Explore your faith
Matthew 7: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
At the end of this section you will find links to other websites which may help you to explore your faith further or answer questions you may have on the processes within this Diocese or the Church of England.
The Bible is the account of God’s action in the world, and his purposes with all creation. The writing of the Bible took place over sixteen centuries and is the work of over forty human authors. It is a collection of 66 books written in very different styles. The Bible addresses many basic issues of life and death, the present and the future. Christians believe that God continues to speak through the Bible today. The message of the Bible starts with creation, then when things went wrong (sometimes called ‘the Fall’), God continued to display his commitment to his creation in different ways. Ultimately in a display of sacrificial love, offering a rescue to everyone by faith in his son Jesus.
Faith The Christian faith is the experience of living in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This does not happen naturally, we recognise that we do not seek God, we would rather do things our way. We do not want to follow his plan for our lives. The Bible teaches that God will forgive us if we turn to him in faith. He has provided a rescue plan in the death and resurrection of his son Jesus. In the words of Paul the Apostle, “ Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved”.
Living as a Christian Jesus said that he came that we may have life and have it to the full. Christians are to live as God intended us to live. A life lived in the light of God’s love for us, revealed in a unique way by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we look forward to the return of Jesus, we are to be actively involved in God’s world, displaying love to him and to one another.
Prayer When Jesus was asked by his friends to teach them to pray he responded with what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. Prayer can happen at any time. Prayer is a conversation with God; as we speak to him we could thank him, share our concerns, ask for help for ourselves and others. But as in any conversation we need to listen to his response!
Church Many people think the church is a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The real meaning of church is not that of a building but people! The Church is the body of Christ, of which he is the head. The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Explore your faith with these sites.