Are you sure it was the true God you gave up on?
Many people choose to reject God. But often, their rejection is based on a false concept of who God really is.
To some, God has been presented as a cruel taskmaster who demands that we live a dismal life of servitude. Others see Him as a kind of friendly grandfather figure who merely winks at evil and injustice. To still others, God is just a distant being who doesn't really get involved in our lives one way or the other – or maybe He's not really a “person” at all, but just a kind of cosmic force that flows in and through all things in the Universe.
At First Alliance Church, we strive to know, to love, and to serve the One True God, the God of the Bible, the God who is holy and powerful enough to inspire fear and awe, yet concerned enough to care for our most intimate needs. The God who takes evil and injustice very seriously, and yet forgives – forever and completely – through the mercy of the cross of Christ.
Are you sure it was the true Church you walked away from?
Perhaps you don't have a problem believing in God; you just can't see how the church, as you've seen it, could really be the place where you can find Him.
Maybe the church you grew up in, or a church you were once a part of, turned into a huge disappointment. Maybe you felt like everyone there was just pretending, since the way they acted on Sunday was a lot different than the rest of the week. Maybe you got tired of the weekly “guilt trip,” or the “fashion show,” or the way tradition seemed to be more important than God Himself. Maybe the service was too hard to understand, and the parts you did understand didn't seem to be very relevant to you and the things you were dealing with. Or maybe you just couldn't seem to make any friends there.
At First Alliance, we're not perfect, and we know we're not the only church in town that worships the real God. But one thing we do aim for is authentic community. People tend to see our church as a place where they can “be themselves” and not have to impress anybody, a place where it's OK to have problems, a place where you can be honest and open before God and other people without having any extra shame piled on, a place where people are more important than programs and traditions, a place where you can form real friendships that truly last.