True, but Christians have fairly clear ideas of what’s right and wrong. When a pastor gives a sermon, often he needs to remind people what those things are, and needs to remind people how to act in a Jesus-like why. Even for “small” things, like gossiping. If a person believes that an action or behavior is a sin, they will feel as if they should remind people with the same beliefs as them if they see them “messing up.”
I do think there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it though. I wouldn’t ever say pointing at someone, calling out exactly what they’ve done wrong, and saying that those things get people sent to hell is a good approach, haha.
Abraham Lincoln had a good approach to such things:
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/temperance.htm
(@tlgains - check that out!)
I don’t think you can flourish in anything without having a decent base of knowledge regarding the thing in question. You can’t eat healthy if you don’t know that vegetables are good for you and meat provides protein. You can’t lift and get big and strong if you don’t know that deadlifts and presses rock. You won’t be understand the Bible without knowing what’s in it. So the simplest thing to do would be to just read it. Cyclone laid out some great ideas, but another thing I think could help is to find a reading plan that has you read the Bible in a year. It wouldn’t be that much per day, so you should be able to handle it, and at least then when you’re ready to actually begin studying things, you at least have some level of familiarity with what you’re studying, since you know that you’ve read it all before. I think @Frank_C or someone…maybe @alex_uk might’ve started doing this? Frank is taking a break from the forums but hopefully he’ll be back someday.
This is another great idea, @tlgains. For a lot of people, prayer feels weird. Like, is this doing anything? My mom told me a long time ago to think of it like a muscle. It’s a little hard at first, and you don’t really feel like it’s accomplishing much. Do it consistently, and it’ll become easier, more natural, and you may eventually feel like it’s something real. Say a quick prayer before picking up the Bible. “God, I ask that you would open my mind to what you’re trying to teach me.” It can be that short and simple. Try doing it throughout the day. “God, thank you for another day,” when you wake up. “God, thank you for the blessing,” when you receive good news or learn about an educational/job opportunity.
That’s just my two cents. I don’t pray as often as I should. I need to work on it. I think many people pray to ask for things and not enough to thank God for things. Work on the being thankful part. We all could. Even if you’re not a religious person, I imagine that if anyone on here has the resources and time to post on an internet forum about weightlifting, they have at least some things in their life to be thankful for.
Going to a church would be another good idea. At lot of churches, especially when COVID started, began streaming services or posting videos to websites/Facebook pages. A church I used to go did (I haven’t actually been to church since spring of 2020, jeez), and I’ve actually always liked the pastor’s messages a lot. If it was something you (or anyone reading this) were interested in checking it out I’d be happy to email you the link. (Not that there’s not already tons and tons of amazing online services out there, but it can be tough to even know where to start when faced with that many options.)
I don’t know where you go to school, but look for Bible groups on campus, or maybe at nearby schools if you’re near other ones. Most churches, if big enough, have college groups. It can take time to find a church/people that you vibe with, but I think the community aspect of Christianity is a big part of it, and can definitely help your growth. It could also lead to you meeting some people who could guide you in this area.