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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

File: 8f5e618e68fa26e⋯.jpg (161.59 KB, 1280x854, 640:427, 123124.jpg)

65e107  No.780979

Hi, so I've had a bit of a weird life, and I've been diagnosed with some mental issues. I have to tell you I don't really know if I believe my diagnoses. However I've had a history of drug usage, so I'm not sure if that's helping at all. I guess the usual, rough childhood, and I'm bi or a lesbian or something, I don't really know exactly. I had some sort of crazy experience or… can't say it was a specific experience or not, but maybe it's been something that's been happening over a while. My family was Christian but I have really drifted apart from them and well I never actually knew what it meant, but something makes me think that all of this is like. I don't know I'm getting this feeling that maybe I'm supposed to be a Christian and that's the source of all my confusion and issues. However goes without saying I'm messed up, and I don't know how I can even go about this without it being… you know I shouldn't say this. My feeling isn't that it's something I can try to help me, my feeling is that it's like… the truth? I don't know. I'm failing in college and got into a lot of weird lesbian stuff and I sort of hate this world but I don't know how to get out of it. I hate drugs but I also keep using them. What are the first steps. Do I start reading the Bible? Any help would be appreciated, thanks friends. Also very cool you guys are such a big message board here. I scanned through a few pages and you guys are cool, even with the fighting haha, love to see passionate people.

801dff  No.780990

YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.

A Christian is a "little Christ"

We believe the God of the Bible is the only God, who created everything. The fundamental message of the Bible is the gospel, which means "good news". You are a sinner who deserves to go to hell, but God sent his son Jesus who lived the perfect life and died in your place, then was resurrected 3 days later. By believing in Jesus, you can have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The Bible is also God's perfect word, if it speaks to any problem you have (homosexuality, drugs) it is totally trustworthy.

Please listen to this presentation about the gospel.


190b82  No.780992

File: 5bd0960baebe57b⋯.jpg (800.69 KB, 1668x2048, 417:512, softener.jpg)

First step is repentance. And you have begun to repent, by already acknowledging that your life could be better, and you are enslaved to things you know are harmful to you.

How much do you know about Christianity? If you know next to nothing, I recommend reading the 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) then reading the Living God catechism. It is an Orthodox catechism, but I find that it covers the vast majority of Christendom (I mean that what it says is true for most of Christendom, not simply the Orthodox denomination), and it goes over the events shown in the gospels (Jesus's birth, baptism, transfiguration, teachings, death & resurrection, ascension, second coming, and a last chapter on prayer). I find it is a very good introduction to Christianity in general, although of course you should read other, non-Orthodox material afterward to see how other denominations may differ. (Protestants tend to be strongly against praying to saints for instance)

But the Living God catechism is a bit difficult to get in English (there's no e-book, it's released as 2 volumes too), so maybe someone else can suggest something better.

That being said, you don't read yourself into religion. Go to church, see how the religion is expressed by its faithful, ask the priest/pastor questions if you have any (including book recommendations, maybe).

I don't recommend reading the Bible from front to back before you convert. The scriptures are written by the people of God, testifying to its experience of God, for the sake of the people of God. You may read out of curiosity, but unless you experience the religion, a lot of it may come off as bland or repetitive to you. But maybe we can recommend specific books of the Bible that may interest you, based on, well, your interests. I find that the poetic books in particular (Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Sirach) can be interesting for inquirers, although they shouldn't be understood apart from the rest of the scriptures of course.


190b82  No.780995

Also, if you want an overview of the books of the Bible (so you can have an idea of what they are about, before you actually get to reading them down the line), the Bible Project's series "Read Scripture" is good. It lacks the deuterocanon though.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH0Szn1yYNeeVFodkI9J_WEATHQCwRZ0u (Old Testament)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH0Szn1yYNecanpQqdixWAm3zHdhY2kPR (New Testament)

Note though that it is very, very surface level. It absolutely does not replace reading the texts. It is only to give you an idea of their structure and what they are about.


79c29a  No.781017

File: 61a05a9e6e1818e⋯.jpg (262.57 KB, 736x981, 736:981, 6503e6e5e2219a020a927c745a….jpg)

>>780979

God bless you OP in your struggle against sin and the devil. Addiction is a real spiritual war against evil and I pray you find strength. Have an icon.


ad8ca0  No.781053

>>780979

First step to becoming a christian is believing on the lord Jesus Christ. All you have to believe is that Jesus Christ died and rose again for your sins and you shall be saved and go to heaven. Also check out this video, it goes more into what im saying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA8_fqUZLEU


187b80  No.781138

File: 2198f3ed35b48f9⋯.jpg (509.84 KB, 659x850, 659:850, archangel-raphael-serigrap….jpg)

Consider Archangel Raphael, as he is the intercessor for the sick of both spirit and body, as the book of Tobias says. So maybe you could start with Tobias, which is really short and deals with your health problems.

Archangel Raphael is also credited by the Orthodox Church as the one who stirred up the pool in John 5-1:14, which is a very important passage and basis of Soteriology/Salvation.


21eb30  No.781161

There are millions of ways of coming into the faith, so if you feel you're already starting on that path, no need to sweat it too much, just look for material that will inspire you to continue on your journey. The bible is always good of course, and the gospels in particular are a solid starting point if you don't know where to begin, but the bible can be tough reading if you're not yet motivated enough to go through it. Personally, I often recommend anything by G. K. Chesterton or C. S. Lewis to get your feet wet, as they clear up a lot of doubts newcomers often have. Here's some stuff to get you started:

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/chesterton/orthodoxy.html

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/chesterton/everlasting.html

http://jbburnett.com/resources/french_way_of_a_pilgrim.pdf

http://www.oodegr.com/english/filosofia/nihilism_root_modern_age.htm


830d41  No.781166

YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.

Welcome, sister! You're certainly not the first to go through this phase in life, drifting away from a Christian home and into deep sin. Many have received the call to salvation after vehemently rebelling for years or decades, myself and many friends included.

I think the most important step in finding stability in turbulent periods like this is to find a supportive community (hint: this isn't it). Even after I recognized my need for Christ, I was still struggling to pull myself away from a reprobate lifestyle, but the Lord blessed me with a church family that welcomed me into their homes with open arms, shared the Word with me in times of need, and continued to reach out to me even when I was backsliding in isolation. So I'd say it's most important to find a church with a cohesive community (i.e. they don't just forget about each other after they leave Sunday service). Don't worry so much about denominations or the controversial doctrines yet. Just remain committed to reading the Word and the harder edges of the truth will come into focus eventually.

Regarding your homosexual desires, they're not easy to deal with. Lust is a temptation that follows almost everyone around for most of their adult life. I've embedded a video by someone whose testimony of coming to faith after living in a lesbian relationship is quite inspiring. I'd recommend checking out her other talks on YouTube.

>>781053

Gross oversimplification. Believing requires that you understand the character of both the Father and the Son. Start with Mark. It's the most straightforward account of Jesus's divine nature (imo). The Psalms are an indispensable companion in our daily walk, as well as a great exposition of God's character and will. Use them in praise and prayer. Psalm 23 is a good one to memorize.

For an outline of salvation, read Romans 8.

>>781138

>Tobit

Not scripture. The apocrypha have been rejected time and time again for good reason.


830d41  No.781167

YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.

>>781166

Sorry, meant to embed this one instead.


21eb30  No.781179

File: 442e1bac7ad85a8⋯.gif (259.18 KB, 500x620, 25:31, jcroll.gif)

>>781166

>The apocrypha have been rejected time and time again for good reason.

>time and time again

<within the last 500 years of a 2000 year old faith

<based on the arbitrary decision of a disgruntled monk


830d41  No.781219

>>781179

>within the last 500 years of a 2000 year old faith

Nah, the early church fathers weren't buying it either. Some were more accepting than others, but Athanasius and Jerome specifically rejected them outright. Oh, and neither Jesus nor his apostles gave any reference to them.

Also your image is blasphemous


d90cb8  No.781222

>>781219

>Jesus and His apostles never gave any reference

that's not a good justification to figure what is or what is not scripture, neither Christ nor the Apostles systemically went through the scriptures and verified what was scripture

additionally, Christ DID in fact quote the "apocrypha" when the Jews asked Him about how many husbands will a divorced wife have in Heaven, that was a direct reference to Tobit

>Some were more accepting than others, but Athanasius and Jerome specifically rejected them outright

All the Church Fathers would have accepted what the Church actually declared, friend


d90cb8  No.781229

>>781222

>divorced

not divorced, but deceased husbands I mean. it's pretty telling that Christ instantly rebukes them, telling them if they only knew what was actually scripture! Tobit was disputed by the Jews even then, they chafed with marriage as God envisioned it, as Christ told them.




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