"Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-- an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." Acts 17:22-31 (NIV)

For centuries humanity has sought to understand and to describe God through philosophy and pagan rituals. Too often though, humanity has made the mistake of creating God in their own image. Like man or animal, depending upon their cultural context, God has taken on many forms. This has not been God's doing, it has been the feeble attempts of humanity as they sought out the Divine God. God gives life to all creation says the apostle Paul in his sermon to the people of Athens, and he does not need anything from us.

The Hebrew name of God in the Old Testament scriptures when God revealed Himself to Moses, was a name since then held sacred. It was a few simple letters, but those letters provided all Israel has ever known of God. The name meant he was "self-existent and eternal" in nature, not at all like us with a beginning and an end. The name provided us with an understanding that God stands apart from His creation, God stands apart from time and space and matter. With so much confusion about God, like Paul, we know humanity needs to be shown who God is once again. Like Paul in Athens, the world around us is so cluttered with deities that people are confused. Some are so confused that they have even begun to try and imagine that all these various gods are one in the same. Some are so confused about such matters they have simply given up all together. Like one bumper sticker I have seen said, "I have given up the search for truth and will settle for a good lie." It is tragic that humanity has so butchered up the character and nature of God that for the common guy or gal on the street it is almost not worth it to look over the idea. I hope you have not given up on your search for truth, and I hope your coming to this web site is an attempt at this that will help in your search. As a Christian, I believe God has revealed himself in the Bible. This belief is not based upon some illogical conclusion, or even some kind of emotional response to a feeling. There are many good proofs for this idea, and of all the religious systems in the world I believe Christianity has the greater amount of valid evidences for the reality of faith in Christ.

Historically, archaeologically, textually and of course in the real lives being lived out on a daily basis there are evidences to be found. We do not have the time or the space on this web site to get into too many details. We can provide materials for your search though, and can even recommend some good books for you to search through on your own. "A Ready Defense" by Josh McDowell This book will provide a thorough examination of the facts, and various proofs in a well written manner that is easy to read. You can pick this book up in many Christian and non-Christian bookstores. Well, anyway...back to God. God has revealed that He is eternal, had no beginning and has no end. He has always been God, He has had no changes ever in all eternity. God is omniscient, He knows everything all at once. God is omnipresent, He is everywhere all at once. God is omnipotent, He is all powerful and nothing can stop His hand. Yet, there are things God cannot do. God cannot do something against His own nature, He cannot sin, and nor will He do something that is foolish or unnecessary. (So much for making a rock He himself cannot lift.) God is very unlike us in many ways, nor can we ever be Him. We can know Him in a very personal way, and even learn to have an emotional attachment to God as well. God has revealed Himself in the three persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three equally God, all three equally Holy and powerful. God is able to be completely just in all of His judgments while still remaining the very source of all love. God has revealed that He loves you in the Bible, He has revealed it in more than one way. He said it clearly through Christ in a Bible verse you have probably seen before.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 3:16-18 (NIV)

Despite the fact that God stands apart from His creation, He chooses to seek us out and display His love for us. Because of humanity's rebellion against the will of God and God's need for sinlessness, humanity stands condemned by its own actions. For this reason, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to offer himself as the perfect and sinless sacrifice because he is just and demands payment for sin. For this reason, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ because we could not provide the perfect sinless price for our sins. By believing in Jesus' death and raising from the dead for your sins, God allows his payment to be your payment. It is a simple idea really: Man has sin, God will hold man accountable for this sin, God provided a way to deal with your sins in sending His Son to die for those sins, by believing in God's payment for your sins through Jesus Christ God deals with your sin, God then gives you new life in Christ. You as an individual must make a decision about all of this. You cannot rely upon tradition, family ties, or even something done for you as a child. The decision is a personal one that is all your own. This takes a personal faith, a personal decision to follow Christ.

If you want to believe in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for you, then pray this prayer.

Lord, forgive me a sinner. Cleanse me from my sins Lord, and make me new in Christ. Take control of my life as both Lord and Savior and change me into the person you desire me to be. I believe Christ died and rose again for me personally. So Lord, take my life and all of me there is. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and renew me. Thank you, in Jesus' name I pray, amen.

If you prayed that prayer and truly believed in your heart, you are now a Christian.

There are four things you could do now to start your new life in Christ if you want to grow as a Christian.

1. Begin reading a Bible.




2. Begin praying every day.

3. Begin going to church.

4. Share your faith with others.

Start in the book of John in the New Testament and then read to the end of the New Testament. Try to use a modern translation like the New King James, the New International Version or the New American Standard Bible. These are written to make it easier to understand what you are reading. All of the modern translations like these are created by teams of people working from the original languages, they are reliable sources. Read the Bible looking for a better understanding of God and how to live as a believer, you will be amazed at how quickly you will grow spiritually.

God wants you to spend some time with Him each day, just praying and telling Him whatever is on your heart. He does not have high demands on the manner of how you pray, just speak to Him the way you do your best friend. God wants you to share everything with Him, including all of your worries and needs. Set aside a short period of time each day and go somewhere to be alone to be able to pray.

Find a Christian Church where the Bible is taught and Christ is glorified. The denomination is not nearly as important as whether they believe and live orthodox Christianity that is focused on Christ. Of course, if there is a Calvary Chapel in your area, we would recommend checking them out.

What you have found in Christ, others are desiring to know about as well. You can begin sharing what you have come to know, and who you have come to know as well. Don't worry right away about whether you have all of the answers or not, keep it simple about your own experience with God and let God take care of the rest.

God bless you as you seek Him
If you would like a free New Testament, contact our office and we would be glad to send you an New International Version New Testament for you to be able to start reading the Bible.