Group Church Faith versus Individual Faith Churchianity is group religion that has no power when the individual has not connected with the Lord personnally and individually. All the real Christians and people of the Lord have had to test their neddle alone and only supported by their faith. Hardly ever, and I mean 'hardly ever', was it a group test, except maybe in a group setting where the true Christians were thrown to the lions as a group... But even then weak individuals never made it to the arena. they turned tail and RAN. So let me respond to an Emailer's response in favour of 'Group Church Faith" Hers shall be in red, my thoughts in black. What's your response ?. ******************************************************** But Christianity has never worked in an individual setting. (Absolutely not, the Lord ONLY works through individuals that have gained individual faith.) No Christian suffers alone, no Christian serves alone. (Wrong, and I can't say this nicely and sweetly but bluntly. True Christians suffer alone, choose alone and get the strength to preservere alone. As a missionary for twenty years I can confirm this over and iover again and again) Christianity has ALWAYS been about a community of believers working for a common cause and goal, that is the Glory of God the Father. (NO, a group is only of value when they have individual faith, when it becomes group faith it becomes weak churchianity whioch has never helped anyone. All the priophets of the Lord have been loners, all the saints have had to go it alone. The weak need others and usually their associations keep them weak, as churches like to keep their people weak..) It isn't just people of weak faith coming together with others of weak faith. (In almost every case I have seen it is... Churches make sure people stay weak and unquestioning and submissive to church doctrine that ensures their weaknesses, in almost every case. Unless you know of some magical mysterious church somewhere that is different. I have heard of these churches written about, but no one can state what denomination they are talking about.) If you have paid any attention to the letters the Apostle Paul has written, you will find that he is often writing to a mixed body of believers, both Jews and Gentile, both weak and strong, both new and mature. (And they didn't have the Word to make them strong, so had to group together to hear the words from others. But now we all have the word, and don;t need to be topgether if that association is binding us more than liberating us, and NO church is liberated none, not one. Otherwise state which one is liberated and free, and teaching and preaching liberation and witnessing it to others. NONE) It is this group experience that creates drive. (NO it is individual faith that creates drive and a group helps only if individuals have experienced the Lord directly and intimately) A multitude of Christians, again, united together in faith and prayer, NOT their faith in themselves as a group, but their united faith in Christ. (Yes then their prayers can mean something especially if they don;t just pray as the church has taught them. if they get up and DOP something and witness and win and are active rather than just praying THEN maybe the Lord would answer their prayers more and more and get them to do more and more) For if they only believed in the power of themselves in a group, and not in their united effort on behalf of Christ, then it would be completely worthless and foolish. (True, but they usually only get the faith to pray if in a group because they usually have no faith in personal intimate prayer, because they have never prayed and received from the Lord personnally. having group prayer can give them group excuses if it fails, when personal prayer is direct and heart wrenching because you have to be true to the Lord and be REAL and stanhd as an individual before. HIM. Come boldly before the Lord as an individual not as a group. groups have never done anything only individuals. Groupies are for groupies, and cultists, unless the individuals are connected directly to the LORD personnally.) I've never encountered a church were there has ever been an exception to this. (Ive never encounetered a church where they got anything from the Lord unless they had individual personal real FAITH in the Lord. Why worship chutrch, why worship a group, why seek a group, when if we have the Lord we are a group. If we have a mate or another we have a group, and then we can go out two by two. Why wait... why excuse disobediance or procrastination because of a lack of numbers. DO IT, with 1, or 2, that's a group. If we get more, THANK the LORD, but never make a group our excuse for not doing.) There is no church that is completely full of wise and mature Christians only. (There is no church where wise and mature Christians can be liberated enough to break the bonds of a foolish and immatutre church system. Why worship church and give individuals the false illusion that if they only find the right church then they will do something for the Lord. NO, get them to have the courage and faith to do what needs to be done where they are in the circumstance they are presently in. Do NOT get them searching high and low, city to city looking for some so called ideal dream church. They don't exist. They are an illusion. They are few and far between and short lived even if a brave pastor breaks away temporarily from the dogma of the church cult.) ) There is no church that is only full of Christians who are weak of faith. (I know lots of churches full to the brim of weak Christians or none Christians) While I may disagree with some teachings in some churches, there is always an ecclectic mix of individuals, although you may not see that if you only stick around long enough to pass a judgement that they are all Milk and toast-type characters and move on. Even here with Liberated Christians, there are plenty of us who are strong in faith and wise in the Word, but there are also plenty of us whose faith is week and are looking for a place to re-establish themselves. (Get strong by doing and by seeking the Lord, not thinking it has to be from the strong. The weak get stronger, not from church but from the Lord, and maybe the help of stronger brothers and sisters, if they happen to be around. But we can NOT get people to rely on the church for help. They will not get help from any church I know of. What dream church system are you referring to...) And for them it is whom I hope that what I have learned through faith touches the most, because Christ's greatest command was for us not to judge each other based on our previous experiences in the Church, but to love one another as we love ourselves. (Yes, but the greatest love we are to learn is not loving those in a church system but loving those around us, and loving those that know not the Lord. This is the love the Lord especially wanted us to learn and DO. Churches frown on such associations, out of their self righteousness where as the Lord encouraged it. No church that I know of appreciates the lost and the lonely, except to entrap them into their binding rules and dogmas.) I don't EVER want them to come of the opinion that the Church is an evil institution that you cannot trust or turn to. (I differ, the institution is not of the Lord when it has not the Lord and when they keep their flocks away from the Lord) If this was the case, Christ would never have established the Church to begin with. (More twisting of scriptures to honour and worship the church system as if the Lord himself created todays churches. he said come out of them, flee from them, depart from them, don't be dtainted by them, spit out their lukewarmness, spew out their hypocracy, watch out for their damnable doctrines, beware of their poisonous leaven. Where two or three of you are gathered together , there is HE in our midst, and He is not limited by few or helped by many. It just takes an individual in the power of the Lord to serve HIM, it doesn't take a room full of church people. Just one of two with faith to serve Him. Amen ?) IHS David Back to Homepage Sexy Spiritual Christians Year Two |