re: 3x church thread

Realistically, probably 150 people or so, possibly sometimes swelling close to 200, and I know about 15 of them, not counting immediate family. That's just knowing halfway who they are and remembering most of their first names only, with some being staff or parents of my daughter's friends and therefore being nearly impossible to not know who they are, so it's not like I'm big buddies with that many by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Amen, and Amen!

 

What do you mean by "Bull" exactly?

For those that are counted worthy.

"But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:" - Luke 20:35​

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." - Luke 21:36​

The Lukewarm church (which is still a church), get's spewed out.

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." - Revelation 3:16​

Crack is whack.

 

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

The assembling together is commanded. Submitting to the authority is commanded. If the pastor holds services 7 days a week, as was done in early Christianity according to the book of Acts, the congregants should be extactic when encouraged to be in the Sanctuary.

 

And you attend where? Westboro?
Waco... what you describe is a cult.
Where every whim of the pastor is obeyed...

Do you require your members to turn over their paychecks, and you give them allowances? If a pastor proposed that, should the members obey?

A Pastor is not a dictator. A Pastor is not God.

Keeping people in legalism is sending them to Hell.

 

Then why wait until you have to be "encouraged"? Why don't you go to your pastor and tell him that you and some others want to meet every night, regardless of whether he can be there, and ask if you can have a key to the church?

 

I issued a papal decree on the matter.

So is sarcasm. :laugh:

 

While I might agree with your theory that the "Pastor" has the "authority" to set meeting times, etc., in practice, I'd just like to see him try it.

Been there, done that, got the scars -- NOT gonna happen in most "churches."

JDale

 

If one is truly saved, one IS worthy. to teach that a believer must maintain some kind of standard above their salvation in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior is problematic at best, false doctrine at worst!

JDale

 

Eternal salvation is by grace through faith alone because of the blood of a pure spotless lamb. However, once we are off of milk, there's a prize we should be striving for.

Surely, Paul is not describing eternal salvation in the following verse (unless Paul was an Arminian, which I would expect we'd agree he was not).

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." - 1 Corinthians 9:24​

Thus, if it is not eternal salvation that we are running for, what is the prize that we are to obtain?

 

Our crowns and rewards...
And Rufus you are right, but what HBSMN is saying is different...

We work because we are saved...
not to keep saved...

Read my other posts where I quoted HBSMN. I show where he is teaching legalism...
Legalism is putting a requirement on salvation to get to Heaven. And he has done this in this thread....

 

Corndoggy, do you attend Sunday School? This is where you'll get to really know the members of your church on a personal level. IMHO, SS is the heart of the church.
Even if you're an outgoing, never met a stranger kind of person, it's impossible to get to know people if you only attend the worship service.

Our church is about the same size as yours, and if I only attended the worship services, I wouldn't know a soul. Even if I went 7 times a week.

 

Again, I have not posted anything legalistic. It is funny, tim, you agree with Rufus when he has said the same thing as me. Here is what he said:

I have said the same thing and you call me legalistic while agreeing with Rufus. Isn't that being doubleminded?

 

again.....

so is there any reason to continue?

 

Again, the main point of this, your post, is salvation... and you say that to not require someone to do anything for salvation is contrary to the Bible.

Rufus on the other hand says that works has nothing to do with salvation...

 

Blessed is that servant whom when the Lord comes is found so doing the will of the Lord.

The Lord does require of His children certain things, tim... whether you accept that or not. His Word gives the commandment to assemble often, and to exhort that assemblage.

 

See, he makes it clear that church attendance and running the race is not tied into salvation....

Do you see the differences in your posts....

His is works after salvation...
your is works for salvation...

 

I do not disagree that we should work.. .but not out of fear of not making it to Heaven, but out of love for what Christ has already done...

Works are great... but not tied to salvation...
Otherwise, Christ's death was in vain.

 

EARLY BAPTISTS REQUIRED FAITHFUL CHURCH ATTENDANCE

Church members today often display an amazingly cavalier attitude toward church attendance. It is not uncommon for churches that run 200 in attendance on Sunday mornings to have only half of that number back on Sunday night and even fewer for the mid-week service. Church membership was treated much more seriously in Baptist churches four hundred years ago.

The following is from Adam Taylor's The History of the English General Baptists [London: 1818], Volume I:

The general Baptists of the 16th and 17th centuries so respected the nature and importance of assemblies for public worship that the wilful neglect of them was considered as disorderly conduct, which called for the censure of the church. A constant inspection was exercised over the attendance of the members: persons were appointed to take down the names of the absentees, and report them to the elders; and nothing but reasons of obvious importance were admitted as a sufficient apology for their non-attendance. When the societies grew numerous, the members were ranged into districts, according, to the proximity of their habitations: and proper persons appointed to superintend each district. If any member did not appear in his place, on the Lord's-day, he was certain of a visit, in the course of the week, from one of the inspectors of the district, to call him to account for his absence. These regulations were rendered effectual, by being acted upon with steadiness, impartiality, and decision; and, for nearly a century, contributed much to the order and prosperity of the general baptist churches.

In 1655, an "Order" was made, by the general consent of the congregation at Fenstanton, that "if any member of this congregation shall absent himself from the assembly of the same congregation, upon the first day of the week, without manifesting a sufficient cause, he shall be looked upon as an offender, and proceeded with accordingly. At the same meeting, it was devised, that, if any member should, at any time, have any extraordinary occasion to hinder him from the assembly, he would certify the congregation of the same before hand, for the prevention of jealousy." And, in 1658, the same society, after considering the case of a wife who had been kept back, by the threatenings of her husband, concluded "that, unless a person was restrained by force, it was no excuse for absenting himself from the assemblies of the congregation." Resolutions of a similar purport are frequent in the records of these churches: and numbers of cases prove that they were constantly enforced.

http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/earlybaptists-faithful.html

Good thing you folks weren't living back then!