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persecution?

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Samson:

--- Quote from: karenmarie on August 01, 2010, 11:14:09 AM ---Thank you Samson, Dave, and Arc for the advice and scripture. I hope I wasn't making persecution my aim, just wondering why I hadn't "suffered" any, but now I know...

I am in a sticky situation - I can see easily withdrawing from the very few things I participate in, but going on Sunday mornings is something that my husband enjoys. The pastor never speaks of hell and gives a blessing at the end, using the term age to come, rather than eternity. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is deeper and closer to truth than meets the eye. Nothing in his sermons has ever contradicted Ray's teaching, and a few months ago, he shared with my husband and me his changed belief in the afterlife - that after death, we sleep, waiting resurrection. No immediate going to heaven. Interesting.

Sunday school class - another issue. We'll see what happens as God leads.



--- End quote ---

Hi KarenMarie,

                   That was an interesting comment you made in the above quote. I'd be interested to know what Denomination your a member of, rarely do you hear of a Church Minister using the term Age to Come and admitting We require a Resurrection before going or being anywhere. In the past, I've talked with Clergymen who officially taught something a certain way, due to Church Policy, but privately believed otherwise. Since it's their occupation, in many cases and derives an income, they try to work within their particular Church Systems, even though they might not necessarily agree with all that's supposed to be taught. I had a Muslim who works the 12-8 shift on Weekends where I work suggest to me that I should start my own Church, after He listened to some of My Biblical explanations. My response to Him was I won't derived an income from God's Word and that I really don't have any special insight on anything Spiritual, except than what I learned from others(Ray primarily). Also, the tendency and at least the possibility of entering Heresy looms in the back of my Mind. I'm content on learning and relearning What Ray teaches about the Scriptures and other Universalists that Ray has alluded to in some of His writings. When leaving the JW'S after twenty years, I did allot searching and researching and for a short while alittle Religious Hobbyist, because as the Song goes by the group, The Who: " I won't get fooled again, oh no, that was my mindset when leaving. I wanted to be like the ancient Bereans, examining the Scriptures daily, to see if these things were true.

                                   Good Post by You, Samson.

judith collier:
Karenmarie, I couldn't count the times people prayed for the devil to be harnessed and I knew darn well they were thinking of me because I asked so many questions. I guess he was harnessed because i shut my mouth but after awhile I had to leave. Rarely now do i let anyone pray for me unless I know what they believe. I used to stop people from praying over me because I would listen to them and didn't like what they praying. Most people pray their own mind.
judy

karenmarie:
Samson, I am a member of no church at the moment, officially. I was a member for many years of an independent bible church. Then I was a pagan  :o for a short while, then started attending a very large Baptist church near Washington DC. After divorce and remarriage, I now attend different churches with my second husband, who has his own interesting spiritual saga, such that he is allergic to joining a church. I was uncomfortable with that for a few years, but now am grateful that we never did become official members of any denomination. I go with him to an Episcopal (mainline) and a Southern Baptist church, we trade weeks for each. I like the liturgy in the Episcopal (scripture based, very meditative) and the sermons by the Southern Baptist preacher, who delves deeply into original Greek for research. He is the one who uses the term age to come in his blessing. We went with him to a presentation by N.T. Wright, an Anglican, who had just written a book, Surprised by Hope, which contains his thesis about life after life after death (the resurrection) and how most of Christendom is wrong about the belief in going to heaven as spirits at death. That is when we had the discussion about death being sleep until the resurrection. That was about two years ago. In the car going home after listening to Wright, we had a lively discussion also about the trinity - turns out my husband grew up in a church that did not accept trinitarian beliefs (Church of God, but not the larger, well-known COG, his denomination was a smaller band that has a few groups in Georgia and the midwest). All of this stirred up the waters for preparing me for what I discovered on Bible-Truths...

I don't know why I joined the prayer group in the S. Baptist church other than I like to pray to God! But I am finding I don't like an agenda behind the scenes. To be fair, I think these people mean well, in their way - they are searching, searching, trying to bring about good things through asking God for help and guidance, I guess, and to discern "effective" ministries that will help people spiritually.

I'm finding in my own personal life, with problems that persist despite prayer, that God is in total control. I ask Him how to pray for certain situations, waiting on Him to show me. He answers when I read scripture, come here to the forum, reminds me of other times He helped me, and I see how my faith grows and how I am being refined every day, even through the trials I have that He has not removed, yet. I don't consider these trials persecution, by the way, just troubles and hardships, and then not really that bad compared to many others' situations. The persecution I speak of was the reaction I faced after last week's prayer meeting and my comments to the group. So much did not feel right to my spirit.

This is a rambling post! But I have grown a bit in the past week, living through this situation.

Thanks, everyone, for all the comments - very helpful, each one. I do tend to want to smooth over troubled waters in conversations, hating confrontation. I am going to be aware of this - probably by not speaking out much at all in the first place, but if the Spirit moves, I will say what He tells me to say. I will also be praying for guidance about attending church events. God is faithful to answer prayers for wisdom.

Karen

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