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Do you want to be fed or guided through religious rituals?

Jethro Bodine

Jethro Bodine

Member
What do you want out of church? Do you want to learn and feed on truth, or do you want to be guided through religious rituals? Both?
 
To an extent, both.... and more. I like to feel that when I have left that church building, that I "gave" something to someone.
 
Willie T said:
To an extent, both.... and more. I like to feel that when I have left that church building, that I "gave" something to someone.
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So you're saying that's an additional desire that you have in regard to church, right? Nothing wrong with that. That's actually a main reason why I go to church.

I'm curious, of the 'both'. What ritual(s) are you referring to?
 
Jethro Bodine said:
What do you want out of church? Do you want to learn and feed on truth, or do you want to be guided through religious rituals? Both?
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Like Willie and yourself, the attitude of what can we give to others and the church is, imo, how we are to approach it.

It would be nice if church services were set up in a way where we are being fed the truth in a more meaningful way, for instance, being able to openly discuss what is being taught, ask questions and in this way other people could use their gifts (such as knowledge, wisdom, prophecy, etc) to share with the congregation.

As far as other rituals, worship in songs, communion and baptism would be the ones where I see the Bible tells us to continue. Other than that, too many rituals can stifle the Holy Spirit and how He wants to move instead of us just "doing" something because we've done it for decades.

Just my :twocents. :)
 
Again both... Some traditions are comforting.... nothing more just comforting.... Study IMO consist of sorta questions and answers.. I would like a church that has both....
 
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Neither! Jesus was sent to gather as many as had ears to hear Him and the things I want most from the Church, established by men, is, first, corporate worship and then extended, godly, Fellowship. Unlike the ?New? movement to ignore the Bible and to follow the unknown spirit in their own heads, I have sought after and,have been found by and accepted by the God of the Bible and Church or not, I want Him.
 
Abigail123 said:
It would be nice if church services were set up in a way where we are being fed the truth in a more meaningful way, for instance, being able to openly discuss what is being taught, ask questions and in this way other people could use their gifts (such as knowledge, wisdom, prophecy, etc) to share with the congregation.
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Do you think there are enough Christians looooonging for this that a new church movement could begin in the United States?
I'm serious.
 
I'll give an example of just how far the churches have fallen away.

If any Apostle stood in any pulpit on earth, today, and said as Paul did, and said what Paul said about himself, that he had every manner of concupiscence in his mind brought about by the lusts in his own flesh, (Romans 7:7-13), that he had, as he spoke and acted, evil present with him, (Romans 7:21,) that he did evil, (Romans 7:19), that he is carnal, sold under sin, (Romans 7:14), that he had a messenger of Satan in his own flesh (2 Cor. 12:7) that he had the sentence of death in himself, (2 Cor. 1:9), and that he was the chief of sinners, after salvation (1 Tim. 1:15)

would there be even a single congregant there to listen to these Divine Spiritual facts?

Uh, no. Any attendants would more than likely would all run out the door, holding their hands over their ears, and flee to the nearest church that will itch their ears and make them "feel" good about themselves.

Show me the TRUTH of Paul in the pulpit, and THERE, I will sit, heeding and savoring, every word. Show me 2 or 3 elders who have submitted to Paul's Gospel, and you'll see the power of God in Christ on earth.

Most of us can't even stand to bear and to hear the LEAST of Paul's Gospel. There is much more above this, to be had.

The churches fell away long long ago. Paul even prophesied, revealed, that this WOULD happen, and cried over it with MANY tears. Acts 20:27-32.

Dead ritualism. Little truth. Proclaiming other believers to be potentially bound to hell, and they, not. All piled up in little pockets of endless divisions. Never laying upon ourselves, the same VILE matters to ourselves, that Paul laid upon himself, the very matters that remind us that the only ground we have to stand on is HIS LOVE, as there is no other place to stand.

And therefore never moving on to the more savory aspects of WAR in FAITH on a personal level. A few here and there, continue to be reached. Yes, poor old Jesus does try, doesn't He? What Paul prophesied about was actually meant to come to pass, and I do look forward to the Day when the Spirit of Lord in the church, in the PULPIT, unites us ALL on the low ground, in the valley of Truth, where none of us have any cause to vaunt over one another and every cause to LOVE one another. Where did that go? Where is His Love? Why is it that the ONLY command, the SINGLE command to all the church members, one to another is to LOVE one another. Where did that ALL go?

Will Jesus Return to us on this ground? I believe SO! It is the only ground possible to REUNITE upon. To rise, one MUST fall themselves.

I would however commend any good actions by anyone, including church people. Can't really fault anyone there. Even an unbeliever is as good as YOU or I on this count.

I heard a Lutheran Pastor awhile back that actually squeaked out that we all have a little bit of the devil in us, and I thought, HEY, maybe there is some GOSPEL TRUTH that is going to be spoken! But alas, it was quickly glossed over with whitewash.

Believers today really DON'T want to hear this stuff, do they?
Anyone?
Any takers?
Nah, I didn't think so.

We're all too busy with this action:

Luke 18:11
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

No, you aren't as the other men are Mr. Pharisee. YOU'RE MUCH MUCH WORSE.

Maybe, someday, when the world has fallen even further away, just as we fell many long centuries ago, we'll learn that we are sinners, that our sin really IS OF THE DEVIL, and we really are to love one another, regardless? And we'll see that our own internal enemy has destroyed us all by damnation and condemnation between ourselves?

And that we perhaps, like Paul DID, should have laid the very harshest judgments directly upon OUR OWN HIDE? And ROSE in HIS LOVE, from those DEAD ASHES, bearing FRUIT.

Do you think this will ever happen?

Jesus will come today, to ALL people in faith, who are LED, personally, to the dust and ash pile, just as He came to our father of faith, Abraham:

Genesis 18:27
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

And there they will plead with our Lord, for all the righteous. And will not even consider themselves, because they have seen what they really are.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
Do you think there are enough Christians looooonging for this that a new church movement could begin in the United States?
I'm serious.
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If God was in this sort of movement, then it wouldn't fail. The problem, imo, might be that we are conditioned (in the west at least) and were taught that the church services have to be the way they are and there is no other way to conduct "going to church". We've also been taught going to church is part of our salvation, regardless if all we do is sit in a pew. The question would be, as believers, are we listening to God as the ecclesia and if so would we respond to it, being that it is completely different that what has been accepted by society for so long? To undo this conditioning would really have to be a miracle from God, don't you think?

What has been going on is the movement away from traditional church, but there isn't anywhere else to go (at least what I have found). The home groups I have found either don't respond back to you upon inquiry, or their beliefs are a little out there, or they live communally. Perhaps the generation coming up, who tends to not like traditional church services, will start to conduct "church" in other ways.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
So you're saying that's an additional desire that you have in regard to church, right? Nothing wrong with that. That's actually a main reason why I go to church.

I'm curious, of the 'both'. What ritual(s) are you referring to?
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Well, if you ever heard us try to sing with no guidance, you wouldn't ask that question. LOL
 
Almost every one of our regular Sunday "services" is a little different than the others... sometimes a WHOLE lot different.
 
smaller said:
If any Apostle stood in any pulpit on earth, today, and said as Paul did, and said what Paul said about himself, that he had every manner of concupiscence in his mind brought about by the lusts in his own flesh, (Romans 7:7-13), that he had, as he spoke and acted, evil present with him, (Romans 7:21,) that he did evil, (Romans 7:19), that he is carnal, sold under sin, (Romans 7:14), that he had a messenger of Satan in his own flesh (2 Cor. 12:7) that he had the sentence of death in himself, (2 Cor. 1:9), and that he was the chief of sinners, after salvation (1 Tim. 1:15)

would there be even a single congregant there to listen to these Divine Spiritual facts?
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Your wrong, brother! My Pastor is the man you describe here and rather than empty out the church we need to build, once more to absorb the increase. People are hungry for the truth.
 
th1b.taylor said:
Your wrong, brother! My Pastor is the man you describe here and rather than empty out the church we need to build, once more to absorb the increase. People are hungry for the truth.
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Then you are honored to sit under a man of Gospel TRUTH! I'd love to hear of him in detail.
 
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