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Bible Questions and Spiritual Discussion
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Ray
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09/28/2012 13:56 |
hmmm. the wounds are deep.
Don't get me wrong. You SHOULD not walk alone. I'd suggest finding at least one believer to meet and share with, a confidant. Pray for that, that God sends the perfect person to help in the journey.
Willard has written some really good guides you might like to see. "Renovation of the Heart" sound like might be helpful:
http://www.amazon.com/Renovation-Heart-Character-Influence-ebook/dp/B006OSNZ6I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1348858294&sr=8-4&keywords=dallas+willard
"The purpose of Renovation of the Heart is intensely practical - assisting Christians in becoming Christ's disciples. Willard's premise is that by better understanding ourselves, we can better participate in God's transforming work in our lives. Renovation of the Heart complements three earlier books by Willard: A Divine Conspiracy, Spirit of the Disciplines, and Hearing God."
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Ray
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09/28/2012 21:39 |
http://ourburninghearts.com/featured/burned-by-the-church/
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Louise Wyllie
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10/01/2012 06:22 |
Thank you Ray again for your advise and listening to me without condemning me. Your link: http://ourburninghearts.com/featured/burned-by-the-church/ put it so simply and in words that relate to me (I'm a theatre technician and deal with PA systems all the time at work) Although my church may not have always been the best reflection, neither am I sat here licking my wounds, feeling all the blame is theirs and that they are the only hypocrites.
You've given me the advise and encouragement I needed to take the first steps in returning to church and re building a relationship with God. Thank you.
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Ray
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10/01/2012 11:58 |
preaching to myself, you are not alone. Our pal, Tom, pointed to this lady is really encouraging in changing the way we look at life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhOUaszMGvQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
http://onethousandgifts.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BizOQz4ZQyg&feature=endscreen&NR=1
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Tina Seward
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12/03/2012 19:53 |
I also can understand. I was hurt by an abusive church many years ago and I'm still trying to make sense of what I believe and why. Please be gentle with yourself because it takes time to deal with the situation you are dealing with. Also, tell God what you are thinking/feeling. He is big enough to take it.
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brening
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01/15/2013 08:26 |
Love… To see each other through eyes of hypocrisy is wrong and quite frankly… what Satan wants every Christian to do…
Yes, I agree that many of us have been hurt by people within the church... I always have to ask this question... Am I approaching this with "Kingdom" thoughts? If my first thought is … “those hypocrites!”… I need to evaluate myself and own up to the fact, I too am a hypocrite… yes… we all are to some degree… we are “dorks saved by grace!” Each and every one of us…
We as sinful people will most likely drive a good thing into the proverbial ditch if we are left to our own selfish ambitions. And when we deal with a larger population of us... we will never all agree on everything... so we must stay focused on the bigger picture. Think of the disciples… they didn’t always agree on everything… they too had to be reminded of the “bigger picture”
Those that have a gripe with today’s church… it’s usually something of a personal nature that could have been avoided with a proactive loving approach that Christ Himself so often times demonstrated. There were times when He kept silent, and there were times when He spoke with decisiveness… spelling out the truth in no uncertain terms. But always, with the “big picture” in mind… and with a sense of love…
I too, went through a long dark time of seeing today’s church as apathetic at best… my saying was always… “today’s church is run by the golden rule… those with the gold RULE”. This is often times true… but the only way I have found relief from such a mindset was to seek God in it all… and allow Him to transform me into that new creation so that I too can better understand and love, regardless of the situation.
Be slow to condemn, and quick to love…
All 4 Him…
brening
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Janice Roshto
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01/24/2013 09:34 |
I'm sorry you were hurt by people in your church. Remember that the members are just that, people. No one is perfect, no not even one. There will be sin in church and people will say things that hurt because we are all sinners, all learning and being transformed over time here on earth. Jesus says we must forgive others or we won't be forgiven of our sins. Keep in mind that he is the tree and we are the branches. You are not the tree, so you can't do everything, just a branch. Don't beat yourself up for not doing more works. Works do not save us, lest we would boast in our own works. We are saved by his grace.
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Louise Wyllie
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05/03/2013 13:03 |
PRAISE REPORT! Thank you all for all your help and support. I am going to church again and reading the bible again. I have found a really lovely church in Cardiff - Bethel Baptist Church and I have been going fairly regularly for a couple of months now, I'm even staying behind to chat to people and get to know the church family. I've made some great friends and while I am still finding it hard to trust and am staying clear of getting too involved I am going regularly and talking to God again. I still have a way to go on the healing the wounds front but it gets easier every time someone just wants to chat to me to see how I'm doing rather than to ask me to do something. Thank you for your words of encouragement and support, they have really helped me and given me the strength to keep pushing on. Thank you family!
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blessedgirl
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05/30/2013 23:26 |
I think this stuff keeps many Christians away from fellowship with others. I know dozens of people that have had these kind of experiences.
I have also seen adult children that grew up in church, have a challenging time because of their not being accepted in the teen years or current choices.
There is a book called, Praying God's Word by Beth Moore, that has all sorts of verses and testimonies of people who got back on track. Praise music is healing too.
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Marcie in MO
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06/02/2013 16:25 |
Our pastor touched on this in his message this morning. It's important to remember to place your faith in Jesus, not a denomination, church, pastor, ministry or person. Jesus is the only one who will never fail you.
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