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Laura:
God has given you overwhelming evidence in His word. He
has told you how to gather with other believers and be the Church. He has
spoken. You simply won't listen.
Terry
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2003 4:39
PM
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Practical Issues
relative to House Churches
In a message dated 8/2/2003 4:37:57 PM Central Daylight
Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
writes:
Hi Laura,
Welcome back!
You wrote: "I still am
happy with my present church and have no problem with
you worshipping in
a "home setting". Whatever floats your boat! I would
have a problem if you said home churches were the only way to
worship."
Dear Sister, Is our "happiness" with a situation the
benchmark that should
guide us in our Christian lives and walk with the
Lord and His people? If
Abraham had said to the Lord, "I'm quite
happy here in Ur of the Chaldees,
I'd rather not head off somewhere in
the desert not knowing where I'm
going!" or "I'm quite happy to stay
home and not take Isaac up to mount
Moriah", do you think he would have
enjoyed the blessing of God on His life
that God had intended?
In
like manner, thousands of Christians are quite happy to stay within a
situation that is familiar and comfortable even though they are well
aware
that many things about that situation are contrary to
scripture.
I think it was you who said that if you found that your
church held false
doctrines, you'd soon be finding another church. But
you haven't responded
to my questions about many false teachings and
practices that you have
indicated are held and practiced in your
church.
There is a massive difference between happiness based on a
familiar comfort
zone and joy that is based on obedience to what one
knows God has convicted
them about in His Word. The safest, most
secure, and most joyful place in
all the universe is the place of
obedience to Him.
Here's a very funny but serious song about someone
who is concerned to
maintain their comfort zone and totally unwilling to
obey the Lord if he
should call them into the unknown....
PLEASE
DON'T SEND ME TO AFRICA
O Lord I'm your willing
servant
You know that I have been for years
I'm here in this pew every Sunday and Wednesday
I've stained
it with many a tear
I've given you years of my
service
I've always given my best
And I've
never asked you for anything much
So Lord I deserve this
request
Chorus:
Please don't send me to
Africa
I don't think I've got what it takes
I'm just a man, I'm not a tarzan
Don't like lions, gorillas,
or snakes
I'll serve you here in suburbia
In
my comfortable middle class life
But please don't send me
out in the bush
Where the natives are restless at
night
I'll see that the money is
gathered
I'll see that the money is sent
I'll wash and stack the communion cups
I'll tithe 11
percent
I'll volunteer for the nursery
I'll
go on the youth retreat
I'll usher, I'll deacon, I'll go
door to door
Just let me keep warming this
seat
Chorus:
Please don't send me to
Africa
I don't think I've got what it takes
I'm just a man, I'm not a tarzan
Don't like lions, gorillas,
or snakes
I'll serve you here in suburbia
In
my comfortable middle class life
But please don't send me
out in the bush
Where the natives are restless at
night
Are homes the only place to worship?
Of course, homes
are not the only place believers can worship the Lord!
Saints can do it
beside a river (Acts 16), they can do it with their backs
beaten and
bloodied in stocks in filthy prisons (Acts 16), they can do it
as
a little band of travelling evangelists in a room of the lodging house
where they have their temporary abode (Acts 20), they can do it as
lonely
prisoners on board ship with a mob of unbelievers around them
(Acts 27).
But you will search the the new covenant scriptures in
vain to find saints
gathering in temples, sanctuaries, auditoriums etc
which they have bought or
built for the purpose! You will search in vain
to find new covenant saints
gathering to listen to a clergyman preach
them a "sermon". You will search
in vain to find new covenant saints
tithing to pay the salary of their
clergyman or the mortgage on their
sanctuary. And you will search in vain to
find any flock of sheep in
scripture hiring their pastors, paying their
pastors' salaries or firing
their pastors! Those are all the
responsibilities of the Owner of
the sheep!
New covenant church always function by new covenant
principles.
Your brother in Christ,
Bruce
OK
Let me rephrase that! GOD has not told me to change my method of
worship! And I love that song. My son was a missionary to
Africa 10 years ago this summer. Laura
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