What ever happened to the church?

[iafic]

This thread is not intended at all to be a gripe session or for everybody to feel sorry for me. I just needed a place to blurt this out to. As I am not offended, but I am so disappointed in todays church....ONCE AGAIN. what on earth ever happened to the church????
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about 3 years ago I found an awesome church. And I mean awesome!

Well, as I attended, I found that the church was not going to be there for me. I mean more the people than the pastor. I had a couple needs that I brought to the church, but they wouldn't even return my calls.

Because I wasn't getting the fellowship and support I had hoped to get from a church...AND because I now worked during most service times, I was unable to attend for a few months.

Well, my dad died recently ( while I still attended there) and as a result, something happened inside of me. I started dealing with some hard issues. Major anger too.

I emailed my pastor to tell him I am desperate for help. I need free of this. He emailed back and said, "I haven't seen you at *****church in months, I didn't know you considered us your church still. As for the things you have been going through, my wife and I prayed for you yesterday... we love you."

End of email.

In other words..."you don't attend our church...we don't help you." I guess that is what I read into that.

hmm....

A couple disciples in the new testiment were walking along and a beggar cried out for money. One of the disciples said, "silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give to thee." And the man was healed of his infirmity.

No where can I find that that blind man went to the disciples church. I am glad that disciple didn't withhold a miracle from the blind man because of it. I am glad Jesus never withheld healings and deliverance either because of their church attendance.

Jesus said to go out into the world, heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord...but make sure they go to your church first...Oh wait...that's not in the bible.

WE ARE the church. We are to go out and give as we have received. PERIOD.
__________________________

 

[iafic]

Dang, I can't do it. Since I can't delete this post, I will edit it. I did have some smart alic remarks about how no one here will help either, not one single post, not one single word of encouragement and not even a single reply. My cry slowly dropped down the list of posts...ignored. But after I told you all what I thought of you, I felt bad, and had to return to delete it.

I just don't understand why Christians are never there for me. the whole 4 times in my life that I said, "it's too much for me to bear, I actually need help."

Thank you Mark for the beautiful email. At least someone had something to say.

BUT NOT EVEN ONE SINGLE REPLY??????? That's harsh guys.

But to update you....as I couldn't even get people to just pray with me...I began to get some serious breakthroughs, once again, as always, just God and me alone. it won't be long, and this ride through Hades will be over. Victory is always there, sometimes I have to crawl by myself to get to it...just was needing someone I could lean on to help me walk to that victory would've been nice. I do have one last place to check, maybe they will help...?

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Sounds like you are in a lot of pain saint.

 

[iafic]

Sounds like you are in a lot of pain saint.

Hey dids...long time...

Thanks, for me to actually make a plea for help...I am way beyond the pain mark...I am down for the count. I know the devil hates what I do to his kingdom, but I sure get tired of fighting it all alone. What ever happened to the church, dids?

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Hey dids...long time...

Thanks, for me to actually make a plea for help...I am way beyond the pain mark...I am down for the count. I know the devil hates what I do to his kingdom, but I sure get tired of fighting it all alone. What ever happened to the church, dids?

Indeed...
I have to say that in some instances my family was hurt more by "church" than were ever helped.
Imagine going to a church only to find your little children coming home crying because people at the church told them they were not dressed well enough.
So you change churches...
Then imagine going to a legalistic pentecostal type church only to find a Sunday school teacher is molesting your children?
I could go on but I will not...
Only to say that you are not alone.
I personally think that in many cases it is a matter of wrong priorities and just plain someone is not listening to God.

I cannot help you as far as giving you a satisfactory explanation. There is none. I have had to spend a LOT of time prayer to be healed of these hurts. Both deliverance from oppression and healing of my soul.
I love God. I truly do.
I know His love for the church. So in a way I feel bad even bringing up these "negative" events. But I really have no direction as to how to approach it.
I hold you up to God saint.
I am not sure what else I can honestly and sincerely do...

 

[knownbeforetime]

Imagine going to a church only to find your little children coming home crying because people at the church told them they were not dressed well enough.

I went to one of these! LOL Only, I was the child...

 

[CindyisHis]

I didn't see it either. Now that I work there are many days I never show up here. And when I do, it is a quick in and out, checking in on replies in my fellowship thread. You can always find me there or pm me. I do hope I can be here more in the future. Actually, it's unusual I'm here now after only 6 hours sleep when I worked a double yesterday and should be getting ready for church now. It is the Lord. And I'm glad I'm here, only I hope not too late.

I have a different take on the email form your pastor. Maybe he really did think you left and were going somewhere else since he did not see you. I also would have been amazed and thankful the Lord had brought you to him to pray for you only the day before! It seems the Lord alerted him because He loves you, and so does your pastor.

As for how you feel and what you're going through, I ache with you. I will be praying with this in mind - you are my dear sister, and I'm going through this with you as if it were me.

 

[rofja]

I am sure the pastor thought you had left and moved on as he stated. He had not seen you or heard from you in months. If that is the case why would you expect more from him? People come and go all the time. When someone moves on from our church and I haven't heard from them in a long time I assume they have moved on. They are always welcome back and we would help/minister to them when we could. But most pastors have enough on their plate with who they have etc and will for the most part minister to people that are apart of their fellowship. There is a big difference between the example you gave of ministering to someone on the street and being available as a pastor to minister to everyone that comes along or once attended your church and now they don't. Once I had heard from you though, I probably would have responded more and seen what I could do for you, but I don't know the whole story. You are are apart of "the church" so when you question what happended to the church you need to consider your part in that as well. We all do!

 

[iafic]

I will clarify...

I have kept in touch with my pastor, whether it be to pop in at his office or email. He KNOWS I have been unable to get to church due to my schedule. We have talked about it. As far as him knowing to pray for me...I had emailed him asking for help, specificly a certain type of help. he didn't respond. A week later I emailed again and asked if he got my email for help. that's when he said, yes, sorry they were on a cruise last week. then said the 4 sentences that I had mentioned above. so instead of agreeing to help, they prayed instead and didn't even respond. I am sorry, I don't read anything else into that.

As far as ME being part of the church, that is my whole premise. I don't think the church is brick and morter. WE are the church. People are. That's why it shouldn't matter what building I attend worship in, we should all be the church to each other. And for me to consider myself part too...heaven's sake...that's what I do. I disciple and teach and heal the sick and raise the dead, (oopps, sorry for those who are technical....GOD heals the sick THROUGH me...) But every once in while, I get beat up. Every once in a while I need a little encouragement or maybe someone to fight for me for a whole day while I am gasping for breath. but whether it is my family...my chuch building...my christian peers....no one is ever there. What happened to the church?

UPDATE: I drove a long way to find someone, and that someone helped me. My broken heart has been healed, issues resolved and answered, with the help of a caring brother who also spends much of his life reaching out to anyone who will come.

And Cindy... thanks, I actually didn't think of calling you and coming to see you. I know you care, always have. This was just more than I could bare. I'll email you soon, I have been busy with work now (3 guys out sick).

 

[rofja]

Well now that you gave more details it makes more sense why you were upset. You didn't clarify that you had been keeping in touch etc before. Just his comment that you had not been in church for months and they thought you were going somewhere else. Still don't know why he would have said that since you were keeping in touch etc. On that note yes he should have done more. Problem with the church is that too many are wrapped up in their own little worlds and just concerned about what they are going through. If they would be the followers of Christ they are suppossed to be and be moved with compassion like Jesus, more people would get ministered to. I always go to James where it says "pray for one another that you may be healed". Wow thats a thought. In your ministry to others you will get healed. Maybe someday the church will get that and begin to be the church.

 

[iafic]

Yeah, we need each other. We need to encourage and support each other. Yes, not always will someone be around, but gosh...never???

I am not mad at my pastor at all, in fact God gave me a little insiight supernaturally at what he is doing/going through, and it gives me forgiveness. Not to say he wasn't wrong, but I am not bitter. I just wish MORE of the church would do their job.

Like the old story I love to tell, just because it's more funny than maddening....

I walked into church one day and it was one of those times in life when I needed help. As I walked in, the very happy and overly blessed greeter enthusiatically and dramatically shook my hand, welcomed me to church and said, "How are you this blessed morning?"

Well, since I don't lie, I said with sadness on my face, "Life really sucks right now."
He replied with a smerk, "Watch your confession!!!!!!" and turned to greet the next in-comer.

WOW. hmmm....

 

[rofja]

Well I guess he expected you to call those things that be not as though they were!

 

[iafic]

Now That Was Church!!!!!!!!

I reported above that I went somewhere and God healed me. It has been a week and a half now, and I cannot beleive how God has changed me inside. All it took was one man and one other hurting woman and me. The three of us spent about 1 hour together. And my life was changed. That one hour eraticated 8 months of anger and confusion and hurt. That one man and one women and me, together, were the church. The power of three people, in agreement, broke the plans of the enemy. Us three had church.

As I was praying today, I am in complete awe at how healed inside I really am. How everything has changed.

That's what church is to me. People. Christians supporting one another. God did a miracle in my heart that night. God healed my broken heart. I found what I needed. And I thank that man of God and I thank God, that there is church still........somewhere.

 

[BrotherHicks]

Seek and ye shall find. God will send Godly men and women to support you in your time of need and send you to people that need you in their time of need. The Lord is faithful.