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Post by nitro on Jul 8, 2006 13:09:35 GMT -5
When going to meetings I often left the meeting fearing I could be lost at any moment. I realize now its a way to keep a hold or grip on the small knit group. Why is it death,being lost,back sliding seems to be par for the sermons in Gospel meetings. Words of encouragement are few. If not for a humus story in a few sermons most Gospel mtings would bring no Joy but fear. And a need to continue in this only "TRUE LIVING WAY" or be lost.Wow looking back on this it hurts to know those in this grip of fear and so entrenched in this doctrine they can't see it. Psalm 100 A Call to Worship
"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. 3Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations."
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Post by Guest on Jul 8, 2006 19:41:25 GMT -5
When going to meetings I often left the meeting fearing I could be lost at any moment. I realize now its a way to keep a hold or grip on the small knit group. Why is it death,being lost,back sliding seems to be par for the sermons in Gospel meetings. Words of encouragement are few. If not for a humus story in a few sermons most Gospel mtings would bring no Joy but fear. And a need to continue in this only "TRUE LIVING WAY" or be lost.Wow looking back on this it hurts to know those in this grip of fear and so entrenched in this doctrine they can't see it. Psalm 100 A Call to Worship "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. 3Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations." It could just be the way you hear, because yours seems to be a common journey, no matter what Christian church you grew up in. At least that's the journey I hear many Christians from many denominations tell. In fact, it seems to be the journey of the biblical way too. The old testement speaks of the fear of God as the fear of a real kick your ass or else if you don't obey type God. The wisest man among them declared that the fear of God was the beginning of wisdom. So you were right on track with a normal biblical beginning. Of course the O.T. also has a share of foresight of a better testament to come - that are recognised and doted on after a "new understanding" retrospectively. Most people I know, 2x2's and otherwise - both listening to about the same sermons all their lives, eventually come around to looking at fear in the more evolved terms as a fear of betraying the love and trust of someone they've come to know, love and trust. Pretty much like eventually it was time for Jesus - after enough O.T. history had gone by - to come along and say about the same thing. You can talk about the love etc of God all you want, - the carrot, but make no mistake about it, hellfire and damnation are there to be read about and preached about too, - the stick. The suggestion of one is there to be "understood" in any overt message of the other. Which you "hear" and are moved by may have more to do with you and the maturity of your relationship to God than anything.
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Post by kill my pain LORD on Jul 8, 2006 23:37:12 GMT -5
I fear the threat of hell, yet, the depictions of Christian heaven leave me feeling with a joyless feeling....it has very little appeal to me (from the vague and sparse depictions...and the stereotypical imagry). Don't get me wrong, Jesus, I would rather sing in your choir, gathered around your mighty throne for eternity, singing your praises...than to spend my eternity as a shish-kebab in hell.
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Post by prokoff on Jul 8, 2006 23:49:33 GMT -5
What if your wretchedly limited fundamentalist concepts were far eclipsed by metaphysical truth? Could you handle it? What if your "truths" were but Man's writings? Would you be devastated if the bible was not 100% accurate? Would you be surprised to learn that all of Man's religions...including Judeo-Christiany & Islam were filtered through fallible, and culture-bound men?
Contemplate the possibility that THE TRUTH OF GOD is far beyond anything that you can conceive?
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Post by bowhunter on Jul 9, 2006 20:55:32 GMT -5
Right on Nitro!! I felt the same way-there were very few workers who wereuplifting and encouraging. Depression feeds depression.
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Post by bowhunter on Jul 9, 2006 20:56:56 GMT -5
When going to meetings I often left the meeting fearing I could be lost at any moment. I realize now its a way to keep a hold or grip on the small knit group. Why is it death,being lost,back sliding seems to be par for the sermons in Gospel meetings. Words of encouragement are few. If not for a humus story in a few sermons most Gospel mtings would bring no Joy but fear. And a need to continue in this only "TRUE LIVING WAY" or be lost.Wow looking back on this it hurts to know those in this grip of fear and so entrenched in this doctrine they can't see it. Psalm 100 A Call to Worship "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. 3Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations." It could just be the way you hear, because yours seems to be a common journey, no matter what Christian church you grew up in. At least that's the journey I hear many Christians from many denominations tell. In fact, it seems to be the journey of the biblical way too. The old testement speaks of the fear of God as the fear of a real kick your ass or else if you don't obey type God. The wisest man among them declared that the fear of God was the beginning of wisdom. So you were right on track with a normal biblical beginning. Of course the O.T. also has a share of foresight of a better testament to come - that are recognised and doted on after a "new understanding" retrospectively. Most people I know, 2x2's and otherwise - both listening to about the same sermons all their lives, eventually come around to looking at fear in the more evolved terms as a fear of betraying the love and trust of someone they've come to know, love and trust. Pretty much like eventually it was time for Jesus - after enough O.T. history had gone by - to come along and say about the same thing. You can talk about the love etc of God all you want, - the carrot, but make no mistake about it, hellfire and damnation are there to be read about and preached about too, - the stick. The suggestion of one is there to be "understood" in any overt message of the other. Which you "hear" and are moved by may have more to do with you and the maturity of your relationship to God than anything. This is true in any church that doesn't teach Salvation by Grace.
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Post by Really on Jul 9, 2006 21:16:08 GMT -5
This is an example of King James Old-English. Modern translations are more correct with "The respect of God is the beginning of wisdom."
Think about it....Does God want His children to be afraid of Him? No way.
Really
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Post by Greg Lee unplugged on Jul 9, 2006 21:24:27 GMT -5
I heard recently that fear will cause a conformity to the group (church), but does not change the heart. Love changes the heart.
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Post by mrtindrucvionging on Jul 9, 2006 21:30:47 GMT -5
There is nothing wrong with fear. There is nothing wrong with joy. Fear. Joy. Fear. Joy.
LOVE is stronger than both!
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Post by jxr on Jul 10, 2006 6:38:22 GMT -5
I heard recently that fear will cause a conformity to the group (church), but does not change the heart. Love changes the heart. I heard that excessive LDL can also change the heart.
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