A sister in Christ that fell away from God...

[hishandmaiden]

There was this sister in Christ in my church who I will refer to as J. Sister J was a humble person, who served as an usher in my church. When I first became a Christian, Sister J was the only one who bother to befriend me. She was also friendly to all new-comers in church. She would also do the job which no one like to do, for the church, such as clearing up the vomits that would come after a deliverance session.

However, she had one flaw. She was too frank with her words and as a result, not many people in the church like her. Sister J, however, told me that she did not mind as it was God whom she was serving. She also told me that it was God who promoted the people, and therefore God promoted her to be a leader in the usher ministry. One day, sister J stopped coming to the church and the pastor told me to forget about her. I couldn't forget about her, though. She was my friend and she was such a humble sister. Why did she stop coming to church?

I contacted sister J, contrary to the wishes of my pastor. She told me not to contact her anymore as she no longer believed in God. I told her we could still be friend outside of church even if she did not believe in God anymore. She then told me that she did not want to stumble me in my faith with God and the pastor had told her not to contact anyone in church. She stopped contacting me, and until today, I had not seen her.

The question I posed to all of you is, why did such a humble sister who would do the odd job no one ever bothered to do in church fall away from Jesus? I soon found out why. Sister J's entire family committed suicide and she was upset with God. Furthermore, instead of emphasizing with her and offering support for her grief, the church rebuked her for her lack of faith in God and asked her to put her priorities right in God.

I mean, why should she not question God when her entire family, not at the same time, one by one, committed suicide? How many people could choose not to question God at a moment such as this? The church ought to offer her support, both emotionally and financially but instead, chose to ask her to set her priorities right. Most of the church people's lives were blessed and without problem and therefore, they did not question God. It was easy for them to judge her, but if their shoe had been the same as her, would they not question God, too?

Sometimes, when we are blessed, it is easy for us to forget those who are suffering in Christ. We look at these people with judgmental eyes and forget that Christ died for them and love them just as much as he love us. We fail to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are suffering. We question their sincerities for God when we ought to stand behind them in their time of need.

Satan is very crafty. He knows he cannot stand against us if we are united and therefore, he does not attack everyone at the same time. Instead, he shoots his dart at the most vulnerable, the one whom he thinks the church will not support if he or she falls away. One by one, he takes away the vulnerable and when we ignore the vulnerable in church, his strategies succeed. The church does not decrease in size over-night.

Instead, it is the one individual Christian who leaves church that we do not care about, that slowly adds up to the church's demise. We think it is only one person the church loses, but many such 'one' individual adds up to a large sum.

If we have been united as a body of Christ and go all out to stand behind every 'one' such individual who falls away from church, Satan will not have been successful in his tactics as there is strength in numbers. However, we ignore the merely 'one' sister or brother who falls away, and our selfishness gives strength to the devil.

Is it a wonder that church is almost empty these days? Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus cares for the 'one' sheep that falls astray more than He worries about the 99 sheep that are safe in the sheep-pen. He talks about how he finds more joy in finding that one sheep back more than He does the 99 who does not stray.

Shouldn't we do the same as Him? Today, try to contact all the individual brother or sister who used to attend your church but who you no longer see in church. If they cannot be contacted, or if they do not want to be contacted, pray for them. Do not stop praying for them unless you see them in church again or know somehow that they are still serving Jesus somewhere in another church.

Let not lose any more one 'individual' to Satan today! I am still praying for sister J, even though it had been 20 years ago when she fell away. Join me in my prayers for her and the many Christian who no longer walk with God! We need to love one another like Jesus loves us!

 

[Hopeful]

There was this sister in Christ in my church who I will refer to as J. Sister J was a humble person, who served as an usher in my church. When I first became a Christian, Sister J was the only one who bother to befriend me. She was also friendly to all new-comers in church. She would also do the job which no one like to do, for the church, such as clearing up the vomits that would come after a deliverance session.

However, she had one flaw. She was too frank with her words and as a result, not many people in the church like her. Sister J, however, told me that she did not mind as it was God whom she was serving. She also told me that it was God who promoted the people, and therefore God promoted her to be a leader in the usher ministry. One day, sister J stopped coming to the church and the pastor told me to forget about her. I couldn't forget about her, though. She was my friend and she was such a humble sister. Why did she stop coming to church?

I contacted sister J, contrary to the wishes of my pastor. She told me not to contact her anymore as she no longer believed in God. I told her we could still be friend outside of church even if she did not believe in God anymore. She then told me that she did not want to stumble me in my faith with God and the pastor had told her not to contact anyone in church. She stopped contacting me, and until today, I had not seen her.

The question I posed to all of you is, why did such a humble sister who would do the odd job no one ever bothered to do in church fall away from Jesus? I soon found out why. Sister J's entire family committed suicide and she was upset with God. Furthermore, instead of emphasizing with her and offering support for her grief, the church rebuked her for her lack of faith in God and asked her to put her priorities right in God.

I mean, why should she not question God when her entire family, not at the same time, one by one, committed suicide? How many people could choose not to question God at a moment such as this? The church ought to offer her support, both emotionally and financially but instead, chose to ask her to set her priorities right. Most of the church people's lives were blessed and without problem and therefore, they did not question God. It was easy for them to judge her, but if their shoe had been the same as her, would they not question God, too?

Sometimes, when we are blessed, it is easy for us to forget those who are suffering in Christ. We look at these people with judgmental eyes and forget that Christ died for them and love them just as much as he love us. We fail to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are suffering. We question their sincerities for God when we ought to stand behind them in their time of need.

Satan is very crafty. He knows he cannot stand against us if we are united and therefore, he does not attack everyone at the same time. Instead, he shoots his dart at the most vulnerable, the one whom he thinks the church will not support if he or she falls away. One by one, he takes away the vulnerable and when we ignore the vulnerable in church, his strategies succeed. The church does not decrease in size over-night.

Instead, it is the one individual Christian who leaves church that we do not care about, that slowly adds up to the church's demise. We think it is only one person the church loses, but many such 'one' individual adds up to a large sum.

If we have been united as a body of Christ and go all out to stand behind every 'one' such individual who falls away from church, Satan will not have been successful in his tactics as there is strength in numbers. However, we ignore the merely 'one' sister or brother who falls away, and our selfishness gives strength to the devil.

Is it a wonder that church is almost empty these days? Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus cares for the 'one' sheep that falls astray more than He worries about the 99 sheep that are safe in the sheep-pen. He talks about how he finds more joy in finding that one sheep back more than He does the 99 who does not stray.

Shouldn't we do the same as Him? Today, try to contact all the individual brother or sister who used to attend your church but who you no longer see in church. If they cannot be contacted, or if they do not want to be contacted, pray for them. Do not stop praying for them unless you see them in church again or know somehow that they are still serving Jesus somewhere in another church.

Let not lose any more one 'individual' to Satan today! I am still praying for sister J, even though it had been 20 years ago when she fell away. Join me in my prayers for her and the many Christian who no longer walk with God! We need to love one another like Jesus loves us!

I pray with you for your loved one.
I do have a question though.
Why would anyone vomit at a "deliverance session"?
What sort of church do you refer to?

 

[Dorothy Mae]

There was this sister in Christ in my church who I will refer to as J. Sister J was a humble person, who served as an usher in my church. When I first became a Christian, Sister J was the only one who bother to befriend me. She was also friendly to all new-comers in church. She would also do the job which no one like to do, for the church, such as clearing up the vomits that would come after a deliverance session.

However, she had one flaw. She was too frank with her words and as a result, not many people in the church like her. Sister J, however, told me that she did not mind as it was God whom she was serving. She also told me that it was God who promoted the people, and therefore God promoted her to be a leader in the usher ministry. One day, sister J stopped coming to the church and the pastor told me to forget about her. I couldn't forget about her, though. She was my friend and she was such a humble sister. Why did she stop coming to church?

I contacted sister J, contrary to the wishes of my pastor. She told me not to contact her anymore as she no longer believed in God. I told her we could still be friend outside of church even if she did not believe in God anymore. She then told me that she did not want to stumble me in my faith with God and the pastor had told her not to contact anyone in church. She stopped contacting me, and until today, I had not seen her.

The question I posed to all of you is, why did such a humble sister who would do the odd job no one ever bothered to do in church fall away from Jesus? I soon found out why. Sister J's entire family committed suicide and she was upset with God. Furthermore, instead of emphasizing with her and offering support for her grief, the church rebuked her for her lack of faith in God and asked her to put her priorities right in God.

I mean, why should she not question God when her entire family, not at the same time, one by one, committed suicide? How many people could choose not to question God at a moment such as this? The church ought to offer her support, both emotionally and financially but instead, chose to ask her to set her priorities right. Most of the church people's lives were blessed and without problem and therefore, they did not question God. It was easy for them to judge her, but if their shoe had been the same as her, would they not question God, too?

Sometimes, when we are blessed, it is easy for us to forget those who are suffering in Christ. We look at these people with judgmental eyes and forget that Christ died for them and love them just as much as he love us. We fail to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are suffering. We question their sincerities for God when we ought to stand behind them in their time of need.

Satan is very crafty. He knows he cannot stand against us if we are united and therefore, he does not attack everyone at the same time. Instead, he shoots his dart at the most vulnerable, the one whom he thinks the church will not support if he or she falls away. One by one, he takes away the vulnerable and when we ignore the vulnerable in church, his strategies succeed. The church does not decrease in size over-night.

Instead, it is the one individual Christian who leaves church that we do not care about, that slowly adds up to the church's demise. We think it is only one person the church loses, but many such 'one' individual adds up to a large sum.

If we have been united as a body of Christ and go all out to stand behind every 'one' such individual who falls away from church, Satan will not have been successful in his tactics as there is strength in numbers. However, we ignore the merely 'one' sister or brother who falls away, and our selfishness gives strength to the devil.

Is it a wonder that church is almost empty these days? Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus cares for the 'one' sheep that falls astray more than He worries about the 99 sheep that are safe in the sheep-pen. He talks about how he finds more joy in finding that one sheep back more than He does the 99 who does not stray.

Shouldn't we do the same as Him? Today, try to contact all the individual brother or sister who used to attend your church but who you no longer see in church. If they cannot be contacted, or if they do not want to be contacted, pray for them. Do not stop praying for them unless you see them in church again or know somehow that they are still serving Jesus somewhere in another church.

Let not lose any more one 'individual' to Satan today! I am still praying for sister J, even though it had been 20 years ago when she fell away. Join me in my prayers for her and the many Christian who no longer walk with God! We need to love one another like Jesus loves us!

Thoughtful post. You are right in your position on the lack of interest in individual sheep by the pastor. Maybe he has enough on his plate, I do not know. But it does reflect a kind of view that he doesn't want to trouble himself about others who are struggling nor about sending someone else who is willing to help the struggling one. It is some bother, I admit. Our last pastor was similar. "People come and people go" was his view.

Now as to the situation. I know something about this because I told God I wasn't going to be a Christian anymore after some very difficult personal health issues. I had held a theology that said God was protecting me and nothing could reach me without going through Him. That was not true and is not true or better said, it is not quite that simple. Anyway, after a time a returned to Him but with a different theology. The untrue theology had been bumped off and the truth replaced it and has stood the test of decades of difficulties.

So what you need to do is as you said, prayer for this sister. Second, I would pursue learning the ways of God so that you can explain Him to others when He seems to have disappointed them. When one knows the ways of God, one can explain things to those affected by them by logic and reason as well as this closeness to God gives one access to the Holy Spirit's guidance when exchanging with people. Those who love the truth, embrace the truth, tell themselves the truth, see the truth when it is before them or not before them.

What is remarkable about this J is that she had a love for truth and spoke it. If Your culture is not used to truth being spoken and so does not like people who do so. I know. I wasn't outspoken but as the love of truth grew in me, or as I received a deeper and deeper love for the truth, I was more and more able to detect the truth and tell the truth. It does not make a person popular in Anglo-american culture, believe me. (There are cultures who are more truthful.)

Regarding her experience, she was not getting teaching from church that would help someone through these things, that is obvious. But this is hard to find and with all food that nourishes, someone had to sacrifice for it. IOW, a pastor's whose life has been easy for the most part will likely not have the depth to teach depth unless he walked deeply with those in deep waters and experienced it and learned from them.

Anyway, if I were talking to J, I would tell her that 1) God is not micromanaging the world. He is not micromanaging our choices and not the choices of others either. So the Devil deceived her family into committing suicide and that spirit is likely after her as well. So, it is NOT GOD'S FAULT that they committed suicide. 2) I know that God can be her "family" and find her a family. "He sets the lonely in families." When my mother died God told me that He would be a mother to me and our relationship instantly changed and He was different towards me. He is my mother and father and husband and friend although I do not call myself the "friend of God" as that is for Him to declare. That honor I do not bestow upon myself. It is not mine to give.

So those are two points I would have communicated. To tell a woman suffering from a suicide of the whole family to "trust God" is so weak it is hard to believe people could have been so stone hearted. The Bible says to "weep with those who weep" not tell them to just cheer up and trust God. But again, our culture does not love truth nor sadness nor suffering. When my mother died (I was 24) my christian friends told me to cheer up because she was in Heaven. My nonchristian friends came to the funeral and wept with me. The church is full of superficial people who cannot deal with real life sorrows but wants all of us to just be happy. This does not describe all of them to be sure. We need not to be one of them.

Nice interacting with you and I look forward to more conversations with you. You got some depth, girl!!

Dorothy Mae (my mother's name and in memory of her)

 

[Passepartout]

Praying she will return to Christ. Maybe in the rubbing people the wrong way with her words. May had turned off people. And that only Christ can help her return to Him and that over in the trying to be more nicer not just in words but actions as well there. And really she is not the first nor will be the last that has fallen away from God. And hope she and others like her will return to Christ and God will get a hold of people like her.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

There was this sister in Christ in my church who I will refer to as J. Sister J was a humble person, who served as an usher in my church. When I first became a Christian, Sister J was the only one who bother to befriend me. She was also friendly to all new-comers in church. She would also do the job which no one like to do, for the church, such as clearing up the vomits that would come after a deliverance session.

However, she had one flaw. She was too frank with her words and as a result, not many people in the church like her. Sister J, however, told me that she did not mind as it was God whom she was serving. She also told me that it was God who promoted the people, and therefore God promoted her to be a leader in the usher ministry. One day, sister J stopped coming to the church and the pastor told me to forget about her. I couldn't forget about her, though. She was my friend and she was such a humble sister. Why did she stop coming to church?

I contacted sister J, contrary to the wishes of my pastor. She told me not to contact her anymore as she no longer believed in God. I told her we could still be friend outside of church even if she did not believe in God anymore. She then told me that she did not want to stumble me in my faith with God and the pastor had told her not to contact anyone in church. She stopped contacting me, and until today, I had not seen her.

The question I posed to all of you is, why did such a humble sister who would do the odd job no one ever bothered to do in church fall away from Jesus? I soon found out why. Sister J's entire family committed suicide and she was upset with God. Furthermore, instead of emphasizing with her and offering support for her grief, the church rebuked her for her lack of faith in God and asked her to put her priorities right in God.

I mean, why should she not question God when her entire family, not at the same time, one by one, committed suicide? How many people could choose not to question God at a moment such as this? The church ought to offer her support, both emotionally and financially but instead, chose to ask her to set her priorities right. Most of the church people's lives were blessed and without problem and therefore, they did not question God. It was easy for them to judge her, but if their shoe had been the same as her, would they not question God, too?

Sometimes, when we are blessed, it is easy for us to forget those who are suffering in Christ. We look at these people with judgmental eyes and forget that Christ died for them and love them just as much as he love us. We fail to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are suffering. We question their sincerities for God when we ought to stand behind them in their time of need.

Satan is very crafty. He knows he cannot stand against us if we are united and therefore, he does not attack everyone at the same time. Instead, he shoots his dart at the most vulnerable, the one whom he thinks the church will not support if he or she falls away. One by one, he takes away the vulnerable and when we ignore the vulnerable in church, his strategies succeed. The church does not decrease in size over-night.

Instead, it is the one individual Christian who leaves church that we do not care about, that slowly adds up to the church's demise. We think it is only one person the church loses, but many such 'one' individual adds up to a large sum.

If we have been united as a body of Christ and go all out to stand behind every 'one' such individual who falls away from church, Satan will not have been successful in his tactics as there is strength in numbers. However, we ignore the merely 'one' sister or brother who falls away, and our selfishness gives strength to the devil.

Is it a wonder that church is almost empty these days? Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus cares for the 'one' sheep that falls astray more than He worries about the 99 sheep that are safe in the sheep-pen. He talks about how he finds more joy in finding that one sheep back more than He does the 99 who does not stray.

Shouldn't we do the same as Him? Today, try to contact all the individual brother or sister who used to attend your church but who you no longer see in church. If they cannot be contacted, or if they do not want to be contacted, pray for them. Do not stop praying for them unless you see them in church again or know somehow that they are still serving Jesus somewhere in another church.

Let not lose any more one 'individual' to Satan today! I am still praying for sister J, even though it had been 20 years ago when she fell away. Join me in my prayers for her and the many Christian who no longer walk with God! We need to love one another like Jesus loves us!

Being offended is the biggest problem in the church, IMO. We feel so entitled to be offended when we are not received the way we want to be and expect to be, but it is a very destructive quality. It amounts to holding grudges. It divides far more people in the church than doctrine does.

As you point out, we are strongest in numbers. And it's satan's unending goal to whittle us down to individuals who can't resist him as well as we can when we are unified in numbers. Offense is the #1 enemy of unity.

As far as praying for her...God we ask, in accordance with where she's at with you today, that whatever her most urgent need is today that you will be gracious and merciful to meet that need. And whatever her deepest need is at this time in her life that you would bring her comfort and deliverance.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I pray with you for your loved one.
I do have a question though.
Why would anyone vomit at a "deliverance session"?
What sort of church do you refer to?

In churches that believe in and practice the gifts of the Spirit, the casting out of demons from people can be very dramatic. They often don't go easy.

 

[for_his_glory]

You have befriended this lady and became friends with her. We don't always know why another walks away and since she doesn't want any contact with you never give up on her as Christ is patiently waiting for her to return back to Him. If you can try to contact her just to see how she is doing this will at least let her know someone out their cares about her. It could be you through the Holy Spirit that will help her with the love and compassion you have for her.

God bless you sister

 

[Hopeful]

In churches that believe in and practice the gifts of the Spirit, the casting out of demons from people can be very dramatic. They often don't go easy.

So a "delivery session" is the casting out of devils?
Why didn't he just say that? Never mind...rhetorical question.
I wonder why that never happened in the bible when Jesus, Peter, or Paul cast out a demon?
The whole thing seems pretty fake to me...

 

[Jethro Bodine]

So a "delivery session" is the casting out of devils?
Why didn't he just say that? Never mind...rhetorical question.
I wonder why that never happened in the bible when Jesus, Peter, or Paul cast out a demon?
The whole thing seems pretty fake to me...

Apart from the shrieks and convulsing, the Bible just says they cast out devils and doesn't go into much detail.

 

[hawkman]

So a "delivery session" is the casting out of devils?
Why didn't he just say that? Never mind...rhetorical question.
I wonder why that never happened in the bible when Jesus, Peter, or Paul cast out a demon?
The whole thing seems pretty fake to me...

It is possible that detail of vomit was left out of the record , it could of been thought of as insignificant .
And remember we don't have a record of everything Jesus did while here in the flesh or the apostles for that matter .

The demonic can and will manifest in the world we are in now .

 

[Hopeful]

Apart from the shrieks and convulsing, the Bible just says they cast out devils and doesn't go into much detail.

I know, but feel that vomiting would merit a mention.

 

[Hopeful]

It is possible that detail of vomit was left out of the record , it could of been thought of as insignificant .
And remember we don't have a record of everything Jesus did while here in the flesh or the apostles for that matter .

The demonic can and will manifest in the world we are in now .

We don't know everything, for sure.
But the vomiting seems to be show-boating.
If the departing spirit really wanted to impact a newly freed man, why not make them poop their pants?
Or bleed from their ears?
All rhetorical questions for sure, but vomiting?

 

[Jethro Bodine]

We don't know everything, for sure.
But the vomiting seems to be show-boating.
If the departing spirit really wanted to impact a newly freed man, why not make them poop their pants?
Or bleed from their ears?
All rhetorical questions for sure, but vomiting?

Spiritists will tell you that spirits enter and exit through the mouth and nose.

 

[Christ_empowered]

Honestly…other Christians can damage one’s faith especially in some churches. Not that I’m super amazing Christian. Some other Christians can’t stand me and may think I’m not saved or if that dudes a Christian then maybe I should just consider something else…

On and on. Churches in the USA have long had a sort of cliche rep for breeding hypocrisy and politics but…

I do sometimes wonder when I see the latest minister fall because of various sorts of immorality and even illegal behavior…

Are we entering the great falling away?

 

[Hopeful]

Spiritists will tell you that spirits enter and exit through the mouth and nose.

Godly spiritists?

 

[Hopeful]

Honestly…other Christians can damage one’s faith especially in some churches. Not that I’m super amazing Christian. Some other Christians can’t stand me and may think I’m not saved or if that dudes a Christian then maybe I should just consider something else…

On and on. Churches in the USA have long had a sort of cliche rep for breeding hypocrisy and politics but…

I do sometimes wonder when I see the latest minister fall because of various sorts of immorality and even illegal behavior…

Are we entering the great falling away?

As we can tell the false prophets by their fruit, so too can we tell the false churches. (Matt 7:15-17)

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Godly spiritists?

No.

 

[Hopeful]

No.

We must always "consider the source".

 

[Jethro Bodine]

We must always "consider the source".

Sometimes I think occultists know more about the supernatural than us! I learned from the occult that the silver cord in Ecclesiastes 12:6 is the cord that connects the spirit to the body.

6Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped

 

[grumix8]

praying for her. ;-; the lord will do mriacles.