"Please, Is there really truth anywhere of...

by Shane 9 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Shane

  I want to know what TRUTH" is if its out there some where surely God will guide me to find it, I don't want to die without honestly knowing for sure knowing I have found the so called "TRUTH. I have been stumbled by others and by my selfish ways. In the words of the song "send me an angel," cause I sure need one.

  Maybe I am not of their sort as the bible says and as elders have labeled me, but I do want to live and exist somewhere, and see the light what ever and where ever it is. Thanks ~ Shane
• 

  Rex B13

  Hi Shane,
  There is truth, there is no one organization that ministers to God's people. Each one is able to gain salvation in Christ by asking for Him to guide your life, repenting of your sins and believing Christ rose and his death on the cross completely covered your sins. Use the ideas in Romans 10. 9-11 to guide a heartfelt prayer.

  Check out these books at the library:
  Christianity: a Witness of History......J.N. Anderson
  the New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?......F.F. Bruce
  Evidence That Demands a Verdict........Josh McDowell
  History and Christianity........John Montgomery
  Basic Christianity..........John Stott
  Bible Explorer's Guide......John Phillips
  Mere Christianity.........C.S. Lewis

  The last book first!
  Our Lord has chosen to use us to spread the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let Him indwell and overflow from your life onto others who are in your sphere of influence.
  NIV Romans 3:22-24
  22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
  23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
  24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

  So, all are sinners and fall short of God's glory, which means eternal separation from Him. But just what is this grace, justification and redemption?

  NIV Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  Death is usually pictured as hell or eternal separation from God. It is not just a physical death as some would have you believe. How is it that we recieve this gift of eternal life?

  NIV Romans 10:9-10
  9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
  10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

  Is this really all that it takes to gain eternal life?

  NIV John 3:15-17
  15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
  16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
  17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

  Do we really believe on Christ if we dismiss Him as some arch-angel who is less than God? Think about it. Did you know that the reason that believers were called 'Christians' is because they WORSHIP Christ as God?
  Is Jesus really the only way to life?

  NIV John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

  Anyone can gain salvation, all they have to do is ask Jesus with heartfelt prayer!

  NIV Revelation 3:20
  20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

  Can we be saved by our own works, even in some future era as some speculate?

  NIV Titus 3:5-7
  5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth (being 'born again' -John 3.3, or as a 'new creation' )and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
  6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
  7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

  NIV Ephesians 2:4-10
  4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
  5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead (eternally dead and separated from God!) in transgressions--it is by grace (undeserved kindness) you have been saved.
  6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
  7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
  8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves (NOT from our own works!), it is the gift of God--
  9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
  10 For we are God's workmanship, (a new creation) created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance (predestined) for us to do.

  Our good works are an evidence of our faith and our salvation, they do not gain us salvation as that is by grace! How rich and merciful is our God? Remember the thief on the cross?

  41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
  42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "
  43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

  Here is another proof that the soul is immortal, our Lord clearly promised this man 'paradise' (Hebrew understanding of 'heaven' or the afterlife) on that very day that he died! This is not some future event and it is not resurrection (adding the spiritual body to our bodiless souls).
  Rex
• 

  alamb

  Is this the Shane from Utah? You can e-mail me privately if so, you sound like someone I know.
• 

  Esmeralda

  Hello, Shane

  The pleading tone of your post just about broke my heart. Especially this part:

  Maybe I am not of their sort as the bible says and as elders have labeled me, but I do want to live and exist somewhere, and see the light what ever and where ever it is.

  Shane, honey, you are not ANYTHING that those MEN have labled you.

  I won't go at you with a lot of religious philosophy with you, because truthfully, after all I saw in the Borg any organized religion leaves me nauseated. It works well for some, but not for me.

  The only truth you need to worry about is listening to your own heart. I know that may sound too simplistic, but I really believe it's the one truth we all have in common.

  Deep inside, if we become still enough in our own thoughts and can listen to our souls, we each know what we need. We each come to our own understanding of "God" and the Universe as it makes sense to us.

  Each human is individual so why should anyone expect a perfect spiritual fit to come from the dictates of other humans?

  If you're still struggling with the "Truth" and worrying that you'll die at Armageddon for question the elders, please read Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz. That will help to end your guilt about not fitting into the mold of the Elders.

  I have heard great things about the book Releasing the Bonds by Steven Hassan, but have not read it yet myself. It's on my to do list. Many speak very highly of it.

  Myself, personally I have benefitted from reading The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukov, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, and MOSTLY from reading Life Strategies by Dr. Phil McGraw. These books have helped me learn how to listen to my heart and find my way after the Borg.

  Please hang in there. Don't give up. Keep talking, we're listening.

  *hugs*
  Esmeralda

  The Four Agreements:
  Be Impeccable With Your Word
  Don't Take Anything Personally
  Don't Make Assumptions
  Always Do Your Best
• 

  Mindchild

  Hi Shane,

  I encourage you to keep looking to find consentual reality instead of another form of conceptual reality which you recently experienced. Perhaps you might qualify your future research by getting a few skills under your belt first.

  What I mean by this, is how do you tell what is true and what is not true? If you are like most people, you use what you would call common sense or perhaps you like the way someone argues a point, or you just keep stumbling along and trying one thing after another. All of these methods leave much to be desired. Common sense is actually common nonsense and it is very easy to fool people using this line of reasoning, something the Watchtower ideology masters quite well.

  Instead, I suggest you study the science of telling what is true and what is false or sometimes known as Epistemology. Once you get some solid truth telling tools under your belt (something that may take you awhile to accomplish and require some quality education) then you can use these tools to smoke out the B.S. from different reality tunnels that people make and recognize that our comprehensive view of reality will never be complete and that we always need to be skeptical and learning new things to enhance our Weltanschauung.

  Yes, maybe having some uncertainty in your life will be somewhat scary. You won't have all the answers to all the questions but you won't be a complete idiot either and buy a packaged belief system that turns your thinking into jello. I think Einstein once said, "Science without religion may be lame, but religion without science is blind."

  Hope you see the light.

  Mindchild
• 

  QCA1

  Hi Shane

  I read your post and it also broke my heart,take note of what esmeralda has said,very wise words indeed.
• 

  Vienna

  Hi Shane. I understand your frustration--we all have been there! What Rex said is on the right track, and for me, it took completely throwing away everything I knew about God and the Bible and starting over fresh--just me, the Bible and prayer. There is truth out there because Jesus died and He now lives again--there's too much historical and other facts to prove otherwise, so start with just that basis if you want. It's hard finding anything after the hurt from the WT, but don't give up. Even though it might be hard to pray right now (I went through that too), keep praying.
• 

  finalcall

  Shane

  John 14:6 "Jesus told him,"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

  Jesus is the Truth and we do not have to have another man nor religion to be led to God all we really have to have is Jesus Christ.

  Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you."

  Luke 11:9-13 "And so I tell you, Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is open to everyone who knocks.
  You fathers-if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."
  Have you tried asking for the free gift of the Holy Spirit.
  
  Shane,please, do not give up your search but continue asking, knocking and seeking.

  Also here in the book of John, Jesus tell us how we can benefit from his sacrifice for mankind.
  John 6:35-58

  Revelation 22:17 And the spirit and the bride keep on saying: "Come!" and let anyone hearing say: "come!" and let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life's water free.

  A servant of our Father and his Son
  Finalcall
• 

  Esmeralda

  Hi QCA1,

  I just noticed that you're new to the board and wanted to welcome you. Thank you for your kind remarks about my post. I hope that Shane got to read his replies!

  Welcome too, to Mindchild and all the other new folks here.

  *hugs*
  Essie
• 

  musky

  Hello Shane,
  I found your post very interesting. It seems that what I would like to say has already been said here in replies to your post. I feel the same way that you do many times. I was raised a witness. After I left home at 18, I met a christian co-worker that started me thinking about how true the "truth" was. I am now 35 and I havent been to meetings in a number of years. I always struggle with the question , who are Gods people on the earth.
  As a child, I was told that the watchtower was the only truth. Everyone else is living a lie or are terrible people from christendom.As I become more experienced in life, the only conclusion
  that makes sense is that there is no one right religeon.There can't possibly be. I see too many good, God loving people from different religeons, including the watchtower. For someone to give tolken service to the watchtower, instead of heartfelt service, and conclude that they are in Jehovah's favor because its the only right religeon ,is making a serious mistake.
  I think that Jehovah knows each of our hearts and already knows what our future holds. He knows our personalities, how we think and reason, and most importantly he knows if we really love him.
  When it comes down to it, its you and God. Thats all. You will stand before him someday with no watchtower society or any other religeon by your side.I feel that I will probably try to draw closer to him more and more until i grow old and die.Thats my mission.

  welcome to the board, musky