Never believe what you read on the Internet, including this site. Reach out to other sources other than this website to validate what you read here. These pages are a reflection of what I personally have come to believe once the dust settled. However, when it comes to theology, the dust never really settles since since there is no scientific fact or mathematical equation you can point to, on either side of the issue. All we are individuals, each with their own personal beliefs, or worse yet, not their own but simply parroting the faith of others, which does not prove anything either. All that you are left at the end of your life is your own personal faith. Before that day comes, you need to discover what you actually believe and what it means for your life today.
This is where you need to start your own journey. Do not take that journey lightly, for your life actually is at stake. Contrary to medical science and what you are told, the number one cause of death is death itself. Perhaps you believe that living to one hundred is a nice round number to shoot for, but what are you plans for living through infinity?
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.
— C.S. Lewis, Excerpt from Mere Christianity
The sites I offer below are simply ones that I trust and that have help me along on my own journey. They may help you as well but please do not stop with them. This is your journey, you need to figure out what you believe in, not what I or others believe. The only suggestion I would like to make is before you go too deep into a given site, check out the site’s Mission Statement or Statement of Beliefs. Make sure you understand where the water is coming from before you start drinking from the water fountain. BTW, If you have not seen mine, it is located on the My Core Beliefs page.
In closing, let me help prepare you for your journey: May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace [NUM 6:24-26 ESV].
This is a no brainer. It happens to be the church that my wife and I attend. While it is located in our home town, the weekly sermons are available online and worth spending the hour to listen each week.
The Alpha Course may be the best place to start for anyone who has questions about the Christian faith. Alpha began at a church called Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London in 1977 as a course to help church members understand the Christian faith and give them an opportunity to ask questions. Due to its growing popularity it was updated and presented as a course for those outside the congregation.
At its core, The Alpha Course offers a chance to ask questions and explore the Christian faith in a fun, no-pressure environment. One of the best Alpha groups I was ever in happened to be made up of Lutherans, Catholics, a seeker or two, and at least one atheist. I learned more from them in those ten weeks then several years of sitting in a church pew listening to never ending sermons.
Pastor Wommack has been serving God for over 55 years. I first heard him while flicking through TV stations out of boredom and came across one of his teachings. I was hooked ever since. The ministry’s web site is a great place to go for podcasts as well as many other resources. You could spend a year or two just on this site alone.
Of course the whole point is not to focus on just one site in your journey. I simply offer you this site for the wealth of free resources it offers. Pastor Wommack’s teaching have been a blessing to me and I am sure they will be to you as well.
One day Pastor Brian Harding had a word from God, and unlike most of us, actually said yes. He was to read the Bible out loud to the world for one year, which he managed to do using early podcast technology. As the year drew to a close, he asked God again what next and was told to do it again. Brian, bless his heart, did it again. Keep in mind he did not simply replay his first year’s podcasts, he reread the Bible from the beginning first word in Genesis to the last word in the book of Revelation. Brian has now been publishing a new podcast each day for over 14 years.
Over the years the Daily Audio Bible has grown but its goal in this life has never changed, the site’s mission statement says it better than I ever could.
The Daily Audio Bible is committed to guiding Christian’s worldwide into an intimate and daily friendship with the Bible. This is accomplished by providing the spoken Word of God freely in multiple languages and by the creation and establishment of communities that have no geographical limitations. Our efforts are devoted to exposing the rich texture and heritage of the Bible’s life changing power by educating the Believer on how to engage in and interact with the ancient Scriptures in a future world.
The DAB Mission Statement
While John Eldredge has been known for helping men find their hearts and purpose in life, do not pass up the opportunity to see what his wife Stasi Eldredge has to offer to women. I personally have attended a Wild at Heart conference and to say it was life changing does not even come close. If you get the chance to attend one, GO. You can read more about their ministry on the Wild at Heart website.
While all of John’s books are worth reading, if you want to understand the heart of Jesus, I highly recommend Beautiful Outlaw. This one book taught me more about escaping the walls of religion and discovering a breathing, living, and loving Jesus more than any other.
Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God.
— 1 John 4:1-2 MSG