I still go to church, do you?

[rosered]

   When looking for the Christ in the churches to me was like ''bar hopping ''    trying to find your place of rest among friends .......

   But  the drunkards of Ephraim   https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+28

  This really opened my eyes    :eek:

  I am not saying all churches are bad   for business.
  But many lull you to sleep     , or get you drunk on the Spiritual wrath of God ,        many say every thing is EVIL  , but you are safe with us ,,,

   We are the chosen the elect of   God ....    I am just so leery of these types     
and you could say     many    get  burnt out with them     fast   .

   Some have excellent experiences  and may have  found the Sabbath rest

But having found great comfort in knowing the Lord  pours out HIS  SPIRIT on all flesh 

  Jesus said simply ask  for the Holy Spirit  ,.


Luke 11 Ask, Seek, Knock
...12"Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
 
John 6:45
It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.

John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--

John 14:17
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

1 Corinthians 2:12
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

2 Corinthians 1:21
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,

1 Thessalonians 4:9
Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

Hebrews 8:11
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

[lastpost]

My church is a quiet affair apart from a little hymn singing, so different it would seem to those large churches often described by people who attend this forum.

We are so used to words spoken from mouths here on earth but before a word reaches the mouth there has been a thought behind the word. I say this because we are told to keep our churches spiritual, and thought plays such a meaningful part in that. In my belief communication is instant in the Spirit because time and space belong to man, they are man's doing in the sense that a pure clear timeless river is poisoned and corrupted by the sins of man.

I think that it is an often occurrence that the more people there are in one place, the more likely that material thoughts will eventually attempt to drag down the spiritual thoughts to their level. We are told that where people gather to learn of the Light of God, the adversaries will also gather seeking to damage if possible. For people to remain spiritual they must have come to a place where they desire to inhale the truth rather than for any other reason or the enemy gains a foothold. Too much of this and the results for the community are dire indeed, even if it is not noticed by them.

On the other hand, I believe that where two or three are gathered together and the desire for truth is sincerely first and foremost in their hearts and minds, and their faith is strong that the words coming to them are of the Holy Spirit alone, then the beautiful word of communion is received. There should never be a tone of fear but of tenderness, endearment, devotion and care. This does not mean that the words that come shall not be without instruction but such instruction shall be accompanied with love and will make itself known.

Great things can come from such a meeting in the sense of spiritual upliftment and enlightenment, and yet it is possible that the world closes in and the necessary concentration lapses, the thoughts turn to the work of the day, the anxieties of the week, and the spiritual aspiration is attacked to the point that understanding is hindered.

My own belief is that 10 groups of 3 dedicated to learning the truth in Christ is more effective in the God sense than 10,000 people in 1 group. We do not see what is going on behind the scenes. The Holy Spirit is at work in this world in a more powerful way than anyone has ever conceived - being in a physical world it would seem to the eyes of the false sense body that evil gets the upper hand, but to the eyes of the spirit God is seen to be firmly in control of it all, and faith for His sake is bringing countless blessings to the children of God who as yet know Him not.

This is just how I look at it according to what I have learnt in my opinion.

[Truth seeker]

Well just to bring balance on  my thoughts/trials of going to church I did go the the methodist church last Sunday and they were lovely.

Granted they were twice my age (im 36 lol) and some believed in evolution and Adam and eve being a story to explain things but no one knows it all I guess.
Whats important is we all Follow Jesus. They invited me in for a coffee afterwards which turned out to be a tea and we had a bit of a chat. All in All it was an old school church with old hymns and the organ needs some tuning but I did find some comfort from being with other souls and just being there with God. I dont think i`ll be there every week but I reckon I will be back this Sunday. :dsunny: :dsunny:

[Caffus]

His commands are not burdensome because He does the work in us. He says, come to me and I will give you rest.
The "work"we do for the Kingdom, does not feel like work..we long to share the Truth of the love of God with others.

[Ross]

His commands are not burdensome because He does the work in us.

He says, come to me and I will give you rest.

The "work"we do for the Kingdom, does not feel like work..we long to share the Truth of the love of God with others.

:thumbsup: :dsunny: :iagree:

The key to victorious life. Our breastplate of righteousness is Him.
Our helmet of salvation is knowing that truth.

[lastpost]

Tonight we had one of favourite hymns, so pleasant, so positive, so much like the Christ who promised that those who believed in Him and did His will would never see death...

There Is No Death

There is no death! Our stars go down
To rise upon some fairer shore,
And bright in heaven's jewelled crown
They shine forevermore.

There is no death! The dust we tread
Shall change, beneath the summer showers
To golden grain, or mellowed fruit,
Or rainbow-tinted flowers.

There is no death! The leaves may fall,
And flowers may fade and pass away--
They only wait, through wintry hours,
The wam, sweet breath of May.

There is no death! The choicest gifts
That heaven hath kindly lent to earth
Are ever first to seek again
The country of their birth.

The voice of birdlike melody
That we have missed and mourned so long,
Now mingles with the angel choir
In everlasting song.

Although with bowed and breaking heart,
With sable garb and silent tread,
We bear their senseless dust to rest,
And say that they are "dead,"

They are not dead! They have but passed
Beyond the mists that blind us here
Into the new and larger life
Of that serener sphere.

They have but dropped their robe of clay
To put their shining raiment on;
They have not wandered far away--
They are not "lost" nor "gone."

Though disenthralled and glorified
They still are here and love us yet;
The dear ones they have left behind
They never can forget.

And sometimes, when our hearts grow faint
Amid temptations fierce and deep,
Or when the wildly raging waves
Of grief or passion sweep,

We feel upon our fevered brow
Their gentle touch, their breath of balm;
Their arms enfold us, and our hearts
Grow comforted and calm.

And ever near us, though unseen,
The dear, immortal spirits tread--
For all the boundles universe
Is Life--there are no dead!

The Peace Rest and Joy which is of Christ is only found in Service to Him.

Tonight, being Communion Rite on the first Sunday of the month, I was reminded of how special it is to be invited to remember Him and the Body and Blood He gave for all.

[lastpost]

There's something about mutually paying respect and reverence to Christ - when it is done from the heart - that makes all differences of opinion fade into a meaningless noise.

[lastpost]

O Thou Who Makest Souls to Shine

O Thou who makest souls to shine
With light from brighter worlds above,
Now send Thy glistening dew divine
On all who seek a Saviour's love!

Give those that teach pure hearts and wise,
Faith, hope, and love, all warmed by prayer;
Themselves first training for the skies,
They best will raise their people there.

Give those, who learn, the willing ear,
The spirit meek, the guileless mind;
Such gifts will make the lowliest here
Far better than a kingdom find.

O bless the shepherd! bless the sheep!
That guide and guided both be one;
One in the faithful watch they keep,
Until this hurrying life be gone.

If thus, good Lord, Thy grace be giv'n,
Our glory meets us ere we die;
Before we upward pass to Heav'n,
We taste our immortality.

Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW3gE4BrWEg


We heard many wonderful things in our inner beings tonight in our little gathering. The last two versus of the hymn we sung struck me with special emphasis.

Truly, joy overflows when the heart is set on connection with the Saviour; He does not wait in some far heaven until the end of time to be with His loved ones – no, no, perish the thought! What kind of Shepherd is not amongst His sheep protecting them and giving them comfort? He said "I am with you always", and indeed His pure Divine Presence is felt in all contrast to the drudgery of life without Him – He is here and He keeps His promises.

There was also one who has had many visions: As a sinner in his lonely room he was visited by a creature, a man and yet with the appearance of a diseased animal. In shock the sinner asked what the terrifying visitor wanted with him, and in answer the vile creature said to be even as him. But what is your story the frightened sinner asked the creature. The horrific voice answered: I followed the world, my form, what I am composed of, are my thoughts and acts as I made my way through life for myself alone and gave not a thought to God, even rejecting Him. The disturbed sinner was surrounded by a chilling fear which seemed to emanate from the creature. But suddenly guidance came into his mind and he saw the Saviour washing the feet of His servants, and in an instant he reached out and held the beast-like creature in his arms. After much pain had passed between them the creature resembled a normal person. The vision faded but the truth remained for the sinner - who declared that at that time he had received his salvation. In healing, he was healed.

And through the Grace of God in His Saviour Christ, we can taste of immortality before we die, before He upward calls us to our heavenly home.

There is no life without the Saviour.

Peace, Harmony and Joy – All of Love