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Is This In Your Church Today?

I thought the same thing Jim Parker.

Sometimes a preacher will do this to make an analogy or make his point be more human and bring it down to our experiences. If it lasts 20 seconds or less I can take - otherwise, who really cares? Is this what I came for?

Paul and Peter went to their death for preaching the word of God. I preach Christ and Him crucified.

What more to say?

Wondering
 
Rollo Tamasi said:
This church in the video has a membership of over 8,000.
Click to expand...
I believe it. It's easy to take. One of my brothers went to a "psychology" type church. I went a few times. I never felt like I had been in church. I could have been at a psychology seminar. You know, Joyce Meyers is a little like this. Joel Olsteen. Am I allowed to name? It's good for some people I guess. Everyone needs something different.
I like to hear nice things too. But it's not church.

How to explain it better without going on for pages.

Wondering
 
Rollo Tamasi said:
This church in the video has a membership of over 8,000.
Click to expand...

The Catholic parish that my friend attends here in Las Vegas is bigger than that.

Joel Olsteen averages over 43,500 in attendance per week.

So what? When it comes to churches, size really does not matter.

What matters is; are those "pastors" edifying the saints so that the congregation "...all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" (Eph 4:13-14) Or are they being entertained?

iakov the fool
 
Jim Parker said:
The Catholic parish that my friend attends here in Las Vegas is bigger than that.

Joel Olsteen averages over 43,500 in attendance per week.

So what? When it comes to churches, size really does not matter.

What matters is; are those "pastors" edifying the saints so that the congregation "...all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" (Eph 4:13-14) Or are they being entertained?

iakov the fool
Click to expand...
Thanks Jim Parker,
You explained it better!

Wondering
 
JP

I agree with everything you've said. Justification. Sanctification. Persevere till the end.
Although I doubt I'll be mistaken for Jesus!

There's always more. It's good to know. The bible could be simple or it could require a theologian to decipher a verse.

I'm just saying it's not Always necessary. I know many church goers who know very little of the Word but love Jesus a lot, have the patience of a saint and are much better persons than I am.

As far as my friend goes. She's not seeking attention. She loves the Lord but looks to man to guide her. Sometimes it's necessary. I'm no stranger to advice. But I tend to speak to God and He ends up helping me out most of the time. I think we should depend on Him more. When possible.

I mentioned Joyce Meyers and Joel Olsteen back there. Maybe I just mean that people should really depend more on their own rapport with Jesus than trying to glean what these people have for them. Maybe we should be depending more on God than on man?

Wondering
 
This is probably the most famous sermon ever preached in America, and it was preached 270 years ago just a couple of miles from my home here in Connecticut.

 
Rollo Tamasi said:
Click to expand...
This is really a pretty mild story. I honestly don't have too much trouble receiving it as what really happened.

In my first church on a Sunday morning about 3 or 4 months after getting saved, the whole congregation was deep in praise and worship. I had my eyes closed and I heard something in me say, "open your eyes". I opened my eyes and saw these shimmering waves coming down to the congregation from above. When it got to the tops of the heads of the congregation they all exploded in tongues in unison (they had their eyes closed). And it happened just at the moment in the style of praise and worship they used when the Holy Spirit would 'fall' on the congregation. God was purposely showing me the Holy Spirit.

One Sunday morning about a year after I got saved God told me to take my guitar with me to the church I was attending at that time because he said the woman who played the piano and led worship for them would not be there. So before I left I practiced a few songs at the kitchen table. I took it with me and sure enough, she and her husband had suddenly quit the church. I led worship that morning when they saw she wasn't there, and they saw I was there and had my guitar with me. We had wonderful praise and worship.

These are two times out of about, oh, ten times, maybe, that I sensed God speaking to me. It does happen. And you know it's for real when what he says happens.
 
I love the charismatic church and their connection to abundant, joyful fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit, but the movement seems to have been largely destroyed by a lot of garbage.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
This is really a pretty mild story. I honestly don't have too much trouble receiving it as what really happened.

In my first church on a Sunday morning about 3 or 4 months after getting saved, the whole congregation was deep in praise and worship. I had my eyes closed and I heard something in me say, "open your eyes". I opened my eyes and saw these shimmering waves coming down to the congregation from above. When it got to the tops of the heads of the congregation they all exploded in tongues in unison (they had their eyes closed). And it happened just at the moment in the style of praise and worship they used when the Holy Spirit would 'fall' on the congregation. God was purposely showing me the Holy Spirit.

One Sunday morning about a year after I got saved God told me to take my guitar with me to the church I was attending at that time because he said the woman who played the piano and led worship for them would not be there. So before I left I practiced a few songs at the kitchen table. I took it with me and sure enough, she and her husband had suddenly quit the church. I led worship that morning when they saw she wasn't there, and they saw I was there and had my guitar with me. We had wonderful praise and worship.

These are two times out of about, oh, ten times, maybe, that I sensed God speaking to me. It does happen. And you know it's for real when what he says happens.
Click to expand...

That's a wonderful testimony.
 
Rollo Tamasi said:
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Unfortunately we need more people who will obey God, and step out in obedience to His Voice.

Can you Imagine how "flakey" everyone thought Abraham was, when he left the comfort of his fathers house because "God" told him to?

Hey Abraham, where are you going?

I don't know... but I'm going where the Voice of God told me, to a land Iv'e never been before, and I don't really know where it is.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8


But without faith it is impossible to please Him... Hebrews 11:6




JLB
 
Jethro Bodine said:
This is really a pretty mild story. I honestly don't have too much trouble receiving it as what really happened.

In my first church on a Sunday morning about 3 or 4 months after getting saved, the whole congregation was deep in praise and worship. I had my eyes closed and I heard something in me say, "open your eyes". I opened my eyes and saw these shimmering waves coming down to the congregation from above. When it got to the tops of the heads of the congregation they all exploded in tongues in unison (they had their eyes closed). And it happened just at the moment in the style of praise and worship they used when the Holy Spirit would 'fall' on the congregation. God was purposely showing me the Holy Spirit.

One Sunday morning about a year after I got saved God told me to take my guitar with me to the church I was attending at that time because he said the woman who played the piano and led worship for them would not be there. So before I left I practiced a few songs at the kitchen table. I took it with me and sure enough, she and her husband had suddenly quit the church. I led worship that morning when they saw she wasn't there, and they saw I was there and had my guitar with me. We had wonderful praise and worship.

These are two times out of about, oh, ten times, maybe, that I sensed God speaking to me. It does happen. And you know it's for real when what he says happens.
Click to expand...

Hi Jethro,

Beautiful stories. God speaks to who will listen. What if you had never opened your eyes? What if you hadn't brought your guitar to church with you?

I try to explain this to atheists when they say that God is silent and He doesn't let Himself be known. Of course I always bring them to 1 Corinthians 2:14 but, of course, it makes no difference.

When I met Jesus back when I was about 28, He told me something that really worked. How could there be any doubt? " you know it's for real when what he says happens ".

May we always be listening for God's voice.

Wondering
 
Jethro Bodine said:
This is really a pretty mild story. I honestly don't have too much trouble receiving it as what really happened.

In my first church on a Sunday morning about 3 or 4 months after getting saved, the whole congregation was deep in praise and worship. I had my eyes closed and I heard something in me say, "open your eyes". I opened my eyes and saw these shimmering waves coming down to the congregation from above. When it got to the tops of the heads of the congregation they all exploded in tongues in unison (they had their eyes closed). And it happened just at the moment in the style of praise and worship they used when the Holy Spirit would 'fall' on the congregation. God was purposely showing me the Holy Spirit.

One Sunday morning about a year after I got saved God told me to take my guitar with me to the church I was attending at that time because he said the woman who played the piano and led worship for them would not be there. So before I left I practiced a few songs at the kitchen table. I took it with me and sure enough, she and her husband had suddenly quit the church. I led worship that morning when they saw she wasn't there, and they saw I was there and had my guitar with me. We had wonderful praise and worship.

These are two times out of about, oh, ten times, maybe, that I sensed God speaking to me. It does happen. And you know it's for real when what he says happens.
Click to expand...
Yes, some people seem to be so dead-set on maintaining that God is only allowed to communicate how and when THEY deem it correct.
 
This church is very very close to where Reba lives.
Maybe she knows about it.
Maybe she's been there.
Should we ask her?
 
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