Heleadethme
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Posts posted by Heleadethme
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On 7/31/2017 at 7:02 AM, Neighbor said:
I am going to be the contrarian yet again. Oh well.
The goal or purpose of life is NOT "to prepare for the next life"
Nope, it certainly is not! For no one can prepare for it! That is all of God's grace and mercy, and His sovereign will alone.
No amount of personal meritorious attempt at preparation will settle one's future life. So that is a very wrong headed answer in my opinion.
The purpose of all life is to glorify God.
It's true, and I agree we are here to glorify God. But I am not sure it is an either/or question.....there is a lot in the bible about preparation being involved as well.......preparing our hearts to be a habitation for the Lord......Esther preparing herself to go into the king.......High Priests preparing themselves to go into the holy of holies.......John the Baptist calling for the people to prepare the way for the Lord.......preparing ourselves for the battle......being prepared unto every good work........New Jerusalem comes down from heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband...etc. Our hopes are not on this life, but we are to have our thoughts above, our affections above, our treasures above......looking unto the day of the Lord and not on our lives in this present world as such.....other than, as you are saying to glorify God.
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9 minutes ago, frienduff thaylorde said:
and now a word...........the LOVE OF MONEY TRULY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.
TRUTH is ROME SOLD OUT LONG AGO. From her birth she mixed in parts of other religions. most don't know that.
Like she began so too she shall end..................a one world ecumincal gathering UNDER HER WINGS. Sad thing is IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE the churches
gathered under JESUS WINGS. only they would not .
Amen.......preach it brother. That sure does look like Mystery Babylon to me.....she doesn't just embrace one false lover, but embraces them all........otherwise known as interfaith. This is part of Hindu teachings as well, they have been waiting for this spirit to infect the whole world....and I think Buddhism....new age.....it's all the same devil. Even back in the 70's when I was in high school, the nuns were doing yoga and Buddhist meditation, all allowed by "infallible" Popes. (In Canada and Britain these things are part of mainstream culture now.) No wonder Babylon is a haunt for demons and a cage full of foul birds.......epidemics of every evil including pedophiles. And now the evangelical churches are being taken captive by her too.........time to run for the exit door, if it isn't already too late.
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Fixerupper..........I tried to show you what Mystery Babylon is......a harlot has many lovers, not just one. And Rev. 13:8 saying that ALL who dwell on the earth will worship the beast. But it's as though you can't hear.
If any Christian doesn't consider the doctrine of a Pope being Christ on earth vicariously to be a damnable heresy, they are in serious trouble. Jesus said, many shall come in His name saying they are Christ and to follow them not.
Doesn't your bible say that it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth....and that we are to lean NOT on our own understanding.
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Praise the Lord, Steve! The Lord is good! Happy for you brother!
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10 hours ago, PATMEN said:
Hello everyone, I must admit that this will be my last testimony on Worthy Forums. I have shared five moments with you, when the Hand of God comforted and healed me in my life. This last mind-blowing event only happened six months ago. It is one of the most important miracles that our Heavenly Father ever did to save my life. During that day, I was stuck in a life or death situation. So, let’s begin!
I still remember this terrifying incident, very well. It happened during dinnertime, when I was enjoying my favorite take-out at home with my mother. It was BBQ chicken with French fries, etc. I always eat the chicken skin, when I enjoy this kind of meal. I have the bad habit of talking every time, while I am eating food. I was talking with my mother with my mouth full in the dinning room. I began to laugh and then I choked with my food…
I was not nervous at that moment, because I had taken a first-aid training course. I communicated to my worried mother with hand signs to explain the Heimlich Maneuver. My mother did the emergency maneaver, but it did not worked. I still had difficulty breathing, because my situation was far worse that I could ever imagined. The chicken skin was jammed in my oesophagus and completely blocking the airway to my lungs. I knew that it needed to be removed manually. I tried several times with my right hand to remove it. But, my fingertips could not reach it and my mother began to panic and she wanted to call 911. I said to my mother to calm herself with a hand gesture and I left the dinning room…
I went to my bedroom and I knew the situation was critical. I was barely breathing and I could feel the piece of chicken skin sliding deeper in my oesophagus. I knew with my first-aid training course that someone choking can last about 4 or 5 minutes before passing out, etc. Time was short, I was already in my third minute and even the emergency medical responders could not reach me fast enough! I was a little bit emotional, but I was choking to death in my bedroom! I had to keep myself calm not to worsen the situation. I was saying to myself, I need to do something or I will die, etc. I began to look towards the ceiling of my room and both of my hands where raised and I began to pray Jesus-Christ, our Lord and Savior, to save my life. During the prayer, I began to feel the first stages of dying and then I suddenly had an occurrence of missing time! Suddenly, I woke up and I had my entire hand in my mouth down to my throat and my fingertips had caught the piece of chicken skin jammed in my oesophagus. I was in total disbelief and I knew that our Heavenly Father had given my only opportunity to spare my life. I pulled it out of my mouth and the piece of chicken skin was stretched out about six inch long. I was totally disgusting…
I took a huge breath of air and I fell on my knees into tears and I knew in my heart that Jesus-Christ, our Lord and Savior, had saved my life from certain death. I took a moment to thank our Heavenly Father and then I ran to see my mother to comfort her in the living room. Moments later, I realize what God did to save my life. I passed out just like the miracle that happened in the school yard about 30 years ago. But this time, I did not see anything! It seems that God during my blackout managed to dislocate my jawbone wide enough, so that He could fit my entire hand in a weird position to reach out to the piece of chicken skin stock deep in my throat. In that moment, our Heavenly Father transformed my genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome into a blessing…
Since this last incident with God, I am living my life day by day, without worrying about my future. We never know, when It will be our last day on Earth and our first day in Heaven. I hope that you have enjoyed all my articles about how our Heavenly Father touched me with significant miracles in my life. In testing times, we must reach out to Jesus-Christ, our Lord and Savior, in prayer and trust Him with all our hearts. Don’t worry my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Our Heavenly Father listens to every prayers and He will answer to each requests to Him…
For a brief moment, this is going to be my last article on Worthy Forum! I will write new articles, if something significant happens with our sinful world or during my boring life… LOL I will continue to greet new members and continue to reply to prayers and various posts on Worthy Forums and I will keep on chatting on Worthy Chat. I really enjoy communicating with all my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Continue to post comments and suggestions on my various articles on Worthy Forums. I truly appreciate them and I wish you will follow me on this truly blessed Christian Website. Hallelujah…
God Bless you all.
Your brother in Christ, PATMEN
Bless you Patmen.....praise the Lord for that testimony.....I didn't know you had written other articles, since I haven't been here that long and not on-line as much as some.....I will try to look them up and have a read of what you had to say.......may the Lord bless and keep you as you follow Him dear brother.
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Answer to the OP question......no, I would not allow a microchip to be implanted in this temple. This is the point where I want to say, stop the world, I want to get off......microchipping people is the ultimate sign of ownership......it is captivity and bondage. "Employment" itself is literally modern day slavery.......I have long noticed that the loyalty employers expect of their employees goes beyond a simple business contractual agreement of 'you pay me, I work for you'........companies expect their employees to be essentially married to their company and make it their god. Those are pretty much the terms that they are looking for in an employee, and if you are being interviewed for a job they expect you to show them how subservient you are willing to be to their god....it goes something beyond just skills and conscientiousness and working hard....they are looking for more than that, they would not think of it in those terms but what they are looking for is really worship and giving up ownership of yourself to them. So really we shouldn't be surprised that microchipping is beginning in the workplace....and if you are not willing to give yourself body and soul to an employer you won't have income to buy or sell either.
Doesn't matter whether it is on or in the skin, that is another needless striving about words...the point is that once it becomes mainstream, those who don't take it will be outcast and marginalized, unable to participate in the culture or economy of the world, just as it now is with the internet.
Mystery Babylon is the interfaith religion, since it is a whore with many lovers......and it will be global since all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast (Rev. 13:8). Just looking in the bible we see how Babylon allowed the people it conquered to continue in their own religions as long as they ALSO bowed down to the Babylon image......ancient Rome carried on in this same spirit of multiculturalism, multi-faith practice, and all who Rome conquered could keep their various religions as long as they ALSO bowed down to Caesar as god. And now today in the end of the age we are SEEING that same mystery Babylon spirit lift it's head again. Mystery Babylon cannot be Islam or any one single religion, since Islam (extremism) only allows for one lover...Allah......while the moderate Muslims are coming around to interfaith now. No, the mother of harlots is definitely the spirit that allows all religions to practice.......as long as they all ALSO bow down to the beast, or its image. Which is something a true follower of Jesus Christ will not do........hence will be persecuted, like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
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On 7/29/2017 at 6:00 PM, Reinitin said:
No, my body is not my own. The Lords temple is a place for prayer and worship not a market for money changers.
Amen and hallelujah...!
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16 minutes ago, Reinitin said:
I did. i did cry and prayed like crazy and was in a spiritual shock for days.
See, any church that would hold a gathering like that, or even endorse it......if they refuse to amend their ways, can we be unequally yoked with a church like that? And I'm sure you agree the answer is no. Churches that say Buddhist and Muslims and Hindus and Catholicism are all on a path that leads to God, or churches that say homosexuality is acceptable......can we be unequally yoked with these? Again, no, because what does Christ have in common with Belial. Churches that preach false gospels of any kind......prosperity gospels, dominion theology, cross-less false prophetic movements, etc......if we follow Christ we can have no part with them. When His Spirit is grieved it leaves......so stands to reason they are left with a counterfeit.
I agree with your humorous statement about there being no perfect church.......but at least if a congregation is on the right foundation and preaching the true gospel......and deals with any little leaven before it leavens the whole lump, then I am sure that must be pleasing to the Lord and He will not be grieved enough to leave........if the foundation is right then the rest of the building will be built straight in spite of inevitable "construction" problems that crop up from time to time.
The issue is not whether there are problems, the issue is more about how do the problems get handled.....the way God says to and the Spirit leads, or the way that seemeth right to man.
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5 minutes ago, Reinitin said:
A friend invited me to a "christian concert" with her. It was a marketing list gathering event. Every 5 mins people were asked to text differt numbers with there phone if they loved Jesus (only mention of Christ all night). The band members were half dressed in black and were covered in tatoos, piercings and dancing through bursts of flames. Out of good consciece of not judging by the eye. i tried to understand the words screached in a voice that seemed to be an imitation of a demon. Tons of kids were there screaming and chanting over and over the phrases from the songs that had spiritual words "shed the blood" but no true thread of doctrin. I prayes cause i worried the kids would go home with self harming spirits chanting for them to cut themselves. .The kids held lighters up and were dancing like pole dancers in a strip bar, young boys and girls were rubbing all over each other. I was thinking every parent of every kid here thinks there kid is at a christian gathering. Alot of the kids were brought there in church buses. Those kids were not only in the world they were being led into darkness and the darkness was being called christian.
God have mercy, I am grieved for those young who are being led so far astray. We are called to judge those within the church, who name the name of Christ, so you feel free to judge away sister.........this is not of the Lord and is so terribly misguided and far from pleasing to Him.
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1 hour ago, warrior12 said:
I am amused to see how many here have found this to be true. Not one, even one. Look up then my brother, for your redemption draweth nigh.
We should not be so surprised warrior......were we not warned about these days.....perilous days, days of many deceivers, false prophets, days of men being lovers of self (talking about the church, not the lost) etc, etc. Just open your eyes and look in the bible, it is all over the scriptures....do you believe the bible....? You have not really said what it is you believe, other than that you believe in church, so I am asking.
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20 minutes ago, Blueyedjewel said:
Bless you too sister!
Im being fed the gospel just not as Id like. Im rooted in the word and listen to several sermons a week and study my bible. Im just really lonely for christian fellowship. Im wanton of friends that love the LORD . Are you?
oh yes.......I was complaining to the Lord about being alone, not that long ago......and His word to me was, "When I called Abraham, I called him alone..." Funny I had never noticed that little verse before. I think what I miss most is that sense of God's presence in church, the corporate anointing. Being alone is not easy, it can be lonely and dry in the howling desert wilderness......but I believe it is part of our necessary preparation, not forever, but for a good season of growing our roots down deep in Him, for now at least.
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8 minutes ago, Blueyedjewel said:
May the LORD give you HIS strength and HIS wisdom when you go out into the world brother. I pray he put you in the midst of those who will listen. Lord use him! Lord use me! I worship your holy name Jesus. Amen
Amen to your prayer, sister......glory to your name Jesus, we love you Lord, hallelujah to your name.
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12 minutes ago, Blueyedjewel said:
I left in tears this past easter service ! I was crying all afternoon. I couldnt stop crying! Im almost crying now because God knows I desperately want to find a home steeple. But I was so angry that I cried because there were so many there that could have heard a sermon that God could use!
As you are fully aware, the church is filled to the brim on days like easter and christmas. This day was no exception. As I looked around I saw many who were obviously not regulars. I discerned this in my spirit that many were unsaved. So I started praying that the preacher would get up there and preach his heart out.
Needless to say,he didnt. He did as he usually does. He is a clown. He jokes around behind the pulpit. He waters down the word . He uses gimics! It was Fred Rogers, wont you be my neighbor this time. ugh...........
The music was strange too. It was all new stuff that had odd keys and syncopated beats (Im a professionally trained musician.) I found it hard to get into it! For three yrs now I have waited to hear the song"up from the grave he arose!
The year before I went to a church in the cafeteria of the college. The usual rock music and lights were present and he guy preached romans 8? Huh?
Bless you sister.......I know how you feel. I believe the Lord will hear the cries of those hungry hearts who are not being fed the gospel......the time will come when He will stop inviting those who refuse to come to the wedding feast........and He will direct His compassion and attention to those who's hearts are crying for Him in the highways and biways.
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46 minutes ago, frienduff thaylorde said:
Look at how GOD loves you sister. He led us to find one another and a few others too. And Lord willing , it might just be
that soon we will gather . I believe the lambs are finding one another. lambs that FEED of the pure pasture of the true gosple
they will FIND others. THE LORD will lead them. Their are still a few preachingthe wholesome doctrine and gospel of our LORD.
even on the internet. The LORD will lead us to the ones who will feeed the flock as he leads those who feed the flocks to others and both edify
the other in Christ . I have seen it happen. YES I truly believe their are still some who will ONLY teach the true pure gospel and refuse to bend
the knee to any changing of it, but just teach , reach and ehort others to do the same. THEY are out their............few and far between. Butthey are out their.
Men who just wont sell out not even one of his sayings and would rather die long before they do. THEY STILL EXIST
GOD IS WITH HIS OWN..................and people who love HIM will never change the FIRST PATTERN EVER. amen.
Amen and may the Lord bless you brother........the Lord always has a remnant......and I hope and believe He will start to gather us somehow, when the time is right.
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2 hours ago, warrior12 said:
Well I did read what she said before i replied. I am not that naive. What is being said here is a judgement on the church as a whole from those who from their vantage point is painting the church as a blaspheming service of the Lord's gathering of people. You also, earlier in this forum has said that you could not find a church that preached the word of God and you have searched. Instead of finding means or suggesting some ways to bond the believers who attend the service and worship functions, what i see is a repetition of rejecting the preaching of the gospel in, yes , today's churches which may have some that are tainted. If you gather in a home to do church, doctrine is preached there to and how do you know that it is not the same rhetoric that is practiced as preaching. This is exactly how cults are started and born. If one is dissatisfied with a certain church, make it known why to that assembly or leaders and move on. Don't have to throw out the baby with the bathwater as the saying goes, if that applies here.
Just try and hear what the Spirit is saying to the church, brother. Remember where it talks about following the Lamb wherever He goes......well right now He has left the building and has gone out into the wilderness. Wilderness is where He is to be found now, not so much in the churches (speaking of the majority of them, not saying there is no true church in existence). Exodus is exactly what He has done the past couple of decades or so.......led His people out of Egypt and like the children of Israel it takes faith to trust the Lord to be able to Shepherd and provide for your needs in a dry desert wilderness, and lead us home from there. Lot leaving Sodom is another picture, as is the Jews finally leaving Babylon to go build His Temple.........as well as where Jesus said to flee to the mountains when you see Jerusalem (type of the church) surrounded by armies.......it is all speaking of Isaiah 52:11 and other scriptures I will put below.
Brother....a little of my testimony in case it is helpful......I know this seems like it is going against the grain......when I was being led out, I was in a large, well-known evangelical charismatic church, in the middle of a move of the Spirit which became idolatrous. I am not a particularly smart sheep and don't consider that I have been fast to learn the ways of the Lord....I had almost no understanding of what I was seeing or what it all meant, I only know that I "saw" when the presence of God left, but nobody else seemed to notice, they just carried on church as usual while I was in anguish of heart. You mentioned the danger of a cult....sadly I also "saw" when another spirit came in to fill the vacuum left by the Holy Spirit and it made the people cult like, unable to hear, mouthing the party line, so to speak. The time came when it was just urgent that I had to leave, at a particular point.....but still not really clear on what it was all about.......and then for about two years or so I kept trying to find another church, but it was like I just couldnt' find Jesus in any of them, and finally accepted that the Lord was not leading me to any church, but still not understanding why. I just knew I had to decide to trust and obey His leading to come apart with Him. Not until then did the Lord begin to open the scriptures to me and speak to me about what was going on:
Numbers 16:26
And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
Isa 52:11-12
Depart, depart, go out from there,
Touch nothing unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the LORD.
2Co 6:17-18
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Rev 18:2-5
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
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3 hours ago, Wanda01 said:
Preach that Truth!
Amen and amen again!
Praise the Lord......amen! Doesn't it make us rejoice to see the plumbline! Hallelujah to the Lamb!
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33 minutes ago, Davida said:
This is what I believe, it is many tares sewn among the wheat and they are the ones people complain about & have these personal stories about . If someone has the Holy Spirit within them they are not going to be mean spirited and that includes within the leadership as per the stories of nasty people shared by the Op .
Amen Davida..........it took me sooo long to come to that conclusion, why the things that some did weren't adding up if these were Christian people, for so long I was just puzzled, and you don't want to think evil of anyone......but it's the only explanation I can see in scripture. I am even wondering if these are the days of the tares being bundled for burning, not that it gives me any pleasure whatsoever to think of that, only sadness.......but we know that time is coming sometime and we are getting so close to the end. God have mercy.
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49 minutes ago, warrior12 said:
Here is what is to be kept in mind. The church is a gathering place a meeting place where mainly believers meet to worship their God in unison. Your salvation is not lost there or not necessarily found there. The onus is on you the christian to have a personal relationship with your maker, study the word and behave in the manner outlined in scripture. The church has many benefits to help nurture and prepare and assist believers to maturity as a man or woman of God. Yes, uses the church as a crutch and to have a false sense of belonging to the kingdom of God, as if the buildings and programs satisfies their spiritual life. But the church is much more than that and those who forfeit it's function to be lone wolves eventually becomes disenchanted with and with magnify petty things to withdraw from the assembling of the saints.
There has always been all types of people that goes to the meeting place called church and Paul spoke about this. Today we live in a dynamic, fast pace world where satan is in full force to dismantle and corrupt God's people. We know this, but it is no reason to let the enemy have his way. The christian is a man of war [spiritually], and like David, when the Lord empowers him to walk upright even in this world where the enemy is in full rage, we stand and know the battle is the Lord. You can either run away or echo the voice of David to Goliath.
....or I can obey the voice of my Shepherd and go where He leads....... After spending more than 12 years in churches, the Lord led me out.....and not until then did I begin reading the scriptures with fresh eyes, and He began to restore me to the true gospel after cleansing my life of the false doctrines I had absorbed while partaking of the church's dubious "benefits". What we have to realize is that His church is made up of individual souls who are following Jesus wherever they happen to be geographically.....it isn't made up of clay and mortar buildings full of people which call themselves churches. Just because they call themselves churches....doesn't mean they are really His churches. Comes a point where we can't be unequally yoked with those who are worshiping Baal. The Lord may lead some to churches for reasons of sounding the alarm and trying to point them back to the true gospel, but not to join with them in worldly false doctrines. Think of Elijah walking alone except for a remnant who had not bowed the knee to Baal........saying to the people, why halt ye between two opinions, either the Lord is God or Baal......but you can't serve both God and Baal at the same time, having two masters. Unfortunately, it's a perfect snapshot of the present day church as a whole. The church has apostasized and is being given over BY THE LORD WHO JUDGES HER to Babylon and strong delusion.....exactly like ancient Israel who is the church's ensample. The glory has departed.........don't think He wouldn't depart His church, if He even did it to ancient Israel....the Lord doesn't change. We need to know what time it is and have eyes to see what prophecies are being fulfilled.
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8 hours ago, Yowm said:
What do you expect when God is reduced to a mushy, gushy, slushy grandpa?
A good dose of God's Word + Holy Spirit conviction can change all that.
It's almost as though He is being exploited and taken advantage of because of His kindness and longsuffering..........He exhibits great humility even though He is to be feared, and doesn't force anyone to revere Him. It is up to us to know our God, learn what He is worthy of, and give Him His due, and that pleases Him. The church is slumbering and sleepwalking over a cliff, and needs to wake up to who the Lord is, and what He requires of us.....and what He requires of us we have not of ourselves, so we need a humble attitude, and to repent and seek Him every step of the way and He will be gracious to help us.
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8 hours ago, gemstone777 said:
I want to thank you all for your thoughts and insights. As I said before this post was just so I could make three posts to get into chat, lol. It wasn't meant to be a place of debate, but a loving, heartfelt discussion of how to process these thing that break my heart, and I believe that Christ disapproves of because of instructions in His Word.
I have too many friends/family that have gotten out of church because of grave wounds, not petty stuff. Some are bitter, and yes they are wrong and need to heal, but sometimes depending on the level of hurt/offense it takes time. Being harsh with people that are already wounded won't help them to heal, it will just further show them lack of genuine concern, and they will perceive it as unloving. This is not coming from a place of complaint, but observation of seeing others wounded and wronged, and saying that it's not how God says it should be. Jesus took the plight of the lowly, the sinner, and He was not self righteous. I don't think I'm better than anyone, and stuff like this makes me see how I don't want to hurt anyone and keep them away from Christ, or growing in Christ. I think we all should desire unity, love, and peace in the body, and work towards creating that environment. Sure, sometimes things have to be confronted that are wrong, and people aren't going to receive that well.
A few of you have asked for examples of how churches/Christians have wounded other believers/seekers. I have many, but these are some that came to mind. After I share these, I probably won't be commenting on every post, as I feel I've already said my perception, interpretation, and ideas on this situation. I wish you all well on your journey with the Lord. Let us strive to love the Lord and others!
* A friend from a previous employer that is not a Christian that I had invited to church said that he wouldn't come. When I asked him why, he told me he that he was wounded by a church leader. He went on to share his story of how when he was a little boy he went to church. He came from a broken home, and his mom had kids by different men. There was a male leader in the church that took an interest in him and sort of was a mentor. There was a father/son outing coming up, and his dad was not in his life. He overheard one of the pastors and his mentor in the church talking. The pastor said to my friend's mentor, "Why don't you take the boy you have been mentoring (my friend) to the father/son outing?" His mentor friend said, "Are you kidding me! That little "bastard!" Then both the pastor and his mentor began laughing. After that he said he wouldn't set foot in church again, and he hasn't. He remains an unbeliever to this day.
* A brother in Christ who was single (20s/never married) at the time was serving as a youth leader in his church. He was working with the males since he was a male. He would play basketball with them, watch football games, go out to lunch, help them with school, and also disciple/mentor them. He had no complaints from children or their parents, and was influencing the kids in a Christ-like way. Then, the music pastor felt convicted to share with my friend something that was said because his boys were involved in the ministry and he knew my friend's character was being dragged through the mud unjustly. He disclosed to my friend that the Senior Pastor had said that he had an unhealthy interest in boys because he was spending so much of his time pouring into them, and accused him of homosexual tendency/desires that were not there and untrue. That pastor damaged my friend's character unjustly by wrongful use of his position of power/influence and the use of his tongue to harm my friend's walk. My friend was not as strong in his faith as he is now, and he left the church and said, "If this is what Christianity is, I don't want any part of it!" He left the church for 5 years wounded before God drew him back and used another pastor's love and kindness to help him heal. Think of what a servant of the Lord could have done in that 5 years! Thankfully, God helped him to heal. He went on to be a pastor himself and now he knows how not to treat people because of what he went through.
*A single female friend of mine had a divorced guy from her church that played in the worship band over to help fix something in her home. After he had completed the project they were sitting on her couch talking and she thanked him for helping her. He began to kiss her against her will and unzip her pants. She screamed, yelled, and tried to fight him off and he finally got off of her and left. She felt if she hadn't screamed loud and pushed/kicked him off of her, he would have raped her. When she asked me what she should do (because of the nature of the situation) I felt that she needed to talk with the pastor and get him involved, maybe even criminal charges needed to be considered. The Senior Pastor of her church said, "We don't use the R (for rape) word around here. You need to drop this." He was more concerned about the image of his church then he was about my friend's well being and that she was almost a victim of rape. Because she respected the pastor's authority, she never addressed the situation. It made it hard for her to trust men after that. Thankfully, she is still serving the Lord and many years after this incident she did marry.
*An elderly female friend that's a widow was a big servant in her church. She had 2 husbands die, one of her children was hit by a car and killed at a young age, and she struggled with depression because of those things. She is a very caring, loving, serving, giving, and sensitive person. Some of the other elderly women in the church did not like the attention that she got because people liked her because of how she served the Lord. They started gossiping about her, damaging her character, and making others turn against her. My friend went to the pastor for counseling for her depression/thoughts of suicide. He told other people in the church (including some of these women) in the name of " requested prayer" that she was, "A sad soul, needing help, and that she wasn't right in the head." He basically gave her enemies fuel to further harm her character and attack her instead of loving her and getting her the help she needed. The church leadership had a meeting to let both sides confront one another to allegedly squash the issue. When they had the meeting only the other ladies were allowed to bring people for their side, and she was left alone to defend herself. She was attacked and belittled in the meeting. Due to this, she and others left their church, a mild church split, and there are grave wounds and disunity in the Universal body of believers. She is currently out of church because of how she was harmed, and is still depressed.
*When my husband pastored in the inner city there was a very poor disabled lady that would come to church. She was often unbathed, unkept, and she lived in a home that in some places would be condemned/torn down. Some of the elders, their wives, and suburbanite church people would not shake her hand or talk to her. They would also sometimes give looks of disgust and would not approach her. She sat beside me every week and would give her dollar each week, which for her was sacrificial. She did have an odor to her that was unpleasant, but nowhere in the Bible does is say that we aren't to love people that smell badly. This lack of love would keep some out of church. Last I knew after we left that ministry, she is no longer in church.
I could come up with several more, but these are some of the observations that I've seen as to why people have been deeply hurt which can hinder their growth or make them not want to be a Christian at all. I desire for people to know the love, mercy, and grace of Christ. They will not hear the words if our actions as Christians are not meeting the message of love, mercy, and grace. I know God is a just God, and that doesn't mean we don't call sin what it is, but there must be a balance in all things in order for us to accomplish what He has put before us to do.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.
James 2:13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.
John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Love always in Christ, Gem
I remember when I started becoming disillusioned with church people pretty early on in my walk over 30 years ago. Probably most don't even know Him, there are many tares among the wheat. This is why it says Jesus did not entrust Himself to anyone, because He knew what was in the heart of people. This is why our unity is to be in Christ rather than person to person, as it were. Each one in Christ and our unity is in Him, by Him and through Him. Everything flowing from Him....love, kindness, truth, etc. We have to remember that Satan's kingdom is of both good and evil, and we need to die out even to what we perceive as our good.........because in truth there is no one good but God.
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11 minutes ago, Davida said:
I agree. I've spoken this too and people said what are you talking about???!!
oh well what can I say?
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom........church has lost the fear of the Lord so they don't have wisdom and can't understand, it's one factor at least. Unless they are being given over to strong delusion.....Lord have mercy, is all I can say.......these are terrible days.
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4 minutes ago, frienduff thaylorde said:
SISTER amen. THEY IN FLAT OUT LOVE WITH ALL INCLUSIVE non correcting ,
FLEE and never look back. I know many also outside of the churches as warrior twelve said are false as well.
But that don't mean we go back in to synagogues where truth is not kept. Their are still some faithful lambs of GOD
and they gather in UNITY of the HOLY SPIRIT , not mans unity , not world unity.......SPIRITUAL UNITY.
these lambs will just have to comfort one another and try and reach as many as we can. No one said we cant gather.
But when we do..............it will be HOLY BIBLICAL SOUND DOCTRINE Taught , correction done
and all the pattern JESUS said and the apostels taught done just as it was to be. FLEE any , any IF they refuse correction.
IF they do, its because their is NO TRUTH IN THEM. FLEE THEM, never look back. BUT we do try and warn and correct FIRST.
we do so in hopes they repent ........but till they do.........YOU , I and all who LOVE THE LORD, must keep the pattern in all things even CORRECTION
we do all for the sakes of others.........the LOVE must be JESUS ABOVE ALL THINGS.............he who loves mother father etc more than me is not worthy of me.
HE WE LOVE FIRST ...........when that kind of LOVE has been shed on our hearts........................THEN WE KNOW HOW TO LOVE MAN PROPERLY . till then we lost and don't love nothing
but SELF.
Yes........it's all out spiritual carnage.....imagine the war that went on when Babylon invaded Israel, it's just like that in the spirit, anguishing....the tragic reality of the days we are living in right now.......and Pharaoh (devil) chased them even after they left for the wilderness......he chased me, and no-one said this wouldn't be risky.....we are not to relax our guard just because we're not in churches.....the wilderness had pitfalls too........but the Lord is faithful and if not for Him the enemy would have eaten us all up alive. Amen, we can gather in simplicity........though I would say many need time to be alone with the Lord and His word and get washed of all the false that they had sat under and been immersed in over the years of hearing false doctrines and depending on Pastors. They need to shut out all other voices for a while and learn to hear the Shepherd's voice and get their roots down deep in Him. Some are blessed to meet and gather, but the reality is many may not find fellowship where they live, unless it happens that the Lord causes them to cross paths. Amen......to love God first......unity is in Christ, rather than the person to person unity that the world knows. Love with His love, not of our own.
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So what's the solution then. Let's close all the church doors and label them heretic or place your name here. There are plenty of churches i am sure that is determined to preach the gospel and stand firm for truth. Yes, there are some whole denominations that have sanctioned gay marriages and others has movements to accommodate worldly ways, but a believer has to search out for gems just like he would look for good schools for his kids as an example.
If painting the church as preaching false doctrines and perpetuating it here, then it is sending the wrong message to believers . The church has been founded by the Lord and it is his. Then you become isolated pockets of believers, starting to formulate new ideas of how church should be done, as the ones that has been in existence seems to many now as outdated, as it does not accommodate the settings for their children to find husbands and wives ect. These are some of the arguments i have seen, where young people leave the church to group together with hippy preachers with tatoos ect and form their own so call church.
What ???
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What do we do..........be led by the Spirit, that's what we each are to do. At the point where churches were being invaded by new age, I found the Lord leading me out of them. Yes, it is His church and He is judging it just as surely as He judged Israel's Temple of old, not one stone will be left on another......we must not think He will not judge His church in her apostasy just as He judged Israel. He showed me that by the time it's over there will only be two churches in existence, the global false church of false unity embracing the lie that all religions lead to God....and His scattered remnant true church in the wilderness. Most of the churches are being swallowed up by the global ecumenical one as we speak. Jesus said when you see "Jerusalem" surrounded by armies, to flee to the mountains......well I would say it's not only surrounded but being invaded and conquered now. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the door until my wrath passes by.
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53 minutes ago, frienduff thaylorde said:
A answer is coming , a solution is coming.............but it will be from the depths of hades and of utter darkness.
A dark spirit has been at work , disguising itself as love, as freedom as unity as peace as god,
it is no spirit that is OF GOD.
But many are under its spell in different forms. BUT UNDER IT THEY ARE.
This spirit lies to them. It convinces them of a false goodness of GOD
a false love of God, a false peace and a false unity. But many and so many more will go under its spell.
Too so many it simply is the holy spirit...........but to those who are truly OF the HOLY SPIRIT
they see and know it for what it is. This spirit is in men of many false religoins
of many politicains and sadly even in many christain leaders and just many folks.
IT has the appearance of being lamblike , it will focus on good works......BUT NOT BEING GOOD
it will focus on a false view of GOD a false goodness of GOD. a GOODNESS which leads man to ACCEPTANCE OF SINS
not the true GOODNESS of GOD which leads to REPENTANCE.
IT focuses on world unity on WORLD peace on all inclusviness. IT is preparing the hearts and the minds of the people
BUT NOT FOR CHRIST , or the church wouold be CORRECTING to ensure a spotless bride.
NO , not this spirit .....................not this spirit,
To the many it simply is the spirit of god at work , to the many it simply is his love , his goodness
but to the few WHO KNOW THIER GOD...................it simply is the spirit of anti Christ , beast , satan.
And it has them beleving more and more , that people like me are the ones who are of satan.
BEFORE CHRISTS FIRST arrival , JOHN the Baptist came preaching a message of repentance to make ready the people for JESUS for the CHRIST.
this spirit , it too is getting the hearts and minds of the people ready.................but not for Christ...........................for ANTI CHRIST
No love that dishonors GOD is LOVE
but most have no idea that is SO TRUE and are under the guise of false love , a love that is really HATE
and its HATE WILL LEAD TO MUDER in the largest tribulation that ever has been or ever will be again.
THE TRUE BRIDE WILL BE BETRAYED AND IT WILL BE WORLD WIDE. and the all inclusive mindset LED THE WORLD RIGHT TO THIS.
You are saying mouthfuls frienduff thaylord.....it leaves me breathless......I wish, I wish we would learn a lesson from what happened to Ananias and Saphira and what that tells us about God even in this age of grace....and whether He ever changes. How it all makes me long for a return to real Christianity, even though I know we can't turn back the clock and we are hurtling towards the end. If only the church would return to taking God seriously as GOD ALMIGHTY and fear Him......give Him the reverence that is His due.....if only! But the Lord's message to me was to forget what has gone before and reach for what lies ahead, so all we can do is plod on.......even as I sit and weep by the rivers of Babylon remembering as it were, the former days before the church was taken captive.
Praise the Lord, Steve! The Lord is good! Happy for you brother!
The issue is not whether there are problems, the issue is more about how do the problems get handled.....the way God says to and the Spirit leads, or the way that seemeth right to man.
oh well what can I say?
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Sin and corruption is the undoing of our formerly Christian nations........it's starting to look like we are becoming worse than pagans and becoming like third world countries. Corrupt and inept. Don't know how much longer our nations be able to hold it together in a 'post-Christian' era, having rebelled against the only true source of blessing there is. Rotting from within, sorry to say. The very same judgments that God said He would bring upon ancient Israel in her apostasy. As believers we must humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, continue walking in faith.....and not react in the flesh like the unbelievers as things unravel. In good times or bad, our mandate is still the gospel and looking for His Day, and the Lord is still worthy of our trust, and able to watch over and keep His own. Deep darkness covers the earth is the time to arise and shine for the Lord is risen upon us.