Finding a non-apostate church

[JohnD]

Each of the three Persons in the Godhead have and occupy unique parts in the plan of the Father.

The Angel of the Lord (Genesis 22 is obviously God) sent by God (God's Messenger).

Jesus preincarnate... "Now I know that you do not withhold your son your only son FROM ME."

Preparatory to laying down his own life (in the incarnation) for a race where at least one man

is willing to make such a sacrifice.

Edited July 18, 2018 by JohnD

[JohnD]

The Keys to the Kingdom:

2 Peter 1:20-21  / 1 Thessalonians 5:21 / 1 John 4:1

Acts 17:11 / 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Deuteronomy 29:29 / Proverbs 25:2

 

[JohnD]

Oh, and one more thing... expect lots and lots of resistance.

[Neighbor]

19 hours ago, JohnD said:

Sure. Why not? Jesus is the servant.

 

Are not both are fully God, and  not hired hands? Jesus created all that has been created and nothing created exists except that He created it.  The Holy Spirit acts as is mentioned at Acts 13 :

 Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Edited July 19, 2018 by Neighbor
put my response inside the quote by mistake

[inbox24]

I think one of the detrimental things about going to these churches is that all the people are so physically blessed that it starts to cause me anxiety in areas which I thought I had put away. For example if everyone's got white collar jobs with good long term prospects and a good income, that's going to drag me away from just living by faith and being content with whatever (hopefully God has called me) to do. If everyone has spouse idolatry and living for family, it's going to make me jealous and scared of a single childless future, rather than trusting in God as the ultimate 'husband'. If everyone is living in a large house with their children and extended family, I'm going to be tempted to gripe about being 50 years old and living at home, when in fact I should have my eyes on eternity. It's okay now because I'm still not yet 30, but over the coming decades, the attacks from Satan using the tares in the church will only get worse. It's definitely also my responsibility to confront the idols of my heart very strongly and ask God for help in smashing them in order to keep the eyes affixed on eternity, but particularly in the beginning period where I am easily tossed and swayed, I just need a strong foundation to defend against these lies. And going to a field full of tares each week makes life more difficult, because these are professing Christians and not non believers. Non believers, the mind automatically switches off and you think of Psalm 73, but with professing Christians doing this, it's almost like a backdoor virus attempting to hijack the brain. 

[Mike Mclees]

2 hours ago, inbox24 said:

I think one of the detrimental things about going to these churches is that all the people are so physically blessed that it starts to cause me anxiety in areas which I thought I had put away. For example if everyone's got white collar jobs with good long term prospects and a good income, that's going to drag me away from just living by faith and being content with whatever (hopefully God has called me) to do. If everyone has spouse idolatry and living for family, it's going to make me jealous and scared of a single childless future, rather than trusting in God as the ultimate 'husband'. If everyone is living in a large house with their children and extended family, I'm going to be tempted to gripe about being 50 years old and living at home, when in fact I should have my eyes on eternity. It's okay now because I'm still not yet 30, but over the coming decades, the attacks from Satan using the tares in the church will only get worse. It's definitely also my responsibility to confront the idols of my heart very strongly and ask God for help in smashing them in order to keep the eyes affixed on eternity, but particularly in the beginning period where I am easily tossed and swayed, I just need a strong foundation to defend against these lies. And going to a field full of tares each week makes life more difficult, because these are professing Christians and not non believers. Non believers, the mind automatically switches off and you think of Psalm 73, but with professing Christians doing this, it's almost like a backdoor virus attempting to hijack the brain. 

You send a lot of time looking at the out faults of others to place a dark cloud over the church. This is to say these are not true and therefore I am antichurch. 

You want to know if you are saved. Go to your private prayer place and ask Christ to come into you heart and teach His ways. Do you hunger to now Him. Not looking at everybody else. will you stand be fore God and say I couldn't have salvation because no one else was perfect?  You must find Christ for your self first. Read your Bible and joint Bible studies but Follow Christ for your self. If you want to be a judge no one is going to measure.

Why do you suppose We need Christ to save us If it were not for grace we would have no Hope

Jesus said if you want to take the beam out our some ones eye first take the log out of your own eye. they you can see how to help your brother.

Edited July 18, 2018 by Mike Mclees

[Alex2165]

To Inbox24.

You described very well all “ills” and “demons” of the church and their members. I am sure that everyone in whom some conscience is still working will be appalled and disgust as you do by the practices and a way the church operates, I completely share with you your frustration and your concerns about church.

 

But in my point of view, indeed, to be judgmental is not always the right thing to do, unless you judgment is fair and reasonable, because you have your own “demons” and you certainly have them like every one of us. In this case you should compare your own “imperfection, deficiencies, and shortcomings” to those people whose you judged, in order not to be a hypocrite yourself like them in this respect.

 

Personally, I prefer not to judge, because it should be reserved for GOD only.

 

Psalm of David 9.8

8.He judges the world with righteousness, He judges the people with equity.

 

Matthew 5. 22

22.But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. (Leviticus 19.17)

 

Matthew 7.1-2

1.”Do not judge, so that you mat not be judged.

2.With the judgment you make, you will be judged, and the measure you give, will be the measure you get.

 

Luke 6.37

37."Do not judge and you will not be judged, do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven,"

 

1Corinthinas 11.31

31.But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.

 

Hebrews 4.17-18

17.The time has come for judgment to begin with the household of GOD (the church), if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the Gospel of GOD?

18.And: if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinners? (Proverbs 11.31).

 

James 5.9

9.Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!

 

Remember that everybody will be judged by GOD according to their deeds, and everybody will receive its own reward from GOD whatever it is good or bad.

 

Proverbs 11.31

31.If the righteous are repaid on Earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner! (1Peter 4.17-18).

 

I prefer instead of judging to analyze the church and expressing my point of view based on the Holy Scripture about their worship and their members and their conduct, and I also preferring and selecting those with whom I have common ground, mutual point of view, and common outlook on the church and its members.

 

2Timothy 4.2

2.preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. (only according to the Bible - the Word of GOD, and not according to your personal opinion.)

 

We cannot change the church, because it was corrupted from the very beginning of its existence, but we can analyze and criticize the church in order to let them know that their hypocrisy is known and exposed, which is truly the obligation and duty of every true “born again Christian.”

But at the same time we ourselves shall be without blemish in order not to be hypocrites like them.

 

Complaining about corruption in the church does not do much good, but speak out and let the members of the church know your concerns is very important, productive, and efficient way to make some people to think about the conduct of the church and possibly to make some changes.

 

It is much easy to do it in a small church, the bigger the church the more it corrupted and usually they do not listen to any sound advice or criticism, because they only interested in profit, it is their business and their goal.

 

Above all, church no longer really so important anymore, church become a gathering of social club, and sound teaching and education according to the Bible no longer valued, because church prefer to spend its time mostly on entertainment and meaningless theologies, and of course give people the stuff they like to hear.

 

2Timothy 4.3-4

3.The prime time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

4.and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.

 

And please do not envy those members of the church who do very well financially and profit greatly and at the same time pretended to be Christians. They belong to the world and with the world they will perish.

 

If you really BORN AGAIN IN YOUR SPIRIT you are no longer belong to this world, but you belong to the Kingdom of Christ, and so, the matters of this world shall not bother you or concern you, only look forward to the Place of your eternity.

 

1John 5.4

4.Whoever is born of GOD overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.

 

John 17.14-16

14."I have given them Your world, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15.I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

16.They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

 

To Philippians 3.20

20."Our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,"

 

TEACHING WORD OF GOD FOR SORDID GAIN

Teaching for monetary gain:

(Micah 3.11) (Acts 20.33-35) (John 10.1-12-13-16) (2Corinthians 2.17) (1Timothy 6.3-5) (Titus 1.10-11-16) (1Peter 5.2-4)

 

[JohnD]

Lord open the eyes of the blind.

[appy]

On 7/18/2018 at 12:11 AM, inbox24 said:

Finally, I would like to say that it’s difficult for me to serve in the church, if I am not sure of my condition before God, whether or not I am saved. I cannot believe that most pastors with 4-6 years or more of “formal theological training” and years and years of pastoral ministry cannot even answer the basic questions of how a person knows that they are saved.

 

On 7/18/2018 at 12:47 AM, shiloh357 said:

 

So, how do YOU know that YOU are saved?

Our salvation is based on God's promise to us . . . that if we believe in our hearts, and confess with our mouths that he died on the cross for each one of us and rose again from the dead, we will be saved. And he guarantee's it by putting his spirit in our hearts. So that we never have to wonder if we are his.

2 Corinthians 1:22  set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 

Acts 16 : 31  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

1 John 5: 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.

1 John 5 : 11 thru 13 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 10 : 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

[inbox24]

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

On 7/25/2018 at 8:52 AM, Yowm said:

When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
(Joh 21:21-22)