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THE
BIBLE
Can we trust a book written 2000 years ago?
EYEWITNESS
Did the writers of the New Testament get their picture of Jesus right?
GOD
- MAN
Is Jesus really God?
RESURRECTION
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
RELIGIONS
With so many religions, why Christianity?
SUFFERING
If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?
TRINITY
Understanding the Trinity.
SCIENCE
The complementary nature of Science & Christianity.
FORGIVENESS
What it is and why it matters?
GUIDANCE
How does God guide?
REPENTANCE
What it is and why you can't get to heaven without it.
BORN
AGAIN
What does it mean to be converted and born again?
SAVING
FAITH
The kind of faith that will get you to heaven
ASSURANCE
Can I know for sure that I am going to heaven?
TRUTH
What is truth and does it matter?
MORALITY
Does it matter how we live? A Christian view of morality.
THE
CHURCH
God's vision for his family, the Church. A call to the churches of the
new millennium.
PURPOSE
How
can I find a great purpose for living?
IDENTITY
Who am I; Finding my true identity as a human being and as a child of
God.
SELF-ESTEEM
How
can I feel good about my self? The Christian basis for proper sel-esteem.
LIFE AFTER DEATHChristianity's Hope & Challenge.
THE CROSS
Why did Jesus Die? What the Bible says about the Cross.
Grace
The importance of grace in the New Testament.
Four guidelines for specific decisions
1. Reading the Bible for guidance on an issue
Does my reading of the Bible give me any guidance on this issue? God can and does sometimes give particular guidance through our regular reading of the Bible. A verse or passage may speak directly to our need at the moment. We must beware of taking passages out of context, but if we read the Bible prayerfully we can expect this kind of guidance.
We can be sure that God will not guide us contrary to any principle that is taught in the Bible.
2. Do I have peace of mind about a decision?
Paul says, "Let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts" (Colossians 3:15). It is interesting that the word translated "control" here has the initial meaning of awarding prizes in a contest and so comes to mean "to judge, decide, control". God's peace is to be a controlling influence in my life. Do I really feel OK about something I want to do? There are times when we need to make a move, but if we lack peace about something, it may be better to wait. A comment by John Stott on this issue may be helpful:
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"In
my experience more mistakes are made by precipitate action than
by procrastination"
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It is a mistake to be in a hurry or to grow impatient with God. It took him about 2,000 years to fulfil his promise to Abraham in the birth of Christ. It took him 80 years to prepare Moses for his life work. It takes him about 25 years to make a mature human being. So then, if we have to make a decision by a certain deadline, we must make it. But if not, and the way forward is uncertain, it is wiser to wait. I think God says to us what he said to Joseph and Mary when sending them into Egypt with the child Jesus: "Stay there until I tell you." In my experience more mistakes are made by precipitate action than by procrastination.
Of one thing we can be fairly certain. If God is indeed calling us, we will not rest until we have answered.
3. Circumstances
Again, this is a question of open and shut doors. We can trust God to order the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We may recognise his hand in events that others may call coincidences. Often the only awareness of his guidance will be "the way things work out".
4. The advice of others
We need to trust God to give others wisdom as well as ourselves! In Acts 13:2 we read of an instance where God guided a group: "While they were worshipping the Lord and going without eating, the Holy Spirit told them, 'Appoint Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have chosen them'" (Acts 13:2).
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"We
need to trust God to give others wisdom as well as ourselves"
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This tends to be a neglected area of teaching on guidance. David Pawson, English Baptist Bible teacher, gives a good illustration of this. He knew a young man who did not know whether he was called to the ministry or not. Sometimes he thought about it, sometimes he didn't. Sometimes he was sure he ought to and sometimes he was full of doubts. So David said to him, "I want you to speak to the whole church and tell them you don't know whether you ought to be a minister." And he did this at a church meeting. For three months the whole church prayed about it and sought the Lord's will. At the end of three months, the church unanimously said, "Ken, you are needed in the ministry," and he went. He was still not sure himself, but he said, "This is how Saul and Barnabas were called. The Holy Spirit said, 'Separate these young men...' Your will be done."
We need each other. David Womack, Assembly of God pastor in California, gives a timely warning:
Alone I cannot serve the Lord effectively, and he will spare no pains to teach me this. He will bring things to an end, allowing doors to close and leaving me ineffectively knocking my head against a wall, until I realise that I need the help of the Body [the Christian fellowship] as well as of the Lord.
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Four guidelines for specific decisions
