I decided to look up the question "Why do you go to church" after I asked this at our church the other week. I decided to share my thoughts on people's answers at church and also add them here.

I found a site where someone had asked "why do you not go to church" and people had asked for the question why do you.

There were many different answers, though a lot the same, and there were many different attitudes within the answers too.

A lot of people said they went to church to worship, praise, adore and thank God. So, how do we praise and worship God ? We praise and worship God as we sing the hymns and choruses in a church service. There are so many styles of music used in the praise and worship and I think none of them are wrong, it is a personal preference as it is what kind of music you listen to outside of church. But, are you just singing songs or are you really worshiping God ?

Some people said they went to church to "hear from God". God can speak to us in many ways as we attend church. It could be through a sermon, from a short word that someone gives you or through the words of a hymn or chorus. We only have to listen out for the words from God.

Other people said they went to church "to serve God by serving other people in the church. How can you serve others who attend your church ? The best thing is to look around you and see if anyone has a need you can fulfill. Maybe someone is ill or living on their own, you could go round to visit them or make them a meal. Just to sit with someone who lives alone is a big thing for them.

Other people said they went to church to "feel better, to lift their spirit or their soul". So how do you feel when church is over ? Do you feel better when you leave than when you went in ? Are you glad it is over ? If church does not make you feel better, why not ? What would you change to make this happen ?

Others said they went to church because the Bible told them to, to meet together. Is this a valid reason ? These people seemed to think it was their "duty" as a Christian to go to church, they have to go. The Bible tells us to do many things but do we do them all ? Going to church is one of the easiest.

Some people said they went to church because they have always gone to church. They went as children and have not stopped. They thought they had to to be a Christian. Thing is going to church does not make you a Christian the same as living in a garage does not make you a car.

Some said they went because they wanted spiritual growth. they wanted to grow as a Christian, to get closer to God, so they could hear His voice better.

Which of the above is the best reason to go to church ? All of them are valid reasons and most will do you good.

In the Bible it does say to meet together. It also says that where two or more are gathered together in His name He will be there too. Another thing it says is that WE are the church, not the building.

So as you go to meet with your Christian friends and neighbours during the week you are meeting together, going to church. You are "living" church. If the other person feels down pray for him and thank God for him. Now you are fulfilling some of the reasons people go to church. To praise and worship, to be lifted up, to hear from Him, To serve God by serving others.

Church does not start and end on a Sunday.

Being a Christian is not just fro Sundays, it is a lifestyle and we are taught how to live that lifestyle in the Bible.

When you go to the building on a Sunday it is to corporately praise and worship God all together to give Him our best praise, to lift Him up so the world might see. Just tell Him how much you love him, how much He means to you, tell Him how great He is and wait for a touch from God. Try to feel His presence as you praise and worship Him.

Have faith and continue.

We all have times when life is up and down. Sometimes everything is good, we don't need anything, God seems to be right beside us and all we try to do goes well. Other times life is hard. Something we need has broken down down and we don't have the money to repair or replace it. Maybe we have fallen out with friends or colleagues and God seems to be far far away from us.

In James chapter one, James says it is a good thing to go through trials. God is testing our faith. Going through hard times make us stronger in faith and in life. God doesn't make us go through trials to hurt us, just the opposite, to build us up in our faith. If we find ourselves in the same situation later on in life we know we can overcome because because we did the first time. Also sometimes we go through trials to help others. If we know someone who is struggling through something we have experienced we can get alongside them, knowing how they feel, and encourage them through to the end.

To get through times of trouble we need to stay close to God. We need to decide to stay close to God. We cannot serve two Gods. In Revelation chapter 3 verses 15 and 16 God says to the church of Laodicea "Because you are luke warm I will spit you out of my mouth". God requires us to make up our minds to follow Him, live our lives holy and clean and to stick to that decision. If we don't we are double-minded and can not receive anything from God.

To have a stable life our faith must be shown in every part of our life. In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 it says "Without faith it is impossible to please God".

Faith is not just for times in church, itis for every part of our lives. Where do we get our faith? From reading, meditating and living the word of God. Read the Bible and take it in and use it as a manual for life.

To live a stable life we must submit to God. We always want to do things our way, to live our lives as we want to. But God's ways are not our ways. As we live our lives for Him we have to give Him the glory not ourselves. Doing things our way gives us the glory because we are in the forefront of what is happening but if we allow God to work through us we will do things that can only come from Him.

If we pray for someone to be healed and God performs a miracle and that person is healed we are just the tool that God uses when we prayed. We can not heal people other than through God's power, God gets the glory.

We also need to lovingly look out for each other. Not by condemning them but by gently showing them their wrong doing and being there for them, helping them to overcome the problems they hare facing.

Like a pond that in the winter gently freezes bit by bit so our hearts harden towards God just a bit at a time. Maybe we fall out with someone, then have a small problem and blame God, we don't go to church one week and then it is a few weeks that we don't go to church. Because we are not spending time with God and His people we drift into old habits and bit by bit we slowly turn away from God.

Instead we need to forgive each other, bring even small problems before God and watch what we are doing as well as watching out for each other but out of love not condemnation. God does not condemn He forgives.

The world nowadays teaches us to get and keep all that we can. Take care of yourself was not one of God's teachings. Jesus always preached look after one another, give to the poor and needy and look after your neighbours.

Psychologists say that grasping and holding onto things and people only makes us anxious, possessive, controlling and hard to live with. That is why Jesus said in Luke chapter 17 verse 33 "Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it but whoever loses his life will preserve it". To lose your life is not to die, but to invest it into God's plan for your life. You might lose your worldly life but you will gain a better life with God.

We need to give our whole lives to God 24 hours a day seven days a week not just the bits when we go to church or spend times with our Christian brothers.

Do everything in a way that pleases God and you will have a better life, and God will use you in ways you can not imagine or have seen before.

What truth !

Hey I just looked over my blogs and guess what I discovered. I have not written anything in such a long time. I am basically a bit of a loner and don't share my feelings but I do have stuff to share.

I got a friend's newsletter the other day and what he said in there "from the editor" spoke so much to me.

Here is what he said:

"When the truth dawned that Jesus died on the cross with the punishment of MY sins on HIS shoulders that He died so I could live, that He died so I could be forgiven, reconciled to God, made friends again with God. What else could I possibly do but hand my life over to Him? My life belongs to Jesus, the Messiah, the only Saviour, besides whom there is no other. He paid the price and what a price! My life cost Him His life!
I have searched and can not find anyone else who has died for me, He and He alone has claim to my life, to who I am. Buddha has no claim. Mohammed has no claim. Krishna has no claim. Allah has no claim. Satan used to have, but certainly has no claim now, but still tries hard.
... We were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! ...Romans 5:10
Have you ever thought about who owns your life?"

When we become Christians, we give our lives to Him. He gave us Christians a commission to go and make disciples. If He owns your life are you where He wants you to be, go to where God wants you to be and be radical being God's love for him that others around you might also find the One and only God.

Happy new year.

Hello and a happy new year to you all.

How can we get a happy new year?, a happy life? or just be content.

As a Christian I believe that true happiness comes from God.

You and me, all of us were made for a purpose, God has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of our lives, it is up to us to find that purpose and live out our lives as God wants us to.

That does not mean life is going to be boring or doing things we all hate doing. As a biker one of the best things for me to do is to ride my motorcycle. An early part of my life was riding with The Christian Motorcyclists Association in the UK. I was a member for over 20 years and I travelled all over the UK and places in Europe to be with fellow bikers.

I got into some good conversations with non Christian bikers and shared my beliefs with them as well as serving them through Holy Joe's Cafe, a Cafe set up at bike rallies in a big tent to serve as a place where people could come if they wanted somewhere to sit without alcohol or a friendly place.

Now I live in Romania, helping people through a Romanian registered charity, after God called my wife and I to move here full time and work amongst the people. God has given us a great love for the people and the country of Romania and we regard this to be our home now. Who knows, God might call us on to somewhere else.

Having said all of the above, you might be called to stay at home and do what you are doing. How do you further the kingdom of God? Ask God what it is He wants you to do, either where you are or in another place, what ever it is if you are fully following and serving Him you WILL enjoy it and that makes for a happy time. He said He came to give is life and life more abundantly so find your niche in His kingdom and have a happy new year/life.

My thoughts on religion and Christians.

Here I am not talking about Christianity, being a Christian is a way of life, not a religion, though many would disagree. There are many Christians denominations in the world, and this is what is wrong with Christianity.

Man has let Satan, the enemy, get in and divide us. We should all be working together as a team, helping each other to be and helping everyone to have the same privileges as each other. Satan's biggest weapon is division. I have even heard people from one denomination say that people in another denomination can't be Christians because "they go to that church" or "they do that" etc. How can we judge who is and is not a Christian?

I hate religion, man's idea of how to serve God. God wants to use us, but not always as we think, He wants us to just be us, His individual beings. He made us as individuals not clones. Just think if man was made up of people just like you, we are individuals, made for a purpose.

If all the churches got together and put their differences aside and worked together, just think how much work they could all do for God. A similar situation is found in the Bible. In Genesis 11 verses 1 - 9 the people were building the tower of Babel, and in verse six is says "The Lord said 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be will be impossible for them'"*

If we work as one body of people against the enemy, then we can do so much more for God. So, if someone wants to worship God in a different way to the way you do, don't judge them, just see that this is another way that we as people are made different. Just because the leadership of your church says it is wrong to clap or dance in your church, does not make it wrong for people who worship God in this way in another church. It does not mean that they are not Christians, it just means that they worship in another way to yourself. Likewise, just because people don't clap or dance does not mean they are not Christians. Ask yourself how does it make a person a Christian or not because they do or do not do a thing.

When you read the Bible, have an open heart. Ask God to teach you something through the words that you read. I once met a guy who found a Bible and did not know what it was all about. He had had no upbringing in a church or Christian environment. He said he started to read it from the begining, just like you would read a book. He found it confusing and could not make much sense of it until he realised it was about God. He had heard people mention God but that was all so next time he tried to read it he asked God, (if He was there) to help him understand it and make sense of what it was all about. He started to read it again and he said it was just like someone sitting on his shoulder explaining every sentence. Through this book and what was the Holy Spirit, (though he did not know this) he was able to understand and become a Christian.

Next time you go to read the Bible, ask God to interpret it for you as you read. You might be surprised.


*Quote taken from the New International Version.