It's simple really!

[Guest ninhao]

Some here are connected with people who are snared in, or by, evil organisation/s and it's good to be able to see the implications and connections. In Fez's defense I've no doubt we have nothing to fear from these organisations so long as we're safe in Jesus. However; I do fear for them and I think it's beneficial to be at ease discussing these things in order to be able to aid someone in trouble or possibly snatch someone from the fire.

 

 

Mat_10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
 

[Guest Butero]

Christians are not isolated from all of these other things, we live in the world. We are curious about it, sometimes we interact with it. I would personally rather see people be able to discuss UFOs with people who are God fucused, so that there is a balance and an opportunity to discover what  Godly perspective might be. Personally, I have no interest in sports, to me it is totally worthless and mindless, but others find great enjoyment in discussing sports. I think it is a good thing to be able to do that with other believers. Does that glorify God? Maybe not directly, but I think God's family enjoying each other does.

 

Your life sounds like a great example to other Fez, keep it up. I suspect though, if this forum only discussed spiritual things and a narrow way of living spiritually, that the population would fall by 90% or more. In fact, I myself might leave. I enjoy the diversity of thoughts and interests here, and I enjoy those who disagree witn me more than those who do not. Likemindedness is a good thing, but it can also be boring and fail to provide any sort of stretching or growth in knowledge.

 

As others have said, this is not a church. In fact, it is not only not a church, it's doors are open to cultists, agnostics, atheists, wiccans etc., and I am glad it is, I am, not a big fan of preaching to the choire. Anyone who does ot like reading about demons, UFOs, politics etc, does not have to read those threads.

Something else we need to consider is that WB has people that post here whose main interest is in things like UFOs, or end times events.  That is understandable, given the things we see going on around us.  Many people became interested in Christianity because of fear of what is going to happen next?  Even people that aren't believers often times will say they believe we are on the verge of destruction.  This is a powerful hook.  You don't want to limit yourself to nothing but a very narrow focus on doctrine, and then limit it more by trying to limit discussions to a focus on the love of Jesus.  You will lose the majority of people that are here.  There are many topics I have no interest in, but there are others who are there.  We hardly ever interact, but we are all members of WB.  I wouldn't want to take away the things they are interested in just because I don't care about them.  I just don't spend time there. 

[ayin jade]

I think more solid meat topics should be here. Not to cut out the "whacko" topics. But as a draw to believers. If you post meat, they will come. 

 

More of the ministry, myself included (this is jade in non admin account while I heal), should post bible studies for instance. Things believers can dig into that are solid topics. Christian living, doctrine, whatever. More of that would offset the topics that are important to other one for instance, but not of importance to fez.

[Guest Butero]

I think more solid meat topics should be here. Not to cut out the "whacko" topics. But as a draw to believers. If you post meat, they will come. 

 

More of the ministry, myself included (this is jade in non admin account while I heal), should post bible studies for instance. Things believers can dig into that are solid topics. Christian living, doctrine, whatever. More of that would offset the topics that are important to other one for instance, but not of importance to fez.

We all choose to start threads about things that interest us.  If people want topics like that, they would start them, and there is nothing to stop them from doing so. 

[Fez]

limit it more by trying to limit discussions to a focus on the love of Jesus.  You will lose the majority of people that are here.

 

One can talk about aliens, and demons and the love of Jesus. And is it not sad that talking about the love of Jesus and His teaching would actually chase people away? Your statement is extremely telling (I am not talking directly about you, I have read enough of your other posts to know differently), and proves my point with regard to what some people are comfortable discussing. It extends my point to many branches of the modern church in many ways

 

1 cr 12:14-20

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

 

The body is the church

If all were a single member, where would the body be? 

 

There are many here who discuss demons,  who through their own admission do not attend church.

 

If you are going to concentrate on those forums and subjects, at least have a good church and solid teaching and leadership to back you up.

 

satan picks us off one by one, it's all he has to do....

[Guest Butero]

I don't think having threads about the love of Jesus will chase people off.  What I think would chase people off is limiting all discussions to nothing but the love of Jesus.  You certainly should have threads about John 3:16, but look how many people come here and spend all their time in the Fellowship Hall, or in Chat?  There are many more that spend 90 percent or more of their time in political forums, and never discuss doctrine.  In some cases, you can't even be sure they are saved, because they don't seem to have any interest in the things of God.  Even so, they are here, and it may lead to them checking out the doctrinal sections? 

 

Look at it this way Fez.  Lets say you remove all the forums dealing with the news and politics?  How many people do you think will leave and never come back?  In the areas dealing with doctrine, what would happen if you stop all threads dealing with controversial topics?  People would get bored, and leave.  I understand where you are coming from, but look what happens when things are very quiet, and you have only threads where everyone is in 100 percent agreement.  Nobody posts anything, and people lose interest. 

 

It reminds me of a radio program that used to run on a local Christian radio station.  The station decided to take the program off because it was negative towards other ministries.  I listened to the show, so I called to complain, and this is what I was told.  The minister used to do doctrinal programs, but nobody listened or supported his show.  He changed the format to something more controversial, exposing false ministries, and he gained a huge following, and support.  Controversy draws people.  I am not saying this is good, but it is reality.  You have to have hooks to draw people that are not real spiritual, and there are your conspiracy sections, sports, fellowship hall, etc.  I am not meaning this as a put down because people are interested in those things.  I am interested in them too, but I am speaking of those whose only interest are those things, and you never see them discussing more serious Bible matters. 

[Fez]

I don't think having threads about the love of Jesus will chase people off.  What I think would chase people off is limiting all discussions to nothing but the love of Jesus.  You certainly should have threads about John 3:16, but look how many people come here and spend all their time in the Fellowship Hall, or in Chat?  There are many more that spend 90 percent or more of their time in political forums, and never discuss doctrine.  In some cases, you can't even be sure they are saved, because they don't seem to have any interest in the things of God.  Even so, they are here, and it may lead to them checking out the doctrinal sections? 

 

Look at it this way Fez.  Lets say you remove all the forums dealing with the news and politics?  How many people do you think will leave and never come back?  In the areas dealing with doctrine, what would happen if you stop all threads dealing with controversial topics?  People would get bored, and leave.  I understand where you are coming from, but look what happens when things are very quiet, and you have only threads where everyone is in 100 percent agreement.  Nobody posts anything, and people lose interest. 

 

It reminds me of a radio program that used to run on a local Christian radio station.  The station decided to take the program off because it was negative towards other ministries.  I listened to the show, so I called to complain, and this is what I was told.  The minister used to do doctrinal programs, but nobody listened or supported his show.  He changed the format to something more controversial, exposing false ministries, and he gained a huge following, and support.  Controversy draws people.  I am not saying this is good, but it is reality.  You have to have hooks to draw people that are not real spiritual, and there are your conspiracy sections, sports, fellowship hall, etc.  I am not meaning this as a put down because people are interested in those things.  I am interested in them too, but I am speaking of those whose only interest are those things, and you never see them discussing more serious Bible matters. 

Look, I agree with everything you say in your post. My intent is not to denigrate those who post in the forums under discussion, but rather to encourage them, and others, to be more Jesus focused. To be really honest, anyone can call themselves a believer, come onto those forums and post some outlandish stuff, while being nowhere near saved, or being very far from Jesus in their walk. Looking back at recent posts one can see where fruit is produced and where it is not.

 

I have had experiences with demonetization of people and places, and have posted on them, and I know that the bible is implicit in their existence, so that is not the bone of contention with me.

 

The bone of contention is when people profess to know Jesus, but in many, if not all of their posts He is never the focus (as He should be, no matter what we are discussing). It is these members that need direction in their walk, and as Ministry site, we would be remiss not to point this out.

 

For this reason I let people know who I am and what I do in the beginning of this post, and then let them see a part of me that I admit needs work. Sometimes accepting Love is harder than giving it, and they need to look inwards as I have done, and audit their walk. We all should from time to time.

[Micheal Westin]

I don’t even know quite how to start this post. So I will just start and see where it takes me.

 

I have been on Worthy for some time, I met my wife here and we have a God filled, incredible marriage. We are on the leadership of our church and she sings in the worship group. We have home group, prayer meetings, etc, at our house. I have another “rustic” home in Mozambique from where mostly now, because of my work commitments, my brother does a lot of the outreach at the mission we serve there. (Over 15 years, civil war and landmines included). My wife and I also go into southern Mozambique and the capitol Maputo with my pastor and teach rural pastors how to teach and run church under scriptural lines when we can.

 

She maintains the website for the orphanage our church runs, and this requires her full time commitment as well, because through it we get the sponsorship we need to raise 17 kids, some HIV positive, who we house, feed and send to school, and feed another 60 kids or so one meal a day at a local school.

We do this because we Love Jesus, no more no less. It is not works, we don’t even question that. It is because we are sort of driven to do it. We love doing it, all, including our service time at church where we clean toilets, serve tea, carry sound equipment, etc.

 

Why am I telling you this?

 

So that you understand where I am coming from when I say what I wanted to say when I started writing.

 

I read posts about aliens, demons, evolution, days, moons, politics, bible/s, end times, horses and helicopters, etc, and sometimes I despair.

Because for me it is so simple, and I don’t get why other people who profess to be believers, don’t get how simple it really is. Why they love to complicate things.

 

For me it’s about Jesus and the fact that He Loves me! Really, many of us don’t get what that actually means. They can’t accept it. Get that, and you get IT. Everything else fades into inconsequentials.

 

Tertullian said “But we prefer if it must be so, to be less wise in the scriptures, than to be wise against them”

 

God, through Solomon said,

 

Ecc 12:11  The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.

Ecc 12:12  My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Ecc 12:13  The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecc 12:14  For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

 

And His commandment is to Love.

 

Simple really......

according to the bible there are different parts to the body, some are noble as I would conclude your part is

but these different parts do not all do the same function and each one is in accordance with the Holy Spirit the same Spirit that has led you to do your noble cause.

 

The bible teaches there is only one enemy against all the parts, many do not understand how this enemy operates in the lives of flesh and blood, some would prefer not to discuss how satan works in the lives of mankind, others chose not to think about what satan is doing at all, some chose not to believe there even exist such a man. but Jesus and the apostles were very forth coming in understanding our adversary the devil. All the prophets gave warnings and had great visions concerning the works and fulfillment of what satan would do in the last days, Jesus and the apostles were adamant of what would occur before His return, and the major focus was about NOT BEING DECEIVED

 

personally I find that the easiest person for satan to deceive is the person who has no idea how satan works, what he does, and how he does it.

 

Its very much like a trying trick someone who knows all the tricks, its much easier to trick someone that hasn't a clue of any tricks

[Micheal Westin]

Eschatological subjects are fine and I see no problem with most. It is just that when we start concentrating on aliens, satan constructed UFOs, and the plethora of other stuff recently being forwarded on the boards, we diminish something of the message. If I walked into a church that was concentrating on the above, or politics, I would leave.

well considering the reality that people world wide are witnessing these things, some on the grand scale of whole cities, as a Christian you better have a good truthful, biblical way to explain what exactly is happening. because simply saying they have not witnessed anything, or the have not had an encounter is really almost silly.

the only biblical stand point one can take with these sightings and encounters is its the work of satan as a means to deceive the world

 

the message is the same JESUS SAVES, unless your deceived by the coming false Christ that the bible says come first

[Sevenseas]

Eschatological subjects are fine and I see no problem with most. It is just that when we start concentrating on aliens, satan constructed UFOs, and the plethora of other stuff recently being forwarded on the boards, we diminish something of the message. If I walked into a church that was concentrating on the above, or politics, I would leave.

 

hmmm...my prob with the stuff you mention here, are the folks presenting their latest wild theory/conjecture/conspiracy as being biblically documented.

 

I am of the opinion that if God wanted us to know all these things, we would.  Know.

 

I really and truly seriously doubt that the presentations that have been made lately with regards to aliens have one iota of truth to them.  

 

I see a deception all right, but not the kind that is touted as truth.  

 

There are not myriads of truth.