How do you relate to God?

The following is part of an ongoing conversation I am having with a friend via the internet. The friends started the conversation several weeks ago and we have sent messages back several times since then.

While there might be some value in sharing the entire conversation with you, I would not feel comfortable with doing so unless both parties (my friend and I) agreed to do so.

Nonetheless, I feel compelled to share my most recent response. (In order for you to understand the response you must first know that my friend has never made church attendance a priority in their life.)

I would love to hear your comments/thoughts/questions.

You are not bothering me at all. And I didn't mean to leave you hangin'. I really have been swamped and I want my response to be clear, so that means I have to think pretty hard :).
I don't know which questions are burning hotter and need attention, but I will take a stab. Feel free to steer me toward other issues if you would like!
I will start by responding to: "Nobody actually explained to me what it means to be catholic. I was just always told that's what I was."
In your context being told you are catholic means that at some point you were baptized by the Catholic church.
But that is sort of like me saying I'm German. I've never been to Germany. I have no known relatives in Germany. I don't even speak German (though I did take two years of it). And only some of my ancestors are from Germany. It would be much more accurate to say that I am American, but that my family background is German.
Or perhaps it is like saying I am a soccer player. I once was a soccer player. I played for 12+ years, pretty much from the time I was 5 until I was 17. I haven't played on a real team since High School and this year is my 20 year reunion. Certainly it is living in the past, clinging to something old and no longer true for me to say that I am a soccer player. I USE to be a soccer player. I WISH I could still play soccer. Whatever, but I am NOT a soccer player anymore.
You were baptized Catholic. Perhaps you went to Mass/church for a while, maybe you didn't I don't know. Going to Mass/church is about relating to God in a certain way.
Perhaps at one time it was fair to say that you related to God as a Catholic. (you went to Mass, you prayed the rosary, you participated in confession, you took the Eucharist (communion). But you haven't related to Him in that way for a very long time.
So here is the question: "How do you relate to God now?"

The Promise of Baptism

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”      -Acts 2:37-39

When God’s word is at work, as it obviously did through Peter’s preaching, there must be a response. God’s word always calls for a response. When the law quickens our spirit and awakens us to our hopelessness, we may respond with indifference, disbelief or repentance. Is repentance enough to be saved? Do we receive the Holy Spirit through repentance? Not according to this passage of Scripture! The promise spoken of by Peter is Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit, which Peter links directly to the act of baptism. Through baptism we receive forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a means of God’s grace. In other words, through baptism God delivers the mercy and grace made available to all through the Cross of Christ.

Have you been baptized?
If so, thank God for the grace He has promised you. He is faithful to that promise, even if you have failed Him.
If not, what prevents you from receiving the gift God has promised to give you? The Lord our God is calling you to respond to Him today! Don’t put it off.

If you would like to be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins” give me a call, drop me an email, or leave a comment and let me know how to reach you. Or speak with a pastor in a church near your home. Whatever you do, don’t put it off; don’t miss another day of God’s goodness in your life.

Adult Confirmation: a thorough overview

2009 Adult Sunday School Plan

Topic: Adult Confirmation: a thorough overview

Rationale: Many adults in the church have not participated in confirmation instruction in their youth. Of those who did, it was many years ago, and some have expressed a desire to have a refresher course.

The nature of corporate worship leads us to repeat certain activities (Communion, Baptism) or statements (Lord’s Prayer, Apostle’s Creed) without taking the time to explain and teach what we are doing and why.

Repetition can be useful for low-level learning, but can be counter-productive to higher-level understanding and applying.

Adults need the opportunity to not only hear the teachings of the church, but to evaluate and at times even question them, in order to develop spiritual maturity.

Challenges: Students will likely possess a wide variety of experience with the topics presented. Some may feel they know all they need to know. Others may feel as though these teachings are no longer relevant for today’s world. Still others may feel that they are not ready for this in-depth of a study. In order to overcome these challenges the Instructor must engage the students and not simply present the material. The more involved the students are in the learning process the more they will benefit from the material presented.

And of course, when working with spiritual growth, the course and the students need to be covered in prayer, for only the Spirit of God can move a topic from the head to the heart.

Objectives:

The primary objective of this course is two-fold:

1. To expose students to the basic foundational teachings of the church.
2. To move students from simply knowing the teachings of the church to understanding those teachings so that they are able to apply them to their daily lives

As a result of participating in this course, students will:

• Be able to recite the Ten Commandment
• Understand how the Ten Commandments apply to their daily lives
• Be able to evaluate real life situations in order to discern which Commandment should guide their choices
• Be able to recite the Apostle’s Creed
• Understand what it means to have God as their Heavenly Father
• Understand the redemptive work of Jesus Christ
• Understand their relationship to Christ’s church
• Have a deeper understanding of what they are asking for when they pray the Lord’s Prayer
• Be able to offer prayers that follow the model of prayer found in the Lord’s Prayer
• Know the different views of Baptism within the Christian church
• Understand what God has done for them through Baptism
• Know the different views of Communion within the Christian Church
• Understand what God does for them through Communion

Schedule: 33 Weeks of instruction & interaction

Sept 13	Kick-Off
Sept 20	Introduction to Confirmation, expectations, objectives, schedule
Sept 27	Authority of Scripture
Oct 4	Sacraments – The What, Why and How
Oct 11	The Law – 2 tables, 3 uses
Oct 18	Commandment #1 – You shall have no other gods before me
Oct 25	Commandment #2 – You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God
Nov 1	Commandment #3 – Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
Nov 8	Commandment #4 – Honor your father and mother
Nov 15	Commandment #5 – You shall not murder
Nov 22	Commandment #6 – You shall not commit adultery
Nov 29	Commandment #7 – You shall not steal
Dec 6	Commandment #8 – You shall not give false testimony
Dec 13	Commandment #9 – You shall not covet your neighbor’s house
Dec 20	Commandment #10 – You shall not covet your neighbor’s spouse (stuff)
Dec 27	CHRISTMAS BREAK – no Sunday School
Jan 3	NEW YEAR’S BREAK – no Sunday School
Jan 10	Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed
Jan 17	First Article – God the Father
Jan 24	Second Article – Jesus, His only Son, part 1
Jan 31	Second Article – Jesus, His only Son, part 2
Feb 7	Third Article – The Holy Spirit
Feb 14	Third Article – The Holy Christian Church
Feb 21	Third Article – Eternal Life
Feb 28	Introduction to Prayer
Mar 7	Addressing your Heavenly Father
Mar 14	Petitions 1-3
Mar 21	Petition 4
Mar 28	Petition 5
Apr 4	EASTER – no Sunday School
Apr 11	Petitions 6-7
Apr 18	Baptism: how
Apr 25	Baptism: why
May 2	Baptism: who
May 9	MOTHER’S DAY –no Sunday School
May 16	Communion – the elements
May 23	Communion – the practice
May 30	Conclusion – WHO YOU ARE