What kind of churches do you all go to?

[Paul L]

It's amazing how few UR churches there are out there.  We have like one or two in the Nashville area, but it's unitarian and denies the deity of Christ, so you'll be sitting next to buddhists and muslims and whatever all "worshipping" together.

Are there any independent churches that actually believe in UR and are spirit filled (believing and practicing all the giftings), yet without being a divisive type of church?  My experience has seen alot of churches that are started just to try to oppose other Christians beliefs and I don't see how that's a good premise or mission statement. I don't want a church where an issue or "ism" is the focus or mission statement.  We follow Christ, not isms.

I really wish there were a church that has the basic tenants of this tentmaker site.  1) God loves all people and is and will reconcile all to himself 2) He gave us His spirit to empower believers and walk in miracles, healing and prophecy 3) The scriptures are the truth about the truth, but not THE truth. (I've never seen any church with this mindset. Either you're 100% inerrant or a heretic)

Any churches out there like this?!!?

[Doc]

It's amazing how few UR churches there are out there.  We have like one or two in the Nashville area, but it's unitarian and denies the deity of Christ, so you'll be sitting next to buddhists and muslims and whatever all "worshipping" together.

Are there any independent churches that actually believe in UR and are spirit filled (believing and practicing all the giftings), yet without being a divisive type of church?  My experience has seen alot of churches that are started just to try to oppose other Christians beliefs and I don't see how that's a good premise or mission statement. I don't want a church where an issue or "ism" is the focus or mission statement.  We follow Christ, not isms.

I really wish there were a church that has the basic tenants of this tentmaker site.  1) God loves all people and is and will reconcile all to himself 2) He gave us His spirit to empower believers and walk in miracles, healing and prophecy 3) The scriptures are the truth about the truth, but not THE truth. (I've never seen any church with this mindset. Either you're 100% inerrant or a heretic)

Any churches out there like this?!!?

There probably are, although they are going to be few and far between at this stage.

I attend a baptist church mainly because we've been there so long that they're family in spite of some of the silliness they believe.

[jabcat]

Hello.  God had me stop denominationalism, I go on Sunday mornings with my wife and son (Baptist), no longer a "member".  Wouldn't go there at all, am compromising, and probably not to God's perfect will (in my life).  Raised Assembly of God/Pentecostal/Charismatic.

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

[aspiring son]

God pulled me out of the church systems completely. It's been about two years now. This is my fellowship. Only he knows if I return in some way. I learn from personal study along with teachers like L.Ray Smith (bible-truths.com) and J Preston Eby and Gary Amirault. There are churches out there that teach UR through Christ, but they are very few.


Grace and Peace

[sparrow]

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

I agree.

I don't attend a building church. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a strange, sensitive-ish. little loner bird.  :icon_flower: (but that's not the only reason. personal reasons, I guess I'll say.)

Plus... if I heard the preacher talking about my beautiful God burning people for all eternity... I might end up throwing a hymn book at his head.  :laughing7:  :mshock: Did I just say that out loud??

tweet tweet.

[Doc]

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

I agree.

I don't attend a building church. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a strange, sensitive-ish. little loner bird.  :icon_flower: (but that's not the only reason. personal reasons, I guess I'll say.)

Plus... if I heard the preacher talking about my beautiful God burning people for all eternity... I might end up throwing a hymn book at his head.  :laughing7:  :mshock: Did I just say that out loud??

tweet tweet.

:laughing7:

Fortunately, the pastor of the church I go to almost never talks about hell.

[Taffy]

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

I agree.

I don't attend a building church. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a strange, sensitive-ish. little loner bird.  :icon_flower: (but that's not the only reason. personal reasons, I guess I'll say.)

Plus... if I heard the preacher talking about my beautiful God burning people for all eternity... I might end up throwing a hymn book at his head.  :laughing7:  :mshock: Did I just say that out loud??

tweet tweet.

:laughing7:

Fortunately, the pastor of the church I go to almost never talks about hell.

yeah..for his head....these bibles weigh a couple of pounds..just keep a first aid box at Hand Bud...Ya just never Know :icon_flower:

[jabcat]

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

I agree.

I don't attend a building church. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a strange, sensitive-ish. little loner bird.  :icon_flower: (but that's not the only reason. personal reasons, I guess I'll say.)

Plus... if I heard the preacher talking about my beautiful God burning people for all eternity... I might end up throwing a hymn book at his head.  :laughing7:  :mshock: Did I just say that out loud??

tweet tweet.

Sparrow has temporary lapses into a Blue Jay.  Ever see one of those suckers if you mess with one of its babies?

[Taffy]

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

I agree.

I don't attend a building church. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a strange, sensitive-ish. little loner bird.  :icon_flower: (but that's not the only reason. personal reasons, I guess I'll say.)

Plus... if I heard the preacher talking about my beautiful God burning people for all eternity... I might end up throwing a hymn book at his head.  :laughing7:  :mshock: Did I just say that out loud??

tweet tweet.

Sparrow has temporary lapses into a Blue Jay.  Ever see one of those suckers if you mess with one of its babies?

WO...DONT THEY JUST..... :icon_flower:

Dive for cover and QUICK bud....Swans are even worse....ya dont get within yds....and those Birds are TOUGH...eagle size or even bigger... :icon_flower:..but they look so peaceful and elegant paddling our rivers...ever get to Britain,,,BE WARNED if your out Boating.. :icon_flower:

[sparrow]

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

I agree.

I don't attend a building church. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a strange, sensitive-ish. little loner bird.  :icon_flower: (but that's not the only reason. personal reasons, I guess I'll say.)

Plus... if I heard the preacher talking about my beautiful God burning people for all eternity... I might end up throwing a hymn book at his head.  :laughing7:  :mshock: Did I just say that out loud??

tweet tweet.

Sparrow has temporary lapses into a Blue Jay.  Ever see one of those suckers if you mess with one of its babies?

:thumbsup:  :laughing7:

:icon_flower:

[martincisneros]

It's amazing how few UR churches there are out there.  We have like one or two in the Nashville area, but it's unitarian and denies the deity of Christ, so you'll be sitting next to buddhists and muslims and whatever all "worshipping" together.

Are there any independent churches that actually believe in UR and are spirit filled (believing and practicing all the giftings), yet without being a divisive type of church?  My experience has seen alot of churches that are started just to try to oppose other Christians beliefs and I don't see how that's a good premise or mission statement. I don't want a church where an issue or "ism" is the focus or mission statement.  We follow Christ, not isms.

I really wish there were a church that has the basic tenants of this tentmaker site.  1) God loves all people and is and will reconcile all to himself 2) He gave us His spirit to empower believers and walk in miracles, healing and prophecy 3) The scriptures are the truth about the truth, but not THE truth. (I've never seen any church with this mindset. Either you're 100% inerrant or a heretic)

Any churches out there like this?!!?

I'm bad about not going for months at a time, but I am a part of a Charismatic Church.  It's an opportunity for the healing and prophetic operations to work through me in a public setting in a little stronger way than in a lot of other places where I share 'cause they're basically a Pentecostal Church in terms of how deeply they'll fast and pray, but their emphasis is more the modern Charismatic movement on spiritual, relational, economic, and physical progress and wholeness, so the Hell issue doesn't come up very often.  Quite a few people recognized me and knew my name when I first started attending there, and none of them would say from where they knew me.  So, on the Hell issue, they might possibly cork it around me.  I genuinely can't be sure without ordering CDs of services from when I'm not there.  They've never invited me to speak there, but they've preached virtually Word for Word a couple of my emails.  They love it when God has me drop 'em an insight from the Word on healing, prosperity, or the operations of the Holy Spirit and how to really let Him flow in fullness with the miraculous.  The vibe I get from them is that they'd probably put me on staff within 90 days if I'd be there every week for at least one of their Sunday services.  They currently have 3 Sunday services.  I have a lot of God's favor there.  Sometimes I walk out of there with a lot more money than went into the offering.  And I think that they're detecting from that and the healing anointing on my life that the Written Word of God is growing strongly in me and they're hungry for all of God that they can get in their lives.  But they've never put the pressure on.  Very often when I'm out shopping, I'll bump into quite a few of them even though the Church is on the other side of town to where it's one of those "what are genuinely the odds?"  I love them, though, to where if the Holy Spirit would allow me to, I'd build my new house pretty close to the Church so that if I couldn't walk a couple of blocks to the Church, I'd stop claiming I'm even trying to be there any more. :laughing7:

[Pierac]

Hello.  God had me stop denominationalism, I go on Sunday mornings with my wife and son (Baptist), no longer a "member".  Wouldn't go there at all, am compromising, and probably not to God's perfect will (in my life).  Raised Assembly of God/Pentecostal/Charismatic.

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

Me too... Wife say's so...  :mblush:  However, She hates it when I read U.R. and other downloads from the web on my PDA during the sermon!  :happygrin:

[martincisneros]

Me too... Wife say's so...  :mblush:  However, She hates it when I read U.R. and other downloads from the web on my PDA during the sermon!  :happygrin:

Father, in the Name of Jesus, Lord Jesus said that if I abided in Him and His Written Word abode in me, then I'd ask what I wanted and it would be given to me.  And You promised that if I was in monthly partnership with the graces You'd pointed out to me to assist in the spread of the Gospel that I could count on You to meet my needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus in both the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.  Therefore, I say before the Lord, that because I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me as a result of my partnership in His sufferings and in those of the ministries that You've placed me in covenant with, in my holding the Word of life before a crooked and perverse generation and letting this mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus, Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be called equal with God: since I'm a partaker of Your divine nature through these exceedingly great and precious promises, and I know that I have the petitions that I ask of You when I pray because the same Written Word is perfected in me that is perfected in Christ Jesus, therefore so that my joy will be full, I'm asking You for a PDA of my own that would actually work with this computer so that I can use it in the furtherance of my edification and spiritual development during the Sunday morning services at the Church that I go to.  And, Father, yes, if You tell me to leave it home when I'm heading to the Tabernacle of David where my brothers and sisters will be, then I will leave it home.  But only if You tell me to, and I clearly understand that You're telling me to do that.  I thank You Father, that in this You are glorified, that I'm baring much fruit, therefore I have my new PDA in Jesus's Name.  Amen! :cloud9:

[jabcat]

Hello.  God had me stop denominationalism, I go on Sunday mornings with my wife and son (Baptist), no longer a "member".  Wouldn't go there at all, am compromising, and probably not to God's perfect will (in my life).  Raised Assembly of God/Pentecostal/Charismatic.

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

Me too... Wife say's so...  :mblush:  However, She hates it when I read U.R. and other downloads from the web on my PDA during the sermon!  :happygrin:

I can thankfully say my wife believes UR, even though she's still in the denomination.  I don't have a pda, but I do take my Concordant, Christian Bible, and UR literature in to read during the sermon as well  :Sparkletooth:.  She doesn't mind that, but she did draw the line at me taking in the laptop...that was a no-go!  :surrender:

[sparrow]

Hello.  God had me stop denominationalism, I go on Sunday mornings with my wife and son (Baptist), no longer a "member".  Wouldn't go there at all, am compromising, and probably not to God's perfect will (in my life).  Raised Assembly of God/Pentecostal/Charismatic.

I believe God has different people different places at different times.  He'll lead and arrange.

Me too... Wife say's so...  :mblush:  However, She hates it when I read U.R. and other downloads from the web on my PDA during the sermon!  :happygrin:

heehee. I would go to church if I could sit next to you guys.  :winkgrin:

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: I don't. The Lord pulled me out a long, long, time ago. I know of none in this area that teach it. The fellowship I have at times been blessed to have (other than online) is from attending a few meetings here and there, of various Kingdom ministers, over the years, as I felt led to. Haven't got to do that in almost 3 years now. But it was precious when I did get to. Times and seasons.....Blessings....

[Raggedy Anne]

/quote]


I don't attend a building church. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a strange, sensitive-ish. little loner bird.  :icon_flower: (but that's not the only reason. personal reasons, I guess I'll say.)

Plus... if I heard the preacher talking about my beautiful God burning people for all eternity... I might end up throwing a hymn book at his head.  :laughing7:  :mshock: Did I just say that out loud??

tweet tweet.

You must be my twin.    The last "church" I attended was for my mother's funeral.  I have a deeply rooted dislike for organized religious services.  I went to so many churches when I was searching for the truth and had so many unpleasant experiences that now when I drive by a church and the parking lot is full of cars, I just get a weird memory of the past.
I have enjoyed a few UR church gatherings over the years that I traveled to attend.  But they're generally not operated like traditional churches.  The main thing I dislike about 'church' is screaming, angry preachers which you can sometimes hear if you just turn the radio dial around a bit.  That makes me sick to hear.

Anne

[Nathan]

I'm kind of in between when it comes to attending church.  There was obviously an emphasis on the importance of church in Scripture and many warnings about what is being preached.  But having said that, if there are no churches that can even come close to resembling the original message of the early churches, then is it any wonder people choose not to go.

It feels like there's an underlying message to some of these posts that the main reason why people who are going, go, is not because of the message from the pulpit, but because of the relationships they have with others.  And I honestly think that's actually the main reason for anyone to be going in the first place.  I think we are created as social beings that flourish when we're in a social gathering or environment.  When we believe in relationship over religion, I believe that also means that the title on the door of the building is of little consequence.  If we have friends inside, then that's all the reason needed.

Yet at the same time, for me . . .it's easy to say that cuz I'm a pastor and it's hard for me not to like what comes from the pulpit because I'm the one at the pulpit.  And . . . believe it or not, I'm not all that social of a person.  If it were left up to me, I'd probably be happiest in a cabin in the woods somewhere as long as there is a river nearby and a lot of deer around, that's all it'd take to keep me satisfied.  So when I say things like I just did, the message is not just for those reading it . . .but it's for the one writing it as well.

I truly believe relationship is more important than religion.  But I can also feel for those that squirm through the sermons of pastors that feel it appropriate to beat the congregation . . .or . .on the other end, they're so dry that you need to bring a bottle of head-n-shoulders with you every time you hear them preach or teach.  How cool would it be if the majority of the churches around us were pursuing life more than law.

I have an assembly of God upbringing, I pastor a foursquare church . .which doctrinally is the same as assemblies but the inner structure of how things are run is what's different.  And I've also learned that neither are all that open to the other for whatever reason.  I tell new people attending that we are "of" a denomination, but we are not denominational.  I'm sure my superiors wouldn't appreciate that much, but as far as they are concerned, "that" issue is the least of my problems with them.

[Doc]

I'm kind of in between when it comes to attending church.  There was obviously an emphasis on the importance of church in Scripture and many warnings about what is being preached.  But having said that, if there are no churches that can even come close to resembling the original message of the early churches, then is it any wonder people choose not to go.

It feels like there's an underlying message to some of these posts that the main reason why people who are going, go, is not because of the message from the pulpit, but because of the relationships they have with others.  And I honestly think that's actually the main reason for anyone to be going in the first place.  I think we are created as social beings that flourish when we're in a social gathering or environment.  When we believe in relationship over religion, I believe that also means that the title on the door of the building is of little consequence.  If we have friends inside, then that's all the reason needed.

Yet at the same time, for me . . .it's easy to say that cuz I'm a pastor and it's hard for me not to like what comes from the pulpit because I'm the one at the pulpit.  And . . . believe it or not, I'm not all that social of a person.  If it were left up to me, I'd probably be happiest in a cabin in the woods somewhere as long as there is a river nearby and a lot of deer around, that's all it'd take to keep me satisfied.  So when I say things like I just did, the message is not just for those reading it . . .but it's for the one writing it as well.

I truly believe relationship is more important than religion.  But I can also feel for those that squirm through the sermons of pastors that feel it appropriate to beat the congregation . . .or . .on the other end, they're so dry that you need to bring a bottle of head-n-shoulders with you every time you hear them preach or teach.  How cool would it be if the majority of the churches around us were pursuing life more than law.

I have an assembly of God upbringing, I pastor a foursquare church . .which doctrinally is the same as assemblies but the inner structure of how things are run is what's different.  And I've also learned that neither are all that open to the other for whatever reason.  I tell new people attending that we are "of" a denomination, but we are not denominational.  I'm sure my superiors wouldn't appreciate that much, but as far as they are concerned, "that" issue is the least of my problems with them.

I mostly go for the opportunity to minister/ fellowship as you mentioned.
I typically get very little from the sermons. If there is anything good in there, it's usually just confirmation of stuff I've already learned from the Holy Spirit.

[Nathan]

Hebrews 8
10This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
      after that time, declares the Lord.
   I will put my laws in their minds
      and write them on their hearts.
   I will be their God,
      and they will be my people.
11No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
      or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
   because they will all know me,
      from the least of them to the greatest.
12For I will forgive their wickedness
      and will remember their sins no more."

[MacPherson]

It's amazing how few UR churches there are out there.  We have like one or two in the Nashville area, but it's unitarian and denies the deity of Christ, so you'll be sitting next to buddhists and muslims and whatever all "worshipping" together.

Are there any independent churches that actually believe in UR and are spirit filled (believing and practicing all the giftings), yet without being a divisive type of church?  My experience has seen alot of churches that are started just to try to oppose other Christians beliefs and I don't see how that's a good premise or mission statement. I don't want a church where an issue or "ism" is the focus or mission statement.  We follow Christ, not isms.

I really wish there were a church that has the basic tenants of this tentmaker site.  1) God loves all people and is and will reconcile all to himself 2) He gave us His spirit to empower believers and walk in miracles, healing and prophecy 3) The scriptures are the truth about the truth, but not THE truth. (I've never seen any church with this mindset. Either you're 100% inerrant or a heretic)

Any churches out there like this?!!?

In my personal experience the purpose of church is to be taught and to fellowship. Paul never taught UR specifically in his epistles. I would waste away pretty quickly on an all milk diet of God is love, God is love, God is love... As Paul teaches; to some God gives gifs of miracles, healing and prophecy. There are at least 14 gifts listed by Paul. I myself do not have the gift of miracles or prophesy or physical healing, so I wouldn't want to be taught about those three day in and day out.
I worry sometimes that UR is going to get so blended in with New Age, our duties as disciples and servants to Jesus Christ, Him and Him alone, is going to become clouded with too much cloud 9.
Find a good Bible teaching church. I completely agree with what you have to say regarding isms and ologies. But I think it's important to learn about them anyways, because they do exist.
No proper Bible teacher will teach that either you're 100% inerrant or a heretic. I know mine sure doesn't. Does he agree with my UR leanings? Of course not. Does he understand what they are and where the originate from? Of course he does. Does he condemn me for having them? Certainly not. Would he like me to side with his teaching 100%? Sure. Does he demand or even expect it? No way. All he expects is from me have proper respect for his authority (2 Peter 2:10) and not to go against him in a way that would cause strife within our fellowship (Proverbs 6:19).

I chose this church for solid Bible teaching and solid fellowship.
Or more properly, God answered my prayers and lead me to it.
A good place to help me build a strong foundation.
http://www.messiahschristianfellowship.org/

[martincisneros]

In my personal experience the purpose of church is to be taught and to fellowship. Paul never taught UR specifically in his epistles. I would waste away pretty quickly on an all milk diet of God is love, God is love, God is love... As Paul teaches; to some God gives gifs of miracles, healing and prophecy. There are at least 14 gifts listed by Paul. I myself do not have the gift of miracles or prophesy or physical healing, so I wouldn't want to be taught about those three day in and day out.

You'd want to be taught about them if you realized that faith to activate them, just like faith for the new birth comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  You can "catch" the anointings by being around them.  St. Paul told the Church at Philippi that through their commited partnership with his ministry that they were partakers of his grace (i.e. the grace on his life) in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.  And the last verse in Mark says that the Gospel is confirmed with signs following.  And we can see how Paul defended the Gospel in the book of Acts.  On one occasion, it became necessary for someone to become blind in order to lead them to Christ in the way that he was lead to Christ.  So, he spoke for the Hand of the Lord to be upon them and for them to be unable to see the light of the sun for a season. 

There's no question that the same anointing that worked in his conversion was being stirred up by his faith on that occasion by the leading of the Holy Spirit to speak that it be so, and Jesus in His High Priestly ministry stretched forth the scepter of His righteousness and it was so.  Paul comforted that guy in the way that he himself had been comforted by God (2Corinthians 1:3-5).  Dude suddenly couldn't see a train coming his way, if they'd had trains back then.  Until...  Paul was telling that Philippian Church that because of their care for his ministry in their prayers and support that they should have been expecting the exact same signs and wonders in their lives as they held forth the Word of life before a crooked and perverse generation. 

Yes, Jesus sets ministries in the Church according to His own choice as the Head, but as the Word is of no private interpretation according to 2Peter 1, the Anointing is the same way according to 1John 2.  Ephesians 4 says that the ministry offices are for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry.  A prophet is only anointed as a prophet [ultimately] to make those that he's called to minister to as prophets.  Same with the Apostles, Evangelists, Teachers, Workers of Miracles, Administrative gifts of Kingdom Seed in the Kingdom, Gifts of Healings, etc., etc., etc.  The Anointing is contagious if you're where God wants you to be. 

God calls people to Churches and field ministries with particular anointings because He fully intends to expand the anointing from that Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, or whatever into the lives of the people of the congregation as they obey God.  If you were a produce manager in a grocery store and yet an ongoing supportive partner of a prophet, what kind of money could you save your store if the Word of the Lord suddenly came to you telling you not to order avocados with the next truck?  whether or not God told you specifics about either folks aren't going to buy 'em, the shipment will go to crap on the way, they're two dollars each this week, yet you're going to get boxes and boxes of 'em if you order 'em right now that are as big as grape tomatoes.  He might not necessarily give you that detail, but He'll still provide the guidance on what to do, when to do it, and how to avoid wasting money for whatever company you'd work with. 

Or let's say you're a school teacher and God's pulling you hard into the life and ministry of one of His better teachers in the Body of Christ.  Without question, while God's looking to provide whatever in the life of that teaching ministry to keep it going, He's also after providing that school teacher with the supernatural recall and the ability to teach in the classroom in all of the supernatural demensions with all of the accompanying miracles (John 3:2) that are in the life of that teaching ministry.  Didn't Jesus call the Seed of the Kingdom leaven that would fill the whole earth?  Anointing works by the same principles as the Word, your financial sowing by the Word, and anything else in the Kingdom.  While God does call people to specialize in His service with the Word and the Spirit, it's for the profit of the Kingdom and not just to give someone something to do with their time, so some joker will have a place to preach or whatever.  He's got regional and global segments of the Body in mind when He places His anointing on someone, fully intending for others to share and excel in that grace.

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: I think part of the problem has been in the fact that the "body" didn't realize that it was ALL supposed to grow up into the Head, in which there is no lack. If you saw 4 year old feet on a grown man, you'd say that was a deformity, and you'd be right.

In the same way, the WHOLE BODY of Christ was supposed to grow up in equal measure with the Head, displaying all that the head has to offer, in whatever gifting they STARTED with, and then in being raised to walk in other giftings. Ever notice how Paul described himself in different "offices" as time went on? He was growing. This is so that if you, matured in the Lord, went to another "church", you could fill that which every joint needs, by being obedient to surrender yourself to His Spirit.

I'm not an apostle, yet as He had need in the body, He sent me out more than once, operating in the "calling" and anointing of an apostle. The "callings" we have, have been misunderstood.

He calls, we answer. That's our calling. :winkgrin: We go as one sent, CALLED to do His will, and manifest His nature thru the anointing to do whatever His will dictates, according to the needs of the body. And He equips us with the anointing to do HIS will. Blessings...

[martincisneros]

Yeah, and God doesn't just call to the ministry.  He calls to banking.  He calls to government, according to St. Paul in Romans, although we can't be moved by what we see in that regard and realize Paul was audacious enough to say that in the Roman Empire.  The calling was there, whether or not they were walking in His will with that calling.  2Peter 1 talks about taking the necessary steps to make ones calling and election sure.  How anyone ever twisted that into heaven/hell, I have NO IDEA. LOL!!  God calls people to the medical profession.  God calls teachers, cooks, librarians, florists, and spouses, although as with the case of the governmental situation not all either enter that call that were supposed to, or they pursue teaching, cooking, libraries, flowers, or a spouse without submission to the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit.

God calls people to everything you can imagine that's in line with His character and Scriptural designs for His Kingdom.  And who He appoints, He anoints.  If someone's genuinely called by Him to be a politician, a florist, a dentist, a carpenter, a tentmaker, a spouse, etc., then nobody else is quite going to be as good of a spouse, as good of a carpenter, as good of a florist, as good of a professional singer, professional photographer, or whatever as the one that He's called to step into that office where He's called them to step into it.  From experience, life is extremely frustrating when you're not where you're supposed to be, when you're not saying what you're supposed to say, and when you're not focused on the geographical region that you're supposed to focus on. 

I've tasted enough of His perfect will to never ever want anything else ever again, even if He's having me buy something really strange from the produce department, the seasoning aisle, or something that I had mixed feelings about buying but He had it in mind as a seed to someone else's life.  To someone that's never had His perfect will before, it can seem like the most complicated, most tedious, most demanding thing you could ever step into.  But in reality, you discover all of the reasons why you've ever done what you've ever done, why you've read, studied, and acquired the tastes that you've acquired, why you've gone through all you've gone through thus far, perhaps why He's seemed strange to you up until now and what He was really getting at, etc. 

The God that can make a flower arrangement of His own in nature totally breath taking, can make each person's life totally breath taking, if they'd just obey Him.  He knows where you'll get the most usage of your money, where you'll leave the lies behind, where the door out of heaviness of heart is at, and where you'll have peace and joy that'll bring tears in your eyes 'cause you never knew He was actually this good.  It's not just all about ministry.  It's about the recovery and the discovery of life as it was always meant to be, with His Blessing, with the abundance of His Presence, and with more favor than you ever dreamed was possible. 

Life will unquestionably still try to come down hard on you, because Matthew 13 and Mark 4 says that the devil does try to steal the Word that was sown in you, and it lists his full arsenol of things that he'll try to pull.  But the Scriptures say to resist him and he'll flee.  And sometimes the resistance seems like it'll never end, but the dreary clouds do break up, the sun does come forth, and the birds will fill your day with their singing.  Just as with UR, when it comes to all of the prosperity things that I'll bring up from the Word and people's arguments against that, no matter what their arguments against anything that I'll say from the Word regarding present blessings and opportunities through His divine grace to enrich this life wind up being, it's really again [always] just confusion over the difference between process and outcome in the Scriptures.  In every case!

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Amen, Martin, that is very true.....