Guest 1sheep Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 3 hours ago, GandalfTheWise said: The biggest thing in my life was finally learning that God created us each as unique individuals meant to walk with Him in a way unique to each of us. I spent over 30 years as a Christian defining myself by gifts, talents, ministry roles, Christian obligations, and in general viewing my value in life as how much fruit I was bearing, how holy I was or was not living, and of what use I was to God and other Christians. I failed to see that God loves us each as the unique treasures and works of art that He has made to be to reflect His glory in some way unique to each of us and that He wants us to walk with Him as that unique person. We are a new creation in Christ meant to be a unique person walking in freedom and liberty from our old lives to be able to walk with God in our new lives. It's too long to discuss in detail, but I've observed that the majority of evangelical churches and most Christians unintentionally teach and practice a cookie cutter method of being a Christian that views our value and success as Christians as believing the right list of things, behaving the right way, and effectively being busy enough to produce results. We start with defining ourselves as some biblical definition of what a Christian is supposed to be, conforming ourselves to that as much as possible, and then trying to figure out what God wants us to do. Rather than seeing all of this is as the natural result of being a new creation in Christ, we see it as an obligation to be lived up to as best we can. It's become about being busy doing the right stuff the right way rather than becoming the unique person God created us to be in Christ. Most of us are taught to ask "God, what do you want me to do (or not do)?" rather than "God, who did you create me to be in Christ?" What you described is what I have discerned here in the bible belt!! Im new to the infamous bible belt and it has been culture shock for me. I really am experiencing CHANGE. The cultural christian that checks off all the boxes yet has no joy! Some are so wrapped up in being good that they are boring and regimented. They are bysy in their bubble. They are apathetic to those who need Christ. Service is strickly to please those within the four walls of the steeple. If only their service was outside the 4 walls of the steeple where the gospel needs to be proclaimed. I have been hit between the eyes with many church invites but not one asked me if I was reborn again ie a christian. They have been taught to invite people to church and boy do they. It is virtually the first thing a stranger says to me! Its only my experience thus far. I am praying that I meet people that are not like that. I have done some research on the bible belt which solidifies what I have discerned and experienced.I am trying very hard to keep an open mind and keep it positive without glossing over what is obvious. Ill fibd the right church. God put me here and I know he has already worked it all out. I moved from a town that was very little Christianity and mostly gnostics , earth worshipping vortex worshiping , wiccans, JW, LDS and the like. I am dealing with a different 'spirit set ' here so to speak. Where I came from, it was not difficult at all to spread the gospel and witness to people. I mean there wasnt the hostility that I have found here. The ground to plow here us brand new so I look at it as a challenge. Id be lying if I didnt say I am a tad trepidacious and more safety minded than before. I have already experienced one incident that shook me. Im not easily shook either. It was frightening the lengths people will go to hurt you when you have offended the demons in them.God already knew I was going to go there so he had an escape and it all worked out for me . God actually made my situation better than it had been!! The Lord is so good. My theory is that the atheists are so hostile here because the christians are cultural hypocrites. Where I came from most were Christ deniers. Here they claim Christ but act like Christ deniers in many ways. I have met racist hicks that strain a gnat in another's life . Some are simply white washed tombs. They are not going to tell an atheist about the gospel because one; they dont know how and two; it doesnt even cross their mind. Anyways. Just me pourung out my thoughts. I feel better Praise the Lord for he has advanced my territory. God is refining me and I desperately need it because I am after all nothing absolutely nothing without my Lord Jesus Christ who saved the very wicked very blind sinner that I was ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighbor Posted October 10, 2018 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 950 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,532 Content Per Day: 5.02 Reputation: 9,027 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/03/1885 Share Posted October 10, 2018 (edited) I love my local body of Christ Jesus the church God has led me to attend and to participate in! Absolutely love that the Holy Spirit led me here. It was a hard path to follow to get here, had to give up much, but it is worth it! Praise God for bringing so many together here to worship God and to pray for one another in the name of Jesus. There is no shortcoming of teaching, of fellowship, of helping hands, of outreach to the local community, to missionary venture, to help widows and orphans, to adopt and to educate children of the world, all in service with praise to the glory of God in the name of Jesus. The only limit is mine and my capacity to take it all in and to be a useful part of it. Edited October 10, 2018 by Neighbor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willa Posted October 10, 2018 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 68 Topic Count: 185 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 14,224 Content Per Day: 3.33 Reputation: 16,647 Days Won: 30 Joined: 08/14/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted October 10, 2018 I was raised in a liberal church that was proud of the fact that they taught nearly nothing about God or salvation. They did teach repentance and confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord, baptism by immersion and communion every Sunday. Everything else we were to learn by reading the Bible. I wish they had taught that Jesus is God with us, Immanuel. That we need to surrender all areas of our lives to the rule of Christ The Trinity. How to walk in the Spirit That Christ comes to live in and through us to love and forgive others That a Christian isn't supposed to be like everyone else The Bible is God-breathed, the word of God Himself. Salvation is by grace through faith and not by works--it is a gift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyKay Posted October 11, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 12 Topic Count: 385 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 7,692 Content Per Day: 1.93 Reputation: 4,809 Days Won: 3 Joined: 05/28/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted October 11, 2018 On 10/10/2018 at 8:09 AM, GandalfTheWise said: The biggest thing in my life was finally learning that God created us each as unique individuals meant to walk with Him in a way unique to each of us. I spent over 30 years as a Christian defining myself by gifts, talents, ministry roles, Christian obligations, and in general viewing my value in life as how much fruit I was bearing, how holy I was or was not living, and of what use I was to God and other Christians. I failed to see that God loves us each as the unique treasures and works of art that He has made to be to reflect His glory in some way unique to each of us and that He wants us to walk with Him as that unique person. We are a new creation in Christ meant to be a unique person walking in freedom and liberty from our old lives to be able to walk with God in our new lives. It's too long to discuss in detail, but I've observed that the majority of evangelical churches and most Christians unintentionally teach and practice a cookie cutter method of being a Christian that views our value and success as Christians as believing the right list of things, behaving the right way, and effectively being busy enough to produce results. We start with defining ourselves as some biblical definition of what a Christian is supposed to be, conforming ourselves to that as much as possible, and then trying to figure out what God wants us to do. Rather than seeing all of this is as the natural result of being a new creation in Christ, we see it as an obligation to be lived up to as best we can. It's become about being busy doing the right stuff the right way rather than becoming the unique person God created us to be in Christ. Most of us are taught to ask "God, what do you want me to do (or not do)?" rather than "God, who did you create me to be in Christ?" This must be why you are called GandlfTheWise. So much of what you just said is why I butt so many heads with other Christians. I refuse to fit in the cookie cutter. God Bless and Love you oh wise one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyKay Posted October 11, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 12 Topic Count: 385 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 7,692 Content Per Day: 1.93 Reputation: 4,809 Days Won: 3 Joined: 05/28/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted October 11, 2018 Wow. Some of you have had some really bad church experiences. That has not been the case for me. I am still attending the church I grew up in. I can not think of anything Biblical or Spiritual they have not taught me. They have indepth Sunday School classes that may spend a month going over a topic such as how to pray or how to be a good witness. The mid week Bible study is just the same. Many studies on what is a Christians's place in the world, stuff like that. The pastors are always there for your questions or if you need to talk. They don't even get mad if you disagree with them. They just listen. Sometimes on Sunday mornings it is as if the Holy Spirit takes over the service, and the pastor puts his sermon aside and lets the Spirit move. Sometimes the pastor changes what he was going to preach about because he says he felt the Holy Spirit directing him to preach on something else. So many many times I have walked in on a Sunday morning service and it has been like the sermon preached that day was just for me. Anyway, I feel bad that other churches have failed so many here. But we can't always depend on the church to teach us everything. We ourselves need to read the Bible and get into God's Word. We need to go to God everyday in prayer and have a good communication with God. Churches and people can let you down. But God never dose. ? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighbor Posted October 11, 2018 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 950 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,532 Content Per Day: 5.02 Reputation: 9,027 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/03/1885 Share Posted October 11, 2018 18 hours ago, naominash said: I wish The New Heavens and The New Earth were talked about more. Don't ask me why, but I almost believed heaven would be just floating around some vague, gassy, place with nothing to do... When Jesus comes back, we will have real bodies, and there will be a city (Jerusalem), different ranks and positions, rewards, new creation with trees and animals and awesomeness forever! When that gets into your mind? I can endure anything knowing the real glory begins after death. The best part? Eating, laughing, walking with Jesus, our Lord forever. Perfect communion with the Lord, forever. Makes our world pale in comparison, doesn't it? "I almost believed heaven would be just floating around some vague, gassy, place with nothing to do..." Ha I think that is being retired at Florida, not heaven. "Oh my goodness. This world is passing away. This is just a short time." reminds me of the fun day at church when our pastor/teacher for the day after hearing a opening presentation about a "Christian" trip to see Leaves turning color in the fall said, "well really that is just the colors of death at an unsaved world." Then He introduced how much more beauty then will be at New Heaven and a new earth to come when this all burns away." I think he was just a little more than exasperated at the idea of the mention of a tip having been made by our then music director who also ran a travel business. I took to the saying "it's all going to burn anyway" when people would express worry about conditions of the day. Yes joy does come in the morning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilfox Posted October 11, 2018 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 18 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 30 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/04/2017 Status: Offline Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 On 10/10/2018 at 2:02 PM, naominash said: I wish The New Heavens and The New Earth were talked about more. Don't ask me why, but I almost believed heaven would be just floating around some vague, gassy, place with nothing to do... When Jesus comes back, we will have real bodies, and there will be a city (Jerusalem), different ranks and positions, rewards, new creation with trees and animals and awesomeness forever! When that gets into your mind? Oh my goodness. This world is passing away. This is just a short time. I can endure anything knowing the real glory begins after death. The best part? Eating, laughing, walking with Jesus, our Lord forever. Perfect communion with the Lord, forever. Makes our world pale in comparison, doesn't it? I look forward to this day too and wish it was talked about more also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilfox Posted October 11, 2018 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 18 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 30 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/04/2017 Status: Offline Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and thoughts! As I mentioned in my original post, this was not something against the church at all, just stuff I wished I had learned or picked up there but sometimes we have to learn the hard way too. On a side note to regards of the church letting me down as far as knowledge on death and suffering, I was not equipped to handle it on my own at the time. The church I attended for several years basically left our family out to dry on that one, to this day I don't understand why but everything happens for a reason. I did not leave that church on bad terms, there were no disagreements, no bad blood, nothing, but when I asked the pastor for prayers for my mom he told me that he had no experience with that type of suffering (cancer) and that somebody else from the congregation would call me. She never did contact us and my family was never checked on again after we stopped attending. We lived a street away from the church and the pastor. I didn't ask for advice or anything like that, just prayers to get through it. I lost a lot of faith during that time and it took me 8 years to come to terms with it. If my original post came across as bad, it is only because of this experience that I mentioned the part about being let down. I hope you understand. I have, at times thought about writing the pastor a friendly letter letting him know why we stopped attending, so he can avoid doing it in the future to somebody else because I don't feel it was intentional. I understand there is a lot of pressure for a pastor and totally respect that, this situation just was weird but maybe it was also God's way of saying it was time to move on. Those of you who are lucky enough to have a good church to go to, it truly is a blessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blood Bought 1953 Posted October 11, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 13 Topic Count: 48 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 6,726 Content Per Day: 2.89 Reputation: 6,258 Days Won: 5 Joined: 12/03/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted October 11, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, LadyKay said: Wow. Some of you have had some really bad church experiences. That has not been the case for me. I am still attending the church I grew up in. I can not think of anything Biblical or Spiritual they have not taught me. They have indepth Sunday School classes that may spend a month going over a topic such as how to pray or how to be a good witness. The mid week Bible study is just the same. Many studies on what is a Christians's place in the world, stuff like that. The pastors are always there for your questions or if you need to talk. They don't even get mad if you disagree with them. They just listen. Sometimes on Sunday mornings it is as if the Holy Spirit takes over the service, and the pastor puts his sermon aside and lets the Spirit move. Sometimes the pastor changes what he was going to preach about because he says he felt the Holy Spirit directing him to preach on something else. So many many times I have walked in on a Sunday morning service and it has been like the sermon preached that day was just for me. Anyway, I feel bad that other churches have failed so many here. But we can't always depend on the church to teach us everything. We ourselves need to read the Bible and get into God's Word. We need to go to God everyday in prayer and have a good communication with God. Churches and people can let you down. But God never dose. ? “ We ourselves need to read the Bible” The key to everything.Ya gotta know what’s in there.Many Believers are lousy students of The Word and pay the price and don’t even know it.God has ordered us to prove ourselves to be good students of His Word and rightly divide it.Being too lazy to read the Bible and figuring that guy in the pulpit knows what he is talking about because he stands in that pulpit and does something funky with his collar can lead to problems.Reading the Bible years ago so nobody can mislead me is the best single practical move I ever made.I can’t reccomend it any more strongly—- do it for you OWN benefit. Edited October 11, 2018 by Blood Bought 1953 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peavey Posted October 11, 2018 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 45 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 65 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/08/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted October 11, 2018 I wish someone had at least tried to impress on my how important it is to read the scripture for myself. Praying before reading and asking God to show me what He is saying, had helped me grow more than any sermon I can remember. Also, I wish they had stressed that spending time alone with God is essential to staying on track with God. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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