Second Baptist Houston

Amen to that. :thumbs:

 

You skipped,

responsabilities to your chuch and to your church family, no commitment to your church or church family.
Just feeling good.

 

Christianity is about a great many things. What it is not about is going to church to get something. We can only worship God or ourselves. If we go to church to get something then the focus is in the wrong direction and a false worship occurs. True worship only occurs when we go to give God our worship alone. The other things come as a result but should never be the motivation.

 

amen :applause:

 

Obviously youve never been in a church service and knew that the word the pastor was speaking was for you. I have and it is awesome. A few weeks back the church I am trying did some of the message on the woman at the well and wow it was like tugging at heartstrings. Lord you want me...all of me..it was the most awesome feeling. The whole message of Christianity is to Seek Him First and His Kingdom and let the "things" of your life fall into place. Why do you attend church if not to be fed? I work 40 hrs a week outside the home and church is like my pampering time. The kids go to their class and I go into the worship center to be "fed" to let the music and the message minister. This is my time with the Lord uninterrupted.Church is not supposed to be fellowship time or the weekly get together. Church is for your hurts to be healed and your soul to be filled.

 

But in Acts that is EXACTLY what is was for!!! Don't separate that from worshiping God. We reflect God, and worship Him most, not when we are singing a song, or hearing a message, but when we treat each other the way He treats us. You can't do that unless you get involved with one another!

Wow...to be able to handle life all on your own, without your brothers and sisters in Christ....you truly are superwoman.

 

You definitely wouldn't like our church.

We make ourselves accountable to one another, encourage one another, and look out for one another.

And, when you join, you have to sign a covenant with us saying basically that you understand that church is not a spectator sport and that you plan to make yourself available to the ministry that best suits your gifts and talents, and that you will endevor to take advantage of the opportunities for growth (ie. Bible studies).

There is no such thing as "anonymous".

 

How did you come to this conclusion?

 

Theres no such thing as a lone ranger christian. Abseloutely none in scripture either. Christianity is a community of people, you know, the family of God, all God's children and here we think we can seperate from them and have nothing to do with them.
God's people are responsable for ministring to each other, you will not all God to minister to you through His people, nor will you allow Him to use you to minister.

This is certainly an untruth.

 

I dont handle life on my own. Its me and God. God gives me the strength to work all day and then come home and take care of the kids. I am married however I never see my husband because he is always working. Being a soldier is a 24/7 job for him. When I have a problem I go to my knees and give it to Him and leave it with Him. God will work it all out. Getting others involved complicates matters, and my favorite motto to go through life...Dont sweat the small stuff...God has it all under control. God gives me the strength to keep going. I have been through more in the last 10 years than most people go through in a lifetime but I am still here --alive and kickin although somedays barely holding on...I would rather be there for my friends and family and have them be there for me then go to a church where everyone is very fake and well lets just say think they are better than everyone else to go to a church where I can be fed and I dont have to worry about seeing the fakeness because I can go in, go to worship and then slip out. Smaller churches have become gossip rings. I know when my husband and I were having problems, our problems became gossip and in turn has turned my husband away from the church and he hasnt really looked back. I even quit going for awhile. Thats when I realized it isnt all about church its all about Him and having a personal relationship with Him. Spending time in the word, letting Him minister to you, and not having to worry about being gossiped about or backstabbed.

 

Sounds like what being a chritian and church member is. Not anonymous.

 

That's what I'm thinking. How on Earth can somebody say that they love Jesus but not want to be a part of the church He died for and is coming again to claim?

 

I will say two things:

1) If you were sincerely concerned of the gossip in the church, or other problems, you, as a believer, would attempt to change it through your life and influence...not "go to worship and then slip out".

2) You have been heavily influenced by "consumer Christianity", which is a horrible reflection of the Biblical church. I believe you are unfortunately missing out by avoiding the church.

3)...okay, three things. I really don't believe you can love God, but avoid His bride. If someone treated me that way...always wanting to come to me, get the relationship with me, yet want nothing to do with my wife, the relationship with me would not happen.

 

What makes you think that you can keep the things you've learned, and the ways you've grown, to yourself and those of your choosing? It sounds as if you have gifts and ways to lead and have influence. If you aren't using your spiritual gifts, you aren't growing. I don't care how "fed" you "feel".

 

Not using my spiritual gifts? Iam there for everyone who asks something of me. I have ministered to over 100 armywives helping countless marriages of soldiers from ending up in divorce because I have been there. My husband cheated on me and instead of divorcing him I gave it to God and I am proud to say we are in the process of reconciliation after being apart thank you Lord! When we were in the middle of our issues people turned their back on me and him both. People kept telling me I needed to leave him...did I ..nope...God never opened that door to finalize our divorce. I teach armywives all over the US how to put God first and seek Him while their husband is on deployment and let the "things" in their lives fall where God wills. When my husband went on his deployments the church turned their backs on me and my family. Thats where I realized it wasnt all about the church it was all about your relationship with the Lord. It is so awesome knowing I can go to Him 24/7 and be in the word whenever I want. I am not perfect, far from it but I know that if no one else loves me then God loves me and that peace thats in my heart is what gets me through everything. Church for me isnt this meeting/gathering fellowship --thats what small groups and stuff are for, church is this place where we come to be filled so we can take our recharged lights and go back into the world and minister to others.:godisgood:

 

Whew....amazing. I'm serious. Unfortunately you have a horrible experience with a particular local church. In the meantime you have been "doing church" with these military wives. WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS CHURCH.

My only question is that if this church has gotten you this upset...why do you treat it as a buffet, taking what you like while complaining about the problems?

 

Okay and heres the thing...church is a building. People are who the church is, and whether you go into that building or not you can still love and serve the Lord. I am loving and serving the Lord by minstering to those armywives whose marriages are breaking apart and where satan has a foothold. I dont have to walk into a church to do that. I love and minister to the neighborhood kids by letting them hang out on the patio and have a snack. I tell my kids on a pretty regular basis that we love people all people, we dont judge or condemn people. We dont fault them for the things going on in their lives we love them and we are friends to them. We have helped several kids in the neighborhood find God just by being an example to them. I dont treat church like a buffet, I go I worship the Lord, listen to the message, get fed and take my light back out into the world, unfortunately I cant live in a bubble where I live and work with just Christians although sometimes it would be nice to do that I have to live and work in the world and this is where being a light is so important. I cant associate with just Christians we are never going to win souls if we do that.

 

I think you are living a great missional lifestyle....yet I would still be careful about how you approach the local church that gathers together. Whether you like it or not, they are your spiritual family. You'd be surprised what they may have to offer you (despite your past experiences), and how much you could offer them.

We are designed to be together; not to handle life's trials on our own.

 

Now you're changing your tune a little. Nobody said anything about living in a bubble. I think you are being missional, and I think missional is biblical. This isn't about associating with only Christians....it is about you intentionally avoiding them!

 

drfuss: This has been a very interesting thread to me. I go to a large church and love it. It seems like Superwoman is coming at this issue from one extreme and the preachers and small church Christians are coming at it form the other extreme.

It seems that the small church people (less than 400 in attendance) want the church to be a single homogeneous group where everyone knows everyone else. Since the church is relatively small, everyone is expected to participate in almost every activity. Also, every one has a personal connection with the pastor. I went to these type churches most of my life and know the spiritual advantages and disadvantages. The small church people on here have given the advantages, and Superwoman has given some disadvantages. One problem with small churches is that people tend to depend too much on the pastor for spiritual guidance and direction, and not to develop a strong relationship with the Lord independent of the church leadership.

I think it would be better if Superwoman got involved in some ministry within the large church. In my large church (about 2500 in attendance), I enjoy the wonderful preaching and worship parts of the service, participate in my class of over 50 people, do some substitute teaching, and am active in the weekly men's prayer and Bible study meetings. There are many other church activities that I could be involved in, but like most people in my church, I am only involved in a few activities. Most small church people want a direct weekly connection with the pastor. Not having a regular direct connection to the pastor does not bother me at all, since I worship the Lord and not the pastor. Don't misunderstand this, I have a very high opinion of the Senior Pastor.

To Superwoman, I understand where you are coming from. However, I would suggest that you consider getting involved in at least one small group activity in the large church so you have a personal connection to the church. Attending and joining a Sunday School class of at least 30 people would be a good starting point. You don't have to be real active in that large a class, but just to be connected to the church.