So few people know what to expect when they consider Christianity so we thought we’d put together an illustration of the possible steps so you can gauge where you are right now.
STEP ONE - Not Interested!
Ridicule any & all religions | Sneer at other believers | Agree with the majority | Argue for atheism & darwinism | Scoff at all religious leaders | Cite negative press: sex, wars, persecutions, peadophilia | Anti all religion | Believe religion & faith are the same | Life is about making it happen for yourself | You live, you die, it’s over | Religion is a crutch | Religion is for weaklings & wusses who can’t hack life | It’s for people who believe in fairy stories | Science rules | You get angry when someone mentions Christianity | You instantly shut them down...
STEP TWO - Casual Observer...
You don’t get wound up when religion is mentioned | You’re aware of Christianity | You know about different religions but keep them at arms length | Your parents may be religious but you’re not | You think “each to their own” | You have the occasional conversation about religions | You read an article | You hear a story on the news which interests you | You click on a Social Media story | You get invited to Church by a friend but turn it down | You start to think more and more about religions | You flick through a Bible and put it back down! | You begin to wonder why people would want to follow something they can’t see? | Is there more to this than meets the eye? | You read a book about someones religious or faith experience | You feel open to understanding about other peoples worldviews...
STEP THREE - Start Focusing In
You might start looking at religious websites | You might start asking questions of other people who believe | You might watch a Christian TV program | When you see a Church you begin to wonder what it would be like to go | You meet someone who’s a Christian and start asking them some questions | You’re invited to Church and you agree to go | Your first visit, you check out the place; the lighting, the decor, the coffee, the people | You’re not convinced, you sense there is something superficial about their behaviour | You’re not sure about all the singing | Then they ask for money and call it “worship” | At some point you start getting a strange feeling inside, your heart starts beating a little faster | You’re not sure what’s happening, but you feel awkward, chilled and safe at the same time.
STEP FOUR - Keep Options Open
You decide to go to Church again | You get invited to meet up with some people of your own age | You think they might all be sock & sandal wearers, but to your surprise they’re not! | You also start to look at Budhism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism to see what they’re all about | You think religion is about a spiritual feeling | You believe that you’re a good person and that should be enough | You wonder what it’s like being really religious | You question why bad things happen in the world | You wrestle with Church expecting you to live in a certain way | You begin to make more friends at Church (if you’re going more frequently) and life seems quite comfortable and normal | There are no expectations from the Church unless you feel you want to get more involved | There’s no real distinction between people in Church and out of Church | Same cars, same houses, same tattoos, same jobs...
STEP FIVE - Start to Get It
You start to question the bad things that happen in the world like poverty, wars, illnesses | You start reading the Bible | You realise you can live by it and love life at the same time | You start to question how sin has affected your life, past, present & future | God seems like the answer, but where do you start | You review how your life has been and what and whom has affected it | You wonder “Did Jesus really die for all of this?” | You start reading books about Christianity and realise that certain elements are not discussed in your Church | You choose not to say anything or do anything because no one else does | Church seems more like the Golf Club than it does a place to worship and honour your creator | You stay as you are, ticking along with everyone else, but knowing that there is so much more to this but fail to take it any further...
STEP SIX - Getting Committed!
You meet many life-long Christians who attend Church as they would the local social club | You know there is far more than meets the eye! | You accept that Jesus really is Lord of your life and you believe it in your heart | You choose to say “OUTLOUD” that you accept Him in to your life and acknowledge that you want Him to forgive your sins | You know that the next step is to get baptised in water as an outward declaration that you belong to Him | You know implicity the first moment when the Holy Spirit entered you and you became a new person from the inside out | Now you’re on fire! | You realise that to remain strong you need to connect with like-minded people | You’re comfortable in your own skin | You join a small prayer/life group that meets midweek | You begin to learn the main themes throughout the Bible and accept that it really is the truth | You know you have been forgiven of everything and that you, in turn, will forgive everyone too...
STEP SEVEN - Independent Thinker
You know implicitly that God wants you to think for yourself and not just follow the crowd | You have read, grasped and understood the overall point of the Bible and our existence on this earth | You know how powerful words are and begin to change your vocabulary | You always thank God for His provision | You begin to recognise how God speaks to you | You accept the Great Commission to lay hands and heal the sick, cast out demons and to teach others | You turn to the Bible whenever a problem arises | You submit your plans to God first, in writing and in prayer | You are clear that believing in God and accepting Jesus as Lord is to know that we have authority over satan | Although satan is not dead, he and his demons continue to try and influence our minds and make “man” do evil | You recognise spiritual attack and acknowledge the existence of spiritual armour and spiritual warfare | You know your weapons and are always ready to pray for others | You understand the tactics of the enemy and know why he would want to stop you or others | You pray for victory | You pray to fight unbelief everywhere | You are crystal clear that knowing the truth sets you free | You understand that God intended for us to live in love on this earth | He wants us living in victory, and that means living in abundance, in health and with great relationships | You know that time on earth is limited, yet we are expected to live in joy whilst we are being trained and tested for the next stage of our existence - in eternity...
