Hello all

[gasman]

Hello all,
I have just joined the flock here. I'm from Auckland New Zealand. I was put onto the site by a couple of friends here in Auckland who have been members of this site for a while. We meet every week at my place for meetings, study & prayer & have a great time. On sunday we had a breakfast meeting at our local Denny's with another member from Tauranga which is a 3 hour drive from Auckland. We had a great time encouraging each other. I guess I'm a little like everyone else here who started to question things in their local church & was unable to find the answers we needed & started to seach out things on our own. No bad thing.
We can all tell stories about hurts & disappointments we experienced in our local churches but that's life when a bunch of needy people are thrown together. I knew I had to leave & find a more excellent way as I could no longer reconcile what was taught with the light of the truth of scripture. I have been in 2 churches in my life. One for 17rs & my last one for 11. So it wasn't a flash in the pan decision for me to leave. Fortunately I knew a couple of guys who felt the same way and we are now a living church together. It's great.
When we started praying together the Lord took all the bitterness & resentment. We no longer look to the past but to the future & it's exciting to see what the Lord is doing in us & through us.
I would be interested to hear fom any others that are meeting & how it's working out for you. We are at early days at the moment having been meeting for 3 months so far but the revelation that flows as me meet in his name & giving him all the glory has been mind blowing.

Looking forward to your response.

God Bless

Greg   

[Dave in Tenn]

Hey gasman.  I'm new too and hope you get some answers from those able to actually meet.

I agree with you that there's no point in bitterness about your religious life.  That's the way God planned it.  Keep moving forward. 

Would love to visit NZ one day.

Anyway, welcome and say HI to your brothers there. 

[joyful1]

Welcome, gasman!
Have you had the chance to read the LOF series yet? If so, what was your fav part?
Joyce

[JD]

Hey man.... No ugly people allowed on the forum!....lucky theres some good looking people in your group to make up the deficit!

Great so see you have joined the darkside Obi wan.

See you Thursday

Han Jono.

[OBrenda]

Hello & Welcome Greg,
(Another Friend from the land of Hobbits? )

I truly wish I was Blessed to have a group of like minded Brothers & Sisters to meet with.  Sounds to me like you & JD have a great sense of humor!  (A good laugh is like medicine to the soul Obi won)
Looking forward to getting to know you better..
Brenda

[Roy Monis]

Hi! Gasman

I'm based in the Uk and unfortunately have not been blessed with like minded people in my vicinity and I envy you considerably. Envy is not a good thing I know but in this case I'm sure exceptions are in order. A hearty welcome to you and may we be edified by your input as I'm sure you'll be with some of the words expressed by your fellow members here.

God bless you brother in our joint walk in Christ. 

Love in Christ Jesus.

Roy UK     

[Kat]

Hi Greg,

I'm glad you have joined in with the rest of your group here 
You are indeed fortunate to have like minded people to meet with.  I get to meet with others at a Bible study once a month and it is tremendously uplifting.  But having all the people here to share with is a wonderful blessing that I take advantage of frequently.  Do join in and share with as what you all are learning or ask questions, as this brings us together in the truth as we discuss the different topics. 

I like to give those new here a few links encase they have not noticed them.

Check out the forum rules, it will help you understand how this forum is moderated.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,3.0.html
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,4558.0.html
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,3614.0.html

Forum Indexes & Info.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/board,14.0.html

Ray's Audios 
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2641.0.html

Transcripts of Audios
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/board,12.0.html

child boards
Inspirationals, Writings, Poems, Etc.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/board,15.0.html

Who Am I? (members pics and other stuff)
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/board,16.0.html

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[gasman]

 
Thanks everyone,
Joyce, what's the LOF series?

For the rest of you, let me encourage you. I am absolutely confident that my group wasn't drawn together by accident. In Auckland they say that on any given sunday there are over 20,000 people church hopping. There must be the same if not more of people who used to be in church but left for whatever offence or disappointment. I am reminded of what God said to Elijah that even if Elijah felt alone, there was still 7000 who had not bent the knee to Baal. I am positive that there are more of us out there than we think. The key I believe is that it is the Lord who will build his church. Not me, and it is He who draws. I don't know the size of the cities or towns that you all live in but there are people out there who need the fellowship of the truth. We as a group have been praying for them even though they're not with us yet. We had to go through our own journeys to get where we are & so do they.
When we first started talking about meeting we felt a burden to try & do something in the mistaken belief that it was all up to us to make it happen, to get the converts in. At the beginning all we really did was talk about what was wrong with the church & we sure had a degree of smugness & arrogance. The Lord quickly took care of that once we started praying. Hahaha. All the things I though I knew. When I look back I now know I really knew nothing. hahaha. I no longer worry about what's wrong with the church. They believe only what they are taught. It takes revelation from the Father to come into what we have come into and there must be a grieving process as there is a death. A death of what we knew & where we thought we had come from. Very few people are at that place now. That's why they call it a remnant or an elect. But we still need to step out & take a chance. To sow a little. Talk to others & see how they respond. If they have a love for the truth & God is drawing them then they will respond positively.
Pray for God to draw you together with others in your area. He will build his church. The Father is waiting for a people who will be obedient, who have a love for the truth & who desire to be made into the new wineskin's that can be filled with his 'Christos'. Those who are willing to die to the flesh & the carnal & who will put on the mind of Christ. It's not in us to do that in our own strength but we have noticed the changes in our own characters as we have prayed. It is very noticeable.
I see things so differently now & with far more clarity.
Johnny, Eric & I will start praying for those of you who are isolated from other believers & will ask God to draw you together with others in your area. Please let us know when these good things happen. I am convinced that he will answer our prayers. It's an exciting day to live in.

God Bless

Greg

[Dave in Tenn]

Thanks for your prayers, Greg and your Aukland brothers.  Man, that is some exciting stuff!  I had to laugh at your descriptions of early meetings.  Reminded me of long car trips our family took when I was a kid.  Dad would tolerate our bitching and moaning and petty backseat turf-wars for a while, then remind us who was in charge.   

For sure, I will pray not just for me, but for you guys as well.  And for sure I will let you know what the Lord decides to do here.  This is a small community.  There are megachurches with more members than live in the nearby towns, but maybe there are a few to start with.  I'd certainly be satisfied with that.  God bless you guys.

[Roy Monis]

Hey man.... No ugly people allowed on the forum!....lucky theres some good looking people in your group to make up the deficit!

Great so see you have joined the darkside Obi wan.

See you Thursday

Han Jono.

Hi! JD

If you look under Joyce's family in "Who Am I" you'll see an unto date photo of me. Your remark worries me! Do I qualify?

God bless you brother in our joint walk in Christ. 

Love in Christ Jesus.

Roy UK     

[Dave in Tenn]

Greg, in case you haven't figured it out yet, the LOF series is the Lake of Fire series on the main page. 

Roy, I just saw that photo this morning.   You win the ugly ribbon, and I am ugly enough to qualify as judge.

[joyful1]

Hi Greg--
Go to http://bible-truths.com/ then scroll down to :
The Lake of Fire Series! (LOF series).
Great stuff! That's the companion site for this forum, and the reason this forum was formed. You'll be reading a L O N G time and won't be able to put it down, I'm sure! If you are going to print the articles off, make sure your printer is packed with paper! LOL!!

Joyce

[Roy Monis]

Greg, in case you haven't figured it out yet, the LOF series is the Lake of Fire series on the main page. 

Roy, I just saw that photo this morning.   You win the ugly ribbon, and I am ugly enough to qualify as judge.

Hi! Dave in Tenn

It's time I won something, when do I get my ribbon?

God bless you brother in our joint walk in Christ. 

Love in Christ Jesus.

Roy UK     

[Samson]

Hello and Welcome, Gasman(Greg),

                                               This is one party(Spiritual) that I'm glad you found, it's God's purpose and direction for you. Do enjoy, participate in the fine fellowship offered and available at this Spiritual Banquet, these delicacies provided by Ray's Articles are Spiritually Nutritious and life sustaining, so fasten your seat belt and prepare yourself for the Spiritual ride of your life.

                      One last thing Gasman, do you think, you could sell me some unleaded regular gas at $2 a gallon, it would be much appreciated, at those prices, you'll get plenty of customers and probably a riot.   

                                      Samson.

[gasman]

 
Well done guys...hahaha. It's bad enough looking in the mirror in the morning without looking at your photos for an ugly competition....
Nothing like that morning hair & breath. hahaha
As to the petroleum situation you can drill your own.....

Cheers Ears

Gasman

[JD]

Hey man.... No ugly people allowed on the forum!....lucky theres some good looking people in your group to make up the deficit!

Great so see you have joined the darkside Obi wan.

See you Thursday

Han Jono.

Hi! JD

If you look under Joyce's family in "Who Am I" you'll see an unto date photo of me. Your remark worries me! Do I qualify?

God bless you brother in our joint walk in Christ. 

Love in Christ Jesus.

Roy UK     

Alas many have taken a tumble from a top of the ugly tree....you may have hit a few more branches on the way down tis all!.

However, at least be comforted.......... that rarely do great beauty and virtue dwell together (as someone once said)....ahhh...always a silver lining!!!

Bless you all

Johnny.