Blessed Are The Hungry...
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled - The Words of our Lord Jesus Christ
Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. Whoever lacks understanding, come. Eat of my food, and drink the wine which I have mixed.
Proverbs 9 : 4 & 5
But I, by Your great Mercy will come into Your house; in reverence will I bow down toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies - make straight Your Way before me. Psalm 5 : 7 & 8
My quest continues, and I trust the Author and Finisher of my faith will guide me according to His everlasting Word.
The question of the source of authority and accountability in the church ( I am speaking of the Protestant churches at this time ) has always been
troubling for me. When I came to believe in Jesus Christ as the Way to salvation, I was in Presbyterian church which, of course taught reformed doctrine. I cannot say that they were all 5 point Calvinists, and some of them were really quite liberal. The faithful ( to the scriptures ) remnant succeeded from the union of the PCUSA, at great peril of loosing the church property, and joined a pro-life, anti-homosexual ordaining, quasi-charismatic Presbyterian denomination. I was relieved that we had come out from among the "apostates" and could never knowingly be a part of a church which supported and even promoted abortion with ridiculous statements like "Prayerfully Pro-choice !"
When my husband's job caused us to be relocated, we joined non-denominational churches and a few of them had Pastors with some very strange teachings indeed. Some were Calvinist, some Armenian, some "pre-trib" some "post-trib". Some were Kenneth Copelandites and others were Kenneth Haganites or Bill Gothardites or Rod Parsleyites. Some were charismatic others taught that tongues were "of the devil". Some dunked, some dripped, some poured. Some baptized, some dedicated, some confirmed. Some also seemed to think that "Don't drink or smoke or chew, or go with girls who do" was in the Bible. And I am sure that somewhere not too far from my home in the NC foothills of the Blue Ridge there are some churches that take those scriptures about taking up serpents a little too literally !
It would be very refreshing to have consistent instruction in the faith by men who are accountable and have the fear of the Lord upon them.
We Evangelicals say we want to know the deep things of God, but how can we go there without first being established in the foundational elements of the Truth of what God is really desiring from us as His people? How can all of these factions and denominations be correct in teaching what seem to me, even in my blonde condition, to be mutually exclusive concepts ?
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church's slogan is " In Essentials, Unity- In Nonessentials Liberty, In All Things, Charity." What the heck does that mean, and who determines what is essential and what isn't ? And "All things" could eventually mean things like, ordaining people with perverted sexuality and the other stuff that caused them to succeed from the union in the first place. I am reminded that that the Lord repeats three times in the book of Proverbs " There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death. "
Lord, by Your grace, I choose life and Your will. Help Your people be One in You as You are One with the Father.
Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. Whoever lacks understanding, come. Eat of my food, and drink the wine which I have mixed.
Proverbs 9 : 4 & 5
But I, by Your great Mercy will come into Your house; in reverence will I bow down toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies - make straight Your Way before me. Psalm 5 : 7 & 8
My quest continues, and I trust the Author and Finisher of my faith will guide me according to His everlasting Word.
The question of the source of authority and accountability in the church ( I am speaking of the Protestant churches at this time ) has always been
troubling for me. When I came to believe in Jesus Christ as the Way to salvation, I was in Presbyterian church which, of course taught reformed doctrine. I cannot say that they were all 5 point Calvinists, and some of them were really quite liberal. The faithful ( to the scriptures ) remnant succeeded from the union of the PCUSA, at great peril of loosing the church property, and joined a pro-life, anti-homosexual ordaining, quasi-charismatic Presbyterian denomination. I was relieved that we had come out from among the "apostates" and could never knowingly be a part of a church which supported and even promoted abortion with ridiculous statements like "Prayerfully Pro-choice !"
When my husband's job caused us to be relocated, we joined non-denominational churches and a few of them had Pastors with some very strange teachings indeed. Some were Calvinist, some Armenian, some "pre-trib" some "post-trib". Some were Kenneth Copelandites and others were Kenneth Haganites or Bill Gothardites or Rod Parsleyites. Some were charismatic others taught that tongues were "of the devil". Some dunked, some dripped, some poured. Some baptized, some dedicated, some confirmed. Some also seemed to think that "Don't drink or smoke or chew, or go with girls who do" was in the Bible. And I am sure that somewhere not too far from my home in the NC foothills of the Blue Ridge there are some churches that take those scriptures about taking up serpents a little too literally !
It would be very refreshing to have consistent instruction in the faith by men who are accountable and have the fear of the Lord upon them.
We Evangelicals say we want to know the deep things of God, but how can we go there without first being established in the foundational elements of the Truth of what God is really desiring from us as His people? How can all of these factions and denominations be correct in teaching what seem to me, even in my blonde condition, to be mutually exclusive concepts ?
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church's slogan is " In Essentials, Unity- In Nonessentials Liberty, In All Things, Charity." What the heck does that mean, and who determines what is essential and what isn't ? And "All things" could eventually mean things like, ordaining people with perverted sexuality and the other stuff that caused them to succeed from the union in the first place. I am reminded that that the Lord repeats three times in the book of Proverbs " There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death. "
Lord, by Your grace, I choose life and Your will. Help Your people be One in You as You are One with the Father.
posted by the artful diva @ 10:21 AM
1 Comments:
At 12:30 PM,
alicia said…
what you said about the various sects reminded me of this bit of Scripture: (this is the Douay-Rheims translation)
1 Cor 1:
9 God is faithful: by whom you are called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no schisms among you: but that you be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been signified unto me, my brethren, of you, by them that are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith: I indeed am of Paul; and I am of Apollo; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul then crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I give God thanks, that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Caius:
15 Lest any should say that you were baptized in my name.
******
Is Christ divided? I think that, sadly, the divisions in the body of Christ would make it seem so. I am glad that there are now so many, you included, who are seeking after truth - and not in the sense that Pilate used the word when he said:
"Veritas. Quid est veritas?"
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