I have trouble explaining my relationship with God.  And if someone asks me to tell them what Jesus means to me, I want to know how to explain it.

Sincerely,
Speechless

Dear Speechless,

It is a wonderful thing that you want to be able to explain what you believe and why you believe it.  Peter said that every christian should be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within them (1 Pet 3:15).  We are going to point you to some previous posts that should be of use to you in getting a grasp on why Christianity is the hope of all humanity.

1. Here is an article that gives evidence for God’s existence – “Does God Exist?”
2. Here is an article with evidences that the Bible is God’s Word – “Who Wrote The Bible?”
3. Here is an article which deals with what it takes to become a christian – “Five Steps To Salvation”
4. Here is an article that explains Jesus’ church and all the religious confusion in the world – “Down With Denominationalism”

Those should be enough to give you some verses and answers for many of the basic questions a christian needs to respond to.  Once again, you deserve a pat on the back for wanting to be ready to give an answer for your beliefs.

     How am I to understand Psalm 19:1-4 when it says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.  Their line has gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.  In them, He has set a tabernacle for the sun."(NIV)?

Sincerely,
Declaring My Confusion

Dear Declaring My Confusion,

Ps 19:1-4 is dealing with the same issue as Rom 1:20.  God designed the world, so it would be a testimony to Him.  God’s invisible attributes are so clearly seen in this world that it is as if the heavens are literally crying out about God’s glory.  Paul quoted Psalm 19 in Rom 10:18 as a proof that all mankind has evidence of God’s existence.  His creation leaves us without excuse.

     Who wrote the Gospel of Mark, and how do we know the author was inspired by God?

Sincerely,
Genuine Article

Dear Genuine Article,

The Gospel According to Mark is generally agreed to have been written by John Mark.  This is based upon early church historians and comments made by early christian writers.  It isn’t necessary that we know who penned the book of Mark, but that is the general consensus.  John Mark would have been in a perfect position to write an account of Christ’s life having been a traveling companion of both Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25) and being a part of a family of early converts to Christianity (Acts 12:12).

We know that the Gospel of Mark is inspired for the same reason that we know the rest of the New Testament is inspired.  Mark’s book repeats the same details as the other gospels, it shows all the same characteristics of inspiration as the rest of the Bible, and the early christians (who would have personally known the writer) accepted it as an inspired account of Christ’s life.  Read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for a more in-depth explanation of evidence that God authored the Bible.

      How do you respond to someone saying they do not believe in God because they think believers are brainwashed from an early age?

 

Sincerely,
Thinking For Myself

Dear Thinking For Myself,

When faced with someone who believes that Christianity is based off of a mindless faith, we try and show people the evidence that points toward Christianity.  After all, many people convert to Christ after growing up in atheistic and anti-religious households.  You might point out to this person that not all christians were raised to be that way; many choose it later in life.  If that peaks their interest, you might point them to some of the evidence for God's existence.  We recommend that you read the post “Does God Exist?” for a list of some of those evidences.

     I have gone to church all my life.  I have never had an issue with my faith; I’ve always believed, but recently, with a lot of negativity towards religion and science explaining everything, I feel like I am losing my faith rather quickly.  Do you have any words of wisdom that can help me believe truly again?

Sincerely,
Need To Believe

Dear Need To Believe,

Everyone faces times of doubt in their life; the key is to strengthen the weaknesses in our resolve.  Like the man who cried out, “I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24), all christians must recognize that faith must grow and increase over time.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1).  We can’t see God, but there is plenty of evidence that He exists.  The whole creation cries out as evidence of God’s existence (Rom 1:20).  As science and our knowledge of the natural world have increased, the proof of God’s existence has increased as well.  Books like Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel, Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel, and Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell are excellent resources that make clear the existence of the God of the Bible.  Take the time to fill your mind with information from sources like those mentioned above, and you will find yourself more confident in no time (Php 4:8).
God tells us to come and “reason together with Him” (Isa 1:18).  There are entire scientific communities such as Answers In Genesis that are dedicated to the study of the science that proves God’s existence. There are reasons and evidences that prove that God exists, and it is surprising how few people ever talk about those evidences.  We have an entire category in our archives dedicated to evidences that God exists and the Bible is His Word because we here at AYP are so frequently asked about that topic.
Not only is it possible to prove God exists, it is possible to prove that He authored the Bible.  The Bible is the most unique book in the world.  The Bible is scientifically accurate (though written long before modern science), historically accurate (down to the last archeological detail), prophetically accurate (the Bible predicts events down to the smallest detail hundreds of years in advance), and it never contradicts itself (even though the Bible was written over the course of hundreds of years by dozens of different writers).  In a world of rare writings, the Bible stands alone.  For further details, read our post “Who Wrote The Bible?”.

There is no doubt that God exists – the evidence speaks for itself.