Anyone Go here?

[Craig]

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/23/my-take-why-my-church-rebelled-against-the-american-dream/?hpt=C2


Looks like this church is starting to get it?  I wonder what they are really like?

Craig

[Ninny]

Wow! Craig! This is quite amazing! I'd like to know someone attending that church! I know some folks around Birmingham I might check around and see if I can find out about them!!
Kathy

[Deborah-Leigh]

They have quote " trimed $1.5 from their budget...."

Receive or give a tithe, and you deny the Priesthood of Christ, who is our High Priest.

Joh 17:11  I am no longer in the world.......

Joh 14:17  He is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it neither sees him nor recognizes him. But you recognize Him, for HE ABIDES WITH YOU and will be IN you.

Blessings
Arc

[Deborah-Leigh]

Hey John! ~ 

...."do goodism".....~  EXCELLENT FOCUS and discernment! Thank you for your comments and insights.

Rev 3:17  Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked....................... has to happen in each one of us as we experience the unveiling of Christ within. We too must experience falsely perceived independence from God, the addictive false sense of security in and of things, that denies and is to the exclusion of His Spirit in us.

A carnal, false sense of righteousness, doing good for others, keeps locked up in spiritual prison, the company and bondage with our own worst enemy, the Beast within, that  does anything to feel good and holy. We escape to our freedom and liberty in Christ throughGod given repentance to humble acknowledgement, healing recognition and blessed appreciation for God, His Spirit that IS Good and Holy Fruit from Him, within us.

The Kingdom of God is within, not in Bible Colledge, Church's built with human hands or prayer groups designed for popular approval. They have their reward.

Blessings
Arc

[Terry]

i agree John i just saw on TV where people spent 456.5 billion on christmas i believe it would take( MANY) to spend that much on santa claus.
Terry

[Ninny]

Ok guys...don't be so hard on these guys! God works with each in His time! It took me many years to come out of that church frame of mind...just because we have some truth here doesn't mean that God has stopped working with the churches! I feel this attitude that "we have arrived!" I had that attitude when I was a Seventh Day Adventist and it took me many years to lose all that and in some ways I still feel myself having those attitudes rooted deep within...

God doesn't always do the miracles over night or in an instant! I always remember that God shook my very foundation to get me where I am today..so let's  get off our high horses and thank God that He has a people out there...He is calling us all out of that system..BUT the people He calls are all IN that system!  most of us were there...I feel like God has a purpose for all things and I for one would keep my mouth shut about sounding just a little too holy to even THINK about making light of what God may be doing...So they trimmed $1.5 million from their budget! they could probably trim that much and more again, who cares?  Just because I would never go back and because I understand that there are wolves in sheep's clothing out there doesn't give me any position to act like I am so high that I could never fall or be deceived again! Just chill out and pray that God's will concerning these people will be done! What an amazing God we have that He works on individual hearts! God's will WILL be done!!

I don't mean to sound ugly, but just because we're HERE doesn't mean we're THERE, yet!  God will one day open ALL eyes to see the truth and many things that we THINK we know will not be....God's love is higher and deeper than any of us know...His truths are higher and deeper than we can imagine...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPeC6Pri_pM&feature=related

Kathy

[mharrell08]

Excerpt from 'The Father's Will' 2006 Conference (http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,3720.0.html):

God doesn't call everybody to be one of His favorite chosen, elect, except from the church.  So we don't want to poo poo the church too bad, because that's where He gets the elect from.  I have never heard or known of an atheist converting and becoming one of God's elect.  They always go into the church first, to be corrupted by the church and then they're shown the truth and they come out.


While I don't agree this church is on the path to God's truth, Ninny does have the right perspective. Pride does come before the fall.

[Deborah-Leigh]

Hey John!....

...So they trimmed $1.5 million from their budget! they could probably trim that much and more again, who cares?  

I care. I care very much. That's not pride, and neither is it wrong to care.

.....Ninny does have the right perspective. Pride does come before the fall.

God causes both the pride and the fall.  

Blessings
Arcturus

[phillip78]

I have looked at the church called Tomorrows World. After reading a lot of their material, I'd have to say they are real close to a lot of the doctrines that Ray teaches. HOWEVER NOT EVERYTHING they preach is truth, but still they are much better an any church I have ever seen.

The doctrines of an eternal hell is what gets me riled up.

[Linny]

You are so right Kathy! I honestly believe NO ONE down here has ALL of the answers. Only God owns it all and He reveals it as He chooses, to whom He chooses and when He chooses. I'll take mine as I get them and be happy with what He reveals to me. I know I can never get on a high horse as I don't like it when I get knocked off. OUCH! 

Like it says in Kat's post about life's great truths...
"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them."
I've eaten my fair share and I try to keep that to a minimum now. 
Lin

[Deborah-Leigh]

It is the keeping of carnal man, to side step the consuming fire of the One True God. The consequences are of God's making.  God shall not permit carnal Adam to rise above HIM. Luk 6: 40

The old man of mortal comforts speaking unto us smooth things that prophesy deceits Isa 30 :10, shall be, by the Mercy and Purity of God,  broken and not spared. Isa 30 :14

There is peace and beauty in the "wilderness" away and out of the world. In returning to our first Love, we find rest and are saved and in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength. Isa 30:15. The kingdom of God is within. Luk 17 :21

Blessings
Arc

[Astrapho]

Ok guys...don't be so hard on these guys! God works with each in His time! It took me many years to come out of that church frame of mind...just because we have some truth here doesn't mean that God has stopped working with the churches! I feel this attitude that "we have arrived!" I had that attitude when I was a Seventh Day Adventist and it took me many years to lose all that and in some ways I still feel myself having those attitudes rooted deep within...

......

I don't mean to sound ugly, but just because we're HERE doesn't mean we're THERE, yet!  God will one day open ALL eyes to see the truth and many things that we THINK we know will not be....God's love is higher and deeper than any of us know...His truths are higher and deeper than we can imagine...

Always the ray of sunshine, Ninny. I concur. It's easy to get prideful about these matters.

I approve of them donating their money to help others instead of using it for unnecessary construction projects, but I agree with John, just cuz they do some good don't mean their doctrine's right, we'd best stay away.

[Deborah-Leigh]

Beautiful Astrapho!

To be "in Adam" or "in Christ". It is ALL "HIS workmanship".

Blessings
Arc

[indianabob]

Friend Phillip,

Some of us came through the same or a similar organization.
The Worldwide Church of God had a magazine called Tomorrow's World and the offshoots of that group have taken similar names. One is the Living Church O. G. another is the Philadelphia C O G.
They seem quite attractive at first to some folks, but as you may already know, care should be exercised when examining their dogmas.

Friend Bob

I have looked at the church called Tomorrows World. After reading a lot of their material, I'd have to say they are real close to a lot of the doctrines that Ray teaches. HOWEVER NOT EVERYTHING they preach is truth, but still they are much better an any church I have ever seen.

The doctrines of an eternal hell is what gets me riled up.

[walt123]

Hello to all who are called or eyes opened to truth.
I wonder if these verses add to most of the replies.

Mark 9:38-42 (New International Version, ©2010)
38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
   39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
    42 "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

walt.

[phillip78]

As I stated they do not have all of the truths that we know of, and the mature should be able to know that. However we all crawl before we are able to walk. As Ninny said "Ok guys...don't be so hard on these guys! God works with each in His time!" I agree!

[aqrinc]

We can be like our Master or we can be like the Pharisees. Keep from them (publicans and sinners) because we are not misguided like them, or be willing to hang out and eat with publicans and sinners.

Mat 9:10-13 (UKJV)
10  And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at food in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eats your Master with publicans and sinners? 12  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

13  But go all of you and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

george.

[Deborah-Leigh]

Hi George,

GREAT is the Hope, we can be like our Master. The Scriptures affirm the Truth you share.  Thank you!

Two thousand years of Christendom have sat, waiting on a physical return. Christ is not physical.

Luk 17:20  And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: (physical manifestation)
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! ( because it is not visible to the world) for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.  

The Spirit gets right between our marrow and bone, to the heart of motives and soul of the hardened sin and causes the melt down of emotional immunity of the sinners world, arrogance and ignorance. An inward return to the Heart of Christ bleeds Mercy and Compassion on the Cross of Integrity upon us first before it turns water to wine and flesh carnality to spiritual life in purity and clean hope within us.

The return of Christ is within.

Christ coming to us L. Ray  Smith.   The heart  made clean shall see God.

Blessings
Arc

[grapehound]

Thanks Deborah, profound stuff.

Grape x

[mharrell08]

We are all beasts...we are all lost sheep gone astray. It's easy with hindsight to rail on and on about how the church is this or that. God called us out of the same corrupt system just as He will do with everyone, eventually. This is the point Ninny, Philip, & Linny are making that is being overlooked. Too much preaching, not enough listening.

No one here is even defending this church in question. All that was asked was IF this church was headed in the right direction, in your opinions.

Also, because I know SOMEONE will say, 'will Jesus did it, and I'm trying to be like Him'. Do you know that Jesus saved most of His derisive comments to the church LEADERS who KNEW what they were doing was wrong? Look in the very bibles that you are quoting to the members above for yourself. Does anyone believe that the billions of Christians on this earth KNOW that what they are doing/believing is wrong? Did you?

James 1:23-24  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

Look at this verse and think about BEFORE you were a 'doer of the Word'. When God showed you your true self, and you looked in that mirror and saw a brute beast, how humbling was that? Probably was earth-shattering, wasn't it?

Well, apparently not, because we've 'immediately forgotten what kind of man/woman we were'. And that is why there is an almost complete lack of compassion on this forum whenever the subject of church comes up. We want to look at them for what they should be instead of seeing them as how we were.

Christ said 'you shall know them by their fruits'. That's how you know the spirit of God is actually working in someone, not posting scriptures that one doesn't even take to heart. I only see arrogant, condescending attitudes towards our soon to be brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of showing maturity and realizing this church, or any other church in it's infant stage, is not where they will be eventually, we act like toddlers who grow impatient with our younger sibling.

I'm sorry but it really gets me how sound counsel is ignored because one would rather get on their high chair & preach.


Marques