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How did you tell your loved ones about your no longer going to church?
Nan:
My mother asked me about the confusing church doctrine of if you die and go to heaven or hell immediatly than what is Judgement day all about? I told her there was no hell and the dead are dead until the resurrection. She verbally attacked me(kind of like some of the nasty emails Ray gets.) and has been quoting Bible verses to me ever since. My daughter had her seven year old son 'preach' hell to me. I could only think about Jesus saying not to lead a little one astray or it would be better to hang a millstone around your neck (paraphrase Mt 18:6) When I go to their programs at church, it is uncomfortable. She said they were begging for help for their Vacation Bible School, and I felt a little guilty. I found out what Jesus meant when he said a man's enemies will be those of his own household after he said he came to set a daughter agaist her mother(etc.).(Mt. 10:34-36) My husband got himself an internet ministers certificate!
Dave in Tenn:
God bless you, Nan.
dogcombat:
Santikos,
I'll take the points (namely Kat's) expressed a step further. Which is more expedient,
WITNESSING to people about Jesus? Or people WITNESSING Jesus about you?
The former is what a lot of churches emphasize you do in order to "be an on fire christian".
The latter is living in the reality of God's love. When you're living in God's love, people can't help but notice. 1 Peter 3 comes to mind:
13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Another question to ponder: "Did you FIND Jesus? Or did God REVEAL Him to you?"
The christian teaching is the former, the TRUTH is the latter as told in John 6.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Know this dear friend. God has EVERYTHING under control. As you let go of trying to convince others of God's truths, the better off you'll thrive in them. Only HE can open eyes and ears as He has with you.
As Ray has pointed out that "the blind cannot see". Until God brings them to see they will stay blind.
May His truth further enlighten you,
Ches
Cypress:
The thing is, I can't really blame my family or friends for pushing their churches on me because I would have done the same thing. That's what you're taught to fo. Help your brothers and sisters...don't want them to fall, etc. They get worried. When my mom started reading from this site 7 years or so ago, it rocked my faith. I couldn't understand how my mother who had always been this pillar of faith had strayed into these other teachings...I really didn't know what to think. It's taken me this long to finally grasp what she was understanding. I don't have a spouse so I suppose it's easier for me to deal with the church questions. I usually just tell people there's no meat to the messages and I would rather find good study materials online.
I don't know how it is elsewhere, but what is big here are the small groups (home bible studies where you really don't study anything but try to make friends and read Christian self help books). If anything, I get nagged more about not being in a small group than attending church regularly. I tried to go with the flow about 2 years ago and joined some but in the end I couldn't take it and left.
Bill:
--- Quote from: Kat on July 09, 2010, 10:46:22 PM ---Hi Santikos,
The narrow path is not the easy way that's for sure, but don't forget very few are given the opportunity to go this way. First study and get yourself well grounded in these truths, just start the top article of the BT home page http://bible-truths.com and go all the way through. As you continue to read the articles you will grow in knowledge and understanding. The better your understanding is the more able you are to explain these things to somebody else.
I think with people that have no interest in hearing what you believe, you can show them by being a living example. There is always lots of situations that come up in daily life to let your light shine. But you will also reflect the way you believe in your normal conversation. This truth will permeate every aspect of your life and that is how it is suppose to be and your wife will have to notice this. So just live your life applying these truths that you are learning and as your wife sees the changes in you she may begin to ask a few questions. Then you would have somebody who is interested in what you have to say.
mercy, peace and love
Kat
--- End quote ---
Hi Kat,
You mentioned "There is always lots of situations that come up in daily life to let your light shine." Comments like this has always confused me as letting you light shine as you say is seen by some differently. There are people through out history that those in the church system look to that live a life letting the light shine. Some may say the Pope, Mother Theressa or even Gandhi lived a life of letting there light shine but what has there lives proved?
Those that have family that do see truth of God are not moved by the same things. Having a wife that does not believe the same way can put a strain on the relationship but when there are kids involved things get a little more complex. What responsibility do we have to our children? Like Roy his wife enrolled there daughter in catechism, is the loving thing to just sit back and be quite?
While my wive is not impressed with any church as she still believes in many of there doctrines.
While from time to time we do discuss scripture almost always ending the same way with each saying we must agree to disagree. But we do have children involved and I am not so sure the loving thing to do is sit back and allow them to be lied to.
Thank you
Bill
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