Brian, I agree that the assembling of ourselves is good in that we may worship God but also be kept spiritually strong by the intercourse of relations with other Christians.
This is the problem: In the early Church(pre-Catholic) Christians met in small groups in their homes and they were known as The CHURCH OF GOD as they worshiped in SPIRIT and TRUTH.
Today must we have a mediator that tells us what and how to believe? If you are a Baptist you must be dunked in the water tank to have the right? to become a member? Doesn't count if you have already been baptised by another denomination. You must have the baptism of the holy baptist church. Be careful in all churches though because the larger ones especially keep a record of your tithes do be sure that you are not holding back.
Maybe you prefer to be sprinkled by the RC church. Gotta do it as a child and be trained in their ways.Then you can go to the priest and he will forgive your sins provided you do some sort of good works.
If you don't care to work out a deal with the priest, you can always go into the real deal evangelistic, heal your body by the special gifts given to the pastor for healing dogbites, snakebites, and misc. lower back and associated problems. If they all start rattling in a strange language at the same time, don't think that they are out of order just go along and someone who has the gift might translate for you the mighty new prophesies that the Lord gave to a few of the members.
Whoops, who said that God was among two or three gathered in His name? Don't cause the membership to suffer, we might have to spread the rumor that you are heretical!@$%^
We are beginning to hear more about home churches with no membership requirements, depending on God to keep them through PURE faith and not by a bunch of poor deluded church members that salve their conscious by attending church once a week. Live like hell 6 days and go to the church on Sunday and seek forgiveness. After all, the preacher said the Holy Spirit was strong in the church last Sunday, so I got to go there to find Him again.
I know, you say the church has a "FEW" minor problems and if we want to assemble we will just have to overlook it.
Brother, my wife and I can meet 7 days a week and have a great Bible study thrown in.
Did the preacher tell you that prayer is more important than Bible study so come on down and he will tell you what it says?
Brother, I have not one thing against you and enjoy your knowledge of the Word. But, I once knew a convict at a halfway house that wasn't saved but he could quote the Bible and he knew every story in it. (The Bible was all he had to read for 7 years so he practically memorized it.)
I know that you have a ministry and you felt lead to practice it.
I also have a Ministry and God is telling me that He is tired of play churchs and he wants "followers", not attenders.
Jesus gives us many lessons about the "Wedding Party" Lets not be among the group that is improperly dressed!
James |
