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Post by John on Oct 2, 2019 9:29:55 GMT -5
I think Skype is a good way to go, and gives a more in person feel to the meeting, but I feel like I would place what we do here ahead of a phone call. More people can be involved at the same time and say precisely what they mean in writing. I like the idea of live prayer meetings in Skype.
Honestly brother, after many, many hours of experience in both, I have to agree with Frienduff that phone study/prayer is better than online. I’ve seen the Lord speak prophecy in phone prayer meetings. If the goal is to talk about doctrine, forums are great. If the goal is to lay hands on someone and seek a word from the Lord, a personal connection at least through voice is essential. I think it is a matter of preference. I have done both too. Live service is the very best, if it is in the truth. I think we all agree on that.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Oct 2, 2019 9:37:55 GMT -5
We shouldn’t overlook it where God says He’s in the midst of two or three. That isn’t just a consolation for small churches. Effective personal discipleship — at the deepest levels of character — only happens through personal mentoring. I’ve never seen a preacher tell a thousand people about modesty and then have a thousand modest people go home. Corporate messages impact a group corporately. Personal help needs the intimacy of two/three people in a conversation.
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Post by John on Oct 2, 2019 9:40:35 GMT -5
We shouldn’t overlook it where God says He’s in the midst of two or three. That isn’t just a consolation for small churches. Effective personal discipleship — at the deepest levels of character — only happens through personal mentoring. I’ve never seen a preacher tell a thousand people about modesty and then have a thousand modest people go home. Corporate messages impact a group corporately. Personal help needs the intimacy of two/three people in a conversation. I can't argue with that.
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Post by Giller on Oct 2, 2019 10:18:30 GMT -5
Ya I also would agree that the best is in person, I find I have my best fellowship in person, and I would agree with Frienduff that there is a lot more questions that could have been asked in this poll.
Because we have to remember what the bible says how it will wax colder and colder.
And it is hard to know what each person truly means by finding God elsewhere, some may be meaning that most assemblies they attend the Spirit is not there, but they can find good sermons and what not online, to were they feel the presence of God.
But in other cases there may be some that are not truly discerning correctly the presence of God, many truly want God there way.
But God knows everything, just I cannot help think about what God says about the last days.
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Post by John on Oct 2, 2019 10:23:27 GMT -5
I was wondering Giller, are you the Pastor of the house church you attend?
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Post by Giller on Oct 2, 2019 10:23:59 GMT -5
And also I do not believe that online fellowship should replace face to face fellowship, but if one cannot do so, then of course online is a good option, and for me it is like an extra blessing.
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Post by Giller on Oct 2, 2019 10:26:41 GMT -5
I was wondering Giller, are you the Pastor of the house church you attend?
It is between me and my friend John that teach, I am called to teach, I am very hesitant to call myself a pastor, I just do not want to call myself something that God has not revealed, but I am the one who teaches the most, but my friend John also teaches as well.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Oct 2, 2019 10:46:57 GMT -5
Regardless of whether the millennials in the survey have a burning desire for Jesus, that wasn’t exactly the purpose of this post. The issue I’m addressing is whether this seeker friendly model is being done for popularity or for a more nefarious purpose. If two urbane millennials, like the guys in this video, are leaving your church service calling it a circus, then who do you imagine is impressed by it? If teenagers are calling it a joke, then who do you imagine is enjoying it? Certainly not the old people gritting their teeth through the horrible music. They’ve said for 25 years that we can’t change the model because it works on the young people. YouTube is full of young people saying it doesn’t work… so why are they still doing it? That’s the question at stake here.
I’ll be frank in what I see from the system. At bottom, they don’t care how many people come. They are going to have their wannabe rockstar moment in the spotlight and their self-important pontificating behind the pulpit. They are going to turn the church into a party. All of it, on every street corner, in as many local gatherings as possible. They are harloting the church, pure and simple, with no regard for how many people attend at the end of the road. They know the attendance numbers will dwindle by the year until no one is left. They know this thing will crash and burn within a decade. They don’t care because they’re on a mission precisely to destroy the church.
Old people are leaving, young people are leaving, soccer families are leaving, everyone is leaving. Sure you can say people will turn against God in the end times, but the mainstream church is only too happy to scatter them. Pastors were given a pig in a poke back in the 90s. They were told turning church into a party would get the young people. The young people have fled, and the party is still there. This was by design.
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Post by John on Oct 2, 2019 10:58:39 GMT -5
I am glad you brought this up Candance, because I thought it was all about numbers and money. If it is about an agenda, it is much more dangerous.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Oct 2, 2019 11:13:26 GMT -5
A parable...
This is like Starbucks selling cheap coffee from the dollar store because they claim it will bring in more customers. The loyal customers who’ve been coming every day start to complain, but they are told to shut up and get with the program for the sake of new customers. For the first six months or so there’s an increase. But then year after year goes by as customers dwindle. Loyal people who liked Starbucks stop coming, and the cheap coffee is not enough to keep new customers. Small local stores begin to close and consolidate into one giant mega store for each city. Then people say, “look Starbucks has a mega store, they must be really growing.”
Out on the street and on the Internet, everyone says Starbucks is horrible. You start to hear more coffee drinkers say “I just can’t find a decent Starbucks.” Some of the more devout customers tell their peers, well it’s not the best but we are commanded to drink Starbucks, so what else can we do, and anyway there was a time when coffee was controversial.
Nobody likes it – not poor people, not rich people, not young people, not old people. There’s not one certain group of people who actually say they like Starbucks. It isn’t working on anyone.
After a while people start asking Starbucks to get better coffee. Starbucks says this is impossible because their customers have come to expect a certain product. Others turn against the complainers, saying they just don’t like coffee and are looking for excuses to hate Starbucks. so everyone is in a standoff. Complainers stop buying coffee, the faithful scream at them for being quitters, and Starbucks makes a profit selling bad coffee with no scruples. Eventually Starbucks knows they will have no customers left, but they’re willing to go on the ride and make as much profit as they can before they hit the wall.
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Post by Giller on Oct 2, 2019 11:24:02 GMT -5
Ok I am trying to understand what you are saying.
Yes I can see that there are many of what is called church buildings that are closing, and in truth many of what is called pastors do not care for the flock.
I do see these things, yet I also see some churches that are far from closing, and rake in tons of money.
And also the bible speaks of hirelings who are in it for the money.
I am just trying to understand, what would be the motive behind closing many churches or even all, when we know that a one world religion is being formed, and in regards to this poll is it just based with North America?
What is happening in the major part of the world like Africa, South America and so on?
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Post by Giller on Oct 2, 2019 11:26:47 GMT -5
I am just trying to understand the logic behind it, and also we know that God will pour out a strong delusion upon people, and that is happening.
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Post by John on Oct 2, 2019 11:29:43 GMT -5
Ok I am trying to understand what you are saying. Yes I can see that there are many of what is called church buildings that are closing, and in truth many of what is called pastors do not care for the flock. I do see these things, yet I also see some churches that are far from closing, and rake in tons of money. And also the bible speaks of hirelings who are in it for the money. I am just trying to understand, what would be the motive behind closing many churches or even all, when we know that a one world religion is being formed, and in regards to this poll is it just based with North America? What is happening in the major part of the world like Africa, South America and so on? If I understand her correctly, the people that are making all the money on church growth models are not just in it for money. They have a more sinister reason, to destroy the church itself. They seduce church leaders into forcing unwanted change on the members that they already have. They promise them more will come. They are told to accept that some will leave, but that the new people will more than make up for those they lose. All the while, they know that the end result will be that nobody will be happy and the churches will lose most of their members. That is how I am taking this.
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Post by John on Oct 2, 2019 11:32:09 GMT -5
I do think many of the local Pastors are falling for the lie, and all they are seeing is how they will become the next Kenneth Copeland, but those who filled their head with this mess know the end result is the end of that church is that it will fall apart.
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Post by John on Oct 2, 2019 11:35:20 GMT -5
Lets forget about Millennials verses other Christians that left the church. I would be more interested in knowing what made long time church members leave the church. I am talking about faithful members of a church, the kind that were involved in ministry there, like teaching classes, driving the church van, people like that. Why did they leave? What were the complaints they had? I think we would do good to listen to them more than people that left because they say they could find God outside the church. What do they see as the problem with today's church?
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