Vine Abider Posted August 28, 2023 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 6 Topic Count: 207 Topics Per Day: 0.36 Content Count: 3,501 Content Per Day: 6.14 Reputation: 2,352 Days Won: 3 Joined: 10/25/2022 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/01/2024 Share Posted August 28, 2023 4 hours ago, Stan Murff said: One can do that without going to a building on Sunday morning. In fact, your personal relationship with the Lord should come before church, family, work, etc, etc. Agreed! (we can get together with believers out in the cow pasture) 2 hours ago, Stan Murff said: Yes, gathering is something we are told to do in God's Word. And we need to understand that this is one of the primary avenues satan uses to spread false doctrine and deception. Because people have a tendency to get along just to be getting along so if they attend a church for a while and have friends there and the church starts teaching false doctrine and all the people buy in to it... most people will go ahead and support the false doctrine (which is sinful) just so they don't lose fellowship with the people they know. This is how the ecumenical movement is growing so fast where people are believing that all religions lead to salvation and sadly many Christians are being deceived by this movement which is the stage being set for the one world religion that will accompany the one world government and the anti-christ. Unfortunately, this can happen. The ekklesia is comprised of a bunch of imperfect people who are called to love other imperfect people. And somehow God uses the gathering of the body regardless - so by sight it looks like a big mess, but by faith we see "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not withstand it!" 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Boy Stan Murf Posted August 28, 2023 Group: Mars Hill Followers: 2 Topic Count: 3 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,027 Content Per Day: 4.39 Reputation: 279 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/26/2023 Status: Offline Share Posted August 28, 2023 58 minutes ago, Vine Abider said: Agreed! (we can get together with believers out in the cow pasture) Yeah, but if the once saved always saved peoples arrive there will be cow patties in the cow pasture! Ha Ha! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vine Abider Posted August 29, 2023 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 6 Topic Count: 207 Topics Per Day: 0.36 Content Count: 3,501 Content Per Day: 6.14 Reputation: 2,352 Days Won: 3 Joined: 10/25/2022 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/01/2024 Share Posted August 29, 2023 2 hours ago, Stan Murff said: Yeah, but if the once saved always saved peoples arrive there will be cow patties in the cow pasture! Ha Ha! And then all of us one Spirit one body one Lord Christians can get together and do some frivolous cow tipping! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray12614 Posted August 29, 2023 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 9 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 670 Content Per Day: 0.43 Reputation: 754 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/22/2020 Status: Offline Share Posted August 29, 2023 Well . . . I can only comment from my own experiences . . . and my local church attendance as an founding elder/leader there. We are experiencing BOTH trends . . . Awakening and falling away, new members and loosing others . . . and there are several reasons why this is happening, Most of which is the 'foundations' that our people are building on. There are those who take scripture seriously and implement them into their daily lives (building on the Rock) and those who don't read or study their Bibles for themselves, and/or hear the Word, but, for other reasons never build their lives on that solid teaching (building on sand) . . . During the (overly hyped) early days of the pandemic my local church adopted an common sense approach to our congregation where we met online, doing FB and Youtube live streams. After some weeks we found out that the 'pandemic' was not nearly as deadly and wide spread as the media kept telling us, so we then did both live stream and in person services, which we continue to do today for those outside our local areas, and for those who cannot or will not attend due to illness or even due to fear of covid (yes the fear still has hold on them). I am NOT minimizing covid . . . I lost several dear friends to that plague BUT I have had to pray for more people hurt by the various 'vaccines' (wrongfully called a vaccine). Here is what the last 3 years of doing 'in person' and 'remote' Church has taught me . . . 1. Remote live stream is good for reaching members with bible teaching, yet, somehow lacks the personal in-house anointing on it. 2. Members who attend remotely Never encourage other members who desperately need encouragement and/or exhortation. To put it bluntly their remote attendance has zero effect on the rest of our church body (remote or in person). Their giftings are never used because they are absent from the body. Many watch from the comfort of their homes in an common not Holy attitude towards the Word that is preached, and the Gifts manifested in-house. It is more of a 'movie' to them that they can critique instead of experience the presence of the Lord first hand. Sure they can (and I have done this) type "AMEN", or, give a 'heart' or thumbs up jesture, but again had zero effect for the minister, or the congregation. 3. We can and do pray for people remotely when they request it, and somebody online and in house sees it, but, I challenge you to lay hands on people, and anointing them with oil remotely. IF you can figure that one out, I am all ears. Yes, I am getting a little off topic (sorry moderators), but I wanted to share that we are BOTH experiencing Awakening and Apostacy at the same time. When those who are remote fall away there may be weeks or months before we know about it. So, at my church . . . we preach Truth of Scripture, warn the 'unruly', comfort the feeble minded, show compassion and pray for those who come and give them encouragement and help as we can and the Lord enables. Remotely doing this is much harder. My 2 cents . . . hope this helps somehow . . . Grace and Peace . . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starise Posted August 29, 2023 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 13 Topic Count: 279 Topics Per Day: 0.20 Content Count: 13,128 Content Per Day: 9.65 Reputation: 13,676 Days Won: 149 Joined: 08/26/2020 Status: Offline Share Posted August 29, 2023 I see us approaching two subjects here, but mostly the status of the church and how some of us view it as opposed to the status of the world. I believe any great awakening will go far outside of the church. The LORD works in mysterious ways and often uses the least likely tools. For all we know God will save a whino who had not been exposed to a bible his entire life to lead a revival. If the church is dead, the Lord doesn't need it. The world will continue to have these cyclic sorts of events that some take to mean the end times, but in reality, have gone on for thousands of years. Add to this the great falling away predicted to happen, and we see it happenng in the US and other countries, so something a little different IS happening this time. Countries once solidly Judeo Christian are toppling to the other side. The Lord told us this would happen. The true CHURCH however will just grow stronger while the compromised churches that fell to apostacy will zip right into the rest of the world godless as ever. The CHURCH is all of us that are believers, so this doesn't happen "out there' somewhere. No- it begins with you. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backontrack Posted February 2 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 139 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,213 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 185 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/10/2006 Status: Offline Author Share Posted February 2 On 8/27/2023 at 9:47 PM, Ausie 52 said: No, I think we are living at the beginnings of the 'Great Apostasy'. Funny I see people every week come forward to receive Christ and many healings as well. James River Church Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJK Posted February 3 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 43 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 3,349 Content Per Day: 7.56 Reputation: 1,305 Days Won: 1 Joined: 03/01/2023 Status: Offline Share Posted February 3 30 minutes ago, backontrack said: Funny I see people every week come forward to receive Christ and many healings as well. James River Church It's always wise to keep the parable of the sower in mind when we see people come forth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn C Posted February 3 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 30 Topic Count: 269 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 13,255 Content Per Day: 3.49 Reputation: 8,525 Days Won: 12 Joined: 12/21/2013 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/06/1947 Share Posted February 3 Here in OZ the church organizations that are growing are the ones who are preaching `Kingdom Now,` theology. They believe that the church (organizations and congregations) will take over the` 7 mountains` of society and then deliver it to the Lord when He comes. The `7 mountains` are - government, education, law, media, entertainment, sport, arts. They believe that as long as a `good` person or Christian is in charge of those areas then we will have reached that goal. They believe that `rapture` doctrine is negative and they say they preach `hope` for this next generation. They don`t preach that up front all the time, but you can check out their beliefs and you will find it. The focus is on `feelings` and having the `atmosphere of the presence of God. ` Hyping people up brings its own atmosphere. Be wary. Well, all I can say is that when the Peace negotiator comes on the scene, East will mix with West and there will seem to be `Peace and Safety.` 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighbor Posted February 3 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 962 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,723 Content Per Day: 5.04 Reputation: 9,113 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Online Birthday: 03/03/1885 Share Posted February 3 On 8/28/2023 at 5:47 PM, Vine Abider said: Agreed! (we can get together with believers out in the cow pasture) Seems a poor choice of location for a meeting to me. I tend to think God is pleased when He is honored. worthy That He is honored in design and careful construction of buildings that have thought behind their design, and are built with sacrificial labor and finances put into them. Not that they are holy but that God is! Also I believe God wants order in his house not just a tumble on the cow paddies. What has he said to people that took their place of corporate worship casually and treated it carelessly in the past: “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this [a]temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backontrack Posted February 3 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 139 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,213 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 185 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/10/2006 Status: Offline Author Share Posted February 3 1 hour ago, FJK said: It's always wise to keep the parable of the sower in mind when we see people come forth. Well the Sower is really working there in a big way every week for the last year every week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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