Church

[mightymen]

 

[r77r7r]

 

[mightymen]

 

[r77r7r]

Free presentation of a popular play, broadcasted free during this hard times:
Sight & Sound Theatres Presents: JESUS - Featured - Watch TBN - Trinity Broadcasting Network

 

[bombastinator]

Church has become a hard thing to attend lately. I am subsisting as well as I can with podcasts from Washington cathedral. I attempted to listen to a radio show but it was not even remotely about community. It was entirely about right to life stuff and what would happen after the virus. No attempt to minister or deal with the current situation at all. I turned it off after about 30 sec.

Point of light irony:

the play button in the middle of the image makes the word read “..orshi..”.

 

[mightymen]

Revelation 1:1-20
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ..

 

[mightymen]

Listen Online | Talking Bibles

 

[mightymen]

Proverbs 3 King James Version (KJV)

3 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

 

[mightymen]

 

[mightymen]

 

[r77r7r]

Church has become a hard thing to attend lately. I am subsisting as well as I can with podcasts from Washington cathedral. I attempted to listen to a radio show but it was not even remotely about community. It was entirely about right to life stuff and what would happen after the virus. No attempt to minister or deal with the current situation at all. I turned it off after about 30 sec.

Point of light irony:

the play button in the middle of the image makes the word read “..orshi..”.

Re-reading your post today reminded me of when I came back to the church, as a Believer. In the beginning I sat thru sermons thinking the same about addressing current events and feeling that I should be able to ask questions also, lol. After awhile I learned that simply following the Lord gets me thru everyday events. They don't need to be specifically addressed. Focus.On.The.Light. Like walking with a flashlight thru the countryside- you look where the beam is.
In addressing Covid, I gather info from the science community and pray for clarity about that. I follow the laws the government puts forth. If I have an issue with them, I pray about my struggle.
Best wishes on your continued journey.

 

[mightymen]

Live church schedule - Find upcoming live streaming church events from around the world.

 

[bombastinator]

Live church schedule - Find upcoming live streaming church events from around the world.

Looked at the list. It’s all hardcore evangelical stuff. So much stuff that is far far worse than what was happening with that radio show comes from that direction. I don’t consider it safe to open myself to it.

Im sticking with Sermons - Washington National Cathedral

it’s not as exciting and the show isn’t dynamic but the chances of me being abused is much much lower.

 

[mightymen]

Looked at the list. It’s all hardcore evangelical stuff. So much stuff that is far far worse than what was happening with that radio show comes from that direction. I don’t consider it safe to open myself to it.

Im sticking with Sermons - Washington National Cathedral

it’s not as exciting and the show isn’t dynamic but the chances of me being abused is much much lower.

The link IMO serves a purpose whether to teach or convict I don't know. Everything has a season and a purpose.

My opinion on being abuse is. If I listen and do what the Lord says to do it is impossible for me to be abused. That is just me.

 

[mightymen]

I’m not smart enough to understand what the lord actually says. I don’t think there are any humans alive that are. Hear it maybe, but understand it? I am doubtful. I’m afraid I’ll be convinced to get it wrong. One of the problems is I can’t necessarily tell the difference between the lord telling me something and something else telling me something. I have to be very wary, and even then I fail in both directions.

There are a couple red flags for me in evangelism that worry me enough that I can’t trust it.
One is evangelism itself.
The entire concept of evangelism not being specifically forbidden rests on some extremely narrow definitions of terms. Evangelism is so very very close to something that is very specifically warned against in The Bible that I worry even getting as close as evangelism gets is way too close. At least for me. Another is speaking in tongues. I’m not against speaking in tongues. It’s a fine ritual, much like communion. The problem is the people who believe it’s magic. (This applies equally to communion) Speaking in tongues is not magic and neither is communion. What creeps me out about the whole thing is the behavior surrounding the DSM and hypnotism in the 1960’s. Hypnotism as a concept is not in the DSM. Not because the researchers didn’t think it belonged there but because evangelicals threatened to prevent the entire thing from being used as a medical text if it contained it. Effectively condemning at the time nearly 100,000 and by now millions, to death. Smacks too hard of evil for me. I don’t have that kind of strength.

Your covered a lot ground in a few words. I can give my opinion on it but no way can I claim it is the right way for everyone.

First thing, if we do not have a desire to worship G-d then none of it will work for anyone. It is the desire that acknowledges who G-d is thus G-d's promises/Blessings are made available to us. Not having the right to G-d's promises/Blessings we would walk away thinking G-d is some made-up figment of peoples imaginations.

Second thing, if we haven't been introduced formally to G-d the Bible is a place where we can meet G-d. The only other option that I know of is through someone who has already met G-d and we are introduced formally at a specific time and place.

If we can be in some sort of agreement on these few things then I am willing to discuss the rest of your post otherwise I see no reason to go any further.

 

[mightymen]

That is one complication and a major issue with the concept of faith and belief.
I have faith in god. I choose to act as if god exists. But part of the concept of faith is to do so without evidence. Not because not doing so is clearly asinine, (the whole I’m as god-fearing as the next man concept) but because it’s actually a good idea.

Do I KNOW that god exists? No. I HOPE he does. Kind of a lot actually. Desperately perhaps. I think if he doesn’t we are all doomed. We are not particularly smart creatures. Smarter than other creatures perhaps, but still not smart enough or long lived enough to keep from destroying ourselves and everything else.

Do I know it for a fact though? No. I chose to believe. I chose to have faith in god. I choose to hope for the existence of god. That’s all I got though.

For ME not to have faith or not believe in G-d. I would have to reject the evidence G-d supplied for me. Most if not all came through prayer. I asked and G-d supplied. Since that day some 30 years ago when I asked for - what was supplied through G-d's forgiving nature and I spoke in tongues not knowing and never heard of it only to find out months later what it was. Gave evidence of a Spirit realm which I never knew existed. That was a very small thing in the physical world where most people would even say I was nuts. But from that one little thing my faith and belief has grown.

Does G-d exist, you bet He does!

 

[mightymen]

After being shot at four times from a distance of less then 8 feet and being hit only once and that one entered my left forearm traveled around the bone and went out the other side, went to hospital in and out in less then 15 min with a bandage wrap only. Also a fifth shot from a distance around 15-20 feet that wiz by my head. SO YES I'M A BELIEVER.

How can I doubt, when I can always look back and see God every second of everyday all the time...

 

[mightymen]

god does not supply evidence of his existence. It makes faith pointless. If there is evidence it is not faith.

G-d's existence is not dependent on MY faith.

Evidence is all around us whether we reject it or not is up to us. As far as personal evidence goes that is in the proof that what G-d promises an individual comes to past and we can either reject or acknowledge it as personal evidence. All this has to do with free will. Why the evidence would be rejected I'll leave that up to you.

 

[bombastinator]

G-d's existence is not dependent on MY faith.

Evidence is all around us whether we reject it or not is up to us. As far as personal evidence goes that is in the proof that what G-d promises an individual comes to past and we can either reject or acknowledge it as personal evidence. All this has to do with free will. Why the evidence would be rejected I'll leave that up to you.

definiion of terms. What you describe is the existence of the world. This is why many scientists are theists, despite what many claim. The way the world works is not magic. I am talking about magic. So I actually believe then, according to your definition but I use different terms. The use of these different terms means I do not automatically have to believe anything handed to me by man.

 

[mightymen]

definiion of terms. What you describe is the existence of the world. This is why many scientists are theists, despite what many claim. The way the world works is not magic. I am talking about magic. So I actually believe then, according to your definition but I use different terms. The use of these different terms means I do not automatically have to believe anything handed to me by man.

I do not believe its my definition if the Scripture is the instruction book that does the defining.