Precious Promises

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New Foundations! Building Life on the Rock of Truth

One of the evidences that convince me that the Bible really is from God is the way it is understandable to those who want to understand it but misunderstood and the point is missed by those who don’t want to believe it or submit to it. When we think we’re wise and don’t need God or his wisdom, then we can’t and won’t “see” or “hear” it though we may read or listen to it over and over. That’s why I hope this booklet will meet a need that has become more and more clear over these years of my own experiences of seeking God. Many, many people go to church their whole lives, wanting to be Christians and assuming that they are, but they’ve never been given the opportunity to learn the foundational truths that are the starting point for building the life God intended and designed for us to experience. So, because so many people assume they can trust their churches and ministers to guide them, they continue to attend church as I did, hoping to pick up bits and snatches of knowledge from the Bible. But very few churches provide teaching about these basic topics to help people begin at the beginning, to learn how to become a Christian first and then to learn what God’s vision is for us to be Christians in this world, in our relationships within our churches and with everyone we have the opportunity to know as we go about our daily lives. That is why I believe so many people have missed the point that God reveals in the Bible.

The Bible is like a jigsaw puzzle, full of pieces of the big picture. The pieces don’t make sense when they are viewed in isolation, a verse or passage of the Bible at a time in a sermon or even in our own reading bits of it now and then. But when we ask some important, big-picture questions, we can start to see how the pieces fit together to reveal God’s vision of life. As a naturally curious seeker and ponderer, and as one who has had many different experiences with churches and with people, my hope is that others will find these booklets helpful in their own quest to know God.

This is the newest booklet, about the foundations that must be laid before the Bible and the rest of the booklets can make sense. My preference has always been to study through the topics covered here in-person, where someone who is seeking God or at least open to learning more about him would have the opportunity to see for himself or herself that they can understand and then respond to these truths. The need to write out these topics in this format that anyone can study through on their own arose when I discovered that the other booklets weren’t easily understandable to those who have never started with these foundational questions and answers. So, though each booklet stands alone, my suggestion is to read this one first. Another one, “New Treasure! Precious Promises” may provide additional enticement and encouragement that will spark even more interest in studying these topics, if you would like to read that one first.

If you will read it – or listen to it via your smartphone’s text-to-speech function – you will discover how understandable and important these foundational topics are. I’m looking for others who are seeking God or who are at least open to learning more about him than they may have had the opportunity to in their church experiences. The precious promises God makes to us are so tragically missed by so many people. My hope is to find whoever may cross my path who has “ears to hear” and “eyes to see,” who could join me in what the Bible describes as the family of God, with whom we can experience together the “rich and satisfying life” Jesus made possible by his death and his resurrection.

Are you seeking or at least open to learning more about what God has revealed to us in the Bible? If you have already been pursuing your relationship with God by going to church and reading your Bible on your own, are you open to learning more than you may have already had the opportunity to learn?

Or have you never been a church-goer or interested in Christianity, perhaps because of negative experiences when you did go to church or bad experiences with someone who didn’t seem to be a very good Christian? There is plenty to criticize in much of Churchianity, but are you open to learning what God really intended for those who believe in him to experience?

Either way, I hope you will be at least curious enough to be willing to read this first booklet in the Precious Promises series, which will lead you through the foundational topics everyone needs to learn in order to make our own decision to experience the new foundations, new treasure, new birth, new life, new love, new family, new Spirit, and new purpose that God longs to give each person.