When we come to Jesus,
we come with all our brokeness and hurts and problems.
We trust Jesus to forgive our sins and give us a new heart and make us bear fruit.
We do not try to work our way to Jesus or earn forgiveness or fix ourselves,
we come to Jesus trusting and surrendering all.
We trust in Jesus to wash away our sins and make all things new.We trust Jesus to make us grow.
We get to know Him and we trust Him to be open with Him and we read the bible and spend time with Him.
This does not mean we just disregard all rules etc , because we come as we are.
If a church has serious control issues and cares less for hurting or brokenhearted or needy people, if the church is cold and does not invite the lame and maim or halt in.
If the church has more interest in whether or not an unbeliever gets mud on their floor than whether or not he gets loved on and hopefully saved or how they can meet some need he has, there is something lacking there.
If the church is more worried about whether a new believer is wearing a low cut blouse than seeing that she is mentored and prayed for and cared for, they need to get their priorities straight.
If the church is more worried about outward appearances and social clubbing or that the music and such be just perfect and that buffet night has many hours spent on it so that it turns out perfect,
and they neglect the lame and the halt and the maim and the bruised or captive, something is wrong with the picture.
If they are more worried about having a service where people are kept entertained than whether they are fed solid food to help them grow and that convict peoples hearts about forgiveness and love and mercy and kindness and caring and active compassion and forgiving from the heart and reconciling and actively seeking God in their prayer closet and truly trusting Jesus to change their hearts and teach them truth and living what they preach,
they have some things to learn, if entertainment and upbeat sermons are more important than truth.Upbeat is fine so long as truth is not left out.
If they are more concerned with the services being perfect and everybody tithing enough to get blessed better financially, especially them, than with people learning the need to pray and to forgive and help the broken and needy.
Jesus said if my people who are called by my Name will humble themselves and pray than I will hear from heaven and heal their land.
Jesus is more worried about the heart condition than outward appearances.
Jesus would rather mercy than sacrifice
.Even if it offends some people.
So if a church is actively loving Jesus,
and the least of these His brethern and seeking God's face and reaching out to the maim and lame and halt and captive and bruised and forgiving from the heart and teaching these things or striving for these things,
especially hungering for these things , and spending time in prayer, do likewise as the good samaritan.Not walking aroung and ignoring the wounded.
Not bragging or blowing a trumpet when something you do is good.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Who cares if they want a uniform.
That is not so important as people.
If the church wants a uniform and they are loving God with all their heart, who cares, wear a uniform.
However if the uniform requirement is just another way to get control, the church people need extra prayer for sure and a person may feel too oppressed, because they may be trying to control far more than that.
God's house is to be a house of prayer, not entertainment, false pride, control, arrogance and appearances.I doubt Jesus meant three minutes or so of duty prayer when He said His house was a house of prayer.The disciples gathered together in prayer.
We are to pray unceasingly,
pray always and not faint.
Prayer and bible reading make us grow, not willpower and good morals.Not appearances, good music, good feelings, and lots of fake scared to be real smiles and howdy do's, hows the weather? services.We need to get real.
Enough God I thank you that I do not do this sin and that sin and that I tithe and I am better than that sinner next to me.
Fasting and prayer is what causes heavy burdens to be undone and the oppressed to go free.
God wants us to satisfy the afflicted soul.
If the church is Godly and wants uniforms, who cares.As long as they provide them for those who need it.
Isaiah 58
1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul;
then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
we come with all our brokeness and hurts and problems.
We trust Jesus to forgive our sins and give us a new heart and make us bear fruit.
We do not try to work our way to Jesus or earn forgiveness or fix ourselves,
we come to Jesus trusting and surrendering all.
We trust in Jesus to wash away our sins and make all things new.We trust Jesus to make us grow.
We get to know Him and we trust Him to be open with Him and we read the bible and spend time with Him.
This does not mean we just disregard all rules etc , because we come as we are.
If a church has serious control issues and cares less for hurting or brokenhearted or needy people, if the church is cold and does not invite the lame and maim or halt in.
If the church has more interest in whether or not an unbeliever gets mud on their floor than whether or not he gets loved on and hopefully saved or how they can meet some need he has, there is something lacking there.
If the church is more worried about whether a new believer is wearing a low cut blouse than seeing that she is mentored and prayed for and cared for, they need to get their priorities straight.
If the church is more worried about outward appearances and social clubbing or that the music and such be just perfect and that buffet night has many hours spent on it so that it turns out perfect,
and they neglect the lame and the halt and the maim and the bruised or captive, something is wrong with the picture.
If they are more worried about having a service where people are kept entertained than whether they are fed solid food to help them grow and that convict peoples hearts about forgiveness and love and mercy and kindness and caring and active compassion and forgiving from the heart and reconciling and actively seeking God in their prayer closet and truly trusting Jesus to change their hearts and teach them truth and living what they preach,
they have some things to learn, if entertainment and upbeat sermons are more important than truth.Upbeat is fine so long as truth is not left out.
If they are more concerned with the services being perfect and everybody tithing enough to get blessed better financially, especially them, than with people learning the need to pray and to forgive and help the broken and needy.
Jesus said if my people who are called by my Name will humble themselves and pray than I will hear from heaven and heal their land.
Jesus is more worried about the heart condition than outward appearances.
Jesus would rather mercy than sacrifice
.Even if it offends some people.
So if a church is actively loving Jesus,
and the least of these His brethern and seeking God's face and reaching out to the maim and lame and halt and captive and bruised and forgiving from the heart and teaching these things or striving for these things,
especially hungering for these things , and spending time in prayer, do likewise as the good samaritan.Not walking aroung and ignoring the wounded.
Not bragging or blowing a trumpet when something you do is good.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Who cares if they want a uniform.
That is not so important as people.
If the church wants a uniform and they are loving God with all their heart, who cares, wear a uniform.
However if the uniform requirement is just another way to get control, the church people need extra prayer for sure and a person may feel too oppressed, because they may be trying to control far more than that.
God's house is to be a house of prayer, not entertainment, false pride, control, arrogance and appearances.I doubt Jesus meant three minutes or so of duty prayer when He said His house was a house of prayer.The disciples gathered together in prayer.
We are to pray unceasingly,
pray always and not faint.
Prayer and bible reading make us grow, not willpower and good morals.Not appearances, good music, good feelings, and lots of fake scared to be real smiles and howdy do's, hows the weather? services.We need to get real.
Enough God I thank you that I do not do this sin and that sin and that I tithe and I am better than that sinner next to me.
Fasting and prayer is what causes heavy burdens to be undone and the oppressed to go free.
God wants us to satisfy the afflicted soul.
If the church is Godly and wants uniforms, who cares.As long as they provide them for those who need it.
Isaiah 58
1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul;
then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
