Most of the time, people find religion a very “touchy-feely" topic, and therefore they feel uncomfortable talking about it. Well, I understand the perspective that some people are coming from but to me, I'm okay with talking about it openly. So to those who are might not feel comfortable, scroll down to my next blog post, I assure you it's just as interesting and fun to read. ^^
I was born a Catholic but I never really had an opportunity to get close to God for 14 years. Most of the time, I just attended church weekly and sat through the services without getting anything absorbed into my head. Sad to say, it became a routine and I did not know what being a Catholic meant. I did not know who God was and I practically strayed away from Him. However, it was then when my mom's friend invited us to her Christian church's Camp during June. And suddenly, it was like I had a sudden realisation that I knew God too little. I wasn't praying enough and I have not been putting in effort to talk to him for 14 years! It has been so long! 14 years and I never realised this. I made a decision there and then to get to know God better.
Ever since then, my life has somehow been revolving around my faith. Every time I met a problem, I prayed. Every time I was down, I prayed. And to me, God was someone whom I believed in. It felt great after you had allowed the Holy Spirit into your life and you start to lead your life according to God. And whenever you met with failure, you are convinced that our Father above has a different plan and path laid out for us. At times, it would be hard to believe that God is actually looking after you. This is especially so for me, when its such periods of time where you're desperately searching for your purpose in life and want to know what to do with it. Like what my senior once told me, "Being a Catholic isn't easy Raphael, but just be sure that God is always there looking after you." It's only been 3 months of truly being a Catholic, and it has been hard for me to take small tiny steps to get to know God better. Being a Catholic is certainly not easy. but that doesn't mean that I won't try.
Two weeks ago, my mom's friend again invited us to attend her church and she introduced us to the Alpha Course. So I decided to accompany my parents and followed them to the Alpha Course introductory dinner. The introductory video which was screen after the dinner left a memorable impact to me. The speaker said this. "I've waited all my life to find my true purpose and feel that sense of satisfaction. So I thought it would be after I started Secondary school, so when I started Secondary school, it felt great. But after a few weeks, I felt that something was missing. So I thought I would be satisfied when I started working, so when I finally started working, it felt great. But after a few weeks, I felt that something was still missing. So I thought it would be when I got married, so I met my dear wife, got married and is still having a blessed marriage ever since then. But after a few weeks, I still felt that something was missing. I realised that, I wasn't talking to God. It was only when I came back to my faith, did I find this satisfaction, this peace. Stop waiting and looking forward to achieving something, believe in God and enter his kingdom, and you'll find that sense of belonging and fulfillment."
God is someone that I believe in. And despite the various times which I've failed, I know He's still up there watching me and guiding me in His own quiet and special way. I won't stop praying and I will never stop believing. Because I believe in Him, and that is all that matters to me. :)
Hi Raphael,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have met a fellow believer in Christ. Although I am technically an Anglican Christian and you are a Catholic Christian, we both believe in the same religion.
Like you, I used to be ignorant of God. This was in part due to the experiences of the first church I attended. It was a neighbourhood church, not very famous, small congregation. The teenager lessons were taught by the youths who had already graduated from the teenager class. There was only one pastor in the entire church, though we would have visiting pastors from China sometimes.
The lessons were conducted in a rather easy-going environment. When I attended children's Sunday School, the focus would be on the Biblical stories rather than the lessons one could draw out of them. Typical sunday school lessons lasted only an hour. When I moved on into teenager class, the atmosphere remained easy-going. In my naivete, I took it to mean that it wasn't really serious, and thus I never got closer to God while I was there.
But after I moved to one of the newer megachurches, I got into a whole new relationship with God. They were really able to excite me and incite my belief in Christ. With a rock band playing hymns and songs of praise, we were all encouraged to let loose every week. The sermons were humorous, but not overly so. There was still a lot of serious content in them. The pastors were charismatic, but did not deviate from the sermon topics.
I believe in God, and despite the various times I have stumble, I know I can rely on Him to pick me up again and help me back onto my feet. "God will make a way for me. He will be my guide, and hold me closely to my side." I believe in God, and that is definitely the most important thing in my life.
Hi Raphael and Daniel,
ReplyDeleteThis is KX (2I125). I am of the Presbyterian denomination. Daniel, I agree with you. Although we may be from different denominations of Christianity, we still worship the same God.
Moreover, I feel that there is not much of a difference between a small neighbourhood church and a megachurch. What is important is the people that it is made up of. In my view, brothers and sisters in Christ caring for one another is extremely important. This can be seen in small churches, like mine. In my church, the youths may be a small population (about 20 or so), but we are definitely very bonded and our good relationships have lasted for a long time. In fact, many of them have been playing with me since young, and we have many happy shared memories. This bond that we share is not just built up in a day or two: it is built up in more than ten years. This special bond that we share is very important, as we are one in the bond of love. With this bond, we are able to work together better to be better servants of God. In megachurches, people may not have the chance to be close with everyone else. I may be wrong, as I have not been to megachurches before, but this is just my opinion on megachurches.
In addition, I feel that the rock band playing hymns and songs of praise is to act as glasses, for the congregation to see God clearer, and not for the congregation to enjoy, like a concert. As the lyrics of "Heart of Worship" says, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus." It should not be about us, it should be about the God we are worshipping. I am serving in the worship team in my church, and I always make it an effort to be as transparent as I can be, to do a good job as glasses. The worship session should not be about the worship team, nor the congregation. It should be about God.
Furthermore, I have always believed in prayers. Whenever I am in times of trouble and sorrow, the first thought that comes to mind most of the time is to pray to God. I have heard from someone before that we should not view prayer as a last resort. It should be the first thing that comes to us. I believe in what he said. Sometimes in life, we focus too much on ourselves and how we can solve our problems ourselves, but we forget that there is someone up there that is bigger than anything in this world.
This is what I believe in.
Regards,
2I125
Hi Daniel and Kee Xuan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. It's good to know that there are other friends out there who are also believers of Christ.
I agree with Kee Xuan that there isn't much differences between a mega church and a small church, because in the end, we are all believing in the same God aren't we? :) I feel that different people have different ways to go closer to Christ. Some people prefer small churches with small congregations where we forge close bonds with a small group of people, while others find that large churches with large congregations can get us to know more people, and eventually God. I go to a Catholic church and naturally, the church is considered quite large. For me, it was quite hard to connect with God. I find that the sense of belonging and the fellowship in a small church is more fruitful for me. So personally, I prefer small churches with a stronger fellowship.
I also agree that rock bands etc. are just a means to see God. For Catholic churches, we believe in a serious service with many rituals. There are never rock bands on stage and its just a basic choir with instruments such as the organ and piano. We never see guitars either. For Catholic churches, we never have Praise and Worship sessions and its more of peaceful hymns. I think this is very different from a Christian church where its more hyper and active with lots of singing. However, I believe that there isn't much difference. It's just the difference in the way we praise the same God. Personally, the way I worship largely depends on my mood. If I'm down, sometimes I prefer Catholic masses because it allows myself to be at peace, since I won't be able to sing loudly with joy at a Christian service.
However, the most important thing is that we are all praising the same God. Glad to hear your thoughts! :)
Cheers,
Raphael
2i103
Hi Raphael,
ReplyDeleteI especially liked this post because the fact that you openly declared your belief in God on your blog shows a lot about your growth in your faith. Yes, I agree with you that sometimes in life, it is very hard to hear God or see God working in us. This layers of "dust" are actually caused by the many distractions in the world, like computer games, television, peer pressure or even pure laziness. I remember what a preacher once said, "In order to enjoy a closer relationship with God, we need to draw near to God first so that He can draw near to us." Christianity is all about faith and love for God, so we really need to spend time praying with Him. It really is just like talking to a friend! I also believe that a close relationship cannot be formed just over a matter of days. Like your personal example, it takes months, sometimes years, to become closer to God and when we finally do so, we enjoy the full privileges of being a Christian and get happiness that lasts forever. I am really encouraged by this post and I hope to see you grow more in God. The only problem with your post, though, is that you called God a "something" in the first sentence of the last paragraph. A typo? However, your words of faith cover this fact up and I am proud of you.
Nathanael
Thanks Nat. :) Oops, sorry I didn't notice that. Made the changes. ^^
ReplyDeleteHi Raphael,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Small churches allow us to forge stronger bonds with other people. :)
I feel that we can worship God everywhere. We are not limited to worship God only in a church. We can worship him everywhere.
When I am feeling down, I would just sit by the piano and play some Christian songs. The beautiful lyrics and melody would comfort me and make me feel much better.
Regards,
KX
2I125