Goose Registered user Username: Goose
Post Number: 59 Registered: 11-2011
| Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2012 - 12:17 pm: | |
When I experienced some very unloving and uncaring behavior from the SDAs, "going out" of that faith group (if we can still call it that) opened my spiritual eyes to understand these words of our Great Shepherd in John chapter 10 in a very deep and profound way. "Many shall go in and out and find pasture." As one of Jesus' sheep, I certainly was not being cared about or cared for, much less was I finding the spiritual food in what they boasted was "The Remnant Church." I think of the recent article in Proclamation! about the Jehovah's Witness couple who, though they were ostracized and branded as apostates by this cult, found the courage & liberty under the care of the Great Shepherd, to "go out." Being able to freely go in and out of a myriad of different churches, if necessary--in order to find truth and love--is what this passage is all about, in my opinion. There is in this even the grace of God to emotionally and spiritually recover, which might include a time of withdrawal, and even anger about the hurtful experience. And it makes sense, too, because this was a conversation continuing on with the religious leaders, in John 9, who had just thrown out of the Synagogue, the man whom Jesus healed. And what a comfort to find that when Jesus had heard he was thrown out, it says, He went and looked for him! Oh, the magnificent hope that dripped so heavily from the words of our Lord & Savior, Jesus! Insights? Feedback? Comments? What think some of you about this? (Message edited by goose on January 01, 2012) |