{{2015_10_06_t1.jpg}} {{2015_10_06_t2.jpg}} {{2015_10_06_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2015_10_06|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_vii|| Topics Collection vii ]] ======A fresh look at faith II ...====== Tuesday, Oct 6, 2015. What is faith about? Let us phrase ten sentences which describe elements of Christian faith. If you read the gospels, you will find all these components described in various occasions - by Jesus himself. You also find them in the letters of the apostles. So what are we talking about? {{2015_10_06.jpg }} **10 elements of faith ...** (1) The first element: God can be found. If you search God, if you seriously and honestly search him, you will find him. He came into his creation. He lived there in Christ, and even though many things seem unclear when you have not found him, it is possible to get to know God, today! In your life! (2) If you want to find God, ask him, pray! I remember well my own prayer years ago: God, I want to get to know you. I remember that I prayed, and I remember the answer to the prayer. I got into contact to Christian bible study groups - something I did not know before. It all happened shortly after my above prayer. God hears prayer, and he answers prayer! There are many further stories to tell about prayer answered, it should and will be our daily exercise. (3) When you do not have faith, there are usually many questions with respect to the biblical texts. And Christians have many questions as well. I did not understand the bible. It was just unclear and seemed old stories which were hardly accessible and did not make sense. Before I became a Christian, my favourite bible verse was: all is vanity. But I did not make it to the hope in Christ - it was just not accessible to me that time. But God answers questions. I have experienced it a thousand times. You can ask him, you can pray to understand some bible passage - and understanding comes. God gives understanding! That is an element of faith as well. {{ 2015_10_06_2.jpg}} **God answers prayer! ...** (4) God takes us serious. He does not want puppets. He wants real people, who believe in him and who trust their life into his hands. That is an element of faith as well: he takes you serious. He takes your trust serious, your decision - even if this means that you live without him. There is no faith without freedom, and we all have our freedom of choice: do we want to get to know him? Do we trust him? Do we trust our life into his hands? If we do, we experience him as the loving Saviour, as the truth, the way and the life. He is just fantastic! (5) God brings forgiveness. In Christ Jesus he has opened this door, that we can access him, that we can go to him and live with him. In Christ Jesus he has destroyed the power of separation, the power of mistrust, the power of bitterness. In Christ Jesus he has destroyed death. Here, forgiveness has been made real, and we are offered to receive it and to live in it. We are offered a life based and build on full forgiveness and reconciliation. It is unbelievable and breathtaking. There is a power beyond our wildest dreams. Let us recall the first half of our 10 elements of faith. God can be found. He answers prayer. He gives insight. He takes you serious to trust him. And he brings full forgiveness and reconciliation. There is strong power, when you trust the Lord and open your life to him, to be full of reconciliation. But it is a decision to make, day by day, in each particular situation where you face the difficulties of life. Let us pray to him, to help us stay in him in each of these situations, to say words which come from him, not led by frustration, but by the Lord! Lord, my father, my God! Please come and help me today and tomorrow, come with your Holy Spirit and guide me on your way. Amen. (RWEP) [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_vii|... more texts]]