I can almost feel the anger in some posts on here when they respond to something that I have said. I can read and pick up on poststhat aredirected towards my faith and my belief.
So wanted to try to explain to all my beliefs and why.
I was raised from birth up to a teenager in a holy rollin, tongue talking,pentacostal church. Most of the preachers that I heard growing up were screamers. One of the most powerful memories that I have growing up in a church was a message that was preached on Hell. It scared me to death, I couldn't sleep for the longest.I may have bee 8 or 9 years old when that happened.
I fell away from the churchwhen both of my parents back slid. They were not in church and neither was I. I was about 13.
I got my girl friend pregnant1 year after high school. My dad told me that we had to get married so my child or his grandchild would not be born a bastard. That hurt. We did get married three months before my daughter was born. My parents who were both backslidden, cramed it down my throat how important it was.
A few years later, my wife and I seperated and I had full intentions of divorcing her. Iwhoremongered around all that I could, lost my job and was near the end of my rope. My mom had since rededicated her life to Christ and was hounding me to get her grandchild in a church.
I talked to an Army recruiter and joined up. I went to basic training in 97. I wrote my wife and told her that I wanted to get my life straight and I wanted to do it with her and my daughter. I asked her to come to my basic training graduation if she wanted to work things out. She was there. I went on the AIT and received orders to Ft. Rucker, AL. My wife was devistated, she had never lived more than 1/2 mile from her mother, and was second guessing going with me. She did go.
In Feb, 2001 after my mom calling almost every sunday morning to see if were going to church and praying for our salvation, my wife and I both went to the 1st Assembly of God in Enterprise, AL. We were both saved. I had orders to report to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO in AUG 2001. It took us forever to find a church there. We eventually drove 40 miles north to Rolla to a church there. In AUG 2003 I received orders to South Korea. My wife and children stayed there in MO. AUG 2004 I returned to the U.S. with orders to Ft.Sill, OK where I'm at now.
We attended several churches having a difficult time finding one for us. We finally settled on one.
When I was reborn I was so zealous for God's Word. I took my Bible everywhere, read every chanceI got. Slowly my zeal started shrinking though. I was being preached to, received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, spoke in tongues, but was spiritually starving to death. I wanted more of God but was never satisfied, I lost my Joy.
Things started happening in the church we were in and it was very traditional. The Pastor was teaching and my spirit was not agreeing with him. I prayed for weeks for the answer, and all that came to me was to leave the church and we did. We started attending what some call a "Faith/Word Church" and thats fine because it is. The first time we attended I was sold! The preacher taught in a way that wasagainst all that I had heard before. He preached on salvation of course but he also preached on the Blessings of God. He taught God's word in a loving positive light, not condemning, not the Hell, Fire and Brimstone that I grew up on, but the favor of God. He taught me what I am in the Lord. All that I have when I become a Christian, what I can do as Christian and what I can expect as a Christian.
I know that in some of my responses on some posts I have mentioned financial blessings. I know that some totally disagree with that but I don't. Let me explain my beliefs on this. When I say that a person can be financially blessed I mean that he is able to be a blessing. I dont mean for him to hoard it like a pack rat and be a scrooge. I mean to continually sow it back into the Kingdom of God. What kind of blessing would it be to buy someone a house that is in need, or to pay for a surgery that someone can't afford, or pay for your churches radio or television ministry for a month, or by a months worth of groceries for young newly wed couple that has a new baby and is struggling, the lsit can go on forever. This is the financial blessing that I'm talking about. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil, not possessing it. Money shouldn't control the person but the person control the money. I am blessed and all Christians are blessed with Faithful Abraham, its in the Bible and if its in the Bible, its not a lie.Financial blessings is not all that is in being blessed and its not the most important to me, nor should it be to anybody.
When I say that a person can be financially blessed I mean that he is able to be a blessing. I dont mean for him to hoard it like a pack rat and be a scrooge. I mean to continually sow it back into the Kingdom of God.
The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil, not possessing it. Money shouldn't control the person but the person control the money.
Financial blessings is not all that is in being blessed and its not the most important to me, nor should it be to anybody.
dk, thank you for sharing your testimony with us! You are correct brother!
I have read on here that...Reb isrich, well, far from the truth, it all belongs to Him.What I have He has returnedto me 10 fold formy commitment to Him. He can provide and He can take it away in the blink of an eye!
Read your bibles and see what Jesus said about Feeding The Hungry and Helping The Needy.
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
"We started attending what some call a "Faith/Word Church" and thats fine because it is. The first time we attended I was sold! The preacher taught in a way that wasagainst all that I had heard before. He preached on salvation of course but he also preached on the Blessings of God. He taught God's word in a loving positive light, not condemning, not the Hell, Fire and Brimstone that I grew up on, but the favor of God. He taught me what I am in the Lord. All that I have when I become a Christian, what I can do as Christian and what I can expect as a Christian."
DK,
This is the same type of church thatI have found myself led to about 3 1/2 years ago, and youcan FEEL the anointing of the Holy Spirit in our church. I have never experienced anything like it before. I have been drawn into the best , most faith filled congregation I have ever found, and our Pastor preaches straight out of the Bible.It is not all "good" things only though, he preaches the hell side of falling away and / or never coming to the Lord. He says you cannot pick and choose out of the Bible. If you claim thegood, then you have to take the bad too. And he is not all about the money side of it either. We don't have a flashy worship center or anything, we are actually in a older church building that over the past two years, we have grown soooo much, we are almost filling to capacity in every service. We have an attendance ofover 700every Sunday, and we are Baptising everySunday. Sometimes one person, but sometimes 5 or 6. And we have many people coming by letter too.God is working miracles here ( Cross Life Church ) .
But I say all of this, because we also feel the hatred you have spoken of on here, in our community. We are considered the scourge of the city my several other "typical" churches in town. Not all churches..... just some of them. Some believe as we do, in the filling of the Holy Spirit. Some say it is wrong to praise or speak in a prayer language, or to have healing and diliverance. But , I think they need to re-read their Bible.
God Bless you sir, and I appreciate your being here with us. In the past we have sometimes gotten sideways,on here, with each other, but we always try to finish in the Love relationship the Lord wants us to live in.
It is o.k. to agree to disagree. For it is not about US, but the Lord Jesus Christ. No man has all the answers, that is why we need Christ.
DK, I want to tell you that I have no anger or animosity towards you what so ever. There are just some subjects that get argued on here that I don't feel the need to respond to as I don't feel led to become involved . . .not for any other reason.
My burden is more to do with Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, and even at that I try not to run it in the ground and try to refrain from initiating the topic.
Yep, folks will become angry , resent you, and come against you aggressively and passively . . .it goes with standing firm for the truth . . .or at least your understanding of it.
You do a pretty good job of moderating yourself and have no reason to feel otherwise.
__________________ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Me an my beliefs
