GoodFruit

Hi GoldenEagle, the Bible church I am currently attending is independent. There are things about it that I wish were a little different but I guess what appeals to me the most is that the pastor does teach the truth of God’s word (as I understand the truth to be). People actually bring their bibles to church and open them! What a concept! The church I grew up in didn’t even have any bibles in the pews until about 7-8 years ago! All the scripture readings were printed in the bulletin. When they finally purchased bibles to go next to the hymnals, very few people even bothered to open them and read along with the scripture readings. People just sat there like typical robots listening. Now the church has the big fancy screens on the wall where the scripture readings are shown, along with the bulletin. The pew bibles are virtually unused now. I actually think that when someone starts agreeing 100% with any particular church, that in itself indicates a potential problem. No church on earth is 100% flawless.

JohnD, I get where you’re coming from. I’ve always said that being Lutheran is as close to Catholic as you can get without being Catholic. I am totally on board with letting the Holy Spirit be our guide into all scripture. But also believe that an actual church congregation does have a place in a Christian’s life for worshiping God and fellowshipping with other believers, along with mission-type work and serving the needs of the less fortunate in the community. And a study of the book of Acts alone pretty much tells me that God intended for there to be actual churches where believers gather.

Hi Marilyn, That is an interesting church history. I must say that I do admire your posts in the prophecy section of the forum. You bring new insight into things pertaining to eschatology and I enjoy reading your view on things. Eschatology is a passion of mine and it is a major part of my scripture studies. This is another failing of the Lutheran church I was raised in. I never once heard the word Rapture, let alone anything on Revelation or end times. It just isn’t spoken about and I literally knew nothing about it until I started delving into it myself about 16 or so years ago. I now have a pretty good grasp and understanding of it, but you bring all new elements to it.

Too funny Shiloh! I have an Elvis Presley double CD of southern gospel songs he recorded before he became “the king” (little k, a big K is for our one and only King Jesus).

Nebula, interesting! I have never heard of a LCMS leaning towards Charismatic. Must have been in the 70’s?

Wow Yowm, you’ve pretty much run the gamut. . Nothing wrong with that tho’, it gives a person insight into the beliefs of others and helps us to discern truth from error.

Hi Missmuffett, I found that to be true in the Lutheran church I was raised in. I was not growing spiritually because every Sunday it seemed to be an exact carbon copy of every other Sunday. It’s been like that my entire life and I just accepted it because it’s all I ever knew.

I was curious to know what faith denomination those you here are. I just thought it would be interesting to see all the different backgrounds y’all come from. Please do not misunderstand; I’m by no means trying to be judgmental about your personal beliefs. I have been reading a lot of posts from different people and it just got me to wondering what your doctrinal backgrounds are to help me get a better grasp on the lens thru which you view scripture. A lot of times, people interpret scriptures based upon a particular denomination’s teachings. I’m not promoting one denomination over another but reading posts from multiple people with differing belief concepts can be confusing to me. Sometimes I’d just like to know where someone’s particular thought/belief/interpretation originates. Myself, I was raised in the Lutheran faith, Missouri Synod, which is on the conservative end of the spectrum (Wisconsin Synod is ultra-conservative, ELCA is ultra-liberal). However, as I have aged and matured in my faith, I am not totally sold on the LCMS doctrine and I have some serious issues with some (not all) of it, particularly infant baptism and that baptism saves (although it is not taught outright, it is implied). A couple years ago I decided to start “church shopping” after having a heavy heart about the LCMS teachings and went to a couple non-denominational churches, which didn’t have any substance and were more about socializing than teaching the truth of God’s word. I then started attending a Bible Church that has been in my tiny little town for 125 years. On a good day, there might be a total of 30 people in attendance but the teaching is solid truth right out of the Bible. I do still attend the Lutheran church once or twice a month out of respect for my parents. My mother is a very active member of the church and it is her joy to have her children worshipping with her. As long as she is alive, I will honor her and not bring any grief or hurt to her by completely walking away from my church roots. Even if I don’t completely agree with the doctrine.

BINGO! You mentioned that you and your wife are re-committing your lives back to Christ and trying to grow strong in Him. This is when Satan attacks us the most. He's trying to play the guilty card with you and make you think you are doing something wrong and God's gonna be mad at you. Classic deceit and lie from the father of all lies. Be sober and alert, the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour! If you feel like you have sinned by marrying your wife, you cannot undo the sin. It's already been committed. Divorcing your wife doesn't undo what you think you did wrong, instead it only causes you to sin again. God hates divorce. (Malachi 2:16) Also read 1 Cor. 7:10. You stated you love your wife and from what I can assume based on the info you provided, you have had a happy 16 yrs. together. How can you not see that as a blessing from God? If you have repented for what you think you have done wrong, then repent and accept Christ's forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Some sins have consequences that will affect the rest of your life and you just can't change the results. God can and does use sinful situations to His glory. Keep mind that Solomon is the product of what started as an adulterous relationship between David & Bathsheba. Jacob fathered the Tribes of Israel by four different women. God knows your heart and your desire to honor Him and your wife. I do have one other question for you though, are you the only other man your wife has been with from the time she was divorced to the time you and her got together?

The Truth about Bats Here’s a few of the common myths about bats – and the real story: All bats are rabid Not even close. Bats, like other mammals, can be infected with the rabies virus and some of them are. But the vast majority of bats are not infected. However, a bat that can be easily approached by humans is likely to be sick and may bite if handled. Simply do not touch or handle a bat or any other wild animal and there is little chance of being bitten. Teach children to never handle any wild animal. The Earth without bats would be a very different and much poorer place. More than 1,300 species of bats around the world are playing ecological roles that are vital to the health of natural ecosystems and human economies. Many of the more than 1,300 bat species consume vast amounts of insects, including some of the most damaging agricultural pests. Others pollinate many valuable plants, ensuring the production of fruits that support local economies, as well as diverse animal populations. Fruit-eating bats in the tropics disperse seeds that are critical to restoring cleared or damaged rainforests. Even bat droppings (called guano) are valuable as a rich natural fertilizer. Guano is a major natural resource worldwide, and, when mined responsibly with bats in mind, it can provide significant economic benefits for landowners and local communities. You can learn more at.... http://www.batcon.org Bats definitely have a purpose. Just sayin'

That is a really good idea. Put up a bat house to attract them. I just saw on the news this past week that bats are becoming endangered as their numbers are dwindling.

But why would God create a mole to help something underground while destroying what is above ground (a nice grassy lawn) and enjoyed as His creation, which also causes man to set traps to kill what He created in the first place? These are the things I think about every time I mow my lawn and see the destruction the moles (plural as I have multiple trails) have caused.

probably to annoy us enough to go inside and fellowship with Him. They are also food for bats. They eat like 1,000 mosquitoes a night!

I am aware that there are several people who could have written Hebrews, but it is all speculation. Hence my burning question, and why is it such a secret? The Bible is silent on what God does not want us to know. Very true, and I'm sure He has His reasons. I don't outright "question" God about things that He has not made clear. I just have a curious mind. The Native Americans have always been here. That is an interesting perspective. Are you under the impression that God just mysteriously placed a people group into North America that have no lineage to the sons of Noah?

I'm totally with you on that one! I love the mountains, especially the Smokies.

I agree that once I am home, nothing will matter anymore and I may not even remember anything about this world. Just a curious mind I have at this point.

Do any of you have burning questions that you are anxious to find out the answer to when you get to heaven? I have a few I have thought about. The biggest burning question I have is who wrote Hebrews. Another one that came up during my Sunday school class this past week when we discussing historical & extra-biblical writings and the fact that there is absolutely no information whatsoever on what Jesus' life was like as a child, teenager, or young adult. So it made me ponder this and wonder about it. Was it like any other typical Jewish boy? Another burning question I want to ask God is why did He create moles? I mean what is their purpose because from looking at my yard, all they do is destroy it, so why did God create a mole? I also wonder about the origin of the Native Americans. Ultimately we are all descendants of Noah and his sons, but what line did the Natives comes from? It's entirely plausible that they were able to spread to North America from a reference in Genesis 10:25 that indicates at one time continents were not split up the way they are now.