raised Church of Christ, now unsure....how can I get my faith back?

Question

I was raised in the church of Christ, which is very fundamental. Until I went to college. That's when it started to change. By the 4th year, I stopped going to church. I always believed that if I ever stopped going, my faith would go away too. I believe that it has. I'm not sure I even believe in God...but I so desperately want to! I WANT to have faith, I WANT to rely on God! I'm now 24 and never go to church and don't have the desire to! It frightens me!

I feel so conflicted. I believe most of the church of Christ doctrine. However, I never felt spiritual or close to God in a church service there...ever. I'd just wait for it to end. It seems like I've felt God more in simple times, outside of church. I feel almost like the church of Christ is so strict that it cut off my faith in God completely.

How do I get faith back? Any advice? Please help.

I welcome responses from members of the church of Christ and other Christian churches too.

notice I said no haters. If you are atheist, I DON"T WANT YOU TO RESPOND. I am a weak Christian who is trying to find her way and get her faith back and watch people who have advice in how to get faith BACK to respond.

I don't need you to try to pull me away any farther.

Answer 1

I am a member of the Church of Christ. and the Church of Christ does not have it's own doctrine, the true Church of Christ only follows God's word. nothing added nothing taken away as God commands. Just because the name on the building says it does not make it so. you have to search the scriptures daily to be sure you are worshipping God as he commands to be worshipped. The Church is not the building, it is the Christian members and when true Christians come together to worship there is unity and love and only the truth taught.

Answer 2

You have not lost faith, you just have not been using it. What happens if you break your leg? Since you have not been useing the leg it becomes weak. Reading and praying brings you closer to God, not just going to church. If you believe most church doctrine then you know that God wants a PERSONAL relationship with you. All all of this means is that you have not been spending enough time alone with God. To pray more you must be willing to talk to God AND be willing to hear from God. Prayer is a two way talk with God. Think about this, if you turn on the T.V. and do not find anything on don't you keep surfing until you find something? Same thing with God. Push on even if you don't find Him right away. Show Him you want His company. Church is not God, it is a place we go to LEARN , WORSHIP, and to be around people whowant the same thing. Go to church to worship God(to show honor and respect) and to learn. Hope this helped.

Answer 3

First of all, you have made the first step by realizing things are not right in your spiritual life. I want you to know that I am proud of you. I will pray for you. I am coC & attended a coC school. If you want to email me & let me know where you are located, it is likely that I have a friend or aquaintance that I can put in contact with you to offer you loving support at this time.

Please KNOW that MANY people fall away from God in their youth & then realize the error of their ways. It can be about being away from home for the first time, especially since you didn't have a close personal relationship with God before going away. A Christian man that I respect a lot (& my former youth minister) likes to say, "God doesn't have grandchildren." In other words, our salvation can't be based on our parents' faith. This can be a problem when you grow up in the church. Your faith can grow. Luke 17:6 (NASB) - And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you."

Bible study & prayer will help you grow closer to God. We develop relationships through communication & spending time together. The Bible (God's Word) is the way He communicates with us & prayer is how was communicate with Him.

Please know that there will be much rejoicing in Heaven when you return to the Lord. Luke 15:7 (NASB) - "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

Here are some sites that you might want to check out.
http://www.housetohouse.com/hth/index.htm
http://www.keepingupwithjones.net/
http://www.apologeticspress.org/
http://www.christiancourier.com/

Let me know if you need anything else. :)

Answer 4

Groing up, I was first baptised in the church of Nazarene, then I attended a Methodist church with Grandparents, a weslyn with Aunt and Uncle, Baptist and attended Baptist Seminary as a Teen, Ordained as Deacon with the Church of Christ, and later as Associate Pastor for the Assembly of God Church. What I had learned through all of this is that My Faith is something Given of God, Faith was not a Denomination, Faith is Real and it is as Real as the Blood that Flows through your Veins. To every man is given "The measure of Faith". Your Faith is With God and In the Lord Jesus Christ. You must Find a Church or Church setting that you are comfortable with and that Feeds you Spiritually. I now have an Evangelist Ministry C.D.A.Ministries, (Christian Denominational Alliance). You see, The body of Christ is the Believer, and The Doctrine of Jesus Christ is the One and Only True Doctrine and you can Find out all about this by reading the Book of Acts. Mans doctrine has taught division, Jesus Christ teaches Unity"When they were all in one accord, the Glory of the Lord shown round about them, and the Spirit of the Lord descended upon them". This is seen all through the Bible. I hope and Pray that I was able to help you; Your Faith is with God, the Distance between you and Him is the same distance between your Knee's and the Ground where you are standing.

Answer 5

Talk to God. Throw everything else out of the window right now. Don't worry about which doctrine you do agree with or which you don't. Just talk to God. Especially if you aren't even sure about God. Just take time out to know God. Forget all the religion guidlines and find God and allow God to talk to you.

God isn't confined to religion or to a specific church. It sounds like you see church more as a chore then as anything else. Don't force yourself to go to a service just because you feel like you have too. Instead, wait until you want to go. There's nothing wrong with that.

Since you are Christian I would advise you to read your bible. The Psalms are especially inspiring in times of doubt. Concentrate on the words of Jesus found in the NT. A lot of bibles contain a list of verses for certain situations, such as loss, injury, and uncertainity.

It's normal to doubt ever once in a while. And it's not surprising that it happened in college. For the first time you were away from everybody else's beliefs.

Now you need to find your own. Don't just believe that you have to fall back on what your family believes. Find your own voice that God intended you to have.

Answer 6

I am a member of the Church of Christ.

Many in their college years go through the same thing you described. Part of the reason is that this is the first time for many to be away from home. At this time in life, you have to make many decisions for yourself for the first time, including deciding what you believe. You no longer are under the protective influence of parents. You, and your faith, has to stand on your own, or fall on your own.

Add to this the influence of new non-christian friends, and atheistic college teachers, and it is easy to see why this could be a rough time for your faith.

To get your faith back, first remember where faith comes from. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Open your Bible and begin to read it on a regular basis.

The reason you did not feel close to God may not be the fault of the church service. Feelings also are not a safe gague of how close you are to God. To be close to God, open the lines of communication with him. Read your Bible to see what He says and also learn to talk (pray) to Him.

To be close to God, do what he wants you to do, in the way he wants it done.

Try the attached series of studies. The ones from Apologetics Press look at christian evidences. The Searching For Truth is a series of video lessons that give a good overview of the church you read about in the Bible.

I feel for you! You are at a pivotal point in your eternal life (or death). I went through many struggles at your age, but now I am a deacon at church.

You might want to speak to a preacher, or find a congregation with a good single class (I assume you are single). If you are still in college, there may be a christian student center sponsored by one or more congregations of the church. When you return to church, get active in their programs and works. Go with the attitude of looking for what you can contribute, not looking for what you can get. Active participation with other Christians will help you as you help them!

I will pray for you!

I hope you can find your way back to the Lord and to the church!

Answer 7

first i must wish you God's blessing.
you are just confuse at this time,we all get to that place were we think we lost faith but real we dont that why it frightens you. the contrustness of God is still in you.
i attend a church of christ here in jamaica and know what you are talking about the church doctrines. which realy need to be revised
you need to read your bible more even if u think you cant understand it but just spend some time with it for starter try the book of John see the love of God it will bring new life to you
pray to God even if you dont know what you are going to say to him.
look at the things around you you will see the hand of God in so many things
try to know God for your self dont let the church of Christ strict rules cut you off from having a personal contact with your creator

Answer 8

Being away from home for the first time meant no one was looking over your shoulder to see what you were doing—and suddenly you had the freedom to do whatever you wanted to do. If you didn't have any strong inner convictions or restraints, that meant you probably went along with the crowd.

I'm thankful, however, that you don't feel good about what you've done—because that tells me God is working in your life to draw you back to Himself. Begin by turning to Christ and asking Him for the forgiveness you need. The Bible says, "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered" (Psalm 32:1). And if you've been depending only on your parents' faith, now is the time to make your own commitment to Christ.

Then take definite steps to strengthen your faith. Start visiting some Bible teaching churches and seek one or two Christian friends who can encourage you and pray for you.

In addition, learn to walk with Christ every day. Set aside time alone with Him through prayer and Bible study.
The Bible does warn us about the danger of endlessly ignoring God and leaving Him out of our lives: "A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy" (Proverbs 29:1). These are solemn words and you should take them very seriously.

But the fact that you are concerned about your spiritual situation tells me there's still hope for you. The person in the most danger spiritually is the one who feels no need of God, and is unconcerned about his or her spiritual condition. That person's heart has become so callused and so hardened that they can no longer hear God's voice convicting them of their sin and calling them to repent and turn to Christ.

The most important thing I can tell you, however, is that God loves us and is ready to forgive anyone who truly repents and trusts Christ as their Lord and Savior. No matter what you've done, God still loves you and wants you to be part of His family forever. Jesus' words are for you: "My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life" (John 6:40).

Don't stay on your present road any longer; it will never give you the happiness and peace you seek. Instead, by a simple prayer of faith confess your sins to God and ask Christ to come into your life. Your life can be different—beginning today.

Answer 9

I want to commend you for your honesty, first of all, and encourage you in that it's obviously not too late for you because you are concerned about this. It shows that the Holy Spirit is still speaking to you. All I can recommend is that you ask God to lead you to a good Bible-teaching, Bible believing church, where you will not be lead astray by bad teachings, and until then, read your Bible and pray earnestly. The most important thing is that you draw near to God. and beware of the wolves in here who seek to lead you into condemnation. A true disciple of Christ will only seek to encourage you and restore you to a right relationship with Jesus, to see you lifted up. God bless.

Answer 10

you know the answer to that! you tell God just what you have written here. ask and you will recieve... i too was in that similar situation and as it turned out i had to tell God that i did not know how to love or trust anymore...i could give you details like crazy but i wont . talk to god! ask him to help convict you and tell him that you need him and are at least willing to try and ask him to send you to a church where you can get involved and sense his holy presence! God is already calling you or you would not have asked this question! people cant fix your problems with a few words but believe me....God can! I am living proof. just start with a simple prayer and watch things change for you!