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[Felix]

I used to worry about going to hell: This was a serious subject since hell was a place where you would
burn in literal fire forever. What if I messed up. What if I missed something. This was a big worry.

I used to worry about the tithe: What was the tithe? Being in business for myself made this unclear. Was
it on the net or the gross? If it was on the net which kind of net. If it was on the gross it could be more
than I made. As a deacon I had to sign a paper (vow) saying that I would tithe. This added to my worry.

I used to worry about being a witness: If almost everyone was going to hell I needed to witness to almost
everyone all the time. This was a big responsibility, but I had other things to do such as raising a family
and working for a living. Our preacher said that if we didn't witness that someone would be screaming out
our name in hell.

[Felix]

I'm still learning to post. I meant to type this for the end.
John 8:32 The truth will make you free.
Thank you Jesus!
Felix

[Ninny]

Man! Felix! This is pretty typical of how it works, isn't it..the best thing the church can hold over you is your "obligation to God" all of the things you have just described are examples!

"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 NASB

I love this verse in the KJV also....in the KJV it says to "Do justly and to Love mercy" this would be God's character revealed in us, yes?
Kathy

[arion]

Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed!

It's quite amazing to me how when one poster starts a thread with something that has affected them how entirely appropriate it is because many of us have/are dealing with the same thing.  There was a time were the verse above was confusing to me.  I had the son (or so I thought) but I surely didn't feel very free according to the scriptures.  However when one begins to learn that salvation is totally of God and we are all on his timetable as individuals the pressure to fit into a certain mold fades right away.  It's not us working and doing harder and harder in the flesh to accomplish something for God but it's truly He that does His work in us or it isn't going to get done.  And at least for me this is a liberating and freeing thought.

[LiberatedEagle]

It's not us working and doing harder and harder in the flesh to accomplish something for God but it's truly He that does His work in us or it isn't going to get done.  And at least for me this is a liberating and freeing thought.

Amen to that!

[Stacey]

As I was reading your post Felix I was saying to myself "yeah me too" to everything except the Deacon part, I never made it into the inner circle of the church rankings. No regrets about that. Great post! 

KJV 1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

That verse and all the others like it used to throw me for a loop when I thought about them. I couldn't figure out how mercy fit into the eternal damnation thing even when I was all 'hell fire & brimstone' (I was one that just knew that the brimstone must intensify the heat, yeah right  ) couldn't explain it away but like a big dummy I kept on with the program cause well, the preacher said and taught us the same things you mentioned and expected everyone to agree with him and since there was so much to "worry" about, my hands were full with dealing with "the program". There is soo much scripture to disprove all of the doctrines of the church that when we start to really see the words, like in the verse you mention, and when the heavy burden of christendom is lifted off our shoulders that I think, how could I have ever believed in such nonsense in the first place!

Some of my favorite words in scripture are "made and make" . Think the Lord that I was made blind so that when I was made free, I could then see and understand exactly why God is good all the time and that His mercy truely does endure forever.

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Romans 5:19.  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

And so many more like these that put nails in the cofin of free will and build on the fact that, as you and others already mentioned,

John 8:32 & 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed!

[Felix]

Thank you for your replies. You make me feel like family here on the forum.
It has taken me this long to believe that God is love.
Thank you Jesus!
Felix

[Ninny]

Felix! when you learn that God is an awesome Father who loves you so much..it makes you so free!!! \o/
Kathy