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| What's Church? |
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16:16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 16:17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Thanks for asking. Oh, uh . . . you didn't ask. See that is a big problem in our society. Few people have ever asked the question: What is church?
We think we know what church is so we don't ask. "Here's the church and here's the steeple. Open it up and here are the people." Everybody knows church is a religious building dedicated to God, a religious organization or denomination, and a meeting people attend on Sunday mornings and very rarely any more on Sunday night or Wednesday night. The only problem is: That answer is wrong according to the Bible.
The word translated into the English word "church" used in the Greek New Testament (the original one) means "the called out ones". The New Testament view is that church is a group of people in a loving relationship with one another and with God. It is not a building because church buildings weren't invented until many years after the New Testament.
Church means family of believers. Asking someone "Where do you go to church?" is like asking "Where do you go to family?" Neither question makes any sense. You cannot go to family because family is relationships -- and so is church!
Church is not a religious meeting we attend. Church is our spiritual family. We can't turn it on and off. Church is 24/7. I am in church right now as I write this in my home. Church has no physical location. It is anywhere the family of God is. So you can't separate church and state. If a genuine Christian is in a government position -- there is the church. The only way to get rid of church is to get rid of the Christian. That is what the Roman Empire attempted. It didn't work.
So what has hog tied Christianity in America? Kicking the Bible out of public schools? Pushing religion out of government? No. I believe it has been the failure of Christians to be the New Testament version of church -- loving God and loving others, 24/7, every place we go. |
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LOL I love it!
I am Church! |
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Jean |
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June 04, 2008 at 3:43pm |
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| We the people of God. |
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Great blog, great question.
I am the Church too |
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| Wherever two are more are gathered in His name. We are church. |
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| "family of believers".... great! Go to church = go to the family! |
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Brother Steve! Million Stars for you! You hit the nail on the head. Today's church leaders and others think otherwise. Its unfortunate. |
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H.S. It is indeed about Ekklesia.
Mike: We are family!
Ragland: Thanks for the stars!!! |
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Wonderful blog Steve, and one that needs to be told over and over again.....I wrote a poem years ago on this very topic entitled *Get the Church in You!* For those that may be interested in reading it, click on the following link:
http://www.kingdompoets.com/poems/getthechurchinyou.htm
Peace & Blessings,
Margie |
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Well Steve some of us who are are called into the secret emerging new church appear to push the answers to the edge of heresy. (come out of her and come up higher)
So what has hog tied Christianity in America?
The answer is simple but just about impossible to see without aid.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Most religious minded folk not completely aware of this deal, have taken the devil up on the above quote. They do not know the devil has the ability to transform himself into the god they desire. Money, fame, careers, and the biggie which is acceptance from the religious right.
The Devil gives all this and more to those who will worship him, not as a DEVIL, but :as God " according to Paul who desrcibed this situation in (2Thess. 2:4)
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This unaware worship of doctrine of devils (accusation/judgments against mankind)
has divided the church and believe me when I say they bear the fruit of extreme divisions and frustations all pointing to making a contract with the devil, though unaware of his subtile ways to creep in through the doctrine of "nice and soft speaking posters and preachers. The Church will never see a revival as long as they preach any failure of the cross to save all of mankind.
.....but the transformed as God Devil will infact make good on his promises if that is what is important to us (to many it appears tempting).......
The True gospel is not for the weak minded, it is only for the Christ minded who are anointed with strenght to face the devil in the wilderness and say NO, I do not need your agreements or your world of doctrinal deceptions or your stars on my post or those winks from my friends or that pat on the back from my pastor. I will serve the TRUE LORD of the wheat, not the god of the Tares in this world.
Kw |
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Doc: Thanks for reading my blogs.
Mar Jay: I like that phrase "Get the church in you."
Kw: I appreciate your out of the box thinking, even when I disagree with part of it. Here is what I get when I read the Bible. The Church is called to preach repentance and to show forth righteousness (right living) and the fact that all mankind will not be saved is not a failure of the cross, but a failure individuals to repent and follow Jesus. |
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Hey Steve..........The worlds salvation does not balance upon the modern churches reflection of God. It is not that the world does not believe in God or Jesus.
They simply do not believe in our version of Jesus / God and choose to not follow our version of him.
Peace......
Kw. |
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Hog tied..that's a gudun Steve :).
I'm reading a great book about a Muslim lady that came to America at 30yrs. old. She had been taught all her life to hate Jews, Christians and "the Great Satan." When she finally moved here, she was shocked! Americans were friendly, kind, helpful, loving, volunteering, generous, socially, politically, religioulsy, and personally accepting and tolerant of such diversity. She had never experienced any of this in the Middle East.
It got me to thinking (I may even write a blog about it), Americans are the way they are cuz that's the environment we were raised in and we take so much of that for granted today. Shouldn't we be Christians for the same reason? The point is we didn't study, read, pray about how to be an American. We just are cuz we have been raised in that kind of environment that reflects "American values" and life style.
Church may help, but I think it is much more due to our relationships and heart connections with everone when we are OUTSIDE church. It's in our daily life where we will reflect who we really are. Do we wanna be known as church people or just people who express God's nature everywhere we go? Are we becoming too church conscious?
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Kw, I love you bro, but you give the devil way too much credit. God has an eternal plan, and God uses the devil to His advantage. The devil can do NOTHING outside the boundaries God determines. |
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Charlie : Thanks for some love bro.
The devil has some pretty darn interesting boundaries I think.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
and He even gets to play the role of God and is worshipped not as a devil, but a transformed creator and God of this world.
sorry, but I think those are some interesting boundaries. The Whole world is a lot. All kindreds and tongues and nations is quite a number.
Charlie...he doesn't do this as an evil image. But as a religious, doctrine captive God.
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Are we sure this fear motivated, Hell preaching, eternal tormenting god is the real God???
Of course nobody can go there without the real Divine light of the True Holy Spirit.
The decieved do not know they are decieved, as they believe the Lie as a truth. Most Lie's must be defended by more lies, until finally it becomes a perceived truth and tradition.
Oprah believes Her god is true and yours is false. You most likely believe her god is false and yours is true. Jews / Muslims/Christians all go around this merry go round never stopping to figure out that the god fear motivated doctrines and worship is not the True Love essence of Truth.
I would say it is impossible to understand what I just said. But with the True God, nothing is impossible.
It is not just the Christians that are hog tied. It is the whole religious doctrine worshipping world
according to the latest translated scriptures.
I only write this to help believers understand what deception actually means, even though I know it is beyond their present doctrinal state of affairs to understand.
The Father of Light Loves everyone and soon this developement period will end and the veil will come down and death (carnality) will become swallowed up forever.
Kw.
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Kw, this is Steve's blog and not the place..but I will ask: is God in control? Job would agree about the weird boundaries, but to me it shows God's almighty power and wisdom that goes far beyond our understanding and sense of fairness (Rom. 9). God is sovereign!
Do ya still feel the love Kw?
Thanks Steve |
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Church? God's idea of church is a good thing ! (see Bible :)
1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. These are just a couple of things that "church" is about............ |
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Glenn |
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June 06, 2008 at 11:51am |
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"I believe it has been the failure of Christians to be the New Testament version of church -- loving God and loving others, 24/7, every place we go."
Amen, I could not agree more. As we who call our selves by His name show His love, people will understand that God loves them.
peace |
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Charlie;
Yes I feel the love brother. Thanks.
If we are talking about the True God and not the transformed god of the religious world then YES, God is in control of all so called illusionary free will.
If God is not in control of all, he can not be in control at all.
Kw. |
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| Thanks to all for the reads, the comments, and the discussion. |
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