How to deal with self doubt about your faith?

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Jul 28, 2021
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Then surely fake Christians are unbelievers?
They don't see themselves that way. They are not searching. They have already found what they are looking for.
 

NOV25

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2019
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Are you saying we should not have unbelievers in the church?
No.
This is an interesting topic, kind of difficult to discuss on this platform but let me ask a few questions.
Should we worship with unbelievers? Should we share the Lord’s supper/commune with unbelievers? Should unbelievers attend our prayer meetings?
Biblical answers to these questions are obviously no, we are commanded not to do these things.
So what do we do? 🤷‍♂️
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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Yes, though that’s not what saves you
what do you understand about it though

are you baptised in the spirit? what happened when you got baptised?
 

CherieR

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
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No.
This is an interesting topic, kind of difficult to discuss on this platform but let me ask a few questions.
Should we worship with unbelievers? Should we share the Lord’s supper/commune with unbelievers? Should unbelievers attend our prayer meetings?
Biblical answers to these questions are obviously no, we are commanded not to do these things.
So what do we do? 🤷‍♂️
I don’t see anything wrong with with worshiping with and praying with
non-believers. As long as we are worshiping and praying to the true God, I don’t have a problem with it. I know often times churches say unbelievers are not to take communion. I disagree with this. I don’t see it wrong for a unbeliever to take communion if he or she wishes to. Can’t the act of communion also communicate the gospel?
 
Jul 28, 2021
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I don’t see anything wrong with with worshiping with and praying with
non-believers. As long as we are worshiping and praying to the true God, I don’t have a problem with it. I know often times churches say unbelievers are not to take communion. I disagree with this. I don’t see it wrong for a unbeliever to take communion if he or she wishes to. Can’t the act of communion also communicate the gospel?
Non-believers do not pray to the True and Living God. What an odd statement to make.
 

CherieR

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
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what do you understand about it though

are you baptised in the spirit? what happened when you got baptised?
Once time I had asked for prayer to receive or be filled with the Holy Spirit. That was back in 2012. It was a powerful experience for me. I got very physically hot all over and started to go down forward but grabbed hold of someone. I didn’t go down all the way. I might have if I didn’t reach out to someone.

I remember after that I could call God Father where as before, I felt uncomfortable with calling God Father.

I used to be into speaking in tongues but I stopped that practice. I didn’t have peace about speaking in tongues. I didn’t know what I was saying and felt concern over it.
 

CherieR

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
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Non-believers do not pray to the True and Living God. What an odd statement to make.
Why can’t non-believers pray to God? An atheist can ask God to reveal himself for example.
 
Jul 28, 2021
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Why can’t non-believers pray to God? An atheist can ask God to reveal himself for example.
Can an atheist ask a God he doesn't believe exists to reveal Himself? If you are not for God, you are against Him and those who are not children of God are children of the devil. There is no squishy middle-ground.
 

CherieR

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
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Can an atheist ask a God he doesn't believe exists to reveal Himself? If you are not for God, you are against Him and those who are not children of God are children of the devil. There is no squishy middle-ground.
I think an atheist can ask God to reveal himself. The prayer to God may sound more like “ if you are out there , show yourself “.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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Once time I had asked for prayer to receive or be filled with the Holy Spirit. That was back in 2012. It was a powerful experience for me. I got very physically hot all over and started to go down forward but grabbed hold of someone. I didn’t go down all the way. I might have if I didn’t reach out to someone.

I remember after that I could call God Father where as before, I felt uncomfortable with calling God Father.

I used to be into speaking in tongues but I stopped that practice. I didn’t have peace about speaking in tongues. I didn’t know what I was saying and felt concern over it.
were you praising God? thats what usually happens...we call out ' Abba' Father

hmm ok it seems you have a lot of doubts still cos you are still holding on to someone (well metaphorically speaking) what are you holiding back.,,do you feel selfconcious about being a Christian?

Have you been baptised (believers baptism...where you are fully immersed in water? ) just wondering.
 
Jul 28, 2021
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I think an atheist can ask God to reveal himself. The prayer to God may sound more like “ if you are out there , show yourself “.
God has already made Himself known through His creation. If people reject Him, they have no excuse. God does not take orders from atheists... or believers for that matter.

Romans 1
18But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.i 19They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
 
Jul 28, 2021
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were you praising God? thats what usually happens...we call out ' Abba' Father

hmm ok it seems you have a lot of doubts still cos you are still holding on to someone (well metaphorically speaking) what are you holiding back.,,do you feel selfconcious about being a Christian?

Have you been baptised (believers baptism...where you are fully immersed in water? ) just wondering.
Water regeneration is heresy.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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I think most people have this experience when they speak in unknown tongues of course you dont know what you are saying but God knows. I had that. It was like what?!

But thing is it is one of the signs, so not sure why you would be doubting after that...though our faith journey isnt a one time thing we continue to grow after that.
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
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They don't see themselves that way. They are not searching. They have already found what they are looking for.
Not sure what you mean by "They have already found what they are looking for"
Maybe explain that to me please.

I was going to answer your first sentence with my thoughts.

I want to say generally but not sure it's the right word but I think historically in the west countries that were defined as 'Christian countries' then the population when asked via census and other questions when it comes to religion would define themselves as 'Christian'

Basically it's a cultural belief rather than the reality of what a Christian is.

When I was younger I went to an Anglican church.
I was a believer.
I now attend a church which is NT based denomination (NFI if you want to look it up)
Sadly one of the initial leaders Greg Haslam died last week.
I went to his church and he took me under his wing.
Great teacher. He was called to Westminster Chapel where some of the greatest preachers over here led the Church.

R.T Kendall (who Greg Haslam replaced)
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. (Great books, I have loads of them)
Many more.

When I look back can I see the difference between the Anglican church to me ending up in a Baptist church to the NFI church?

Yes I can.
New Testament based churches tend to preach more about what being a Christian is all about yet to be fair in the Anglican church I went to there were weekly meetings to discuss the Bible and what it's like to a believer.

But I have to be honest here we cannot say one denomination is better than another.

In fact in this thread "How to deal with self doubt"
I was in a Baptist church that has a Pentecostal bent.
Every year they would have big gathering of many churches.
I went forward for prayer cause I was struggling.
Long story short I was told that I was not saved because I did not speak in tongues.
So therefore I was not a believer.

Then we have Bible preaching churches who get it wrong as well.
Baptism saves, works save..
So even genuine belivers in Bible preaching churches can be seen as unbelievers.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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I am not sure if Ive seen anyone water baptised where they only went half underwater though...most people go the whole way. Or if they dont go down under, they are thouroughly soaked...

baptism signifies the death of our old self and rising up out of the water to new life.

Just wondered if thats what you believe or you just did it because it was a churchy ritual thing to do. Because there is a difference for those that are baptised who believe and understand why and those that dont. In the Bible its always 'repent' and be baptised not the other way round.
 

CherieR

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
2,271
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were you praising God? thats what usually happens...we call out ' Abba' Father

hmm ok it seems you have a lot of doubts still cos you are still holding on to someone (well metaphorically speaking) what are you holiding back.,,do you feel selfconcious about being a Christian?

Have you been baptised (believers baptism...where you are fully immersed in water? ) just wondering.
I have been baptized. The first time I wasn’t dunked all the way but I got dunked all the way later on.

I likely deal with more anxiety than the average person. It is not as bad anxiety as it used to be. I feel fine with calling myself a Christian. I have felt anxiety with sharing my faith in Christ on a different online forum before. It didn’t stop me from sharing my faith.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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John the baptist even turned away the Pharisees who wanted to be baptised because they hadnt repented.