If you've been a Christian for some time, one thing should be pretty obvious by now. There is no one way or template God uses to shake us out of our slumber and draw us to Him.
For me, it was the words of a friend that shook my foundation as a young adult. I don't know that he was even Christian at that time. Nevertheless, the experience led me to purchase my first Bible (The Jerusalem Bible). It was a Catholic Bible with Apocrypha. My first job was a parking lot attendant. So I had lots of time to read.
For others, it could be a gradual awareness, a chance encounter, a book, an experience, a dream, a personal accident or tragedy...
Regardless of how it happens, God meets us where we're at. Many describe this experience as being "born again" because it is the point at which a radical internal transformation begins. This should also lead to some changes in behaviour and priorities. I made lots of mistakes back then. I think most do.
One of the mistakes I made was being drawn into a very "Bible" oriented church that dismissed the Holy Spirit as an "it". Accumulating the right information was emphasized. The leading of the Spirit was equated with following a Biblical set of rules.
I've heard similar stories from others who were drawn towards churches that emphasized the "experiential". Doctrine was de-emphasized. This often led to church cultures with sloppy Theology that were open to all kinds of misdirection - even deception.
Neither ditch is good.
I believe that as the church approaches the end of this age, it will naturally mature. It will be a church that articulates clearly the gospel of the soon coming "kingdom of God". It will be a church that mirrors the image of Jesus. And it will be a church that walks in the power of the Holy Spirit.
