| Author | Message | ||
| Jim02 Registered user Username: Jim02 Post Number: 806 Registered: 5-2007 |
Having come out of the SDA church with the predisposition of looking for the TRUE Church as it were, then discovering, well....perhaps there is no such thing other than on an individual basis , faith in Christ. It became apparent that I would always invaribly find some key doctrine that did not hold up to the understanding I had on the topic or some other dissonance all it's own. This became very discouraging to me. I reasoned, if I was careful, check list in hand, I would certainly find the TRUE Church and I would at least know I am safe (in my own sense of reasoning). Guess what, ....WRONG. As I have visited with other churches and have met more people, I have realized God's Spirit is upon many of His sheep , Not of this fold. I realized I was (and still do at times) depending upon leaning to my own understanding as a sense of "Ok, now I'm right". But all this is human pride and arrogance. Unless God's Spirit leads and opens the way, I shall always be adrift in endless debates and confusions. Finally, I have instead, given up trying to be a member anywhere. Because that too , was just another diversion, another us verses them scenario. Maybe someday , this will migrate and change. It is not important to me anymore about membership as much as continuing to find Spiritual nourishment through the agencys God has provided. I was invited as a guest to attend at a Methodist Church. I did in fact go. Once again, I have issues with some of the doctrines and especially the UMC Conference position on abortion. Nothwithstanding, I wanted to go , to be with my lady friend and to absorb the atmosphere. I ask God for the privelege and permission to attend, hoping for a Spiritual blessing in worship. I was not dissapointed. The pastor spoke without notes and spoke with clarity, pastorially. It was refreshing ! Then there was the choir. Not a large one, about twenty. They sang a song that was very sweet and inspirational, but the best was in song as the choir sang the background, a lady with an angelic voice sang the lead. It was so beautiful, tears poured out of sheer beauty alone. The moment was pure. It was a blessing. Did it change my thoughts on the doctrines? No. But it did show me, that the expression of faith comes in so many forms, so many folds. To block out whole groups of people because I cannot find perfect systems???? My son is planning on going back to church at Assembly of God soon. He kind of fell away for awhile, got discouraged. I told him I would go with him, I asked my ladyfriend if she would like to go. Explaining that is was different than what she is used to but that I also found it inspiring as well. She said she would be glad to go. So you see, people are doing their best to connect with Christ, to recieve a Spiritual connection. We are all after the same hope. Jim02 | ||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 139 Registered: 8-2008 |
The church of the Lord Jesus is invisible, it is every one who believes in Him for salvation and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I remember Ravi Zacharias telling a story of a man who was walking down a street in a foreign country, humming an old hymn to himself. Suddenly he bumped into another man who recognized the tune and started singing in his foreign language. Both of them sang together, in two different languages, and then embraced in tears. This is the body of Christ. Even language is no barrier to the love that has been poured out in us. I remember when the first time I stepped inside of a non-SDA church after leaving Adventism. It was an Episcopal church that, every December, has a song services on Friday evenings for Christmas Carols. I was so happy to feel that I was among the body of Christ, and I didn't have to look down on these people anymore as inferiors, but could love them as brothers and sisters. (Message edited by bskillet on January 27, 2009) | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4039 Registered: 9-2006  |
J: It became apparent that I would always invaribly find some key doctrine that did not hold up to the understanding I had on the topic or some other dissonance all it's own. R: Welcome to the real world.  B: I was so happy to feel that I was among the body of Christ, and I didn't have to look down on these people anymore as inferiors, but could love them as brothers and sisters. R: Welcome to Christianity. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9319 Registered: 12-2003  |
Jim, I know what you mean! Praise God! He will reveal Himself and continue to bless and lead you. Bskillett, I remember having the same amazing, humbling experience in an Episcopal church during the time we were leaving. We attended the confirmation of a friend of ours, a former SDA, who was joining the Episcopal church. We were so amazed to discover that the liturgy contained the gospel (imagine!), and that anyone attending that day would have heard it, straight from Bible passages. And even though people stood outside afterward and smoked in the breezeway, it didn't spoil it for us that day. We realized that God had His own people even in the Episcopal church (!), and we actually could worship and even take communion with them. It was so embarrassing to realize that we had always thought it would somehow be a sin for us to take communion in an Episcopal church. I'm not endorsing the Episcopal church; I'm saying that its roots are orthodox Christianity, and the body of Christ is scattered throughout the world in many, many places. The gospel is there, even though the church itself has voted some unbiblical positions. I totally relate to your feelings, Bskillet, at discovering you could love them and worship with them and no longer feel superior to them. Amazing! It's both humbling and exalting to become part of Christ's own body! Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 6401 Registered: 3-2004  |
I have met Christians at the market, at the airport, on the airplane, in JCPennys in Little Rock. It is so humbling to meet a brother or sister in Christ where ever I am and know that we have Jesus Christ in common. What better bond is there?? Diana L | ||
| Freeatlast Registered user Username: Freeatlast Post Number: 607 Registered: 5-2002 |
Jim... I LOVE YOU MAN! I like to say that I belong only to Jesus Christ. Church is just where I go to worship Him with others. How could I ever belong to anyone else, now that I have met Him?! Thank you for your post. It inspired me. | ||
| Psalm107v2 Registered user Username: Psalm107v2 Post Number: 63 Registered: 10-2008 |
Amen to what each of you have said above. One of the great things I enjooy about being here beyond the common history of being saved from the SDA church is that we are brothers and sisters in Christ and whether we are on the same church building, country, continent or planet we are family grafted in to the body of Christ | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4040 Registered: 9-2006 |
You know…lately I just feel that the Lord has help me grow a little hitch. I went away from that dinner and time of fellowship we had the 19th WITH something. The ability to love unreservedly and it hasn’t left. What a joy and a privilege to meet with a group of people that didn’t seem to be looking for something blame you for, people that didn’t look for you to come up to some mark. Of course I realize that much of this comes from a very painful past, but perhaps it was Gods way of showing me that I don’t have to mistrust every human being in the world and use defense mechanisms of coldness and aloofness and complete formalism. About a year ago God began to ask me for a stick, just a stick at a time of my house of aloneness and aloofness, my fort, my place where I aloud no one to enter. 50 years of patching at the cracks, making sure that no one could even look in, much less invade. God began to coax me into handing him a stick at a time and there’s not many sticks left to that old house and he is replacing that with the ability to love people unreservedly. I never dreamed that was possible. Brothers and sisters of God loving brothers and sisters of God. Oh, I hope it is real, I really do. I decided to put some of my books displayed in the office to see how much interest there was in them since we have a lot of people coming in and out. A youngish woman came in today that has about maybe three or four month’s to live, gave her one of the books, in those books are messages of Gods love. And an invitation to take God at his word. I am still unable to show much emotion to those who really need a touch from God, but through those stories I can show emotion. I don’t know what you folks that received them think of them, but the Holy Spirit continues to affirm that they are of him. I handed one of the stories to my suffering Aunt, she had become discouraged and quit reading her Bible. She finished the book and I saw tears in her eyes and the next morning she was reading her Bible. I can’t put a price on that. My prayer is that God will continue to help me to love more and more as I move toward that perfect day where storms of gloom, doubt, cannot enter any more. River | ||
| Philharris Registered user Username: Philharris Post Number: 1346 Registered: 5-2007  |
River, I tremble with tears knowing simply that I am your friend. P.S. You can put rabbit ears, any time you wish, on all my other friends. Phil | ||
| Joyfulheart Registered user Username: Joyfulheart Post Number: 469 Registered: 10-2006 |
This has been an amazing thread! It is so totally cool to see people truly experiencing the body of Christ! Twila Paris has a song called "How Beautiful." One of the lines in the song is "How beautiful is the body of Christ." I'm realizing more and more that the church is God's gift to us and part of His plan for us to help us grow in Christ and deal with the pressures and heartaches the world brings. Jim, I attend a United Methodist church. United Methodist churches are as different from each other as anything. In Methodism (perhaps more than other denomination - maybe not) doctrines vary from church to church. Mine is very biblically based. My church supports a crisis pregnancy center and opposes abortion in every form. On right to life Sunday a few weeks ago, little plastic babies the size they are when most people abort were passed out. We saw a short video documenting what babies could do at different stages of their development. It was so amazing. My church believes the Bible is the inerrant Word of the Lord. There are UM churches that are diametrically opposed to everything we stand for. I strongly encourage you to give this church a chance. I'm so thrilled that you are going to church! God is definitely at work in your life. River, I can't wait to meet you! God brought you here! I was going to list names of everyone I wanted to meet from here. I gave up! I want to meet all of you! The bond we feel here can only be because of Jesus! I can't wait to worship with you all in heaven! We have ETERNITY with Jesus and each other! It doesn't get much better than that! Maranantha - come quickly Lord Jesus! | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 6402 Registered: 3-2004 |
If I do not meet you here on earth, you will find me sitting at the right foot of Jesus looking up into His face. That will be a glorious day. Jesus we love you and want you to come, quickly. What an awesome God you are. Diana L | ||
| 8thday Registered user Username: 8thday Post Number: 644 Registered: 11-2007  |
River, I was just thinking about your stories today! Now that my major project is done, I can start to think again about getting to my backlog - and near the top of the stack was a story of yours I didn't finish reading. I have not forgotten. I can really relate to your ability to convey things in writing that you have a hard time to express in person. I am also one of those, but I'm learning. On church membership, I only found one good reason to sign on the dotted line, and that was because where we are, it gives us the ability to serve in a way we can't as non-members. No other reason. If it wasn't a stipulation for service, wouldn't bother. =) Being part of the body of Christ - that's a privilege and a joy I truly appreciate now! Sondra | ||
| Jonvil Registered user Username: Jonvil Post Number: 275 Registered: 4-2007 |
"On church membership, I only found one good reason to sign on the dotted line, and that was because where we are, it gives us the ability to serve in a way we can't as non-members. No other reason. If it wasn't a stipulation for service, wouldn't bother. =) Being part of the body of Christ - that's a privilege and a joy I truly appreciate now! Sondra" I’ve been attending a Reformed SBC simply because of their position on Reformation Theology and have found it to be very ‘correct’, very dry and with no possibility to serve, I’m limited to that of a once a week spectator. I decided to look for an other church and have been visiting a First Evangelical Free Church and have found it to be quite refreshing. Membership of 300 with two worship services, a ‘traditional’ one at 8:30 (which I missed) and a contemporary one 11:00, which wasn’t over the top. They have a lot of activities and time will tell if there’s a place for me to serve. Why them? Because they were there!! Actually I heard about them in passing on this forum, I think it was Phil (?) and because I had been passing their church for the last 4 years on the way to Springfield. The first sermon I heard was on Colossians 2 and the pastors comments on verses 4 & 8 struck a chord (as an Adventist, what on earth had I been listening to?) I attended the morning study on Romans with a group listed as ‘Generations’ (geriatrics), turned out to be more of a monologue than group participation so, in that I can’t keep my mouth shut, I’ll probably be a nuisance. My first impression is that this is a Christ centered, grace based church with some non-salvational issues that I’m going to have to accept as just being different from what I understand, in other words – not essential to saved by grace through faith in Christ. John Douglas | ||
| Gcfrankie Registered user Username: Gcfrankie Post Number: 305 Registered: 1-2007 |
I am a hands on person so look out River that when we meet in person the first thing you will get is a big HUG and that applies to all I meet in person. The hug is not only from me but also from Jesus. As I look back when I was raised in the prysbeterian church as a child I was a hands on person then but after I joined the sda church I was not but now that I am out of there God has restored me to hands on again. God has brought into my path people who are sad and down hearted and I try to strike up a conversation with them and afterwards I ask them if I can give them a hug and if they say yes I tell them that the hug is not only from me but from Jesus and to cast their cares upon Him as He is bigger than both of us. Most say thank-you I needed that. If they say no then I ask Jesus to be with them. I apply this to everyone whether christian or not as you never know where that hug may lead. I praise God for bringing that person into my path. After I left sda I have been attending a bible only church under the umbrella of the baptist. After going for a while I went to the pastor and talked to him about doctrine and his reply to me was I teach God's doctrine not the baptist, org. doctrine. He has great sermons and it is almost like a bible study where he takes you through the verses and not text proofing,using someone elses writings or just standing up there talking. It is so refreshing and I have learned sooo much. Gail | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9328 Registered: 12-2003 |
John, I totally understand the process and discovery you are describing. There truly are a lot of non-salvational issues that we can "put up with" in the true body of Christ. In our women's Bible study, we are studying the attributes of God right now. In our leaders' meeting this last Monday evening, we were discussing with Elizabeth Inrig the fact that one of the aspects of God's grace to believers is the fact of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the reality that each of us is given at least one spiritual gift. Those gifts are for us to use for the building up of the body (see Epehsians 4). A congregation where people are not using their spiritual gifts for the purpose of teaching, encouraging, serving, shepherding, etc etc is a a group where in a very real sense the Holy Spirit is being quenched. Of course, this doesn't mean they're falling from salvation(!), but pure doctrine is not a substitute for living by the Spirit (as per Romans 8, Ephesians 4, 2 Cor 12-14, etc.). Rather, pure doctrine ought to propel us to rejoice in and trust the Lord Jesus in profound ways that lead us to surrender to Him and gladly take on the work He has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)!! Colleen | ||
| Honestwitness Registered user Username: Honestwitness Post Number: 765 Registered: 7-2005  |
Those of us who appreciate so much the ministry of River on this forum need to remember he's as Pentecostal as they come. He speaks in tongues. (So do I, by the way.) I just wanted to say that, to underline what has been said about the varieties of folks God uses to do his work. I also want to encourage those of us who are hesitant about receiving gifts from the Holy Spirit to lay aside our fears and trust our heavenly Father to give us the real thing and not a counterfeit. One of the saddest things in the Kingdom is when the King's children don't trust Him to protect them from ALL harm. Honestwitness |
