| Author |
Message |
Tealeaves
Registered user
Username: Tealeaves
Post Number: 234
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 9:47 pm: |     |
Please pray for us today. My husband's family is devout SDA, and he is going to talk to them today, for the first time, about the deep biblical reasons for his change in faith.
Pray that it goes amicably, and that God works through it to His glory.
-tanya- |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 1710
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 10:32 pm: | |
Tanya,
He and his family are on my prayer list.
Father in Heaven, Be with Tanya's husband as he talks to his family. Fill him with the Holy Spirit and give him Your words to say. Open the eyes, ears and minds of his family, that they will hear and understand what he says and they will accept Jesus. May it all be to Your Honor and Glory. You are so awesome.,
Diana |
Riverfonz
Registered user
Username: Riverfonz
Post Number: 516
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 11:19 pm: | |
Tanya,
I am praying that the Holy Spirit ministers in a special way and opens the spiritual eyes of your husband's family.
Stan |
Benevento
Registered user
Username: Benevento
Post Number: 28
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 7:11 am: | |
Tanya I am praying for your husbands family, to be open and willing to listen. I'd also like to
ask you all to pray that my efforts to explain to
old friends why I had left the church will not fall on deaf ears. I prayed before I wrote it
but I hope you will pray that it will make enough of an impression that they will study on their own. They bombard themselves with 3ABN, Loma Linda and Maxwell, plus the Sabbath School lessons
and I guess they think they are thinking for themselves--they suggested that I was leaving because of the treatment of women, not enough diversity in our churches or other such political
problems. I imagine it was quite a bombshell to
find out that no, it was the fundamental beliefs
that forced me out--God still works miracles with
minds and hearts, and some of the seeds planted
grow slowly--.Thanks for the prayers. The Gospel
message is so beautiful, and we long for our friends and loved ones to rejoice in it. |
Another_carol
Registered user
Username: Another_carol
Post Number: 269
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 11:46 am: | |
I will pray also. I also would pray for understanding and courage as you seek to accept God's possible Wait, No or Yes answer as I was given message this morning in my church thru childrens message.
Sometimes we must wait a long time for what we know to be the right way for our loved ones. I have been thru it and am still waiting. I also know that whatever I have said, concerning the truth of the Gospel as it has been given to me thru God and His Word only, may at the last moment be the saving grace for someone who cannot seem to grasp at this time.
I pray peace and joy in whatever happens. He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day. 2 Timothy 1:12 I know how much you want that for your family and I also know that sometimes in wanting something so much we tend to try and work it out ourselves. I speak of myself only and would ask God's spirit to give your husband the words needed to accomplish this in the only way possible: LOVE.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/k/ikwihb.htm
Because I understand so desperately your position I pray; God be with you , Another Carol |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 1712
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 12:15 pm: | |
Benevento,
You and your friends are in my prayers and on my prayer list.
God does hear and answer prayers, in His time and not in ours.
He is so awesome.
Diana |
Seekr777
Registered user
Username: Seekr777
Post Number: 200
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 4:32 pm: | |
I am very blessed when I read the posts of members here who have a heart for those still in the SDA church, and who do not know the full gospel of grace revealed in the Bible.
A spirit which does not continue the attitude of I'm right and everyone else must be in error is awesome. My prayer is not that others believe as i do but that the grace of God and the Holy Spirit might speak in a powerful and clear way to those whose hearts are open and receptive. God works in each of us individually and the only sure thing is He wants our focus to be clearly on His face and character, not on others (particularly not on one of us or our words no mater how righteous we might seem.)
My job description is NOT "convictor" of others, for that is the Holy Spirits job. I can only share through my life and words how God has done a work in me and lead me into a saved relationship with Him.
Richard
rtruitt@mac.com
|
Wooliee
Registered user
Username: Wooliee
Post Number: 21
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 5:19 pm: | |
Richard,
Very beautifully said.
Julie |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 2274
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 11:58 am: | |
Dear Tanya,
How did it go with your husband and his family?
I am struck my a comment Richard (my husband) made to me last week. We had had a particualrly hurtful conversation with someone close to us, and we were both reeling from it. I had prayed for God to hold me in Him and in His peace and truth as a I drove home afterward, and by the time my drive was over, I felt much calmer and less condemned.
Richard called me later and said, "We must forgive this person--not just say the words, but really forgive them. If we don't, we will be attacked spiritually at the place of our unforgiveness."
His comment was profound. This reality of anger and attack and misunderstanding is an inevitable part of knowing and surrendering to Jesus. Sometimes it will even come from people who claim to be "on your page"--Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians about the attacks by "false brothers".
So, Tanya and Benevento, I so feel for you (and your husband, Tanya) as you broach this subject with loved ones. You know, the reality of these conversations is twofold: First, we have discovered the gospel and have surrendered to a relationship with Jesus. That part alone can make people who might not know Him uncomfortable.
Second, in discovering the new covenant and the reaity of the Bible and personally knowing Jesus, we have found that literal heresy undergirds Adventism. Paul was outspoken against false gospels and heresies in his epistles. This is the part of these conversations that makes people angry. It is SO hard to admit that the entire framwork that defined one's life is flawed.
These conversations are essential for exactly the two reason they are hard: those we love need to hear the gospel, and they also need to understand how their beliefs have veiled the reality of Jesus from them. We can't convince them of these things, but we can share our experiences.
God truly does deal with us individually and in different ways and on different time tables. One consistent thread in our experiences, though, is that of His call to us to continue to surrender things to Him. He shows us when something needs to go; we KNOW when we're feeling unsettled or confused or when were trying too hard to explain to ourselves why we can hold onto something (whatever it is!) without surrendering it.
God really asks only one thing of us: surrender to Him as He convincts us with His Spirit. Sometimes that means not having further conversations with someone about religion. Sometimes it means speaking clearly what we now KNOW of Jesus and the Bible.
We can trust Himóand we can be certain that He leaves none of us where He finds us when we first surrender to Him!
Colleen
|
Tealeaves
Registered user
Username: Tealeaves
Post Number: 235
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 9:45 pm: | |
My husband shared with them from Hebrews... He just said that he wanted to read through Hebrews with them and explain some of what had brought him to believe differently over the last few years....
They just listened, and occasionally said "hmmm, interesting". they seemed mildly interested, certainly not defensive or "prickly" as i might have expected them to be. They also went to church with us at our non-denominational church, and they want tapes of the sermon series our church is having right now.
So all in all, it was hard to read what they thought of the bible study we did with htme, and the explanation of my husbands change in beliefs. But it certainly didn't go badly.
thanks for the prayers! And we will continue to share with them as the opportunity arises.
-tanya- |
Tealeaves
Registered user
Username: Tealeaves
Post Number: 236
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2005 - 5:54 pm: | |
On a slightly different note, an answer to prayer....
After 2 years of praying and seeking God's Will, it seems my husband and I may have found a church home. We have been meeting in our home weekly with some other Christian families to pray, study God's Word, and have dinner and fellowship, for the last two years, which we will continue to do. But we haven't been atending weekly services at established services on a regular basis, because we have felt disillusioned and disappointed with the churches we have visited in our area.
We weren't really looking for a large church because they are so often focused on establishment and programs. But we were urged by someone to try out a local church that has gone, in one year, from about 350 attenders to several thousand. (they have 5 weekend services of about750 people each.) What we found is a group of pastors who unabashedly and sincerely teach the words of Christ and urge compassion and love for lost people with transparency and humility. They are excited and passionate, and are on their knees constantly seeking God's Will for every move they make. 2 weeks ago they had a baptism service and 350 people were baptized. their high school/college ministry has over 900 regular attenders, and this Easter, they had over 12,000 people come through the doors during that weekend.
They aren't "holy rollers" in the least. And they aren't touting their numbers, but wondering what in the world to do with all the people coming through the doors. They have some extraordinarily creative ideas, since they don't want to spend millions on a building big enough to house everyone.
the bottom line is, though it isn't the venue we were looking for, we feel God pulling us to be a part of God's work at this church.
We are continuing to pray about it, but feel better about it each day. It is the first time since high school that I have been excited to go to church each weekend and miss it when we are not there.
God is good.
-tanya- |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 2300
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2005 - 7:56 pm: | |
Tanya! What astonishing and wonderful news! I know how you feel about suddenly finding yourself excited to go to church. Praise God!
Keep us posted.
Colleen |
Seekr777
Registered user
Username: Seekr777
Post Number: 213
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, July 15, 2005 - 12:39 am: | |
Tanya, what part of the country are you in with this awesome church.
rtruitt@mac.com |
Tealeaves
Registered user
Username: Tealeaves
Post Number: 237
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 15, 2005 - 10:39 am: | |
I am in Vancouver Washington. And truly, this is NOT a normally spirit-filled area. I think we are in the top 5 least-churched states in the US. Churches are closing and struggling all over the place. But this is definitely an exception.
The church is called Living Hope. |
Seekr777
Registered user
Username: Seekr777
Post Number: 214
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, July 15, 2005 - 3:15 pm: | |
Thanks for letting me know where you are. I'm not familiar with that area but do know of some very spirit filled groups in Portland, OR and also is Redding, CA
I'll keep you and your church in my prayers.
Bless you,
Richard
rtruitt@mac.com
|
|
