Bible Lesson on Friday June 20th
8:30 eastern daylight time
"I Wonder" Part Duex (Too bad, there is no part one.)
Today we continued working/discussing on the ‘I Wonder’ worksheet. We dealt with having doubts about faith and how to deal with them. As a result the poll says:
90% said share my doubts with another
Christian
90% said ask honest and sincere questions, searching for answers
99% said talk to God about them
99% said talk to my pastor
30% said blame them on the devil
30% said feel guilty
10% said ignore them
0% said share them with a non-Christian friend
0% said get others to doubt the same way (Gosh, I’m so very proud of my youth
groupies for not answering the dumb ones, sniffle)
(Footnote: these numbers are not really true but u get the picture of what it is for.)
Here are some thoughts and words on how our fellow Christian Youth deal with having doubts:
Dan- convince himself after consulting others
Van- talks to Christian friends and advise not to ignore doubts
The symptoms of ignoring doubts will cause a build up of doubts later, and eventually it will result in more confusion and complete disillusionment.
It is like a vegetable, Van says. Leaving
it alone on the table will result in it rotting. Doubts only get worse, but unlike the
vegetable, the doubts will not simply biodegrade and disappear. Rather, they will continue
to grow and what begins as doubt may lead to disbelief if it is ignored.. Another way of
looking at it is that doubt will grow, and like vegetables it will rot and the rotting
fumes will permeate ur house and u won’t be able to ignore it’s unbearable
fumes. So eventually you are force to deal with them because the rotten squash gets so
stinky that’s you can’t avoid it. (kinda like dirty laundry.) But what happens
when you have to deal with it, u have to bring out the broom and the disinfectant spray
and go through the tedious process of cleaning the big mushy gunk on ur table. Whereas it
would be so much easier if you had thrown out the squash from the very beginning. Same
with doubts buildup. It would be so much easier when u deal with it right away rather than
ignore it.
Moving on to the next section. What do you think?
a. Doubts are normal
b. God still loves us when we doubt
c. Pastors doubt
d. God understands and accepts doubts
e. Doubting means you are losing their faith
Answers a-d everybody all agreed to ‘ aye’ but when answer e, we got some both ‘aye’s and ‘nay’s
After much debate, (no not really), most of us agreed that having doubts does not mean you are losing faith. To lose faith one would have to stop seeking for God. When one questions the natural inclination is to find the answers, and that aids in one’s knowledge of God. As Vanessa said, " faith is an action, it is active not passive, it’s about being sure and certain. Most of the time if you have no doubts, it seems like you have no faith."
Here are some verses to check out
Psalms 73:21-28
(Some key pts.)
God is always with us, even when we doubt, even when we are ignorant. There’s nothing
I could desire more than God. My strength will fail, but God’s will not and he is
everything that I need.
Matthew 21:21 ; Mark 11:23
Complete faith and anything is possible
John 20:27, 26:28 –The Story of Doubting Thomas
James 1:5-8
If ever lacking in wisdom. He will give generously
Matthew 7:7
"Seek and ye shall find…"
I Corinthian 13:12
" For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but
then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known."
Van’s challenge:
Is for all of us to have a deeper faith.
Don’t be stagnant or complacent. If ever in doubt, talk to people heading for the
same direction of wanting to know God.
[Jing Jing]