reformer- you misinterpreted my post completely. I never brought into question your love for Christ, as you did to me. Perhaps it is better to be done with this thread, though I wont let your unbibilcal views go unchallenged.You have provided no scriptural evidence for your views regaurding home fellowship. Again, I do not condemn those who meet in buildings, as is often practical, but by in large it is apostate.
maybe I should start a ministry or start a bible study within the "whore", as many of you call it
...start a fellowhip in my house. Thats isolation and rebellious.
brothers, come on guys, we don't need the moderators all the time to lock up threads. we can and should moderate this ourselves with humility and God's grace. let's talk, but not get mad over personal preferences. these things mean nothing in light of Christ. as far as i see, if you meet in a building, home or the street, your salvation does not depend on it. it is not a "major" doctrinal issue that we need to seperate over. this reminds me of 1 corinthians. "i meet in a home", "i meet in a building", "well i meet in the street". brothers, this is not something to get upset and mad over. it might be a good idea to in humility understand that God has given us each personal preferences and to deal with each other in grace and love.
Greetings Brothers and sistersI read this from a teaching and thought I would share it here, it reflects my heart on this subject. I don't believe where you meet to be so very important, but rather who you are fellowshipping with is what is vital. The Bible defines Christians (which by the way are the church) as ones who have forsaken all in order to be His disciple. Theyve lost their lives in order to find it. Theyve turned from sin and therefore can come to be called new creations because the old has been given away. Theyve died to sin and then buried it under the water. It does not matter that you don't meet in a certain building on a appointed date on the calender, Christ calls us to live our life in submission to His good and perfect will daily with one another. God Bless YouMaryJane
If you want to get the thread locked just somehow through the scriptures shed some light on a man that holds public office that stands against abortion, homosexual marriage, and how he professes that Jesus Christ has changed his life more than anyone or on give some scriptures about a women's authority role in the church. Regardless of who introduces the post, it very likely might get locked on your rebuttal, rather than the initial post. It might not get locked when it is posted as "do you believe him" but only after the scripture had been given to shed light on the subject. 2 Tim 4:33 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.Hang in there reformer. Just forgive and speak the truth. We are not responsible if it falls on deaf ears.Ezek 33:8-98 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself. Heb 10:30-3430 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
Jimmie you don't remember saying this: "If you dont do the above you dont love as Christ commands"Paul said to come out of her, not reform her (2 Corinthians 6)We as believers should not be yoked with un-believers that knowingly admitted as members, worship of pagan idols and so for. Who am I to tell if someone is saved or not? Isn't that up to the Holy Spirit? By your scripture the reason to come out of a church is because they are lost and practice idoltry.The lived like the world openly fornicated, were unholy, practiced sensastionalism. He wasn't saying come out of assembly of believers,but un-believers but come out of idolatrous, demonic, false religions.I think you are twisting that scripture, to meet your need.No one yet has mentioned anything about tithing or giving? If a few meet in a house, where do the offerings go? Are we not to support those that labor for the truth. Which is a command.Good luck to you,RegardMike
Appreciate that moe_mac, not trying to start trouble, I am strongly passionate about it and it is all one sided, because people listen to sermons and then take what they say as doctrine and get fired up, without allowing the Holy SPirit to teach them. just because Wilkerson, Tozer, Ravenhill and so forth, taught lessons on certain subjects doesn't meanI already got a post locked when I wanted to discuss christians in public office. how do they stand for Jesus Christ. It has become such a main topic of the political debates, everyone running for office is a Christian if they can get your vote. see yaMike
reformer wrote:The way I read it was that you had a vision to leave the church you were attending and gather where ever GOds people gather. I construed it as a revelation from God to leave the fellowhip and just wander from place to place. I may have read it to fast and not fully understood it all. thats why I said what i said.If I misunderstood you...sorry.Mike :-)
sojourner7 wrote: I long to see a Church radiant with the light of the gospel shining, a Church set apart for the cause of the cross and the kingdom of God, a Church filled with a people for His own possession!! :-D
LittleGift wrote:Quote:reformer wrote:The way I read it was that you had a vision to leave the church you were attending and gather where ever GOds people gather. I construed it as a revelation from God to leave the fellowhip and just wander from place to place. I may have read it to fast and not fully understood it all. thats why I said what i said.If I misunderstood you...sorry.Mike :-) Hi Bro MikeYou did misunderstand me, but that's OK.What I meant by "revelation" was something that you have probably experienced too, on other matters: You think you understand a truth, then the Lord floods your heart with fresh light on the subject and it's almost as if you never [i]really[/i] understood it before at all.That is what happened to me re the Church. Not a new teaching but a fresh revelation of what has always been there in Scripture. I saw [i]really[/i] saw - for the first time that I was part of a Body that transcends distance and time, "the whole family in heaven and earth..."In practice, going where Gods people gather has meant nothing in the slightest like church hopping. In fact I was rather alarmed at some others' comments on this thread, which seem to be taking things much too far in that direction, or advocating not having fellowship at all in the sense of meeting together for worship.Since leaving the Presbyterian Church in 1983[edit date!], I spent from 1983 to 2002 (nearly 20 years!)in fellowship with a little AOG church near home. This was where the Lord led me to go. I would probably be there still if it wasnt for a move after working abroad between 2002-2003. On returning I stayed in a few different places for several months, and went consistently to a local church fellowship in each place a Charismatic Anglican (Episcopal I think you call them), another AOG, and finally after moving to the present address nearly 3 years ago, to a Restoration-based fellowship, about 8 miles away, where Ive been ever since.The Lord wont let me become an official member there, which I think bothers them. Re church, I just cant belong to anything less than the whole Body any more, even though based at a local fellowship wherever I happen to live.The Restoration movement used to be into heavy shepherding, but this particular church has moderated a lot, although there are still strong traces of this spirit, which surface now and again. At one point last year I did think "I'm outta here". This was when a visiting speaker - the principal of the denominational Bible College - came to give some talks. I think his brief was to bring us back into order! He wanted us to toe the party line and obey the doctrine of our "apostle". His interpretation of "they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine" in Acts was that we should obey the particular "Apostle" of the denomination one of two brothers who started the movement (the other brother has died). He suggested (kindly!)that if we werent comfortable with that then maybe we should find another church - because they didn't want anyone on board who wasn't fully committed to that church alone!I found this false teaching appalling, and didn't go to meetings for a couple of weeks. But then found myself going back.I cant leave unless the Lord sends me somewhere else. There are two quite lively churches within walking distance of here, but neither of them are where He wants me it seems. Although I did go to the house group of one (a Baptist) for a while (until other commitments on that night made it impossible).So I'm not really a church hopper (sounds like some kind of insect! :-D )BlessingsJeannette
brother mike (reformer) and moemac,brothers, can i first say that no one is against you guys as if you are the target. i believe that the thread got locked because the moderator wants to see talk of scriptures or doctrine, but not politics. (please forgive me if i'm wrong, but i believe that i read that from the moderator).i agrre that we should not say whether one is saved or not as if we truly know. but we can judge the fruits of the life and are actually commanded to do so. but i would never say that because of a person worshipping the Lord with other believers in a building or home, that they are not saved. like i said before brothers, i personally believe that a home fellowship is more biblical in that it is usually more..* each other oriented* every member participating* very cost effective (no salaries, morgages, vans, budgets, and programs to pay for)* real (it's hard to just "come to church" and slip by unnoticed when there is only 15 people)* fellowship oriented (eating meals together and worshipping together in a close atmosphere brings unity)* backed a lot by scripturelike i said, i'm not against people meeting in buildings, i just believe that the NT shows us a better way to meet.
No one yet has mentioned anything about tithing or giving? If a few meet in a house, where do the offerings go? Are we not to support those that labor for the truth. Which is a command.