Michael D: Very well said, Terry. The Lord has a very specific mission today, and that's to get the Church back to the NT realities that have long deserted its 'corridors'... I talk about these things often with believers, but it is not easy to apprehend. Even when one sees them, it takes some time to get accustomed to. It took me about two years, at least, of God 'sticking my face in it' and repeatedly affirming to me that the traditional system is all wrong,before I made a full psycholigical adjustment to it. Now, I knew they were right from the first moment He revealed them to me. The problem was relating to the fact that so many millions of believers can be so wrong and misplaced, while being used by God is such significant ways. It's the same problem one encounters when trying to impart these truths to those in the traditional systems today.
What was very strange, I would visit 'services' where the 'Spirit was moving' and people were being tremendously blessed, but I would be totally untouched. I would wonder if something was wrong with me. Repeatedly God would let me know that this was not His will, and therefore, having revealed the truth o me, He could not let me feel comfortable there any more. This process of weaning finally allowed me to get settled within myself about the stark realities of the present system.
Transformation from the old to the new, is the next big thing on God's agenda.
Terry Clifton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
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-------Original Message-------From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Date: Thursday, March 13, 2003 22:40:32Subject: **Possible_Spam** Re: [TruthTalk] differencesI currently fellowship in a home. For more info, I suggest reading the book "Constantine's Sword" by James Carroll. (C) 2001 ISBN 0-618-21908-0, Mariner Books. In the process of reading this novelization, you will begin to see why wicked Constantine did what he did and his spirit lives on. I am still reading its 756 pages.-- slade----- Original Message -----From: ShieldsFamilySent: Thursday, 13 March, 2003 21:57Subject: RE: [TruthTalk] differencesAmen, Terry! I hope to hear more soon. This was my experience in a church at home also. Such places are few and far between. Izzy
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Terry Clifton
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2003 9:43 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [TruthTalk] differences
Izzy:
You asked about differences, comparing the institutional church with home church. They are many, and I cannot think of them all at one setting, but I will point out the most obvious.
If you study the New Testament, you will never find reference to a building fund, or even to a building. You will find that the Church at Jerusalem met mostly outdoors, and those in other cities (Thessalonica, Ephesus, Galatia, Corinth, ect.) met in homes.(Rom.16:5, 1Cor.16:19, Col.4:15, Phil.2 and so on.) There was no church house until around 300 A.D., when emperor Constantine converted to Christianity from paganism and brought the temple with him. Why he had the audacity to take what was pleasing to God and change it into something that pleased men is hard to figure, but from then on we had meeting places, the more ornate, the better.
Before long, people are calling these meeting places "the Church". I have been guilty of it as have most people, but it is a terrible lie. It is not a Church and it is not God's house. The Church is a living organism, not an organization. It is a spiritual house, made of living stones. Jesus is the corner stone, the apostles are the foundation, and every saint is a living stone, part of that spiritual house that continues to be added to daily.
Please note that there are no "Clergy" stones between the foundation and the living stones, and please note that the Church is composed only of saved persons. Lost people make up a large part of what we call the church today, partly because we bring them there hoping they will get saved. If we did it correctly, we would lead them to a relationship with Christ, then bring them to a meeting of the Church.
If you were invited to a gathering of the Church in NT times, you would find what Paul described in 1 COR.14:26 "When you come together, each of you has a song, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." In other words, every saint takes part. It is not a performer on stage and an audience in the pews!
If you are invited to any mainline church in America, you will not find this. Try interrupting the preacher. Tell him you disagree with him, and see how fast the ushers swoop down on you. What you will find, in all probability, is that you are handed a program as you enter. Nothing spontaneous will happen, everything is planned. You will be seated facing the pulpit. The preacher occupies the pulpit, the choir is seated behind him. The music minister tells you what song to sing, they make the announcements, have another song, maybe a choir special, followed by the offering, then the message. The preacher talks or screams for twenty minutes, followed by three verses of "Just as I am" and you are out the door by 12:05 at the latest. You do not know the names of eighty percent of the other pew dwellers. All you know about them is what the back of their head looks like.& nbsp; Two hours later, you cannot even remember what the preacher talked about. That's church, in God's house. A worship service.
Remember what Paul said in that verse. It's all about "edification". We do not meet in our home for worship. We worship our God every day, all day, starting with prayer in the morning and ending with prayer at night, with a few short ones sprinkled in during the day. We worship by being obedient, by loving our neighbor and our fellow saints and our enemies, by caring about those who hurt, and helping those who need help. When we meet, it is to celebrate God's goodness and to encourage each other.
We are free to do things like buy a tractor for a Christian orphanage in Slovakia because we don't have a pastor to pay or a building to maintain. Any spending is on those in need.
We meet across a table, eating a full meal, looking each other in the face. I know their problems, their good points and their faults, and they know mine. We are Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Family...................... of God.
(It helps to have a good Christian wife who sees her cooking and cleaning as part of her reasonable service.)
Well, I can see that I have gone on too long, and not said a tenth of what I wanted to share with you, so I will wrap it up for now.
Blessings,
Terry
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