Featured Friendliness

SN is exactly right.

 

Oh, I absolutely agree. We have a great love for each other in my church, but if we're not hospitable to visitors, that's the thing they'll remember, and they won't be back.

 

It is always obvious when someone speaks form inexperience.

 

Exactly :thumbs:

 

Here again I find "us" entering the nasty world of semantics!!

Jesus, while here on this earth, didn't come to IMPROVE "the Law," He came to:
1) Fullfill it, and, in some cases, to
2) Clarify it

EX: Re #2 above, I grew up in a "religious environment" that believed ALL KILLING in ALL TIMES, and IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES/SITUATIONS IS/WAS/WILL BE ABSOLUTELY W - R - O - N - G!!!

IOW "they" took "Thou shalt NOT KILL" to such an extreme that "they" disregarded ABSOLUTELY EVERY OTHER BIBLE PASSAGE that CLARIFIED the word "kill" to mean "murder" (Even JESUS CHRIST USED "MURDER" not "KILL"!!).

It's easy to take one word or one expression out of its intended context and proceed to make, in this particular case, God's Word "say" anything an individual cares to "try" to make it (God's Word) say. EX: Did you know that there are at least two places in the Word of God that plainly state (quoting here), "THERE IS no GOD"??!!?? Yep, God's Word comes right out and in black and white says: "THERE IS no GOD"!!! Therefore, one could conclude (with "Bible to back him/her up no less) and without equivocation that: THERE IS no GOD!!!! (That is, of course, if one takes that expression, pulls it out of its intended context, and proceeds to use it as, in this case, to use that expression as a "PROOF TEXT"!!!!)

"The Law's" REAL purpose was NOT solely a good foundation upon which one should base one's society and/or lifestyle (although IT IS!), but rather to point out to us that it is IMPOSSIBLE for us fallen creatures TO KEEP EACH AND EVERY "Jot and Tittle" AT ALL TIMES, AND AT ALL OCCASIONS!!!

The "law" is our "schoolmaster to bring us to Christ," for ONLY THROUGH CHRIST , + or - nothing, CAN WE EVER HOPE TO PLEASE GOD!!!

As to the practice of "Sabbath (Saturday) - keeping" for "NT believers, so far as I can see, JESUS never commended "Sabbath-keeping" after His death on the cross, His burial, and HIS GLORIOUS RESURRECTION for NT believers.

 

Consider it done.

I HAVE started a thread entitled, "Is There a......"
in which I've stated what my HO's are, and I have opened it up for the rest of my dear friends (and you ARE, in fact, one of them!) to post any of their thoughts on what I hope will prove to be a "lively, interesting, and/or thought-provoking [ALL in 'Christian charity and/or love' I hope!] set of discussion(s) :thumbsup:

 

I don't know what your major malfunction is but most Marines I know have a better understanding of leadership than you are expressing here. Of course, most pastors I know speak with less bile than you do too. All you do is hurl insults and lend nothing to the actual discussion. This speaks more of you than it does me. So, go ahead and accuse me of not having the experience YOU think is necessary for someone to understand these things. You're wrong but I don't care because I know you've set your opinion and that's that. I just pray that when God knocks you off that high horse you have set yourself on that you find a soft place to land.

We are speaking about unfriendly churches in general. Someone is always the leader of a group. God calls for elders to lead. We do not always lead. Sometimes we have a clique of people that set the tone for the church. This is a leadership issue. Note that I am not blaming the pastor. I am saying it is a leadership issue. Is it sometimes the fault of the pastor? Yes. Sometimes despite the pastors best efforts the people will still follow the clique....but someone is still leading and setting that tone.

 

Very high, if it is a true Acts 2 Church it will be friendly.

 

The posts and lack of knowledge speak for themselves. You should go to the political section if you want to see a lack of understanding from the same poster.

 

Inexperience is one excuse, but posts without any content over a period of years is inexusable, especially from someone who claims to be a leader of a New Testement Church.

 

Friendliness is important, but it is subjective. One person will go to a church and say it is friendly and another will go and say it is not that friendly. It's nice when visiting a new church and people greet you warmly, but if they don't, I have found that nothing stops me from being the one to greet others. I don't have to wait for someone to come to me - I can go to them.

 

Maybe you should try pastoring before you speak.

 

I believe this is true. I also don' think a person can visit a church one time and declare them unfriendly. It takes multiple visits to know the heart of a church.

 

E, W, & F---Two things that IMO that you might want to consider:

1) It could be that "Pastor X" does have some kind of medical/physical/mental disorder that may cause him to forget such things as a person's name. Granted, I'm NOT saying that this IS, in fact, "Pastor X's" REAL problem, but it COULD be.

In my own situation, almost as far back as I can remember, it seems that I have had difficulty remembering "things,"---people's names was/is one of those. Moreover, as this 66.25+ YO male progresses in years, it seems I tend to forget "things" a lot more readily.

It just COULD be that "Pastor X" does have some type of a condition that results in his forgetting names. You mentioned that you've spent many years in sales/marketing, and the ability to remember a person's name IS a very important "trait" if one hopes to last very long in such a career. Consequently (and I'm NOT accusing and/"judging" you for this!), often there is a sort of built-in "something" in a person who is very good at remembering people's names to more easily "pick up on" a person who (for any number of reasons) may "come up short" in that very same "knack."

I'm not saying that to defend and/or justify "Pastor X's" shortcoming(s) in this area because I have no idea who "Pastor X" is, nor whether "forgetfulness" regarding your name is something that he purposely fails to do (although I do have my doubts).

Bottom line in this particular case is, IMHO, that you MAY need to cut "Pastor X" "a little slack" in this particular regard.

The other "thing" is, that the word "rescripricate," does not appear in at least my copy of Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Ed. It does have a noun form ("rescript") which has 3 primary meanings, but it does not have a corresponding verb form. I believe that what you most likely intended was the verb "reciprocate," which in your post would carry the idea of "returning the 'favor.'"
(I, as a charter member of the BB Grammar & Usage Gestapo, just HAD to bring that to your attention!! :thumbs: SO, therefore, in order to atone for this most grievous infraction, thou shalt now proceed, post haste, with great vigor and/or enthusiasm to "DROPPETH AND GIVETH THINE FELLOW BB'ers FIFTY PUSHETH UPS"!!! :smilewinkgrin::smilewinkgrin:

 

And you should try speaking into a tape recorder, listening to yourself, and thinking about what you said before pastoring. Better yet, get a hard copy of all of your posts, and read them before your congregation one Sunday.

 

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB)

Brothers, may I suggest it is time to move on and let it go?

 

Did you see the last comment he posted towards you? This is a supposed leader of a church that does nothing but insult and demean those who do not agree with him. It is in every section and thread he posts in. It is one thing for an occasional back and forth, but this is his normal pattern. If this was a truly edifying pastor, and he truly thought your ideas of leadership were in error, he would get you aside and tell you what he thought was amiss and make suggestions to correct the situation. This is not the case. He uses every opportunity of disagreement for insult. Actually, most of the time it is not a disagreement on his part, it is a lack of knowledge. Check out the posts in other areas, particularly the political and current events section.

Reading your posts on leadership, they are correct IMO. I see no reason to disagree with you, and if I did, I would not insult you to correct the situation. You seem like a solid Christian leader to me. Your posts in other areas reflect the same kind spirit.

Aside from all the BB rules this guy breaks constantly, more is expected of a leader than a layman. A pastor would not dare talk to a congregation on Sunday mornings, nights or Wednesday nights in the manner these posts appear. As a matter of fact, this has been going on for years.

Posts for the most part are suppose to teach, edify, and make theological points clear. If there is disagreement, on occasion, the back and forth can get out of hand. That is not the case here. This is a situation where every opportunity is used to hurl another insult. Even the Calvin-free will debates start off reasonable and deteriorate usually. If you will notice, from the first post you made about leadership, it was demeaning remark after demeaning remark. Your skills, spirit, and Christian character are better than that, and I for one, cannot ignore that, not when it is a daily event with multiple people. I have reported it several times to no avail.