Hisrosebud said:
The deacon, head of administration, (his childhood friend for over 20 years that brought him to the Lord) told him he was nuts! THat my he could now see my husband's heart and how evil it was (the bible says only GOD Knows the condition of a man's heart BTW). We have been banned from the church property from that request.
All my husband did was ask for the money back.
There is never a good reason for a Pastor to kick someone out of the church. Most christians are against the death penalty because they believe that as long as there is breathe in someone, they can still be saved...
It is terrible when your own friends even do this to you in the name of the Lord.
It seems that they were equating themselves and the church larder too much with God. At the church I got rejected by about seven months ago, I think the pastor also equated himself too much with God. Humility is supposed to be a major virtue for a pastor, perhaps even moreso than for the rest of the congregation.
Years ago, I and my parents went to a church (split off a Baptist church-we went with the pastor) that invested the money collected for a new building without informing the congregation, and then lost the money, including what we had given. We never got it back either after we left the church because of that incident. After that, it took years for my father to trust anyone associated with a church again. He just read his bible at home and fellowshipped with a few Christian friends when there was an opportunity. My mother kept looking for a church, and I was off to the uni soon anyway and found other church events to attend. Sometimes we associate the pastor and elders too much with God, even though they still can act all too human. This can make the hurt caused by such events even deeper.
Some that are friends of my family got kicked out of an AoG church years ago for questioning the new program that the pastor wanted to implement. They were the bible teachers! They were banned from the church building, some were waiting at the door to turn them back and those that associated with them.
To everyone,
We have to realize that God does not do these things, but men are capable of it. Don't think that God has rejected you, he
never would.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' (Psalm 44:22) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39.
How's that for encouragement? That is my favorite passage in Scripture. If things get tough I like to remember that one.
Also, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25.
discernomatic
