apothanein kerdos Posted February 5, 2005 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 331 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 8,713 Content Per Day: 1.21 Reputation: 21 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/28/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted February 5, 2005 This is a letter that I am sending out to pastors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The first part of the letter (dealing with the lost) is already edited and proof read, the second part however has yet to undergo editing and I am waiting for it to. So I am sorry for any grammatical errors or confusions within the second half of the letter. Dear Pastor, You do not know me and I do not know you. You are simply one pastor in many to receive a letter like this. The following letter is written out of frustration at American Christianity but it is not overly critical. It is not written in a spirit of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Christian Counselor Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Joel after reading your amazing letter over,these are the changes I would make: "You do not know me..." DELETE.This will insure many ministers won't be given the letter by their secretaries. "you are simply one pastor in many..."DELETE.Secretaries are paid to throw away spam.Each letter must be personalized. "though I am not a pastor" DELETE.You are belittling your credibility.You write like Jesus so don't put yourself down. "we do stick up for morals" ADD "that are politically acceptable in our churches"Jesus' teachings against hate, war and violence are not taught in most churches. Expand your discussion of adultery because this is a huge problem,many churches making large amounts of money performing second marriages which Jesus stated repeatedly are acts of adultery. Abortion is fought with hate by christians.Expand on this and hit it even harder.The hate that some in the pro-life movement exhibit ,in God's mind,is a sin just like the murder they condemn. Churches should be free of a dress code.DELETE.I agreed with you until several days ago until the Holy Spirit told me that Christian girls/women must stop dressing like men and that rules out pants or slacks.This is a major concern for God has so remove this portion of your letter. Sign your letter with the words "CHRISTIAN AT LARGE" under your name. Your thoughts are brilliant and deeply Christian in nature,but really too numerous and profound for most ministers to cope with so do not expect much in the way of results from your letter.Here's how you'll get better results ,call up church offices and get the names and phone numbers of the leaders of church fellowship groups and then offer them your speaker/discussion leader services for one of their meetings.You can tell the group leaders their minister is familiar with your topics of discussion if they need a referral for you.You are full of rich thought-provoking ideas that need more exposure than your letters will get for you. GO GET THEM SLEEPING BABY CHRISTIANS! Tell them what the Holy Spirit told me;the rapture will occur this year.Maybe that will wake them up. ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyAngeL Posted February 5, 2005 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 23 Topic Count: 155 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 7,464 Content Per Day: 1.02 Reputation: 8,810 Days Won: 57 Joined: 03/30/2004 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/12/1952 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Joel after reading your amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulwinner Posted February 5, 2005 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 68 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 318 Content Per Day: 0.04 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/16/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted February 5, 2005 very convicting brother. God will use you! Time is short serve him while it is day the night is coming upon us to quickly brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooseGirl Posted February 6, 2005 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 17 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 65 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/18/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted February 6, 2005 Hit enter and have spaces. Hard to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooseGirl Posted February 6, 2005 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 17 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 65 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/18/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted February 6, 2005 Your thoughts are brilliant and deeply Christian in nature,but really too numerous and profound for most ministers to cope with so do not expect much in the way of results from your letter. Why do you feel this way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGR Posted February 6, 2005 Group: Royal Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 512 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 8,601 Content Per Day: 1.13 Reputation: 125 Days Won: 2 Joined: 07/16/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/04/1973 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Tell them what the Holy Spirit told me;the rapture will occur this year. I would VERY careful in attributing things to the Holy Spirit! No man knows the day nor the hour, not even Christ Himself! What you are saying is not Biblical and does more to drive people away from Christ than to bring them to Him. the Holy Spirit told me that Christian girls/women must stop dressing like men... They're NOT dressing like men-someone failed to give Joyce Meyer the memo I think, lol!!! She dresses in slacks and I have a lot more confidence in what she teaches than someone going off the deep end who says the rapture will occur this year, lol! You, Christian Counselor, are judgemental and puffed up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apothanein kerdos Posted February 6, 2005 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 331 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 8,713 Content Per Day: 1.21 Reputation: 21 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/28/2004 Status: Offline Author Share Posted February 6, 2005 Christian Counselor, did you happen to miss the last part of my letter? Maybe you should look over it again. Specifically these parts: I am part of a religion that is more concerned about whether Christ comes back before or after seven years of Tribulation than they are about the billions of lost people that won Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mousiegurl69 Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Hey all; Perhaps the most important thing we all need to remember is that your walk talks louder than your talk talks. People will flock to God if they see an example of who God is. The who of God, I think sometimes depends upon the personality and understanding of every individual. No matter God uses all kinds. This letter is the cry of so many searching for something real. When I'm asked about my walk I share with people that I'm not religious, I simply have a relationship. This relationship like all others must be built from the ground up. Not unlike other relationships it will have it's ups and downs. I guarantee, if you live what you believe without preaching the words, people will come to you to find out why your so different. So much has been made to be complicated and to the author of this letter, I think it's a very bold statement and I also believe you speak on behalf of many who wonder the same things you do believers and non. Let me just say that this letter will obviously not be recieved well by everyone. Not eveyone will want to hear it but all should heed this message anyway. My greatest questions are how many say the sinners prayer just to get Christians off their backs? I've known many. How many in the pews are Sunday lip servers? Ive known many. How many Christians don't really understand the message we are to share? I've met many. Here is a question for all to think over. When it gets down to the bottom line what is the message God is trying to portray? I'll check back later; Mousiegurl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishcowboy Posted February 7, 2005 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 127 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 3,248 Content Per Day: 0.88 Reputation: 13 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/23/2014 Status: Offline Share Posted February 7, 2005 I would have to say that I believe most pastors are already aware of the "faults" in and with American Christians. here is what I see, most congregations in America, are wanting to feel good about themselves, and any pastor that preaches/teaches the truth rather then feel good preaching is subject to loosing their job. most congregations are into a comfort zone, into exclusive country clubs, and nothing the pastor can do can change that, it is up to the congregations. a Pastor is the Shepherd of the fold, the Congregation is the sheep in the fold. when was the last time you seen a shepherd produce more sheep? this is biologically impossible, it takes sheep to produce more sheep. The Pastor is to feed the sheep, so they can go out and minister to others. the Pastor will have any number of people he/she has to minister to, the pastor can only reach a handful of people, where each member of the congregation can reach as many as the pastor can reach, and the congregation also has access to more people ( networking ) then the pastor does. it is up to each of us to go out into this world and share the Gospel of Jesus. this means we, each and every one of us, need to ensure we have on the armor of God, the complete outfit, and we need to be full of the Spirit of God so that the world can see our Fruits..... many people have split personalities.... they show all the fruits at church, then at 1:00 pm sunday afternoon, those fruits disappear, and the fruits of the world show thru. and those remain what the rest of the world sees until about 10:00 am Sunday morning. just a note, if i were to see this letter show up on my desk, the first question i would ask, is what have you done today for the Lord? what have you done this week for the Lord? each of us will have to stand before the Lord, and give an account of our works. if we pass the buck we will receive the rewards for passing the buck, if we take responsibility for our own actions, then we will reap the rewards for such actions. what we do, we do and will have to accept what is coming our way..... the question I ask me is What Am I Doing to Further The Kingdom of God? not what some one else is. their mission is different then mine. there is more I can add, some of it has already been said. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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