ellarose Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 388 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/02/1989 Share Posted October 21, 2009 As some of you know I just recently (in July) came to a Christian life. What I am struggling with at the moment is adjusting to the new lifestyle. First question: I have about 300-400 CDs of music, some of which I am no longer interested in because of the changes God made within me. Do I get rid of those CDs? Second question: I do not believe my husband has yet come to Christ. His lifestyle is very different than mine at the moment. He still wants to do the things we used to do before. For example, I used to love watching Family Guy and now I don't want to watch it. I don't want to watch gory movies anymore. How do I tell him that I am no longer interested in these things? Third question: I am still on a variety of medications for depression, anxiety and insomnia. My doctor has advised me to wait until winter passes to go off of these medications. But I think God wants me off them before then. I'm torn. Should I stay on them until spring or can I go off them now? Fourth question: Are smoking and coffee sins? I am hooked on them both. Fifth question: Does it matter what denomination of church you go to? How do you know you're in the right one? I don't believe in the right to bear arms, the pledge of allegience and don't participate in anything related to politics, does that mean I'm a Jehovah's Witness? I'm so confused on this. Sixth question: Is it okay to watch crime TV? I love Investigation Discovery. Is that bad? To answer question one, this passage came to mind: Acts 19:18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. Acts 19:19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. My boyfriend had an addiction to computer games and movies, and when he become a Christian he threw all of his games, movies, war figurines and everything else detestable to God in the garbage bin. He thought about selling them but was ultimately convicted to just get rid of them. If these things are not good in the sight of God, it might not be a good idea to give them away or sell them, because you are then encouraging other people to listen to them in a sense. I'd say that smoking is definately a sin because it is bad for you and therefore not respecting your body as a temple for the Holy spirit 1 Corinthians 6 1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 1Co 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Coffee can become a sin if you are addicted to it, and therefore susceptable to sin if you don't have coffee, or in order to get a coffee... I know sometimes I have been so grumpy until I've had a coffee and then everything seems so much better afterwards, but we are to have our joy in Christ alone. All denominations have their flaws and share of bad churchs (some more than others) so when I have been looking for a church I usually plan to meet up with the minister (usually at a cafe or something) and have a list of questions prepared about doctrine and beliefs in the church. It's better than becoming a part of the church and then realising that they teach heresy, etc. The only thing I'd advise you to be careful with in your choice of TV, is to watch out that you don't begin to have a joy in crime and murder (even if it's just a TV show)... I also like the old fashion murder mysteries, etc, but yesterday it struck me that in Rome they used to have gladiator fights for entertainment purposes... They used to put Christians in with the lions and watch them be devoured, all for the entertainment of the people... Sometimes watching these movies tend to take away respect for life from people's minds... So that's just something to watch out for. Keep growing in Christ and stay in his word! Love Your sister in Christ Ella rose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellarose Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 388 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/02/1989 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I doubt he would care if I said that God hated the show. It has some pretty bad content. It is not a sin to watch Family Guy. It can become a sin though if you willingly engage in and find entertainment in blasphemy and other sins... Even if you husband doesn't care for your reasons, you will be being honest with him about your reasons and that is God-honouring Maybe God will use these thing to convict him some day. It could happen! I know many people who have come to Christ through the testimonies lived out in the lives of family members! It might not seem like anything is gettting through, but when these people have come to Christ they have actually picked up on the changed lives of their Christian relatives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellarose Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 388 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/02/1989 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I doubt he would care if I said that God hated the show. It has some pretty bad content. It is not a sin to watch Family Guy. It can become a sin though if you willingly engage in and find entertainment in blasphemy and other sins... Even if you husband doesn't care for your reasons, you will be being honest with him about your reasons and that is God-honouring Maybe God will use these thing to convict him some day. It could happen! I know many people who have come to Christ through the testimonies lived out in the lives of family members! It might not seem like anything is gettting through, but when these people have come to Christ they have actually picked up on the changed lives of their Christian relatives! I'm in that kinda situation with my mum too. Whenever she wants to watch a show which I know has blasphemy or something, or if I hear it, then I'll stop watching it or leave the room. If she tells me I should watch it I give her the reason: That's it's not a good show to watch as a Christian because of A,B,C, etc. She thinks I'm crazy, she doesn't even believe God exists! But at least she knows, that's all One day God might use these things in order to save her, I can't know! Keep strong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellarose Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 388 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/02/1989 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I doubt he would care if I said that God hated the show. It has some pretty bad content. It is not a sin to watch Family Guy. It can become a sin though if you willingly engage in and find entertainment in blasphemy and other sins... Even if you husband doesn't care for your reasons, you will be being honest with him about your reasons and that is God-honouring Maybe God will use these thing to convict him some day. It could happen! I know many people who have come to Christ through the testimonies lived out in the lives of family members! It might not seem like anything is gettting through, but when these people have come to Christ they have actually picked up on the changed lives of their Christian relatives! Oh yes I agree with you Ella. Sometimes when I am watching a show that I find interesting, I do scoff at when someone says gosh darnit you know the other way or takes the Lord's name in vain but I do not find entertainment in that. We do need to be careful. I saw an advertisement for a new show on HBO I think, I can't remember. It's called Californication. I was just like are you serious? That's so satanic. There is nudity and everything in that show from what I've heard and promotes all kinds of things mentioned in Romans. Yes we had that show in Australia a while ago! IT's horrible what they can show these days! I reacted the same way!! And seriously, we all have different degrees of conviction on different things... We need to be in the word of God and if something doesn't convict us like it convicts someone else, then unless it is said plainly that it is a sin in the Bible, I think that is ok. Up until about a year ago I had no real problem with watching all of those shows, now I do... And I was a Christian then! Just I've been in the Word more and have become more convicted in my own heart 1Corinthians 10:23 "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellarose Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 388 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/02/1989 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Exactly. And up until about a week ago, I was not convinced that pot is a sin. I asked God to show me. He showed me that it is not for me and that if I tell my brother or sister in the Lord that it causes me to stumble and they do it around me, then they are in sin. Also, I used to love comedy, all kinds of comedy before I gave my life over completely and got baptized. It's really strange. I loved all that profanity because it made it funnier. It's not something that I ever prayed about or anything. And then just poof! It just did not appeal to me anymore. I think it's garbage and it doesn't make me laugh. I find a lot of fun in Christian comedy. It is clean and I can relate a lot better. My husband thinks I'm nuts for watching it because he does not find it funny at all. He still likes the other kind. That does not mean he isn't Saved. It just means that he wasn't convicted about it. I think that's the right way to explain it. So I understand what asecretchord is talking about when she says she just has no like for that stuff anymore. I don't either. What does your name mean anyways asecretchord? What is your first name? lol I feel funny calling you this name. That's great that your answer came after you prayed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Shalhevet~ Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 334 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 2,049 Content Per Day: 0.38 Reputation: 120 Days Won: 4 Joined: 08/13/2009 Status: Offline Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Exactly. And up until about a week ago, I was not convinced that pot is a sin. I asked God to show me. He showed me that it is not for me and that if I tell my brother or sister in the Lord that it causes me to stumble and they do it around me, then they are in sin. Also, I used to love comedy, all kinds of comedy before I gave my life over completely and got baptized. It's really strange. I loved all that profanity because it made it funnier. It's not something that I ever prayed about or anything. And then just poof! It just did not appeal to me anymore. I think it's garbage and it doesn't make me laugh. I find a lot of fun in Christian comedy. It is clean and I can relate a lot better. My husband thinks I'm nuts for watching it because he does not find it funny at all. He still likes the other kind. That does not mean he isn't Saved. It just means that he wasn't convicted about it. I think that's the right way to explain it. So I understand what asecretchord is talking about when she says she just has no like for that stuff anymore. I don't either. What does your name mean anyways asecretchord? What is your first name? lol I feel funny calling you this name. Thank you for sharing your story. "A secret chord" are lyrics to a song by Leonard Cohen - "Hallelujah". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Parker Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 200 Topics Per Day: 0.23 Content Count: 4,272 Content Per Day: 4.88 Reputation: 1,855 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/17/2021 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/03/1955 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Bless you all. I really appreciate your responses. So when he watches Family Guy on Sunday nights, what should I do? Should I leave the room? How about Sunday evening church? Or reading the Word? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Shalhevet~ Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 334 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 2,049 Content Per Day: 0.38 Reputation: 120 Days Won: 4 Joined: 08/13/2009 Status: Offline Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 How about Sunday evening church? Or reading the Word? My church doesn't have an evening service, but perhaps I will leave the room and read my Bible while he watches the show. Do you think Missouri/Wisconsin Synods are good churches to attend? That's what I'm going to now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIME Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 120 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 382 Content Per Day: 0.05 Reputation: 12 Days Won: 1 Joined: 04/17/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/08/1964 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Do you think Missouri/Wisconsin Synods are good churches to attend? That's what I'm going to now. What kind of church is a Synod? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Believer1997 Posted October 21, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 66 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 6,363 Content Per Day: 1.12 Reputation: 119 Days Won: 9 Joined: 11/07/2008 Status: Offline Share Posted October 21, 2009 How about Sunday evening church? Or reading the Word? My church doesn't have an evening service, but perhaps I will leave the room and read my Bible while he watches the show. Do you think Missouri/Wisconsin Synods are good churches to attend? That's what I'm going to now. They are two very different orders of Lutheran... totally different - how are you going to both of them? see below: Q: Could you tell me the core difference of the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church and the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A: The Wisconsin Synod terminated fellowship with the Missouri Synod in 1961 because of differences in the doctrine and practice of church fellowship. Over the years the Missouri Synod had departed from the doctrine and practice of fellowship long held by the members of the Synodical Conference in which the Wisconsin Synod and the Missouri Synod shared confessional fellowship. The Wisconsin Synod teaches that agreement on all the teachings of Scripture is necessary for all forms of fellowship. The Missouri Synod teaches that full agreement is necessary only for altar and pulpit fellowship. Wisconsin teaches that the same scriptural principles apply to all forms of church or religious fellowship. All joint prayer is an expression of fellowship. Missouri teaches that there can be joint prayer that is not an act of fellowship. In practice Missouri also indicates that full agreement is not necessary for worship at occasional joint Christian celebrations, Reformation services, convocations, rallies. Some Missouri pastors allow "ecumenical wedding services" at which pastors or priests outside their fellowship may participate. Wisconsin practices "close" or "closed" communion, inviting to our altars only those who are members of congregations in our fellowship. Although Missouri officially teaches "close(d)" communion, many pastors and churches practice "open" communion, allowing joint communion with those not in doctrinal agreement with the Missouri Synod. There are also differences in the doctrine of the church and ministry between the two synods. Wisconsin teaches that God has not ordained any particular form of the church. The invisible church is present in the local congregation and the synod. Both can be called church in the same sense. Missouri's official teaching seems to be that the local congregation is the only "divinely appointed" form of the church. By contrast the synod is a human arrangement. Wisconsin teaches that the pastor of a local congregation is only one form of the divinely instituted public ministry. Other forms are teachers, professors, called administrators, etc. The specific form is determined by the church's call. Missouri seems to teach that the only divinely instituted form of the public ministry is that of pastor of a local congregation. All other positions are auxiliary to this. However, there appears to be a number of different teachings on the church and ministry current in the Missouri Synod. Because Scripture assigns the headship role to men and a helping role to women, only men serve in offices and roles that involve an exercise of authory over other men. Missouri does not allow women to serve as pastors but allows women to serve in a number of areas which involve the exercise of authority over men. The Missouri Synod also seems to have an inability or unwillingness to practice doctrinal discipline in regard to erring called workers and congregations http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1518&a...em_itemID=10492 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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