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Agreed, however some on the forums think they have a teaching ministry to degrade local Christian fellowships and pastors.
Internet forums tend to attract individuals who for various reasons have a strong anti-local fellowship sentiment. Some of it is probably based on past hurts they are nurturing. Others have an independent, anti-authoritarian spirit which is not Christian. Others can't get along with others, and are not yielding to Christ on that issue.
Christ expects us to be involved in the Christian community in face-to-face fellowship. Communion, baptism, and loving church discipline and accountability are plainly Scriptural.
I'm really picky on selecting a good church, though, and I'm willing to drive a long ways to attend a place that has good teaching and whose fruit is obvious.
This thread is meant to overcome their evil with good by pointing out the positive local fellowships and pastors.
Internet forums tend to attract individuals who for various reasons have a strong anti-local fellowship sentiment. Some of it is probably based on past hurts they are nurturing. Others have an independent, anti-authoritarian spirit which is not Christian. Others can't get along with others, and are not yielding to Christ on that issue.
Christ expects us to be involved in the Christian community in face-to-face fellowship. Communion, baptism, and loving church discipline and accountability are plainly Scriptural.
I'm really picky on selecting a good church, though, and I'm willing to drive a long ways to attend a place that has good teaching and whose fruit is obvious.
This thread is meant to overcome their evil with good by pointing out the positive local fellowships and pastors.
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My Father-in-Law is the Lead Pastor at our church. He had a major stroke about 10 months ago. He still pastors and preaches because God called Him to that ministry and hasn't released him yet. When most pastors (and many people) would use a major health issue like that as a reason to relax and step down, he has stayed faithful to the calling.
He has more perseverance than most.
He has more perseverance than most.
D
I can't go to church anymore, but I do have one story of our old church worth telling.
The church broke up enough (yet another division before we came along, and no one gossiped, so really never found out what happened) that there wasn't enough money to pay for a pastor. Instead, we paid four soon-to-graduate seminary students $300 a month to prepare one sermon per month. (Four students -- all working for their masters or PhD's -- once every four weeks. Skilled men, so worth the price back then, and then some.)
Three out of four of them adopted our church as their ministry. (The fourth couldn't because he worked 50-60 hours a week, but he told a pastor friend, who volunteered to help us too, so it worked out perfectly.)
After service we always gathered together for lunch. This particular Sunday, I had one of my headaches (I have migraines, so they come often enough), so I went home. Everyone else gathered at one of the pastor's mom's house in South Jersey -- one of the few places everyone could fit in together. (South Philly, so IF we have yards, they're only 16' X 16' -- definitely not enough room for 50 people to fit.)
One of our members had terrible grand mal seizures. His seizures were so bad, he had no cartilage in his nose anymore from the number of times he fell down his steps during a seizure and broke his nose. (He amused us by showing how flexible his nose was. lol) Sometimes we paused service to help him. He was a very nice guy though, so it was no big deal to anyone past worried he might hurt himself.
Except, when he had a seizure he lost all control.
While at this pastor's mom's house he had one. He soiled himself completely. (Bad way to find out you have diarrhea.) Three guys in the bathroom, door shut, to help him undress, and get cleaned up. Worse yet, no clothes fit him, so they had to clean and dry his clothes while he wore Mom's bathrobe, which was a tight fit.
After they finished helping him, one of the ruling elders -- a mailman about 30, with a 9 month old daughter -- said to his wife, "I bet that makes up for all the times I wasn't there to change our daughter's diapers."
His smart wife said, "No."
I know. I was supposed to give some wonderful, deeply-spiritual story about some huge thing God did in our church, but truthfully, that's my favorite story. Why? Because I miss that church specifically because everyone was very caring and, indeed, very imperfect. Loved each other anyway.
That's what church is really about. Side-by-side, through thick and thin, loving each other.
The church broke up enough (yet another division before we came along, and no one gossiped, so really never found out what happened) that there wasn't enough money to pay for a pastor. Instead, we paid four soon-to-graduate seminary students $300 a month to prepare one sermon per month. (Four students -- all working for their masters or PhD's -- once every four weeks. Skilled men, so worth the price back then, and then some.)
Three out of four of them adopted our church as their ministry. (The fourth couldn't because he worked 50-60 hours a week, but he told a pastor friend, who volunteered to help us too, so it worked out perfectly.)
After service we always gathered together for lunch. This particular Sunday, I had one of my headaches (I have migraines, so they come often enough), so I went home. Everyone else gathered at one of the pastor's mom's house in South Jersey -- one of the few places everyone could fit in together. (South Philly, so IF we have yards, they're only 16' X 16' -- definitely not enough room for 50 people to fit.)
One of our members had terrible grand mal seizures. His seizures were so bad, he had no cartilage in his nose anymore from the number of times he fell down his steps during a seizure and broke his nose. (He amused us by showing how flexible his nose was. lol) Sometimes we paused service to help him. He was a very nice guy though, so it was no big deal to anyone past worried he might hurt himself.
Except, when he had a seizure he lost all control.
While at this pastor's mom's house he had one. He soiled himself completely. (Bad way to find out you have diarrhea.) Three guys in the bathroom, door shut, to help him undress, and get cleaned up. Worse yet, no clothes fit him, so they had to clean and dry his clothes while he wore Mom's bathrobe, which was a tight fit.
After they finished helping him, one of the ruling elders -- a mailman about 30, with a 9 month old daughter -- said to his wife, "I bet that makes up for all the times I wasn't there to change our daughter's diapers."
His smart wife said, "No."
I know. I was supposed to give some wonderful, deeply-spiritual story about some huge thing God did in our church, but truthfully, that's my favorite story. Why? Because I miss that church specifically because everyone was very caring and, indeed, very imperfect. Loved each other anyway.
That's what church is really about. Side-by-side, through thick and thin, loving each other.
again I think the poster is very clear what his intentions are. The issue I think and I could be wrong is that we are told
in Hebrew:
[TABLE="width: 608"]
[TR]
[TD] Heb 10:25[/TD]
[TD]Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
In the greek it means two applications:
in Hebrew:
[TABLE="width: 608"]
[TR]
[TD] Heb 10:25[/TD]
[TD]Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
In the greek it means two applications:
[*=left]a gathering together in one place
[*=left]the (religious) assembly (of Christians)
The word here is very clear and the word assembling and together are the same in the greek. The word "Manner " tranlate to Custom or prescribed by Law.
The phrase " exhorting one another"
means :
[*=left]to call to one's side, call for, summon
[*=left]to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
ANd "such more" means DO IT alot !!! as you SEE which means "Discern " the day approaching "
I find it very concerning that many will overlook this instruction given to Christians to be in fellowship with each other and that we are to do it more! as we see the day getting closer to the coming of The Lord. The vast amount of so-called spirituality that some claim to have so much of, will not even impart what they know to those in a gathering of other believers ? wow very telling I must say.
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D
Actually, you can have large churches yet still be part of a smaller church. The biggest church in our presbytery is so big it has 5 home churches, plus the disabled group, so people can be part of something large while still getting to know our neighbors. The advantage of the large church is they started ministries that were helped enough to go on their own at one point or another. The ministers are still part of the large church, but the church on longer funds them, giving money to newer ministries and missionaries still in need, until those ministries and missionaries no longer need the church's money. It has simply been like that for 170 years, so the ministries keep multiplying and the money keeps getting used to help more and more people. Meanwhile just about everyone who is a member is also involved in one or ore ministries, alng with their home church and the large church.
The name of the church is called Tenth Presbyterian, if you want to see what they do. It's not a stage-show mega-church it's a get-down-and-do-like-the-Bible-says church.
As far as Biblically sound goes? Go to any church in that denomination anywhere in the US for a Sunday service and you'll notice something odd. Every Teaching Elder is teaching the same verses in scripture, and yet each one spent the last week -- 35-40 hours during that week -- preparing to teach those verses. You won't get the same sermon, but you will get the same scripture, even if you go on vacation to another part of the country.
Don't think God avoids large churches. As everywhere else, the invisible church is even there.
(This thread is about what is positive in churches, not what is negative.)
The name of the church is called Tenth Presbyterian, if you want to see what they do. It's not a stage-show mega-church it's a get-down-and-do-like-the-Bible-says church.
As far as Biblically sound goes? Go to any church in that denomination anywhere in the US for a Sunday service and you'll notice something odd. Every Teaching Elder is teaching the same verses in scripture, and yet each one spent the last week -- 35-40 hours during that week -- preparing to teach those verses. You won't get the same sermon, but you will get the same scripture, even if you go on vacation to another part of the country.
Don't think God avoids large churches. As everywhere else, the invisible church is even there.
(This thread is about what is positive in churches, not what is negative.)
