Do you belong to a church or organization? I have interviewed a few and I didn’t like any of them!
Besides my Bible, and a few here on FR that I enjoy following to see what else I can learn, I also watch and read from the Philadelphia Church of God..Key of David mostly.
I watch a few evangelicals on tv, but my Bible and Philadelphia Church of God are my 2 “most”.
I attend and do small things at a Charismatic/Pentecostal church that’s part of a loose Federation. Some dear friends of my folks started it when I was in Jr High.
When I first attended after returning from Asia, the then head Pastor eventually called me into his office for a Kangaroo court because of my letter documenting the sound being too high and medically destructive to ears.
He said repeatedly: “I don’t have what it takes to be your pastor.”
So are you asking me to leave the church?
“No. We can’t do that.”
repeat repeat repeate over 2 hours . . .
Finally . . .
So, Can I still attend the church then?
“Why would you WANT TO!!!???!!!”
I asked The Lord to show me where I was wrong
or
to change him, or move him on or whatever else The Lord’s wisdom would decide to do with him to fix the obvious problem.
within a year, IIRC, he was removed for an extramarital affair he’d insisted he’d broken off but hadn’t.
Sigh. We are such fleshy humans so often.
The current Pastor was a little girl in the same church years ago. Some think she should be teaching a School of Prophets and an assistant Pastor there should be head Pastor. Either way, God would bless the congregation, I think. She’s doing a great job of preaching and leadership. People are being healed and coming to Salvation. Believers are being matured.
Music volume is much better but still could improve. Finally learned the mentality. She asserted that such as during prayer time after the sermon . . . that people pray more fervently with louder music. First time I’d heard that one. I still don’t like manipulating folks with music.
Long ago realized that no church is going to be perfect.
I just try to find one where the Bible is preached unfettered and fairly purely; where Holy Spirit is at least reasonably free to move; where God is worshipped in sincerity; where Pastor and people are warm, friendly, loving, authentically; where there’s some outreach to missions and the poor; where there’s a lack of arrogance on the part of the leadership . . . and hopefully, where God shows up with some frequency.
Thankfully, this place finally meets most of those.
It’ shard, however, to find someone more . . . ready to tell it like it is to church leadership on the health of organizations and congregations. The Body of Christ around the world but particularly in the West is a mess.
God have mercy.
THANKFULLY, HE WILL BE CLEANING IT UP. The cost, however, may be significant. A lot of people are going to be struck dead and a lot more removed from their positions in the process. God will be raising up leaders who REALLY PUT HIM AND HIS WILL FIRST REGARDLESS . . . REGARDLESS OF ORGANIZATION, LABELS ON THE DOOR, MAGICTERICAL DOCUMENTS ABOUT WHAT GOD CAN AND CAN’T DO ETC. ETC. ETC.
Part of me longs for that day. Part of me would like some more time for all of us to get our acts more together by His Grace, Blood and Spirit.
I think one of my biggest treasures in Asia was often experiencing Christians of all flavors coming together in an area and working FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD vs oganizational or personal fiefdoms. That was precious.