If You Were To...

[Wrg1405]

--
My church has a different focus then most churches.
Its focus is not to entertain you, but rather to stimulate you to go and do something for God with the rest of your life.
We dont spend a lot of time teaching you to feel good about yourself, but rather we show you why you should love God with all your heart and do all you can for Him before you die and meet Him.
My church supports over 200 International missionaries, @$200 a week.....and many of which were called from my church, but not all.
There are over 150 brick and mortar "churches" that have Pastors in them, worldwide, who were called from my Church.
So, while the praise and worship is anointed and lively, its the preaching and the teaching you find there that is so Blood Atonement and Cross >centered< and so very Honoring to Jesus, that will cause you to become so inspired to invest your life in God's work.

I'm not sure why you think that your church has a different focus than most churches. If the focus of any church within the denominations preach Christ crucified and risen again and seek to be like him then that's church.

I must be honest and I do not wish to start an argument as such or say you are wrong because maybe I have not understood what you have said.

What perplexes me is your comments "Focus not to entertain you but rather to stimulate you to go and do something for God with the rest of your life, we don't spend a lot of time teaching you to feel good about yourself but rather why you should love God with all your heart and do all you can for him before you die and meet him"

I'm sorry if I have got the wrong but it seems your teaching works based theology and correct me if I'm wrong.

So maybe you could expand "why you should love God with all your heart and do all you can before you meet him and what your church teaches how this can be done"

My church seeks to entertain, we have many outreach campaigns that reach out to the poor, the marginalised, drug addicts, people with mental health problems. We put on meals, events where single parents can come along with their children, old age people on their own. We invest in Christisans against poverty that has reaped rewards with a few coming to Christ.

So I think my issue with your post is as follows. Let's say in one of the outreach programs someone places their faith in Christ, your post suggests that now such a person must love God with all their heart and do all you can for them before you meet him when you die.

Yes Jesus said love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, there is no getting away from that.

I don't think a person can love God with all their heart unless they know that God loves them with all his heart.

If a person does not feel good about themselves how can they walk in the way you preach by saying show you love God doing all you can for him before you meet him. That's like packing a donkey either side and saying carry a weight.

Zaccheus hid in a tree, Jesus said to him "I'm coming to your house today" Zaccheus was amazed had a meal with Jesus and changed" he changed not because Jesus met with him, but he realised Jesus loved him. When he realised that he changed.

I sit with an alcoholic in back of the church. He believes in Jesus, he loves coming to our church and has confessed a faith in Jesus, when I sit with him he goes out and tops up and has his cigarette. He asks why? I reply why not? He answers because I'm a useless so and so and an alcoholic and God can't love me. I say God loves as you are but loves you enough to change you. This man needs healing from what has caused him to be like he is. Until he realises this then he cannot love God with all his heart and soul and prove it to him.

People with issues who come to Christ still have those issues. They do not go away automatically (although they can, as I don't want to limit God and the way he works)

When a person knows that God loves them, then they feel good about themselves, they feel loved. They realise that they love because God first loved them, they can then do the works that Christ has asked them to do. When my alcoholic friend gets it, and God starts to work then he can come alongside another who struggles.

I do hope that your church allows for healing

 

[Wrg1405]

Why not, after all you will find the same in any Church being virtual or and actual building..............just let love have its perfect way as we are to be following Christ, not man.

I agree, just wanted to put it out there. Must admit was a little worried about being shot down. I have myself recommend this site to Christians struggling and just want to be unkown and to non Christians wanting to know a bit more.

 

[for_his_glory]

I'm not sure why you think that your church has a different focus than most churches. If the focus of any church within the denominations preach Christ crucified and risen again and seek to be like him then that's church.

I must be honest and I do not wish to start an argument as such or say you are wrong because maybe I have not understood what you have said.

What perplexes me is your comments "Focus not to entertain you but rather to stimulate you to go and do something for God with the rest of your life, we don't spend a lot of time teaching you to feel good about yourself but rather why you should love God with all your heart and do all you can for him before you die and meet him"

I'm sorry if I have got the wrong but it seems your teaching works based theology and correct me if I'm wrong.

So maybe you could expand "why you should love God with all your heart and do all you can before you meet him and what your church teaches how this can be done"

My church seeks to entertain, we have many outreach campaigns that reach out to the poor, the marginalised, drug addicts, people with mental health problems. We put on meals, events where single parents can come along with their children, old age people on their own. We invest in Christisans against poverty that has reaped rewards with a few coming to Christ.

So I think my issue with your post is as follows. Let's say in one of the outreach programs someone places their faith in Christ, your post suggests that now such a person must love God with all their heart and do all you can for them before you meet him when you die.

Yes Jesus said love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, there is no getting away from that.

I don't think a person can love God with all their heart unless they know that God loves them with all his heart.

If a person does not feel good about themselves how can they walk in the way you preach by saying show you love God doing all you can for him before you meet him. That's like packing a donkey either side and saying carry a weight.

Zaccheus hid in a tree, Jesus said to him "I'm coming to your house today" Zaccheus was amazed had a meal with Jesus and changed" he changed not because Jesus met with him, but he realised Jesus loved him. When he realised that he changed.

I sit with an alcoholic in back of the church. He believes in Jesus, he loves coming to our church and has confessed a faith in Jesus, when I sit with him he goes out and tops up and has his cigarette. He asks why? I reply why not? He answers because I'm a useless so and so and an alcoholic and God can't love me. I say God loves as you are but loves you enough to change you. This man needs healing from what has caused him to be like he is. Until he realises this then he cannot love God with all his heart and soul and prove it to him.

People with issues who come to Christ still have those issues. They do not go away automatically (although they can, as I don't want to limit God and the way he works)

When a person knows that God loves them, then they feel good about themselves, they feel loved. They realise that they love because God first loved them, they can then do the works that Christ has asked them to do. When my alcoholic friend gets it, and God starts to work then he can come alongside another who struggles.

I do hope that your church allows for healing

Let us let God be God in all His love he has for us even though we might not comprehend such an unconditional love. Thank you Lord for loving a sinner such as I that you keep leading me in all your ways as you perfect me from the inside out staring with my hearts condition.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Our church beleive that the gifts that the early church had is still relevant today, so we are not cessationalists. There will be tongues, words of knowledge. We do pray for healing.

That is a charismatic church. You believe in, and exercise the grace of God given to us in the form of our various spiritual gifts:

"7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8Therefore it says,
“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,
HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
(Ephesians 4:7-8,11-12 NASB)

"God has allotted to each a measure of faith.4For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
(Romans 12:3-8 NASB)

But specifically, 'charismatic' is used by the church today to describe a church where ALL of the gracious gifts of God are exercised. They are all about the Holy Spirit and experiencing everything he has to give to and bless the church.

I define charismatic as over indulging in something that gives you pleasure, but yet only a temporary emotional feeling of joy, but yet leaves you empty inside when the emotional part fades away.

While ecstatic, emotional worship is definitely a part of charismatic worship it's only one part of it. It's the icing on the cake.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I haven't heard the phrase 'Full Gospel' in quite a long time. But it describes a church that embraces ALL of the gospel in our Bibles, including the gifts of the Spirit that Christ gives to his people that most churches seem to resist.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Let's be honest CFNET is a church albeit it a virtual church.

cf.net is more 'church' than most churches.Christians like it because we do here what God says Christian's are supposed to do in a meeting of the saints. Somebody shares a word of knowledge, another shares a valuable teaching, another has a word of wisdom, another has a word of encouragement, still another has a song or a hymn to share. And all done under the guidance of a team of moderators who shut people up when they need to be shut up and who escort the unruly and the blasphemous to the door when it's time to do that. That's what 'having church' is.

"When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up." (1 Corinthians 14:26 NASB)

People like cf.net because it builds them up in the way that God prescribes that their local church is not doing. The local church can't do that because it follows a pattern of meeting together taught in our seminaries handed down generation to generation from the second century. Everyone's too afraid to change the status quo and start doing what Paul says you are to do in a church meeting of the saints "so that the church may be built up" (see quote above).

I've had the privilege of being in a church that was run the way Paul says it should be run. And I can tell you it works! And I can also tell you that the hungry, dissatisfied people in God's family who experience it LOVE it! But almost always their conscience won't let them let go of the golden idol of our traditional Sunday church routine, thinking that is how God really wants it. It's sad, but true. So, true church ends up happening in extra-curricular meetings--Sunday school classes, home meetings, on-line forums...

 

[JLB]

I've brought back from Israel some water from the Jordan River so when their kids get Baptized they can pour it into the Baptistry.

Did you remember to pour in a gallon of chlorine bleach also?


JLB

 

[JLB]

So...yeah...why would anyone want to be a part of that?

Because Reba and Jethro are not there.


JLB

 

[JLB]

But in my denomination (Jethro's denomination) we are in a year when the people of God are to eat their our own tithe, so I guess you'll have to wait.

I like your denomination... because we can pick and choose which parts of the law of Moses obey.



JLB

 

[JLB]

Food and money.
Have dinners, and teach how godliness is a means to riches and you'll pack the pews out.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not against the former.

Don't forget to add the grace to live anyway we choose.



JLB

 

[JLB]

Not sure what part of the body I am, sometimes I think I'm the ass

I doubt that. There can only be one of us for that position... otherwise the body of Christ would be full of c_ _ _!

23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 1 Corinthians 12:23-24



JLB

 

[JLB]

What does that involve? How do we make our churches more like New Testament churches?

...neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. Acts 4:32-35



...we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. 7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 6:3-8


Having a strong Apostolic Leadership that is given over to prayer and the ministry of the word, is the foundation for a strong Spirit led Church.



JLB

 

[for_his_glory]

That is a charismatic church. You believe in, and exercise the grace of God given to us in the form of our various spiritual gifts:

"7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8Therefore it says,
“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,
HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
(Ephesians 4:7-8,11-12 NASB)

"God has allotted to each a measure of faith.4For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
(Romans 12:3-8 NASB)

But specifically, 'charismatic' is used by the church today to describe a church where ALL of the gracious gifts of God are exercised. They are all about the Holy Spirit and experiencing everything he has to give to and bless the church.



While ecstatic, emotional worship is definitely a part of charismatic worship it's only one part of it. It's the icing on the cake.

Icing is good and sweet, but if it has no substance (word of God) attached to it it is only icing. My husband and I were trying to find another Church after our last one had to fold up and one service we went to all they did was sing praise songs, which I love a good praise service, but they gave only a couple minutes to reading a scripture and then right back to singing again. That was the whole service although very emotional in giving praise and glory to God it lacked the importance of the gathering in teaching the congregation anything from Gods word. We never could find a Church in our area for the anointing of the Holy Spirit was not found in them, even though there is one on every corner and this is why I come into CF as to not only share with others, but to also learn from others that have the anointing from the Holy Spirit.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I like your denomination... because we can pick and choose which parts of the law of Moses obey.



JLB

Exactly!