Pursuing Faith

Originally posted to facebook on 28th November 2014.

This is part two of a two part series of posts. Part one is: Pursuing Faith.

I don't often post spiritual stuff to Facebook. I have many non-Christian friends and I don't want to force my faith down anyone's throat. My faith is a core part of my life. Scratch that. It's *the core* of my life. So if you're really my friend (otherwise how are you reading this?) you'll have to accept a bit of it, or you're incapable of accepting me.

I'm still reticent, for a few reasons. The first is that my faith is not just precious to me, but quite literally something I hold sacred. I know some of you hold faith in scorn (but thankfully most of you have some empathy in your dealings with people of faith). I have no desire to open the most precious, and most beautiful, part of my life to scorn. I suspect I need to toughen up here.

Beyond that, I know that many of my friends are confirmed atheists. But not callously or carelessly, it's a considered and settled position. I have every sympathy with this. I was an atheist myself for some time and I understand the arguments and the questions an atheist would pose to a Christian. And I don't have answers to all the questions. Furthermore I think it's a perfectly *reasonable* position to take, a rational response to living in this world we find ourselves in - with little apparent sign of a God. The difference with me I guess, is my own experiences. I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't pursue faith and God.

Perhaps more than this though, I find it *difficult* to explain my faith to someone who's never experienced God. For those of you who are rational atheists, and who read this far, this is the closest I've come:

I venerate love as holy and sacred. I exalt it and I exalt in it, this is what worship is. In doing this I've found that love is a burning fire. And what's more it is life itself, and has volition. And I call it God. And I will pursue this with everything in me. And I can't be any other way. The fire and strength, and perfect holiness I've found in God I've seen in nothing else - and to share this with other people, to live in it and to live for it, is the best thing I can possibly imagine. For all the debate and discussions and difficulties I've not seen anyone living a better way.

Still too flowery. But true.

That sounds lovely. But there's more. I'm willing to believe that love has defeated death, that love wins. And that love has a name, was made perfect in Jesus Christ.

Now how you can know this, not just "take it on faith", (I vehemently don't think that faith means "believing something you can't know is true" - but that's another topic) is the question. And that's what I'm pursuing with all my strength and all my soul. Turning my mind and life toward. Because if it's true, it changes everything. And if I suspect it's true, how could I not pursue it.

This pursuit of faith has led me to a deeper understanding of the heart of God and the work of God. I'm far from alone this and I describe it in God is Doing a New Thing.