing. If you've never experienced God or don't believe in God, those moments in which Christians define as "experiencing God" can very easily be written off as random events of chance that turned out favorably (or unfavorably). A coincidence, if you will. Or maybe that voice in your head is just your subconscious.
For myself, even those moments where I was "experiencing God" that led up to myself showing up at church one morning could easily have been written off as random occurences. I initially thought they were. It wasn't until I actually explored Christianity on my on and through Soul Searching that used to run at Soul that I linked these events to experiencing God. And to be honest, 99.99% of the time I would've never have even showed up at church in the first place that one fateful morning, if it wasn't for the fact that I was going along with a certain friend.
I don't believe i can tell/show you how to "experience God". I can tell you to read your Bible, or pray, or come to church, but still you may never experience him. I think a certain amount of responsibility is on the non-believer, if you want to experience God you will, if you don't, you won't, its quite simple. I experienced God through calculations are realizing that it didn't make sense no matter how much i did to try to make it. That was the start, and the rest has been great.
I still don't believe I can tell someone what to do to experience God. Otherwise who's experience would it be? It's a personal thing between you and God.
If I didn't know Christ, I think the thing I would NEED to know is that I'm forgiven...and don't need to be ashamed. And when I ask God to forgive me he forgets as well.
(okay that's kind of two things, but they're connected)
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