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Post by Giller on Sept 11, 2019 11:19:20 GMT -5
I already had the thought to do this thread in my heart for just a little while.
Even when I made the threads of "The conscience", and "Written in the heart".
This thread is about reflection, not to condemn any one, but so each of us can reflect on this, to one degree or the other.
From time to time, me and one of my friends talk about people having left the church system, and we often say, people may have left the system, but how much of the system has left them.
So how much of the system has left you?
Now just be lead of the Spirit of what he would have you say in this thread, and let us humbly write what we will write.
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Post by John on Sept 11, 2019 11:25:19 GMT -5
That is a good question. When I first left the church system, I still had a lot of it's influence. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was making the mistake others had before me. I was trying to take what seemed to work and fix what didn't. Later on, I realized that this was the wrong way to approach things. We need to forget all about how churches operate today, and look to the Bible. We need to try to see how the early church did things, and start over using that model. I can't say for sure if I still have any of the system in me today, but I am striving to get it out if any remains.
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Post by Giller on Sept 11, 2019 12:39:24 GMT -5
I am the same way, concerning not wanting any of the system remaining in me.
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Post by John on Sept 16, 2019 6:15:32 GMT -5
I already had the thought to do this thread in my heart for just a little while. Even when I made the threads of "The conscience", and "Written in the heart". This thread is about reflection, not to condemn any one, but so each of us can reflect on this, to one degree or the other. From time to time, me and one of my friends talk about people having left the church system, and we often say, people may have left the system, but how much of the system has left them. So how much of the system has left you? Now just be lead of the Spirit of what he would have you say in this thread, and let us humbly write what we will write. If you were raised in church, or joined a church and remained there any length of time, or even watched church services on television, that is all you know. There is no way that some of that doesn't influence your thinking. Of course, it is also true that the system isn't necessarily getting everything wrong. They could be right half of the time, but even if that is the case, we don't want to look at the 50 percent we think is right and try to fix the 50 percent we think is wrong. If we want to get it right, we need to start over using the Bible as our foundation and build the church based on that pattern alone.
I will be honest with you. Even knowing this is true, I can't say with absolute certainty that I am capable of doing that with no influence of what I know to be church, but that is my goal.
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Post by solid on Sept 16, 2019 6:57:11 GMT -5
What do you mean by the church system?
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Post by John on Sept 16, 2019 7:23:58 GMT -5
What do you mean by the church system? The whole way they operate, from the headquarters, if you are in a denomination, to the church offices to how services are conducted.
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The system
Sept 16, 2019 7:52:16 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by solid on Sept 16, 2019 7:52:16 GMT -5
I have a church I go to. You are saying that most churches aren't doing things like the early church did? How can we know how they did their services? Does the Bible say?
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Post by John on Sept 16, 2019 7:58:20 GMT -5
I have a church I go to. You are saying that most churches aren't doing things like the early church did? How can we know how they did their services? Does the Bible say? If you have a good church, I am not trying to get you to leave it, even if it is not perfect. Many of us have not found a good local church where we live.
The Bible doesn't spell out everything exactly, but does give instructions and clues. I think we can get pretty close if we want to.
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The system
Sept 16, 2019 8:04:45 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by solid on Sept 16, 2019 8:04:45 GMT -5
I would like to know what you & Giller think is bad about the way churches do things?
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Post by John on Sept 16, 2019 8:12:22 GMT -5
I would like to know what you & Giller think is bad about the way churches do things? I don't think it is so much bad as it is out of order. There is a Biblical way of doing things. It is my position that if we really want God's blessings, we must do things His way. That doesn't mean that God won't bless sincere believers in a church that has minor things out of order, but we should attempt to get it right as best we know how.
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The system
Sept 16, 2019 8:18:19 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by solid on Sept 16, 2019 8:18:19 GMT -5
I guess those of us who are part of a church are still in the system?
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Post by John on Sept 16, 2019 8:35:09 GMT -5
I guess those of us who are part of a church are still in the system? Yes, but no one is condemning anyone for going to church or for churches not being perfect. I don't think perfection is possible. If they are preaching the truth, support them. The majority of churches have abandoned truth for numbers. I just want to see churches attempt to get as close to Biblical order as possible.
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Post by Giller on Sept 16, 2019 9:32:23 GMT -5
In a big way, I am referring to the denominational system.
God did not come to create these things, but rather he came to form a body, which works as an organism.
And often times they just go by the denominational code, rather than the bible being the standard, or main standard.
And this can prevent many truths of the bible from coming forth.
Of course there is no perfect church, but at the same time all churches should seek to decrease and allow Christ to increase, they should seek to go forward in the Lord, and if they are not, then that is not very good, and there is a big problem.
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PG4Him
Senior Member
Essay Moderator
Posts: 3,570
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Post by PG4Him on Sept 16, 2019 9:50:21 GMT -5
We must take care to avoid misdirection on this topic. If our goal is to reject fabricated systems, it won’t do us much good to make a new system on the ostensible grounds that we ‘found’ it in the New Testament. The apostles had several opportunities, even in the letters we have from them, to describe the ideal church system, and we find them mostly silent on the subject. Indeed, most of the things we presently argue about seemed to be of little interest to them. If we’re serious about relying on sola scriptura, I humbly suggest we accept our limits and do not strive for blood from turnips.
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Post by Giller on Sept 16, 2019 10:26:33 GMT -5
It is not about a system, just to follow Christ and his ways.
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