tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185920475315753457.post6640507143364593996..comments2023-10-10T01:59:09.924-07:00Comments on Light Before the Tunnel: Painting By NumbersRyan J. Moreauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03085282038807122855noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185920475315753457.post-34216394008427265872010-03-04T12:44:46.107-08:002010-03-04T12:44:46.107-08:00you told me about it via FB
Best,
MCyou told me about it via FB<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />MCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185920475315753457.post-42674903968031712052010-03-03T18:00:26.558-08:002010-03-03T18:00:26.558-08:00I really appreicate you taking the time to write. ...I really appreicate you taking the time to write. I do agree mostly with what you're saying and completely feel your pain when it comes to the nonsense that is the contemporary version of institutinoal church (though I must say, God can work in there too). I only say "mostly", because I'm very careful about the way I see "the Church" vs. "the church". Jesus is very clear as is Paul about who the "Church" is and why it is Christ's way of showing the truth of who He is until He returns. The Church is to be a living expression of the mind of Jesus as opposed to a killer club that let's people feel better about themselves while forsaking the community that Jesus would serve. He also is very clear that the "Church" is to meet together, love each other, serve one another, give to each other and be built together because we ALL are "living stones" while not mentioning an actual date for that, place for that, etc. Therefore, you're quote "I would rather be fishing and thinking about God than in church thinking about fishing." makes total sense, and at the same time is also the ideal atmosphere for what we call "fellowship" in Christianese. The kind of "fellowship" I see the disciples sharing with Jesus as the followed Him.<br /><br />The way I see it, we Christians (meaning follower of Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, not the American definition) must continue to live a "horizontal" Christian life that supports the "vertical" relationship with Christ as opposed to dialoguing constantly about what life with Christ "should" be like. The problem is that dealing with the current tradition of Sunday church, squashes the Spirit of Christ as it aims to make a cool Christian version of the current trends in culture, business, music, etc. Gone is the organic nature of each member sharing, and the expressive nature of the Spirit through each member (1 Cor 14:26) and in is the perfect "model" or "program" to attract people to a meeting that entertains the consumer while the "Pastor" teaches people a professional person's view of Jesus without constantly challenging a person to repentance, an emptying of "self", or the truth about Grace (other than the token altar call or talk about sin). I'll stop for now as I will continue sharing my heart on this topic in the blog.<br /><br />I'll leave you with this, I love God's Church, I love His people, I love my enemies and I'm prayerful that He is blessed by my life of ministry even though I may not "vocationally" have a job in ministry. I'm grateful for His grace and the fact that He loves me not because I'm perfect but in spite of the fact that I'm a sinner. Thanks again for writing and feel free to pass this around.<br /><br />P.S- How did you find this blog? I'm always curious.Ryan J. Moreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03085282038807122855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185920475315753457.post-262435734003384032010-03-03T16:19:12.842-08:002010-03-03T16:19:12.842-08:00love the post. few comments.
you state: "I ...love the post. few comments.<br /><br />you state: "I don't know what it's going to take for Christians, followers of Jesus, to get a mind of their own...What I'm saying is that we need to be willing to let God speak to us clearly instead of us trying to please those around us by how good of a "Christian" we are. I'm saying to get out of the box of doing all the right "Christiany" things without ever getting intimate with Jesus."<br /><br />I belive it's going to take a different forum for "us" (us being what i call Marginalized Christians) to get back on the path of God. Years ago I attended church on Sundays, and at that time, I believed that was how you followed God, or worse, how you proved yourself to be a Christian. However, listening to another's interpretation of the Bible or God's word on Sundays did not bring me closer to God. Rather, it slowly caused me to drift in and out of sermons, and eventually out of church on Sundays. Fundmentally my issue with Christianity is that it is entrenched in a tradition (going to church on Sundays) that prevents true intimacy with God. How can Christians learn to think for themselves when the forum is based on sitting in rows and listening to someone tell you what the Bible says? After a while, you realize that you have reached a ceiling (actually a glass ceiling) on your relationship with God. The only way to reach the next level is to take time learning and understaning Christianity on your own. As a close family member once said to me "I would rather be fishing and thinking about God than in church thinking about fishing." Church in a group setting, I believe, is more for appearance than education. Why cant a family sit down and read the bible together?<br /><br />In summation, it's difficult to get intimate with God in a room full of people you dont know, and in a process that essentially marganilizes you along the way. <br /><br />Best,<br /><br />Marginalized ChristianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com