Mainstream Christianity - Who God is to me.

This was from a friends blog located at http://whollyholy.blogspot.com/
I decided to comment and share more of my story in my search for our crater. To back up that God does work his miracles today and that he loves us and is there for us.

James my dear, dear friend sounds to me you have quite a fan base. I wish you good luck with this debate but something tells me it is going to go nowhere fast. Some people love there comfort zones and believing God works wonders is unimaginable. I believe Mainstream Christianity is boring that goes nowhere fast. I once was part of the Salvos and i can tell you my family goes way back to the good old days of William Booth himself as i have told you already. For many years i fell away because it was too mainstream as we are putting it aka boring and formal no going after God learning who he is and establishing a real lasting relationship with our father in heaven. It seems if we do love god and dare show it and go after him and do as he has commanded us to do that we must be possessed by demons or something just for believing in God and his son who died for us. I think there is something about that in Matthew and the other Gospels lol.

I can tell you at a young age i was keen to know god, to be his friend and to love the father but there was no opportunity only readings of what he was in the bible nothing more no substance, who was he errrr a carpenter, what dose he say hmmmm he loves you and everyone else be a good little boy, what did he do tricky one healed people. Ok i knew this stuff Who was he really, to me in this day of age. I wanted to know him personally. They preached he was alive cool so how do we talk, commune with him. So Jesus in this sense was just a story book character who did a bunch of stuff died and rose again and lived happily ever after The End. Not good enough Boring. Jesus now i am afraid was dead to me and i to him which is a sad fact. He's real but does not act even today??? Get real. I never knew who he was so i carried on in life beleaving something is out there but not knowing what just that his name was Jesus who was a great man. I wanted to know him experience him but never could all attempts wasn't good enough, so it was hopeless. It wasn't till he made himself known to me one day that i had any realization of who he was. I thank him for doing that if he hadn't i would have thought you were an idiot James and never stayed in touch. It was you who showed me and from there the passion for him grew and then he came and said hey Greg yea I'm real and i hear ya, what did you want to know? If only someone back in the day showed me a God who really does care and loves us and listen, one who is real and is still around even to this day. I would never have left the family of the Salvation Army and at times only recently i wish i hadn't. Today me and the Salvos there is a huge rift i don't know them anymore. But i am grateful i know Jesus, thank The Lord. I could have been another William Booth the way i am going these days lol. But i suppose even he is to out there for WJE. Reinhard Bonke now he's good sort of fellow in this day in age Sort of what WB was i guess. But i am glad i know God now i have learned so much FORM JESUS HIMSELF then i did from anyone else. It is because he is real to me now that i am finally on the path he intended. I have given an example God still dose miracles in what i have written that he came to me, spoke to my heart and i heard / received his message but no that would be too far fetched or out there for WJE. Jesus though his Holy Spirit actually does things today no can't be not Jesus doesn't happen. I have seen many miracles i like to call them the Lord does to this day and i am grateful to him and i want to see more to BRING ALL THE GLORY TO GOD HIMSELF ! ! ! Praise Jesus our Lord and Saviour.

This all reminds me of something Isaiah said once to his people,

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused;make their ears dull and close their eyes.Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

I just pray God opens himself up to everyone as he has for me. God loves you WJE just pray and listen to what God has to say not what we have to say. God Bless you anyway, i don't mean to attack anyone just thought i would share my story.

Walking With The Lord (Part One)

I would like to start off by thanking those who have responded to my posts. I didn't think that anyone would ever read anything i wrote, quite surprised actually. I wish everyone all the best.
I am going to begin these first few blogs with my own thoughts, stories and experiences. I feel i am not ready to debate biblical topics and press upon my opinions and beliefs on others but i do ask that we all have an open mind. James here it goes, i owe much of what i have learned about the lord including my spiritual growth and so fourth to him. You have loved the things i have spoken about with you and wish me to share them so i will.
Let me just kick off by stating i have always been a believer in Jesus, in my younger years i attended much of 'Sunday School' with the Salvation Army out in Dandenong. But over the years as stated in a previous post sort of lost my way you could say. But that never meant i lost my focus on Jesus just meant he was never a focal point in my life i knew who he was but never had a real connection with him until i was challenged. It has been some two to three years now i think since my focus has returned to Christ. I have learned so much it is unbelievable, i have read the bible completely plus many other texts and i think this is why it is stressed to me to post this stuff.
Just recently i came to realize a memory i had in the past. I remember wondering to myself just what heaven was like in my younger days, closing my eyes in Sunday school and have had seen heaven Huge magnificent gates streets paved with gold, palm trees and running water, paradise is how i would describe it. But just thought of it recently. Back then i passed this of as just my imagination and realized god actually answered my prayer at a very young age and did not realize it till recently. This was only possible due to learning the presence of god, which has been very hard mind you and attempting to communicate to him on a more personal level and really listening to what he says.
I have asked myself another question more recently which goes like this. Why is it that we can clearly hear the voice of the enemy and not the voice of god? What i mean by this is hmmmm...... ok an example will better explain it. Here goes, 'You can steal that, it's ok, nothing will happen, go on everyone else dose it. You won't get into trouble'. Negative thoughts i have also found are really the acts of the enemy trying to throw us of balance, devil talking to us. I believe it is essential that we all should learn the presence of god and his voice. These thoughts can harm individuals, ruin lives in certain instances and the answer is simple, ask god. Ask him and he will answer and assist you. He would never ever say anything to harm us, why would he he loves us and will be there if called upon. Positive thinking is where he lies and a good heart. Jesus is Love, god is love. Everything in the bible is summed up in this word especially the commandments.
I love talking about this stuff, i plan on sharing more as often as possible it is getting late now and it has been a long day at work. I seriously wanted to go much much further, going into detail on how to communicate with god and many other topic like the healing's i have seen signs i have witnessed and prayers answered. Probably deal with them as separate topics. I will finish off with this point. As much as i do attend church and the more people i meet and as great as you all have been, i am still trying to make a connection with gods people wanting so much to really reconnect with fellow believers but still feel as an outsider and feel the only comfort i can get is from the sinners of this world but even there detestable ways are wearing on me now and need a place to belong. I see this as my ever changing heart god is granting me which is another thing i have asked for. I believe he is working with me even though disappointed sometimes.
I pray that anyone reading this may learn of gods true love for them, and ask that he watch over you and bless all that you do.

God Bless to you all for now.

Greg

St Greg is back ! ! !

I would just like to kick of with the fact i am back, didn't think i could do this but james has convinced me to push ahead with my blog, for some reason he loves the things that god dose in my life and wishes me to share so i will. This time i will try to get serious about this blogging caper lol. I will start to share the different things i have learned about myself, family, god and share the love we all should have for one another. I wish you all well and within the next day or so i hope to have something posted for all to read.

Thank You all for now and God Bless ! ! !

Don't let life slip you by ! ! !

What can i say, God has been generous to us all over our short lifetime here on earth and what thanks dose he get in return. It is amazing knowing he is there to help guide us through life but sometimes we miss what is most important in life till it has gone. Life should never be about money, power, who is better then who, who has more then others. Life is about caring for one another, being there for each other, encouraging others, helping those that are in need and most importantly help those up when they fall and loving them unconditionally. There just dose not seem to be enough of this around these days. If there were the world would be a better place. So my thought of the day is don't just think of yourself but think of others as well, do what is right and you will find what is gratifiying in life. Don't leave loose ends till the last minate because you will never know how long you have till it is gone. I have lost much in the past 8 years, but still see the positive side to life.

Stories of coming to Christ ! ! !

It is so great in this day in age that we have tools like the internet to stay in touch with one another. I would like to thank god for the oppitunity to tell my story in this way and for others to view and gain a sence of encouragement that bring value to others lives by the stories we share. The story on how each and everyone of us came to christ is unique and worth sharing and can be an insperation to us all, god bless those who come in faith and believe.

I will go into deapth into some topics that i feel are important and that i would like to share from what god has tought me. But right now i would like to encourage others to share there story here and post there blog site in the comment section and share your stories on how you came to know christ. In the comming weeks i will post more reverlation kind of topics that god has indeed revealed to me and show how he has tought me.

If you would like to e-mail your stories that would be great i would love to hear about them or post them in comments. My e-mail is gregory_peterson@hotmail.com

God Bless everyone and i hope to hear from other fellow believers soon.

Welcome One and all ! ! !

First of all i would like to extend my greatings to all that might visit my newly formed corner of the Web, thanks to James.
I would like to use this oppitunity to tell you a little about myself, and yes some things in his introduction can be exagerated a little sometimes like where i am from but most true.

My name is Gregory Leigh Peterson, i infact i come from and was born and raised here in good old Melbourne Australia and am prowd to be 100% Australian :-) i am lucky in that reguard and i thank god for bringing me into this world. What can i say i would like to think i have a good heart, kind and generous person at times and would help anyone out if they were ever in need. I work within the CBD doing customer service work, thats were James meet me and challenged me about christ and god etc. To me at the time God was someone or something out that was out there that had little interest in me. He was an out there figure someone who didn't know me and i didn't know him so i we carried on our lives seperately.
He would talk to me about God.... and i would be like yea but all the time trying to get away from the topic. At the time i had a level of belief but thought what has he ever done for me and never really took interest. But slowly my view changed as he challenged me, a part of me wished he would just give up like samething saying you don't need to hear this if you know what i mean. He gave me my own bible to read, i just didn't know what to think so i read it. To be honest i thought James was mad and anyone that followed this stuff like i saw on TV was just mad and that the entire group was brainwashed (eg. Cult). Nope i didn't want anything to do with that but i accepted my place in the world as i did gods.

It was not till later when i was going through tough times and all i wanted was for everyone to leave me alone and i wished or prayed for death and an end to all suffering, that i guess you know what happens in those moments, Something answers god answers you could say you tend to feel a presence you have never known before or did but was long forgotten. James was online one day chatting as usual talking over and confrounting me on different issues something inside made me give in to it, i told James about it and he assured me it was the Holy Sprit. I am like Holy Sprit you say hmmmm....... yea. This was at a time when i was at my lowest i had nothing else to loose my pride, happiness, anger (was great at myself), self esteem was right out the window and i was at my lowest.

Now i thought this was going to be an intro.... i think god has different plans for this post.

I was bought down, humbled before my creater i like to call it. I was always telling James you can't be serious i am a joke to God i am his play thing, he dosen't seriously care about me, he infact hates and despices me i rather be alone, infact i am alone now and forever. But at that very moment i was telling you about earlier something was compelling me to hear what James had to say even though i didn't want to hear it. He asked me to pray to Jesus to come into my life, that it's him don't let this oppitunity slip, you have to etc. After a bit of convincing i did it, my sadness turned to gladness, my anger to happiness and finally i felt at peace with myself. Not long after James convinced me to go along to a Planet Shakers meeting in the city i still remember feeling as though i didn't belong and that everyone was crazy and that i was only dreaming the day before. I was up in the balcany one time and James asked me to do as the preacher suggested that anyone that wished to accept christ now come to the frount or to the frount row of the balcany. It was then as James was praying for my something weired happened The pastor that was speaking the good words stopped what he was saying and said to me in so many words "There is something great that will happen in your life, you will become something great" something to that effect i thought he was just giving his speach but he wasn't he was looking up at the balcany there was others i thought he ment someone else. I looked around to see who it might have been he said no you, i was confused pointing to myself he said yes you in you i see potential you will do something great is all i can remember or be something. I still don't know what he means to this day, it has been a year, but i can tell you one thing i have learned so much since that day i have been empowered since then i believe and i am being tought and leactured to by the Lord My God himself, Jesus is my instructor. I see things in every day life god wishes me to learn. He shows me by my experiences how he feels what he loves how life is and how it can be. I have been baptised by the holy sprit slain some might say. I believe i am being refined by fire and made rightious and holy though god himself. I have read the entire bible some might say they in there entire life has never read the who thing before. I tell you friends i learn from the very word themselves i don't listen and take what others have said for granted and as gospal i take it from the word and test what others say and ask god to show me his way to become more like his son. I will tell you more about the things that are happening in my life or have happened in later posts.

This is a basic outline of how i have came to know christ once more, how he forgave me and convicted me of all sin, in turn saving my eternal soul and how he will contine to use me to that end. I will talk more about empowerment later. Friends as i write this i tell you the truth life is hard and life is never easy and fair sometimes but there is alwasy hope. God is there for us all if only we would trust and faith in him i tell you anything is possible. He many times convicts me to say something or do something nags me to do it hehe i am lazy sometimes. It is my experiences and the things i personally learn that James from what he's heard asks me to write them down, put them here so others might learn and get something out of them and hear the wonderful news that is and i agree in my laziness lol and i am sure god wants me to share.

To everyone i thank you for sticking around this long, i pray god contines to work through you and blesses everyone in all that you do. So it is with great pleasure that i say god bless, i wish you all the best and hope to be back soon to write more. There is much to write thats for sure, i don't know where to start. I am also looking forward to hearing form others and making new friends along the way.

In Jesus name i pray, god bless.

Amen

Introduction

Well, Its James here. Greg is at work but Im getting him into this blogging craze...

What can I say about St Greg?

Well, He was born in Tasmania, but got saved just over a year or so and hasnt looked back!

A preacher prophesied over him at his conversion and he hasnt been let down. He been baptised in the Holy Spirit, he exercises his gifts, and he has read the whole Bible!

He hates injustice. He hates idolatry.

He believes God speaks to us. He testifies that all hes learnt is from God by reading the Bible and the Holy Ghost leading him.

Big things are ahead for St Greg. I have a feeling God will use him for signs and wonders! He's prayed for rain and it came, hes prayed for waves and theyve come. Whats next is anyones guess. Not even Greg will know.

The one thing we do know is that God is Great! We know that no matter what Greg does he will be trying to strive toward Christ!

Pray for Greg and his relationship with Christ.

Be challenged by his raw thoughts as he hasnt been brought up in the church, he hasnt been blinded by the irrelevancy or hypocrisy that sometimes comes from the 'church'. Rather his thoughts are from his direct relationship with Christ!

God Bless you Greg! Holy Ghost come!
James