[DungeonMaster]

These doctrinal disputations seem pretty pointless anyway. Especially in this holy season, it would be better if Christians could focus more on what we have in common with Christians outside our own tradition, rather than on ancient, seemingly irreconcilable points of contention; for the universal Body of Christ is constituted of all faithful lovers of Christ. The members of the Body are Christ's choice. Therefore, Christians have no basis to complain about members of the Body from other Christian traditions. All of us are entailed by the divine command to love one another — Love thy neighbor as thyself.

I find it helpful to think of those outside the body of Christ that are offended by anything done in the name of Christ. I've recently switched from a Plymoth Brethren church to an Assembly of God Church. The two are vastly different but everything in both is done in the name of God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everything is perfect in either but I know that the Muslims, Darwinists, Humanists, Gays, the Liberal Media heathens and all other enemies of the Church are terribly offended by our gathering together in His name. I find that very comforting though I do pray for their salvation.

[betty boop]

... enemies of the Church are terribly offended by our gathering together in His name.

Atheists put themselves into the absurd logical position of stipulating that God does not exist, and then proceeding to argue about the non-existence of this non-existence. If He doesn't exist, why bother to go through this exercise?

Whatever, atheists can't "prove" anything about God (i.e., in the scientific sense), certainly not His non-existence: You can't prove a negative.

Atheists who proclaim that "God is dead" are like a bunch of undertakers who, at God's wake, are nervously hovering over the coffin in the greatest anxiety and distress — fearing that God will open it and step out; and that no matter how hard they try, they cannot keep it shut....

They're a funny bunch, those crazy atheists.... Not quite firing on all cylinders, if you ask me.... If they are "offended" by your Church community, it's because the simple fact that you are gathering in God's Name refutes their claim of His non-existence. They will not forgive you for this.

Thank you so much for your astute insights, DungeonMaster!

[Quix]

WOW.

GOD BE WITH YOU!

A great AOG church is hard to beat.

A poor one . . . hard to find a worse stinking pile.

If there’s balance, healthiness, warmth, humility, caring demonstrated by the leadership

and ABOVE ALL,

IF GOD SHOWS UP with any regularity and demonstrativeness at all—then it can be most enlivening and deepening of one’s relationship with God.

Trouble is, then leadership tends to try and ritualize whatever seemed to facilitate God showing up so dramatically . . . and God soon stops playing that game.

At least one tends to hear good Bible teaching in most of them.

[MarDav]

I’ve been with the assemblies since 1986 (formerly up in NJ, right now in NC). Which PB assembly were you a part of? What happened to cause you to leave? Does your new meeting remember the Lord each Lord’s Day?