What's Next?

I'd asked in my last post - What if?

"If God did exist, could He, would He love Me?"

And of course the obvious question that comes next is, "If I should take a chance and try to find out if God will love me, well, what do I do next?"

“So, let's say I do accept Him. What's next?”

Step One is confession; admitting to Him, verbally, that you were wrong in denying Him and wrong in rebelling against Him and asking for forgiveness. And then, if you’re serious, saying to Him “If you are real, if you really do exist, I am willing for you to be not just my Saviour but Lord of my life. Please increase my faith and help me to follow You in my thoughts, my words and my actions.”

Step Two is, Ask Him what’s next. “Jesus, I hardly even accept that You’re real. I sure don’t know what You want me to do next. Please show me the way.” And then listen, watch. See what happens over the next day or so. Jesus leads us, trains us, guides us and counsels us in real life, real space, real time. Since Jesus says that the Bible is His revelation to us about Him, I’d start with one of the Gospels to discern the character of Jesus. "Lord I used to believe this book was complete crap. If it's true, if You are real, open my spiritual eyes and let these words speak to me in a way that just wasn't there before."

Step Three is finding a Bible teaching Church. While I know some fine Christians in the Roman Catholic Church, I believe it’s a case of Jesus found them at their Church versus their Church doctrine directing them to Jesus. I know that sounds harsh but this is not unlike solving a mystery by sorting out false clues from the real ones. If you’re not sure of where to find a Church that teaches sound doctrine, I’d grab a phone book, go to the yellow pages and pick a denomination. You know the ones that are in the news a lot so . . . Community type Churches are often the ones who take Jesus the most serious but you can't always go by that either. If you know a Christian who you repsect you could start there. If not, call a Pastor and ask him "So how is a person is saved." If he tells you ANYTHING other than by faith in the work of Jesus on the cross, hang up and phone a different Pastor and ask again, and keep phoning until you get one that will tell you what Jesus taught. "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." We are saved through putting our trust (faith) in what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

That’s why you need to know your Bible Hugo. The apostle Paul and the writers of the New Testament warned against hucksters and false teachers way back then and it’s been the same ever since. When you find someone who tells you what Jesus taught, make an appointment, tell him you’re a new believer and tell Him that you want to join a Bible study group in his congregation. And then ask God to send you to the right group. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
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“I always thought Jesus represented a perfect person, so it makes sense to want to listen to his advices and go join him in heaven when we die.”

Well, that’s true, but the point of obeying Him (“The one who loves Me is the one who obeys Me.”) is to get to know Him, to become like Him. Heaven is a side-benefit that’s thrown in. You maybe know of that section where Jesus says that at the end people will come to Him and tell Him all the stuff they’ve been doing for Him, “and I will say to them. Get away from Me. I never knew you.”
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“Nothing can make me better or worse in His eyes, right?”

That’s not exactly correct. His LOVE for you is constant and sure, but He won’t share His love with anything or anyone else. I don't mean get rid of your g/f. I mean real life and real living can be found ONLY in Jesus. If you want Jesus PLUS something else, don’t even start. It’s important for you to know that Jesus doesn’t want one more half-assed Christian - the kind that you and everyone else finds so annoying and disgusting. It’s all or nothing. Don't worry. He's way worth the commitment.
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“Of course the idea is to sin less, but what is sin? How can you define it?”

Mmm, I’m not sure that’s correct either. If the focus is on “not sinning” then as you point out later, it will be accompanied by the observation that you are failing on a pretty consistent basis. Remember how easy it was to find Christians who were screwing up? Ya. And that’s what satan wants more than anything - for you to doubt your salvation by focusing on your failures.

Whether a person is a Christian or not, Trying to do the right thing is far more productive than trying to avoid doing what’s wrong.

Jesus was asked, “Teacher, what must we do to do the will of God?”

To which Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and the second is like it. Love your neighbour as yourself. Keep only these and you will be keeping all the other commands as well.”

As near as I can tell, pleasing God because of gratefulness for our salvation by obeying Him is the whole reason for our time on earth - That's because through obeying Jesus we become like Jesus. When Jesus said, "Follow Me," He meant become like Me, do what I do, relate to others the way I relate to others.

Romans 8:28 says that “All things will be used by God to bring about good.” (My paraphrase). Verse 29 names that good - to be conformed / transformed into the likeness of Jesus. There may be other things that come out of “all things” but this transformation is the bottom line that God is after.

And what characteristics does Jesus possess?
Galatians 5:22-23 and
1st Corinthians 13:4-8 is a good description.

And so you pray, “Lord make me like You.” Every morning and every evening and throughout the day you pray, “Lord make me like You.” and if you are serious it will simply happen, with virtually no effort on your part. Remember though, these changes come primarily through suffering, and hardship and loss. “Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.”

The details of pleasing God are found all through the New Testament. Colossians 3:12-21 is a pretty good example. In fact those verses are a standard handout of mine in relationship counselling.
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“just do my best?”

Nope - not “your” best. You let Him do “His” best in you. If this isn’t a joke, Hugo, then you are:
HIS creation,
HIS doing,
HIS workmanship.
This is HIS deal.
All you need to be is willing to follow.
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“what if my best is different than another Jesus follower?”

Well, it WILL be different. This journey is intensely personal. Just you and Jesus. In a sense, you are the only person He’s listening to. Just as I’m the only person He’s listening to. You are the only person that God is working with today. Just as I am the only person that He is working with today. Creator God is fully present everywhere so your prayers are the only prayers that He hears. Just as my prayer is the only prayer that He hears etc. etc.
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“Finally, how can I convert my girlfriend to accept Jesus too? I love her so much I want the best for her...”

“You” can’t. You can ask God to open her spiritual eyes (John 6:44) but that’s between her and God. Letting her know that you’re serious about this is a start. If this is for real, she’ll start to see positive changes in you, but your journey is your journey and she will either come along or not.

Remember the parable of the sower and the seed? Three quarters of those who begin to follow Jesus drop out because of daily concerns etc.

Hugo if this is for real, I am so happy for you. Since becoming a follower of Jesus, every year of my life has been better than the year before - not easier - better.

Good luck on your journey. God bless - and hey brother! See you there!