Dear Sis Browny, I sympathize with what you're saying.

I've been looking for a fellowship since moving back up north and visited a CoG locally.
At the end of the service, the announcements included - Zumba and Kick-Boxing.

How far removed we are from the First Church!

That's the point - I just can't see Mary & Martha doing Zumba in front of the men, nor Jesus or any of the Apostles teaching the boys how to knock someone out, kick-boxing.

The only way to judge anything is by the Book and again - how far have we come from the book of Acts?


Bless you Sister and LORD give us all the discernment and strength to get through these days of heart-sickening Compromise.
GOD Bless you!

_________________
Bill

RUN! You said it yourself, don't waste your time. You love God and are pricked in your conscience about that. This is a real prompting of the the Holy Spirit, not legalistic narrowmindedness. Do not marvel when the majority has no issue with that and think you are an oddball.
Countless saints go through the same experience, many here on SI can share similar experiences. I myself left churches, sometimes right in the middle of a service.

MrBillPro,

I am sorry, I cannot tell if you are being serious or facetious...I never get joking within my own family either. Can you tell me which it is?

dear narrowpath, i understand that you are so holy and intolerant to leave a church in the middle of a service but tell me about the many that you have led to the Master as a testimony not your inability to see that help is needed in a fellowship and being there and suuplying strength and council.. this is a matter of offering an exercise program in evenings when the church is not together.if you do not have lust on sunday morning when people are in their sunday finest and best make up,how are you going to be reved up with someone in a sweat suit and no make up and full of sweat.either attend or do not .it isn't a big deal.

"i understand that you are so holy and intolerant to leave a church in the middle of a service but tell me about the many that you have led to the Master as a testimony not your inability to see that help is needed in a fellowship"

Jimp, With all respect, I think this type of comment and response to narrowpath is what breaks down the Spirit of the Lord being able to work in and through this forum. Is it not surely possible that someone IS led by the HOLY SPIRIT to leave a service? How can we who were not there possibly judge that...

Sweaty sweatsuits are not what anyone is talking about....skimpy leotards is what we are talking about among mixed genders. And we are not talking about an exercise class, Browny was talking about what was going on in worship, unless I misunderstood. Surely there is great cause for lust in people's Sunday finest - that is a discussion perhaps for another thread...

Jim, I believe that Ravenhill would also leave some of the gatherings we have today. Did you listen to David Ravenhill's message from the conference or the Panel Discussion period, speaking about Leonard's life?
Would he sit through a Todd Bentley 'service' or those others like that? Highly doubtful.


I don't believe you understand what Zumba is. It's beyond "aerobics" or what you picture as 'excercise programs' that both genders could do together [I know few that would be appropriate for both genders to attend together - if you look at it from the view of the First Church].
Zumba is extremely erotic. An unsaved friend of my family, described it to me and showed me a few of the moves. No man need have an ungoing struggle with lust to be 'affected' by seeing women participating in these groups or participating 'with' them.


I believe that anything that wouldn't be done in front of Jesus and His men, when He was here on earth - should not be done in public at all. There's nothing wrong with asking oneself - What Would Jesus Do? Or what would I do or not do, in front of Him?

If we wouldn't have done it in front of Jesus, when He was amongst the people - let's say, at Lazarus' house with his men or at the Last Supper - it shouldn't be done in front of people now ... Especially "in 'church' or fellowship locations" that are supposed to represent "Wherever two or more are gathered 'In My Name'" - where He would be "in the midst of them" If it were "In His Name" and that's the key for what goes on among us at any gathering of The Saints, what's claimed to be 'In His Name' ... even the preaching and 'manifestations' in a service.
Jesus Himself walks out on some of those too.
Have you never been to an Ichabod service?

_________________
Bill

Let everyones emotions cool a bit. I do want to try and clarify some though.

1. It seems no one has a problem with people exercising and getting into better shape or maintaining it if they are. Correct?

2. No one has a problem with people doing intense aerobic workouts to better increase their health and care for the body God gave them. Correct?

3. I would think no one has a problem with people using a church owned multi purpose room/gymnasium as a place for their members/friends to do that. We are talking about a gymnasium after all.... or large room set aside for such events NOT the sanctuary. Correct?

4. The lone issue seems to be the idea of mixing the males/females with the increased potential of creating ways that guys would certainly have to deal with lust. Correct?

5. It would seem a good idea to have exercise facilities that will allow females to work out with their friends who are also females. This keeps them from going to a gym where other men may be undressing them mentally the entire time they are there. I would want the females in my family to have access to a place they could get a good workout without having to be bothered by the roaming eyes of other guys that might happen to be at a public gym. Correct?

6. As a red blooded American guy myself...it seems ridiculous to say that a room full of leotard clad ladies gyrating, dancing, and moving might not possibly be a temptation. It seems to me anyone who denies that is either naive, untruthful, running low on testosterone, or perhaps wanting to go and check it out themselves as they might not have that area under control. I believe I do have that area under control... but playing with fire will eventually burn you. Correct?

7. If this church... or any fellowship for that matter... will make it females only then wouldn't that solve the problem? There is much good to come from an exercise program... but if it causes spiritual damage then it is a negative overall. It seems to me to be a simple fix. Make it female only. I would also say that I know several females using the Zumba Dance fitness program....but not any guys. Are you sure it is coed? Do you know it for a fact or did you just suspect it? I find it hard to believe a decent church is this unaware. Few men are willing to do this. That is why I wonder if guys are really there.

8. THIS IS KEY- Browny, have you, or any one else, spoken to the church leadership about the issue? Has anyone actually gone to them and discussed their concerns over this being a coed (male and female) group? If not then it is absolutely wrong to be raking them over the coals for it. They may have no idea it is a mixed group... and in fact it may not even be a mixed group... that is hear say so far.

Very, very, very often in tissues like this we should not be posting it or telling others. In fact we may not even need to pray a great deal. We may just simply need to go to the leadership and find out what is happening. Go talk TO them before talking ABOUT them is always good advice.

If it is a coed group then the fix seems easy enough. If the leadership rejects the wisdom of making it females only then that of course does bring it to the level of taking others with a person to share their concerns.

Blessings!

The leadership does not want to hear complaints about their adopting "seeker sensitive" tactics.

Again - Zumba is not what you guys are thinking.

When young girls - from 1 yrs old on up, see and learn these moves, that you as men seem to have no idea what that opens them up to.
Even in the cheer-leading in public schools I've seen 1st graders learning and using these moves, now-a-days.

These are moves that only a husband should see in Private. Hello?

We're calmly discussing a serious issue involving 'Sisters' in the Church of today.

These things concern Sisters and the very young girls that are exposed to this movement.. no pun intended.

And 'if' a man witnesses Sisters-in-Christ moving in such ways on Thursday night - [if you understand that men's minds work like cameras, in that the visuals that they experience, "imprint" themselves into their minds] - then when he sees Sister Sally on Sunday - that picture of Sister Sally from Thursday night will still be there.

Little children do not need to move like that nor see their Momma's move like that.

See? It's more complicated than you Guys understand, maybe.