Convert from North Africa

Hello,

I have been struggling with my religious convictions for as long as I can remember. I have been agnostic, muslim, Christian then mystic muslim, then Christian.
I have accepted Christ again and hoping to meet people that would help me in my faith.

Welcome back like the prodigal son as the angels sing of your return to God who never stops loving you.

To help you in your faith, what exactly led you away the first time?

Hello @NBman, and welcome to CChat! I'm sorry to hear that you have struggled with your faith over the years. Fortunately, the Lord is patient/longsuffering towards us, yes .. 2 Peter 3:9

This is a great place learn and grow in the faith, and to help others do the same.

Question, have you been able to find a local church to join and (thereby) other believers to be in fellowship with yet?

God bless you!

~Deut

Welcome back brother, and congratulations for your patience will bear good fruit through your faith in God's Christ / Messiah, for you have been preserved through your persevering trials and tribulations of faith!! You soul comes from an interesting part of the world, as shaped by history and the conquerors thereof!


John 6 (ESV)

43 Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.


Luke 8 (ESV)

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Welcome to CC.
---
More of His grace, mercy ... & protection to you.
- on your spiritual journey.

Blessings,

A warm welcome to CC, brother NBman! What makes Christianity different for you? For me, it is the fact that Jesus was both God and man and is alive in Heaven right now. How wonderful to know that He loves us and is preparing a place for us to live eternally with Him. PTL!

I find Christianity being based on love and forgiveness. I also experienced that when I started praying for others and trying to love them, my own resentments suddely disappear and a huge burden is lifted off my back. I pray for the faith that can move mountains because I find myself still using my human reasoning and worried would lose my faith again. wish I could find a spiritual counselor that would walk me through these things, but where I am it is hard to find such a person (chrisitan one I mean)

to answer your question. I live in a Muslim country and churches here are for foreign Christians only. anyways, I have the internet for fellowship for now.

What led me away is a drinking disposition that would not go away even afte I had turned to Christ.

Belief like a child my friend, and immerse yourself in Christ's / Messiah's love, that he would give his life, and greatly suffered the consequences, so our sins may be forgiven, and we be reunited with God, and have everlasting life, the everlasting life Adam and Eve lost, when they fell into sin.

I love you, but I must say that in the end there is only one 100% trustworthy guide that will be there at all times for you...

John
14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The best that we can hope for is to be used as channels for this marvelous Spirit of God...

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Persevere with a lot of patience, and it time you will overcome by God's grace. We all face our temptations, and try through the power of Christ / Messiah to resist them. The hardest of all are the addicting temptations, that causes wilful sin.


1 Corinthians 6 (ESV)

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Battles are not all won in this lifetime, but all He asks of us is to keep up the good fight. It is the "want-to" that counts.

All in Christ shall overcome in the end...

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

We shall be glorified if we faint not. Let Him strengthen you.

Welcome and nice to meet you NBman! Remember these Words from God, ' Seek and you will find' and 'Knock and I will open the door'. God knows us better than we do and is a Good Father who is waiting to hear our petitions to Him. He is also 'no respecter of persons'. Enjoy your time here and God bless you!

The wonderful thing about God is that He will forgive your travels into the world of false religions, and welcome you with open arms back into His Church.

God bless you, and I seriously pray you take full and lasting advantage of Gods grace and mercy this time!

Luke 13-14 "He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

What is important is that you turn to Christ, if you ask for forgiveness G-d will grant it. Take heart that you are always welcomed back to his arms.

Hello NBman, welcome to Christian Chat. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.

Hello again NBman, I talked with a sister in Christ about 9 months ago who had just moved to China with her husband (who was there for an extended time doing business). The one or two churches available to them were like the ones you describe in your OP, for foreigners only, and established and run by foreigners too. What a shame

I hope and pray that your situation changes soon, because there is little that can replace in person fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ, as well the regular hearing/teaching/preaching of the word of God by your pastor to your congregation (this is particularly important for new and/or struggling believers). God did not intend for us to live the Christian life by ourselves, and Satan knows this, which is why he opposes the church whenever and wherever he can

Still, you can only do what you can do in your present situation, and as you already said, there is this place and others like it until a change for the better happens.

God bless you!

~Deut