Looking at THE big picture

Contents

• Want to be a world changer?
• What is God's "love" like?
• The limits of our minds
• How do you know "God" is THE God?
• If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?
• What about the 'bright light' of near death experiences?
• What happens when you "connect" with God?
• How do I "connect" with God?
• Am I on my own after I become a Christian?
• Final comment

Want to be a world changer?

Do you want to go along aimlessly with the crowd or do you want to be a planet changer? God has a unique plan for your life - a destiny that only you can fulfill on earth! That plan involves you, with His power, making an impact to change forever some aspect of the world you live in - an area you are passionate about. You don't have a passion for a cause? He will give you a passion and a vision for your purpose. Great fulfillment comes when you enter into that plan.

You are probably reading this because one of the other pages on this site gave you some answers you were looking for. You experienced the results of God's work in my life impacting your life. Would you, too, like to have an impact on other people's lives and be a world changer?

For me, I gave my life over to Jesus Christ when I was 17, He gave me a passion and a vision to help teenage boys and this website is one result of that passion. Hundreds of thousands of boys worldwide have much more peace within themselves because of this site. The liberation that comes into their lives from not having those sexual hassles and misunderstandings frees them to go on to achieve in other areas - to get on top of life.

Jesus came to set the captives free. He works through people who are willing. He will use you too if you are willing!

Read on to find out more about the way God works and how you too can become a world changer with a purpose for your life.

What is God's "love" like?

I have a 12 year old fostered son named Andrew. When I come into the room he sometimes raises his hand slightly as a sign to me that he wants me to reassure and comfort him. He often does this when he is feeling down and he wants me to help him feel better by holding his hand. He knows that if he reaches out to me in a small way like that, I will respond to him and give him the love and assurance he is looking for at that moment.

That is exactly how God is with us. He waits for us to open our heart to Him in some small way and then He will go out of his way to reveal the love He has for us. The relationship of God to man is often described in the Bible as being an ideal 'father-son' relationship. God even says that He will be "a father to the fatherless"!

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you".

The emphasis is always for a person to make the first move and God will then respond. This is one reason why people can go all through their long life and make statements like "there is no God!" They were ignorant of the requirement that they had to make the first move in order to have God reveal himself to them! God did it this way so that those who want to find Him will do so out of their own free will.

The perfect father

Read here to see what a perfect father and his love for you looks like.

The limits of our minds

Can your mind comprehend these two facts?

• Get your mind to imagine the solar systems and universe going on forever, in all directions with no ending.
• Get your mind to imagine the universe ending at some point and trying to comprehend what the void after the universe boundary is like. The void must go on forever as well!

One of the statements above has to be correct, but our mind does not have the ability to comprehend and process the fact.

The point is this: Our mind is finite - it has proven limits in its ability. That is why it is not sensible to rely on our own ideas when it comes to issues bigger than our mind can comprehend - vitally important issues like "what happens to us after we die".

An example of those mind limits

Compare an 8 year old girl explaining how the latest Ford production car operates

against an adult explaining spiritual matters.

Her understanding of the car is limited.

Our understanding of the universe is limited.

She could produce an explanation of observed facts at her level - "you put petrol in here and turn the key and push this pedal to go fast".

We have an understanding of the world and universe from facts we have observed.

Her peers would have no argument with her explanation, because they all have approximately the same level of understanding.

We all commonly lack the ability to grasp an infinite universe and must accept scientific and theological explanations.

The people who actually designed the car would laugh at the little girl's sincere attempts to explain its operation.

God says "the greatest wisdom of men is foolishness!"

The little girl simply has to believe and trust the manufacturer when he says "the EGO Lambda sensor constantly monitors the oxygen level in the exhaust and the computer adjusts the fuel mixture accordingly".

We have to trust the God who says "You must be born again to have eternal life to be able to go to heaven when you die"

The explanation of how the car operates is beyond her wildest imagination to try and comprehend. She has to choose whether to believe and trust the manufacturer or not - that he knows exactly what he has researched and designed and knows best how to operate the car.

We cannot comprehend all of the ways God does His stuff. We choose whether to believe what He says or to trust in our own limited understanding.

The manufacturer realized that no one would have the same intimate knowledge of the car that he does. That is why he produced a handbook and workshop manual so people could understand more of how the car is to be operated and serviced to get the best out of it. It is completely voluntary to read the book, but there are consequences for not following its recommendations.

The God who says He created the universe also gave us a book to understand how to run our lives to get the best out of our time here on earth. It too is voluntary reading and also has consequences for not following its requirements.

How do you know "God" is THE God?

He wrote that knowledge in our hearts so that we would instinctively know there is a god! Who is it that people instinctively cry out to in desperation when they are faced with life-and-death situations? Reader's Digest magazine regularly has true life stories of people facing death who cried out to God to save them, and he did, obviously, because they lived to write the story.

Many were not and still aren't church people, so their story isn't biased in any direction. When it came to the crunch, there was no debate about which God they should call out to for help. There was no mental debate about which new-age philosophy to apply or which crystal was appropriate. There was no debate either about which religion was the most appropriate at that occasion.

They called out to the one true God the Bible talks about. He created them and wrote the knowledge of His presence into the deepest parts of their heart and He saved them when they cried out to Him in their time of absolute need!

If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?

God decided to give people a free will - everyone can lead the type of life they choose, but there are consequences!

If the leader of a country decides to war against another country, then God won't stop him. The people and the war torn countries pay the consequences for one man's decision.

Why does God let little children suffer and die? It is clearly not what He wants to happen, but once again there are consequences to people's actions.

Mother Teresa (a famous worker amongst the poor in India) stated that "God may well have sent a person to invent cures for diseases that affect all of the human population but someone aborted the baby before it could be born". A mother decided: her body - her right!

There are consequences! The consequences of one person's decision can cascade to effect countless thousands (or millions) of people.

What about the 'bright light' of near death experiences?

Many people who have 'near death' experiences report a concurring story of a bright light in a 'heaven like' place and feelings of great joy and peace.

The Bible indicates that when a person dies they go to a place called PARADISE which has characteristics we would imagine of heaven. This is only a holding ground!

After Jesus has returned to earth the second time and done His stuff everyone will be judged according to their life on earth - whether they accepted or rejected Jesus Christ!

• Those who accepted Jesus go on to heaven (much better than paradise!)
• Those who rejected Jesus go to a place everyone knows as hell.

It is that simple! Don't be fooled by the 'near death' reports that everyone goes to heaven! You make the choice. You live with the consequences just like everybody else!

What happens when you "connect" with God?

Imagine a light bulb

and compare it to a person:

Light bulbs come in all shapes and sizes - fluorescent, incandescent, spot lights, flood lights etc.

People come in all shapes and sizes.

They are all complete and perfect as designed.

People are able to exist on their own. Each is made complete and perfect.

They were all designed for a specific purpose.

The Bible says that each person was created for a particular purpose.

They can't produce light on their own. They have to be connected to an external source of power through the wiring.

The Bible says that we can't achieve our full potential on our own. We have to be connected to God through the 'wiring' of Jesus Christ.

Some will never achieve their purpose of producing light before being destroyed by an accident or breakage that ends the lamp's fragile life.

Some people die before ever connecting to God. The Bible describes our life as "hanging by a thread"

Other lamps will be connected to the power source via the wiring and the invisible energy flowing into them will cause the lamp to reach its full potential.

People who accept God's way and connect to Him via His specified method (through Jesus Christ) find they come alive on the inside. Others who haven't made the connection find it difficult to understand how something invisible could change a person so much.

The Bible actually says that we become "a light set on a hill" and to "let our light shine" when we become connected to God! (become a Christian)

How do I "connect" with God?

The basis of connecting with God is an attitude of acceptance and belief in Jesus Christ and what He did for us. God always looks on the heart of a person - not what is seen by others.

A relationship with another person is an example of what

connecting with God is all about:

You might know all about the other person but never have met them personally.

You can know all about God but not know Him personally.

You need to introduce yourself or be introduced to the other person to begin a relationship with them.

You need to introduce yourself to God through praying, to start that relationship.

The relationship with the other person then has to be worked on if it is going to develop in any way at all. Worked on by spending time communicating and getting to know them.

The relationship with God then has to be built the same way by spending time talking (praying) and listening (bible and prayer). The relationship thrives too by meeting together with others who have also introduced themselves to God (a Christian church is a place where such people get together)

The relationship with the person becomes personal and intimate to a certain extent.

Many Christians report that over time their relationship with God becomes their closest relationship they have! This is in addition to their normal, fulfilling, people relationships.

Step by step guide of how to become a Christian:

1. Tell God you are sorry for how you have been living. Sorry that your life hasn't been pleasing to him. Sorry that in his eyes you are a sinner.
2. Ask Him to forgive you for your life of sin and tell Him you want to live pleasing to Him from now on.
3. Tell Him that you believe that Jesus died for you in order to open up a way so you can have access to God.
4. Tell Him that you want to begin a relationship with Him. Ask Him to come and be your friend. Ask Him to come and live inside of you in your spirit!
5. Tell Him you want Him to take over your life and to help you in areas that you struggle with.

After you become a Christian

If you do this from your heart, the Bible says: The angels in heaven celebrate when a sinner turns away from their old way of life and receives the God's free gift of eternal life! Heaven throws a party in celebration!

When you have followed this through, the Bible describes you as a little baby spiritually. Just born - in fact just 'born again'.

The next step is to obtain nurturing, just the same as it is absolutely essential for a baby to be nurtured if it going to survive. Nurture is obtained by reading the Bible (get a modern translation which is easy to understand and begin by reading the section called "John") Nurture is also obtained by praying (simply talking to God!) and thanking God for all He has done for you.

A third essential component of nurture is mixing with other Christians. Choose a Christian church that tells you they love Jesus and that they worship Him alone. There are many lively, modern Christian churches in every town and city.

Am I on my own after I become a Christian?

God has promised to "never leave you or forsake you". "Nothing can separate you from God's love".

Make the decision to spend time with other Christians - if you put a branch into a fire, it quickly catches on fire - if you take it out of the fire, it will eventually go out. No matter how hard you try, you still need the draft and warmth of other Christians to keep the fire of God's work in your life alight.

God made it that way. The Bible actually describes us as all part of one body that has Jesus as the head. No part of the body can successfully exist by itself!

Finally

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