Are there any 'true' churches ?

by Qcmbr 56 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  myelaine

  Dearest Craig,
  

  My heart breaks that * I * can't show you.

  You said " How would I know if they(your prayers) were being heard?

  My question would be how long ago did you stop believing your prayers weren't being heard?

  Because it all comes down to faith. Faith in the unseen! (2 Cor 4:18)

  To those who have true faith in God(He decides) the reward through the H.S. is sanctifying, faith building, reassurance. If, in fact, you put the Kingdom of God first. And by that I mean walk like you are walking in God's Kingdom.(Joy, love, fellowship with your brother. [your spiritual brother is not every Tom, Dick and Harry] but you don't know right away, and it doesn't matter anyway because you are to love your enemies, today) We don't want to have contrary thoughts. There is such a thing as a Bible traiined conscious. The H.S. speaks to my conscious daily. It is a blessing. i see everything God has given me, "DUST". I am brought to thinking(meditating) about many things including various personal variances between my life and the life of Christ, and my life in the Kingdom of God. The fact is I am in a relationship with my heavenly Father. He knows everything about me, he knows what I am thinking, he knows what I am going to say. Why not work with that, be honest with God and with my own Bible trained conscience.(which, I am convinced is the H.S. at work)

  This Bible trained conscience helps God answer my questions, to God. my prayers are not answered immediately but my questions are answered. If I listen. there is a time to keep quiet and a time to speak Ecc.3:8 The Spirit is a still , quiet spirit. It leads( you watch) It does not push. It's hard to listen to listen to a quiet voice in this day and age in particular and hard to hear discipling in general. It is against my ego, my will. But this "urgeing" of the H.S. to be in union with the Spirit or way of Jesus Christ, if carried through with, TODAY, is sanctifying. My reward is in my spirit, which effects or carries through to my life. Believe me 95% of my reward is "unseen".....but that it obviously comes out of me in my reaction to life as it comes my way.

  What would Jesus do?

  he would listen, and then only speak the same truth the H.S. imparts and has purposefully withheld within His written word and my heart. To the children of God everywhere. To keep you in the flock, which is the church of God "unseen", but united by exacting ideals. Love God with all thy heart and they soul and thy body. And love thy neighbour as thy love thyself.

  Having said this, i have not brought my life into complete accord with the life of Jesus and/or God's Kingdom. But I am learning why I should and How I can, "With Help". I am learning daily.

  I know I am not at an advantage. I am a homemaker. I have things to do plus some stuff! but to be honest I spend a lot of my time in the Bible and asking questions. I then LOOK for answers.

  Craig, I sense that you have for lack of better words, physical burden on your person, whether it is natural or spiritual makes no difference, I sense this... right or wrong? I hope/wish I could touch people and make them better, is that any different than anyone else? God bless the Pope, in Jesus name, Amen.

  I read and believe, ask and believe and look and believe. I am not at an advantage, because God has asked everyone to believe....

  And the Spirit and the bride keep saying "Come!" And let anyone hearing say "Come!" And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life's water free. Rev. 22:17

  michelle

  p.s. I am at a disadvantage because I really don't understand God's entire audience. I honestly don't want to know what makes a psycho-path "tick" I pray he would be in God's hands.....somehow....????. It is not for me to know, or I might break down and cry. I can only see what I LOOK for in the "natural" Kingdom of God.. I LOOK for that which is within the spiritual Kingdom of God. I find it. Which brings to my mind your physical burden. According to my sense, which,.... may not be off, you are burdened aren't you?....Like the Woman, Israel, we , the Bride, must wait until we are brought into the promised land until ALL that ails us is brought into submission by the power of God.

  love michelle
• 

  onacruse

  michelle:

  Though you have not answered several of my questions to you, questions that are more important to me than you might imagine...nevertheless, I will attempt to answer yours:

  My heart breaks that * I * can't show you.

  No, you can't. Furthermore, you never can. Thus the reason for my expecting God (The Ultimate Answerer Of All Questions), to so do.

  You said " How would I know if they(your prayers) were being heard?

  My question would be how long ago did you stop believing your prayers weren't being heard?

  I believed, with all my heart and mind and soul, every single fibre of my being, that my prayers were being heard--until 3 years ago.

  It suddenly became so simple: When has God actually answered any of my sincerest, most visceral, most heart-rending prayers?

  Never. Not a word. Nadda. Nothing. Nanka.

  Does God actually talk to you? Do you hear His words, audibly?

  Because it all comes down to faith. Faith in the unseen! (2 Cor 4:18)

  I understand your "resource": Faith (that wonderful, utopian, and yet instrinsically meaningless hypostasis). Do you know what "faith" means, in the original Greek language? A language which was developed from a pagan (read non-Jehovah) social and philosophical background, which was in turn captured by the Christian movement, and adopted into Western theology by default (via Augustine and Aquinas)?

  I know I am not at an advantage. I am a homemaker. I have things to do plus some stuff! but to be honest I spend a lot of my time in the Bible and asking questions. I then LOOK for answers.

  As I said above: I sense an honesty in you, and I very sincerely respect that.

  Craig, I sense that you have for lack of better words, physical burden on your person, whether it is natural or spiritual makes no difference, I sense this... right or wrong?

  Well, quite naturally...being a 52-yr old male who's been in construction for nearly 30 years, and having been raised in an oppressive and cultic environment--I certainly do have physical and psychological and emotional burdens.

  Shall we continue?

  Craig
• 

  gumby

  *sides with Craig cuz god shuns him too*

  Don't feel bad Craig. I begged, pleaded, waited, cried. God shunned me too. All I wanted to know was if Jesus was god or not. I studied and prayed for many years and he never would tell me. I had to get the answer from some dude named Alan F on some ex-jw internet site to find out. I musta pissed god off or sumthin but if I did, I don't remember.

  Gumby
• 

  GetBusyLiving

  God, whenever I read these posts from born agains and shit I just feel sad. Just as deluded as the JW's, though not as hurtful.
  
  
  
  
• 

  trevor

  myelaine

  I read and believe, ask and believe and look and believe.

  Have you ever studied the power of self hypnosis. I think you would learn a lot about the source of your answers and your absolute belief. (I have switched the fan off)
• 

  onacruse

  Dear michelle,

  My apologies for being so tardy in responding...been out-of-town a few days.

  You present a challenging situation: Is there ever a time in one's life when taking refuge (psychological or physical) in a "controlled" environment (perhaps, read, a "religion") is the best of all choices?

  In my opinion, yes, circumstantially.

  It can very much be like seeking a safe place with friends that you trust...or, at least, friends that you think you can trust.

  Unfortunately, the blending of "friends" and "idea(l)s" often becomes blurred.

  I was absolutely convinced that God had "spoken" to me, as a friend, via his Word, and in a much more personal way than you may know. From that conviction I obtained a very peaceful feeling about the world around me.

  Was I wrong in feeling that way? No.

  And, imvho, this speaks to the issue of this topic: Is there a "true" church"?

  Yes, there is!

  You are the "true church," within yourself, if you choose to grasp the energy of that feeling. No One can be truer to yourself than you.

  And from that realization can come tremendous self-empowerment.

  My very dearest respects,

  Craig
• 

  myelaine

  Dear Craig,
  

  I understand that you've lost someone close to you and I'm sorry to hear that. You have been in my thoughts a lot these past days.

  Please allow me some time to respond to your comments, I feel the need to choose "my" words carefully.

  I'll pm you later.

  michelle

  p.s. I will say this right away though, When God first spoke to me through His written Word, I did not get a peaceful feeling about the world around me. I started to see more clearly all the "evil" living SIDE BY SIDE with the good.