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Discussion Forum : General Topics : The Loneliness of a Christian

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frazier72
Member



Joined: 2007/9/17
Posts: 31


 Re: The Loneliness of a Christian

The Lonliness of the Christian by Tozer is a classic. I actually keep a print out inside my Bible cover as a reminder. So often we can be in Church or with are fellow brother and sisters, an nobody wants to talk about Christ. They will talk about Church activities, programs and the sort, but trying to find a brother who has a heart for Christ is a lonesome walk. This is not to make us feel proud, or special, it is however to make realize that only in Christ is our true rest and comfort.

It has been very difficult for me during times at Church, trying to get even small groups together for prayer meetings and Bible study. Often this is like pulling teeth. What I have found is that if the Church is having an activity, at the Church, plenty of people will show up. However, try and get brothers and sisters together outside of Church, and it's mission impossible. We apparently only have time for God on Wednesday Evening and Sunday morning's. The rest of the time we need to be in control.This is truly sad, and is indicative of the lack of spiritual depth of the modern Church.

My old Church actually turned the prayer room into the food pantry for the care closet. In addition to no prayer room and very little in the Church period, leadership found it more beneficial to pray for the sound equipment and instruments, instead of lost souls. When will we awake. I guess it's Leonard Ravenhill used to say, when the Flesh is trying to lead the Spirit, you get the Modern Church, which is no Church at all. This makes for those who are truly seeking after Chirst and want to experience true fellowship with Christians turn to Christ and Christ alone as their solice. Where are the intercessors?

Quote:

reformer wrote:
I am sure many have read that article by Tozer, curious to know how many feel this article speaks of them?
http://www.crossroad.to/Bible_studies/sermons/devotions/loneliness.htm

Do others feel alone in their church? You long for spiritual awakening in others, but it seems to be to no avail. Do you find yourselves becoming hard to the "American Christianity" today? And if you dare share your convictions people think your a zealot. Are we Pharisees? Zealots?

Where do you draw the line? Others don't understand you. You seem to notice things in the church that would be deemed as CGM or EC styles. The mega church mentality and the water down teaching. And when you see it, it grieves and angers you, but what do you do? Ignore it and move on?

Just some thoughts in my brain?

:-)

 2007/9/27 23:19Profile









 Re:

Quote:
So often we can be in Church or with are fellow brother and sisters, an nobody wants to talk about Christ. They will talk about Church activities, programs and the sort, but trying to find a brother who has a heart for Christ is a lonesome walk. This is not to make us feel proud, or special, it is however to make realize that only in Christ is our true rest and comfort



I agree that it is hard to get them together or on time, I don't want to come across prideful and perfect, God knows I am far from that, but I find it odd that believers don't like to get together and talk about Jesus Christ and the Word. i love meeting with brothers over coffee, bible study and just talk about scripture. I have a mens bible study I started sometime ago, and some guys are usually late, which is understandable, but when some come in and say I wanted to see the end of a TV show thats why I was running late, (I know that brother loves the Lord and desires to know Him more), but isn't it typical of church today with how believers view God. Activities and other things have corrupted our true relationship with Him. And activities I think are sometimes a way to make us feel connected to Him.

God is always on my mind, I find somethings just so fascinating I want to talk about with others. I asked one guy, as I was looking up into the dark sky, "Have you ever thought about what is going on up in heaven?" He looked at me like I was weird, He says "No". Of course that doesn't mean that He doesn't love the Lord, but I just can't help think about things like this, I can't explain it. I hope this doesn't sound condescending. i am not trying to feel superior. But things like that to me, are worth discussing. I just grave it, you know.

Hope that makes sense.Whats better than talking about scripture and praying to the Lord.

 2007/9/28 8:47









 Re:

Quote:
I find it odd that believers don't like to get together and talk about Jesus Christ and the Word.



Church people may get together and talk about wordly things but the bride will want to talk about her husband. I weep thinking back on all the times I spent in "fellowship" with my "church" friends and the only difference between that and the world is we didn't swear...

Matthew 13:
44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.


If a group of "christians" are "fellowshipping" and the talk is not regularly centered on Christ and His kingdom thats a pretty good indicator that they know not God and have never truly discovered the treasure hidden in the field.

In Christ -Jim

 2007/9/28 9:52









 Re:

Quote:
I weep thinking back on all the times I spent in "fellowship" with my "church" friends and the only difference between that and the world is we didn't swear...



Thats funny! you are so right. its funny how we get together on the pretense of a "Christian" super bowl party. I confess I went to one a couple of years ago. Knowing what I know now, i wouldn't want to go now. I don't have nothing against fellowshipping with others, but if go with that concept of using the word Christian in front of anything, we will have things like we do now, Christian yoga!

I praise the Lord for opening my eyes to this. I have prayed for God to show me the things He hates and the things He loves. Not just the sin in my life, but maybe He also showed me His bride in extreme error. I just pray that I won't be prideful and hateful to my brothers. I used to be so concerned on what they think of me and began to stifle my thoughts, because others thought I was to serious, But you know I am not going to do that anymore. i used to think I have a problem and their is something wrong with me to have such disdain for the worldly things in the church. I am not going to be ashamed anymore. I am going to stand up for my convictions.

Got to go now. My wife is beckoning me to feed them food. :-)

Thanks so much for all your input.

love you all in the Lord

 2007/9/28 17:27
IRONMAN
Member



Joined: 2004/6/15
Posts: 1924
IN HEAVENLY PLACES WITH JESUS

 Sometimes we get lonely...

Greetings in Jesus' Name by Whose Blood we are Saved.AMEN.

i read that article and was weeping inside out of joy and sorrow. Joy because i felt uplifted, God was letting me know i'm not crazy. Sorrowful because the things which to me seem so plain about God, the Faith and so on are largely not on the radar screens of most people i am in contact with. really it boils down to God opening the eyes of some and shutting the eyes of others. The ones we oft think should be the ones in the know are often the very ones who are blind. i am reminded of Paul's statement here in 1 corinthians 1:

[b]26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. [/b]

so then i am comforted in the midst of my despair. i'm one of those things/people which is foolish, weak, base, despised and nothing called to undo those things/people which are wise, mighty, esteemed and those which are something. my life is filled with thr wreckage of past failures, sins, rebellions and so on which make me unsuitable for much as the world/wise/mighty/esteemed see it.how then could God ever use such? then this foolishness (really the word in the Greek i believe means madness) of God comes through as well as His Mercy. All that wreckage which the enemy meant for evil God had in mind always to use it for the Good. an interesting thing has happened to me over the yrs, when i screw up, my concern is that our Lord's Name has been tarnished and this puts saved and unsaved folk alike off...

i bless God His Mercies are new each day even when we don't show one another Mercy anew each day.i am reminded that Paul toward the end of his life realized that he was chief of sinners as he wrote to Timothy. He went from counting himself as not being less than the most eminent apostles to being the least of them and then chief of sinners.there's a man who realized he ever desperate need for God's Mercy each day! i hope we never lose sight of that.

Grace and Peace are ours in Jesus.AMEN.


_________________
Farai Bamu

 2007/9/30 18:29Profile
IRONMAN
Member



Joined: 2004/6/15
Posts: 1924
IN HEAVENLY PLACES WITH JESUS

 Treasure...

dear Saints
Greetings in Jesus' Name by Whose Blood we are Saved.AMEN.

Quote:
If a group of "christians" are "fellowshipping" and the talk is not regularly centered on Christ and His kingdom thats a pretty good indicator that they know not God and have never truly discovered the treasure hidden in the field.



*sigh* my wife and i talked about this very thing yesterday and today. we seem to be spending more time talking about God and the things of God and strangely, we don't talk as often to as many people as we used to since interests have changed. most people want to talk about other things and so the conversations can be laboured. i suppose being recepients of God's Mercy draws us into being more interested in Him! someone said and i don't remember who, but it was one of the saints we oft mention here. He said something to the effect that any conversation which isn't centred on Jesus, isn't a conversation of any eternal consequence...yikes! i find it odd when i try and talk about Him, people change the subject...quick...something about that Name frightens the smack out of people...

even at the Church we go to, this is the case. our Lord has had us stay and be transformed by Him to affect some kinda change there.Where before we used to feel like outsiders or rather treat the brethren there as beneath us, God has changed our hearts so we don't say "they" anymore but "we". sometimes we are yet treated as outcasts but that's ok, as long as our consciences are clear before God that we have done as He has asked us to as best we can, it's all good. we have yet much to be purged of and are not yet at the point of claiming perfection but i bless God we have been brought thus far...

saints it seems the majority may well be lost in this Babylonish whore counterfeit system. my wife had been reading the Revelation and the whore of Babylon who is the bride of antichrist and discovered something interesting. antichrist is indeed against Christ, but in the Greek, anti is more of a false parallel as opposed to something overtly at odds with something. this is why the angel says "come out of her!" the system is so close to the real thing that many will be deceived, persecuting the True Saints in various ways and so on.

that Jesus isn't the topic of choice among many of us is telling of something more sinister going on...God help us...

Grace and Peace are ours in Jesus.AMEN.


_________________
Farai Bamu

 2007/9/30 18:50Profile





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