ou have taken the most important step that you will ever take in your life - to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. One of the most radical statements that Jesus ever made (and he made quite a few!) is this: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me" (John's gospel, chapter 14, verse 6). This claim makes it abundantly clear that as far as Jesus is concerned, if you are on a serious quest for truth you have only one option, there is only one way, and he is the way. Your quest has now begun in earnest. Everything up to this point was either a preparation or a distraction.

For a successful journey you need 3 things - a map, a compass, and a guide. Your journey to the bosom of your heavenly Father is no exception, and all that you need to complete your journey has been provided.

our map is the book which is known as the Bible. In fact, the Bible is not a single book but an anthology or a library of 66 books written over a period of some 2,000 years by about 40 contributors. It is not a history book, nor is it a book of science or philosophy, nor is it a religious rule-book. It is firstly a record of God's dealings with man since man was created until the present universe that we know is destroyed and replaced by a new one that will not have any of the defects of the original. Secondly it is a guide book for living in accordance with the will and purposes of God. It provides hope for the hopeless, comfort for the afflicted, encouragement for the fearful, refreshment for the weary, and wisdom for the foolish.

The first portion, which we refer to as "The Old Testament", traces God's dealings with a specific group of people - the nation of Israel - from the very beginning of life on this planet until the day that he refused to speak to them again because of their persistent rebellion against him. Don't be put off by the fact that Israel is the focus of attention. It might just as well gave been the Irish, or the English, or the Poles, or the Swedes. Whoever they were, they would have behaved in a similar way - because they were human.

The second, and shorter, portion, which we refer to as "The New Testament", tells how God stepped down from the throne of Heaven and took upon himself the form of a man; how he lived and how he died; how he wept and how he rejoiced; how he reached out in love to a people who had rejected him for generations, and rejected him again; and how he died and rose again from the dead in order to provide a way for every man woman and child, whatever their background, whatever they had done, wherever they had been, whoever they belonged to, to find mercy, grace, forgiveness, hope, love, purpose, and eternal life in relationship with him.

Reading the Bible is not a one-off exercise. You will not find a serious, mature, progressive Christian who does not spend time on a daily basis reading and meditating upon the word of God. Everyone has their own method. Some have a reading plan that takes in a portion of different sections of the Bible each day. Others will read a chapter of the Old Testament and a chapter of the New Testament each day. Someone else will simply read it from cover to cover like any other book. The best way for you is the way that suits you best. Experiment. Be adventurous. You're on a journey of discovery with Almighty God.

our compass is that which God has built into you to enable you to judge what is right and what is wrong. It is your conscience. Everyone has a conscience - even a serial killer - but not everyone's conscience is properly informed. If you have genuinely repented of your sins and surrendered your life to Christ, you will find that all of a sudden some things that yesterday you thought were OK, today are causing you a problem. Maybe you feel uncomfortable watching a certain TV program or reading a certain type of magazine. Maybe the way you have been treating someone close to you now seems to you to be wrong. Maybe the places you frequent at the weekends now seem to be uninviting, and the activities you have been involved in for recreation now hold no interest for you. This is because God has quickened your conscience and made you more aware of what is right and what is wrong.

It is important that you learn to follow your conscience, and to fine-tune it continually. This can be done only through spending time with God and with godly people. If you go against your conscience, it will become dull again, and you will easily slip back into your old ways. If you keep it sharp, you will find that you avoid many pit-falls on your journey, and you will make good progress toward your goal.

our guide is, in fact, the person who has brought you to the place where you are today - and you probably didn't even know that he was there! He is none other than the Holy Spirit. So, who is this Holy Spirit?

There is only one God, but God reveals himself to us, or interacts with us, in three different ways. Christians talk about "the Trinity" or "the three persons of the Godhead". These are: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. We might explain it this way:

• God the Father is God transcendent. He is above and beyond all things. He is the authority of all authorities, the architect of everything that exists. He "dwells in unapproachable light, whom no-one ever has seen or can see" (Paul's first letter to Timothy. chapter 6, verse 16).
  
  
• God the Son is God manifest. Any time that God reveals himself to man, it is God the Son. It was God the Son who became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
  
  
• God the Holy Spirit is God immanent. When your heart, or your room, or a gathering of saints is filled with the presence of God, it is God the Holy Spirit whose presence you experience. When God speaks to you in his still, small voice, it is the Holy Spirit who is speaking. When God empowers you to perform a miracle or to speak out a prophetic message, it is the Holy Spirit who is empowering you.

How can one God be three separate persons?

Saint Patrick famously used the illustration of the shamrock, whose one leaf is a combination of three distinct smaller leaves. Another illustration might be the links on this web page. Normally, they're blue, but if you move the mouse over them they turn green. When you press the left mouse button, they become red. The link is the same, and it performs the same function, but it has a different appearance.

Illustrations and analogies are always limited. The truth is, that until we come to a place of perfect knowledge and understanding, the triune God will be a mystery to us. And I think that that's a good thing, because it would be a sorry God who was so simple that you and I were able to understand him fully.

here's one more thing that you need to do to get you established on your journey. It has never been the purpose of God that anyone should embark on this journey alone. In fact, if you try to go it alone you will certainly fail. We are designed for relationship, and the type of relationship that you need to be a successful disciple of Christ is best expressed by the word fellowship. In other words, you need to be involved with a group of like-minded and like-hearted people who are on the same road as yourself. Such a group of people is called "church".

Depending on where you live, you may or may not be able to find a good church. Before you start looking, pray. After all, God knows all the churches in the world, and he knows the one that will be most suitable for you. So, pray first, and then go out on your search. To help you along, here are some of the things that you should be looking for in a good church. If you can find a church in your locality that meets all of these criteria, you're very blessed. Not all churches are everything that they should be, unfortunately.

• LIFE - Our God is the Living God, the God of life. If it's dead, dull, drab, or depressing, it certainly isn't God. In a good church, the people are alive, the meetings are full of life, and you feel enlivened by being a part of it.
• LOVE - Our God is the God of love, and his children love him, love each other, and love the world around them. Love gives people value and makes them important. A good church will be concerned about and interested in the wellbeing of their own people, the wider community around them, and the world beyond.
• WORD - Our God is the God of the word. In a good church, the word of God is taught, honoured, and obeyed. The teaching and preaching will feed you spiritually. If all you get is religion and philosophy, there's something missing.
• WORKS - Our God is the God who works, and his people also work. They are active in the service of God himself, of each other, and of the wider community. If the people just turn up for a weekly worship service and do nothing more, there's something lacking.
• REALITY - Our God is the God of truth, the God who is real. He hates hypocrisy, play-acting, pretence. In a good church, the people are real with God, with themselves, with each other, and with you.
• RESPECT - Our God is the God who deserves respect, and who respects those who are honourable. Watch how the people relate to each other, and how they relate to their leaders. What is the attitude toward authority, within and without the church? How are the old and infirm treated? Is there discipline among the children?
• PRESENCE - Our God is the God who is THERE. If the presence of God is not evident, there's something wrong. Why does he not want to be a part of this congregation? Or, why does the congregation not want him to be a part of them?
• POWER - Our God is Almighty God. Where God is, his power will be evident.
• PRAYER - Our God is the God who hears and answers prayer. A congregation who knows and loves God will be diligent in prayer, because they know that prayer is the key to knowing the presence, the power, the blessing, the wisdom, and all of the other good things that God wants us to enjoy.
• PRAISE - Our God is worthy of all of our praise. A people who know God will be a people of praise, a people of gratitude, a people of worship.

ou've come to the end of this section. I sincerely hope that you have found it to be helpful. If you have, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to be of service to you in any way that I can.