Generation

[Mission010]

"Has anyone out there felt the warm hand of God? Touching you deep, in places you've never been loved." (from a song by Seth Peterson)
I would like to again bring up this subject of walking in truth and reality. what has happened to the church over the years is that we've lost all ability to communicate with the younger generations. I've been to church in Russia and witnessed churches filled with older ladies, very few men, very few children. In America, I've seen many Church youth preganant before they are married (having sex before marriage is a sin according to the Bible). I believe there is a reason for this.
The church has become a place of old religion, of doctrinal laws and rules. We have added to the Bible till its law is unbearable. We have subtracted from the Bible every thing that makes us uncomfortable.
When there is nothing of life to be found in Christianity, people find other ways of dealing with their monotony of life. Every needs something to live for. For some its Jesus, others, its their family, and many others live for sex and beer. Every man needs something to make life seem fufilling and the church isn't doing its job.
Let's think about this, if the Church was able to raise the dead, heal the sick, lame and maimed, make blind men see, depend on the Father for their provision, do you think more people would be attracted? I think they would. If a cancer patient could go to their pastor and be completely healed, that would give Chritianity and God some credibility. But it doesn't happen in either of our countries, and why not? Because we lack the intimacy with the father that Jesus had, we lack the intimacy with Jesus that Peter and John had. We lack the intimacy with the Holy Spirit that Paul had.
If the church was walking with God, instead of their own devices, we would see miraculous things. We would see God move. Jesus said we would do greater things then He Himself did.
Instead we see churches for the old, the week, and on the other side, Churches for the country clubbers. Not for the true lovers of Jesus, and the true followers of our Master.
The church has traded the true worship of God, to be more like the world. Because of this the world sees the church as week. All the church has become in the eyes of the world, is other worldly people who couldn't find frieds anywhere else, and who wants that?

[Nonson]

Greetings Mission10, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~it is out of a need to understand that leads me to assume that by the terms "reality, truth" you mean them to relate to things spiritual, more so than to the secular. Is that your intent? ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If that is the point of your post, could you be somewhat more specific as the aspect of spiritual endeavor you are speaking of in it? Peace

[Mission010]

Yes, Reality and Truth does refer to the Spiritual. It is also how Jesus walked when He was on this earth. Jesus is God, and He is our greatest example(...it is enough that a servant be like his Master. paraph). More specifically, we let God the Father run our lives, and give up all claim to them ourselves, we live and breathe for His puposes. Jesus said that He "only did what He saw His father doing." And that's the way I will live my life as well, comunication with the Father. If I feel the Holy Spirit, who is one with the Father, showing me that to go heal a blind person, so that they can see, I will go and heal that person. Not by my power, but by His. I know that I will see people healed by the power of God under my hands. Know that their are prophets that are allowed to see the truth were many others cannot, in fact many of the people who are taken in by the Church may truly be lovers of God, but have not the ability to see the deception. prophets can see these things, and we need to heed their word. As the prophets were sent to warn Israel in the OT prophets are now being sent to warn the church, of their imminant spiritual(if not physical) destruction. If they do not fall on their knees and repent for putting their doctrines of man, and other various sins ahead of God's word.
These are just some of the specifics. Does this anwser your question? I wasn't quite sure what you were driving for, I hope i got it right.
Basically, we want to walk in power, dependent, not on the world, but on God. Their is no room for the weekness of flesh when you're involved in spiritual battle.

[This message has been edited by Mission010 (edited 22 July 2000).]

[Nonson]

Stated more concisely, people are takened by the church. People are carried away by the church into every form of perdition. I do believe that you'll find that John gave a rather clear prediction of this in the Book of Revelation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I need to place you in a recognizable time frame regarding your beliefs. Are we in the Age of the Prophets, the New Covenant Age, or the Latter Days(End-Time)? You seem to be laboring on the Latter Days, but you continue to clutter it with that which is really no longer applicable. Directly to the point: are we in the age when "I will pour out my Spirit upon the sons and daughters of man"? Peace

[Mission010]

definately in the age of "I will pour out My Spirit upon all men." Where is the clutter? can you point it out specifically? Because you're right there may be clutter there, and I do not want to have old wine in new wineskins. So, point it out to me. I want search through the chaff in my life and have only grain left. No one in this day and age will ever buy the old stuff, except for may be the very old. Show me, i'm listening.

[Nonson]

If it is,indeed, the latter days as predicted by John, then the Law has been fulfilled and the utterances of the prophets is of no effect. Thus, to revisit the Law and the Prophets is to commit sacriledge. For we are now living by Grace, and have only the Words of Christ to cling to. The Law, the prophets, the Saints are no longer needed. That which is poured out upon the Faithful is sufficient unto all things. Peace

[Mission010]

I disagree, in the so called "minor prophets," there are prohesies that are meant for today(I can get specifics if you'd like).
More importantly though, i think is the pecific patterns, and pictoral prophecys that are set all through the old testament, that tell us about the end times. for instance in the saga involving moses and the children of israel.
1. The children lost in their sin- before Jesus time
2. a deliverer from sin is born Moses - Jesus
3. following the cloud in the wilderness is those of us following Jesus.
4. the eventual entrence into the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey- where we will live with our saviour forever.
-And yes i know I left it sketchy, but every thing that happens in the old testament does have power to strengthen our faith in these the last days. It all has relevence, I just don't think that it is as direct as is the new testament. It is a shadow of what is to come. -ok now rip me apart, i can take it:0)
-Stay cool Nonson. let me know what you think.