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A Love Story?

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pinko:

--- Quote from: Linny on February 17, 2009, 01:05:18 PM ---
When my friends ask me where we are going to church, I do not say I was called out of the church. I say that God has called us to study at home.



--- End quote ---

I like that approach, and use it myself.. But what response do you--and others here--give to the INEVITABLE retort of:  "ah, but what about the scripture to 'forsake not the assembling of yourselves together'?... We NEED to be in church, brother. That's what the Bible says!" 

I have my pat answer to that... And it's usually not effective.  The conversation generally ends, therefore, with "never mind".

Linny:
So far, no one has actually questioned my answer! I always tell them that we have learned more in the time we have been studying on our own than in all the years we were in church. That usually shuts them up.

But I have practiced it as my husband did have that thrown at him by an elderly neighbor and he saw no need to offend him.

I would say that I DO regularly meet with other believers, daily in fact, and that I am in the Word more now than I have ever been before.
The "church" of the Bible isn't a building - it is me.
 ;)
Lin

mharrell08:

--- Quote from: pinko on February 17, 2009, 11:46:59 PM ---I like that approach, and use it myself.. But what response do you--and others here--give to the INEVITABLE retort of:  "ah, but what about the scripture to 'forsake not the assembling of yourselves together'?... We NEED to be in church, brother. That's what the Bible says!" 

I have my pat answer to that... And it's usually not effective.  The conversation generally ends, therefore, with "never mind".

--- End quote ---


Excerpt from Lake of Fire Part 11 (http://bible-truths.com/lake11.html):

NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER
In Hebrews 10:25 were are admonished as follows:

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching."

That this is speaking of believers congregating together to worship and study God’s Word, there can be no doubt. However, there is a much deeper meaning to this "assembling" that few have ever seen. I never saw it myself until I read a paper by J. Preston Eby, entitled: "FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING."

I will quote an excerpt or two from his paper:

"The Greek word for ‘assembling’ is EPISUNAGOGE. The word, literally, is a verb meaning to synagogue. It is a compound of the Greek prefix EPI with the word SUNAGOGE from which we get our transliterated English word Synagogue. EPI means super – imposition – that which is above, higher than, highest, upon. SUNAGOGE means a meeting, assembly, or gathering. Putting these two words together, EPI-SUNAGOGE means THE ABOVE SYNAGOGUE, THE HIGHER MEETING, THE HIGHEST ASSEMBLY, THE HIGHER-THAN-ALL-GATHERINGS!

It bespeaks of something far greater than merely collecting so many breathing bodies together in one place.

It is a meeting in a higher realm, on a higher plane, in the high places of the Spirit, and in the heights of Truth. It is a gathering together in a dimension above. It indicates an assembling IN THE SPIRIT…"

(All Caps belong to Mr. Eby).

This Greek word episunagoge is used only one other time in Scripture, and that is in II Thes. 2:1:

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together [Gk: episunagoge] unto Him."

In Hebrews 10 we are admonished to "assemble" in an high meeting, a meeting in the SPIRIT! In II Thes. 2 this meeting in the Spirit will become a literal meeting with our Lord.

And so, back to our question once more: Which denomination should we join? Where should we go to Church? Where should we "forsake not the assembling of ourselves together?" In a physical building of some physical denomination? No. WE are to episunagoge (assemble) on a higher plane, in a higher realm, in a spiritual assembly, IN THE SPIRIT!

This is not something new. This is exactly what Jesus Christ taught regarding where and how we are to (go to church) worship God.

"The woman said unto Him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye [all the Jews] say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus said unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour comes, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when the TRUE worshippers shall worship the Father in SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit: and they that worship Him MUST worship in SPIRIT AND TRUTH" (John 4:19:24).

We have got to get out of the depths of Satan if we are to worship God in Spirit and Truth. The Church is filled with the depths of Satan. That is not the place to go to worship God in spirit and truth. Did Jesus go to the synagogues to worship His God?

"And when He [Jesus] had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart [Gk: ‘by Himself’] to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone" (Matt. 14:23).

Amazing, isn’t it. Jesus "assembled [Gk: episunagoge]" with His Father BY HIMSELF, ALONE. We can do the same. Not just on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, with a crowd, in a building, but on every day of the week, and we can do it while we are ALONE.

How often church buildings and temples are referred to as "The House of God." This is nonsense. God does NOT dwell in houses, buildings, churches, or temples made with hands.

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells NOT in temples made with hands."

And

"Howbeit the Most High dwells NOT in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24 & 7:48).

How often Jerusalem is called, "The Holy City." People want to visit Jerusalem because they think it is HOLY GROUND. There is nothing holy about it. Constantly Satan’s ministers refer to Jerusalem as the Holy City, and how we should pray for "the peace of Jerusalem." Let me assure you that all of those prayers are going to go unanswered because, "…for the son of the bondwoman [Jerusalem that now is--under bondage] shall not be heir with the son of the free woman [Jerusalem which is above and free]" (Gal. 4:30b).


Hope this helps,

Marques

Marlene:
Marques, I remember, reading that several times. This is something, that I have felt  since coming in here.  WE are to worship like Jesus. If, we do not spend one on one time with God, we are not going to keep on the straight path. All, I ever got in Babylon was feelings. We know, where feelings take us. Always, had a let down feeling when I came home. I would see some growth and many steps backward. Since, to me one on one time is where we hear what the Lord is speaking to us. He will even lead us to scriptures we need. But, we get truth from him. Where, in Babylon it is mans idea.

Thanks so much for that article. This post has helped me so much! Life in the Spirit is way better then a physical building of just feelings.

In His Love,
Marlene

Roy Martin:
Good morning everyone,
   Would anyone mind if I tell the story of how my wife and I met? It makes Silvia ( my wife ) cry every time I tell this story to someone.
  I could go back 10 years with this story but that would take too long.
 I had been out of prison a year,pulling away from God,still lonely for 10 years since a divorce.I thought I could run away from God and my problems and do things my way.I moved a state away.A year had passed but during that year every few days I would say God get me back to you.The pain in my heart got worse and worse then suddenly almost over night I was over powered with emotional pain.I couldn't stand it.I speak to God again but this time with all my heart.God please with all my heart,Get me back to you.
The next morning my partner comes to me and says Roy I think you need to go home back to your church.A few other things were said.I left the next morning as fast as I could travel.I'm back in the church building,seeking God with full force.
I was doing volunteer work at the church.I went with a friend to deliver some tables to one of the other church locations in a nearby town.As we were leaving I told my friend that something just told me I need to come to this church. I never had any thoughts of going there.I was perfectly fine at the one I was going to.So he says,then you better go.That evening Im all excited about this, moving in a hurry.I cant figure it out.I'm just excited.I did have this feeling that something good was waiting for me.On my way to church I get honest with God. Oh! I left something out.I had been single for 10 years and once in a while I would ask God to give me a soul mate,a good Christian woman.I was so lonely and still heart broken from finding my ex- wife in bed with someone.I just couldn't get a woman off my mind.I was 50/50 God seeking and woman thinking.So I say God I'm having trouble seeking you with all my heart because of this loneliness for a soul mate.Ive gone 10 years Lord,I don't know that I'm right by asking you to send me a soul mate but I'm asking anyway.How can I seek you with all my heart?,you said its not good for man to be alone. I said amen and a few minutes later I say oh God one more thing,will you make it a pretty one.
I'm in church,everyone is standing,music going,I'm on the next to last row which is very unusual but you will see that that is where God put me on a row by myself.I do something I never do,I look slightly to my right,in the corner of my eye I get a glimpse of a woman on the row behind me all by herself with a teenage girl that I didn't see at first.All I saw was this beautiful woman.At that very second that I caught glimpse of her God put a spot light on her and I couldn't even hear the music anymore.This all happened in just a second.I knew it,I felt it,and I asked,God is this,I look back again,God is this the one? At this point I don't even know church is going on.We are seated now,I keep glancing back thinking I'm slick that she doesn't notice my glances.Church is over.Im excited about going next service.I go home and Im not hearing from God.All I have on my mind is this beautiful woman that I know was from God.I go next service with intentions to meet her. we are both in the same seats as before.I'm doing the glancing thing again.Im already in love with her and dont know her but I knew she was mine.Church is over I try to get to her but am blocked by someone wanting me to play in the band.I watch her walk out.Just a couple days later in the main church everyone is leaving the building,Im up front talking to someone,suddenly I see her still sitting there all by herself with the teenage girl.I go straight to her,nothing is going to stop me now.I introduce myself and I could see at first glance that we were on the same page.We exchange phone numbers.I call her that after noon.We talk for hours 2 days in a row.I go to her house for dinner.She comes out and hugs me as if we had known each other for ever. We went and sat in a swing and within minutes we were getting very very weak,if you know what I mean but it just seemed right.Well it finally overcame us, and after, she asked if I believed in love at first sight?Never before have I until now I said, and she told me she loved me and started telling me about seeing me in the church. we were doing the same thing with the glancing thing but she kept feeling like she knew me from some where.She had been praying for someone too. She said just before I introduced myself to her that God was telling her to be still.We shared what we were thinking at the first time we saw each other and it just blew us away.We did a lot of talking as we lay there in love with a God love like nothing we could never imagine.We had no guilt.We knew this was of God putting us together but none the less we get on our knees the next morning and ask God to forgive us if we have done wrong.We thanked him for bringing us together and asked Him to bless us in marriage.I went home to get my things and we havent been apart one night since then.Some people came against me from the church by calling her and telling her they checked on my past and that she was making a mistake.I go to the pastor and tell him whats going on.I tell him that God married us,he says Roy your living in sin,this cant be right and that we should reconsider.I said show me where in the bible that man has to marry us,who married Adam and Eve? He said if there has to be a divorce there has to be a marriage.I said I dont believe it.So for their sake and to take pressure from my wife we agree to get married by man 9 days later of meeting each other.We didnt want people or buildings,we didnt even tell anyone wxcept the man that was going to marry us,a friend from church.We pull into his driveway, he lives on the lake,this is where we want to marry ,on the lake.We get in his house, its not dark outside at all but he says Roy I saw the brightest  lights I have ever seen coming from your car.We get on this 4 wheeler and say just go down the beach,well know the place when we see it.The sky was changing colors faster than I had ever seen it.It was the most brilliant colors I had ever seen and they kept changing.This is it,stop right here.It was an area that had a rock ledge with water on 3 sides.A beautiful place to say the least.Just as he started the ceremony, hundreds of fish started flying out of the water on all 3 sides of us.I couldn't keep my eyes off of this beautiful sky and the fish.She slipped the ring on my finger,we did the kiss thing and his wife said Roy that's the brightest diamond I ever saw on your ring as she was slipping it on.I show her the ring its just an ordinary round gold band,no diamonds,she had tears in her eyes and said you 2 are truly blessed by God.The fish disappeared as fast as they came but they stayed all the way through the ceremony. It was awesome.
We have been together for almost 3 years now and not a day passes that we don't give thanks to God.
We laugh at times and say what a sense of humor God has to put 2 people together from 2 separate worlds.At the time I first started crying out to God 10 years ago, she was just coming to this country from Germany in a bad marriage falling apart.
God was always in control of all of the time frame, the events, the place he sat us in the church.All of it.
Is that a love story or not.What a love beyond description He has for us.
Im sorry for the length of this but I couldnt shorten it any more than I did.
Peace
Roy Martin

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