Please help me. I have been struggling with fellowship at my small church. I feel it is controlling and intrusive. Should fellowship be that way? I feel like there is no room for disagreement? If you disagree, you must not be saved. They find fault with almost every other Denomination, Pastor, or view. I started going to a bigger church that allowed me to focus more on God and less on other people and they told me I was going to a "seeker friendly" church. They constantly want to keep eachother accountable and kill sin. Is this normal fellowship? It feels dark and negative. Or is that just my sin trying to hide? I don't know anymore. Please share your views.
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Fellowship? Or Mind Control?
- Thread starter msmyth
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Macca
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It seems to me that, if you cannot disagree, (if you can prove with Scripture) then there is controling in the Church.
It is better to be able to discuss things openly.
Find somewhere that allows freedom.
Macca.
It is better to be able to discuss things openly.
Find somewhere that allows freedom.
Macca.
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I appreciate your frankness and boldness in posting this question. Some would be afraid of even asking such questions.
No. That is not how a true fellowship ought to be. But, sadly some churches have this kind of fellowship or employ this kind of methods which they think is right but Christ may not be present with them. They end up more like a religio-social-gatherings instead of pure, loving and divine fellowships where Christ is present.
Christendom today has become more religious and less spiritual. Most Churches today can be likened to the Jewish Synogogues during the times of Lord Jesus Christ. And most Christians can be likened to the Jews which could not understand Lord Jesus Christ in those times. Some of them even fight and bite each other. They are ravening wolves wearing sheepskins. It is better to avoid such kind of Churches. There are some Churches where if you do not agree with them and not interested to associate with them and their doctrine completely, you would be considered as an outsider even if you had been with them for some time. Moreover, Christian Leaders have their own social network (or clout) which they may use to control their sheep and to usurp authority on their sheep. And if the sheep stop attending the Church then they try to create problems for them and see to it that they come running back to the Church again. This is all because they are religious but not spiritual. Most of them want to increase their number and grow big like a Babel Tower. Most of them want to get the credit, importance, reputation and power in the cut-throat competitive Christendom today. That is why i fear today to point any new christian to a particular Church. It is better to point him/her to meet a Man or Woman of God who is truly Godly and Spiritual. Such a Man or Woman of God can help in his/her Spiritual Growth. Lord Jesus Christ said where two or three are gathered in my name i am in the midst of them. So, it doesn't matter whether we attend a small church or big church. Also, sadly there are Churches today which judge you whether you are truly saved or not, right from the time you start attending their Church. And although you are saved and in the Lord they don't think you are saved until they get the realization for themselves.
It is hard to find ....
A Church which allows you to openly talk your opinions without judging you or being harsh with you.
A Church where you are free to come and go without any pressure.
A Church which does not condemn you if you are no longer with them.
A Church where people are genuinely friendly.
A Church where people are least judgemental and where they genuinely esteem each other (brothers and sisters) as better than themselves.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you don't clap hands during worship alongwith them.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you don't raise your hands during worship alongwith them.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you feel shy to pray amidst them.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you where a particular kind of dress.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you are either rich or poor.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you are either educated or uneducated.
A Church which does not pressurize you to behave in a particular way either directly or indirectly.
A Church which does not terrorize you to get rid of your sins with some kind of emotional blackmail.
A Church where you can find simple people without guile.
Today, with advanced technology Churches are employing Mind-Control and Mind-Manipulation methods on their sheep. Scintillating Music and Orchestra is also used to make the gullible innocent soul into making the decision for Christ (under the sway of the deeply touching music). Music is good i don't deny. Even there is music in heaven but music alone should not be the motivating factor for the Person. God should speak to the Person and His Spirit should do the work of saving the Person. Hypnotic methods and Power Words are used to influence the simple sheep to accept their doctrine and teachings. The Early Church never employed these methods and were undoubtedly more spiritual than most of the Churches today. It is a lot better for us to avoid attending such Churches. No Church is indispensable. No Christian Leader is indispensable. And No Christian is indispensable including me. We are not rejected by God just because we don't attend Church. We are rejected by God only if we reject Him completely and if we don't think about God any longer. I hope this point is clear. And the Bible says we are the Temple of Holy Spirit i.e we are the Church of Christ. We are the letters of Christ which people see.
It is good to confess our sins to fellow-believers which may help us in some way spiritually. But, no one ought to take advantage of us when we confess our sins or they should not exploit the person who confesses his/her sins genuinely and repents and hopes to overcome his/her sins in the future. What i mean to say is the fellow-believers should not despise or punish us for our past sins which are already forgiven by God.
They find fault with almost every other Denomination, Pastor, or view. This is because they would want the sheep in their fold to remain intact and within the fold. I am happy to see some of Pastors who say, "You are free to attend this Church and free to leave if you feel this is a wrong place that you have come into".
Instead of depending on the Church, let us depend on God alone. Let us go on from Bethel (House of God) to El-Bethel (God of the House of God).
I hope the following articles encourage and enlighten you and all those who read this thread -
Churchianity Today - http://www.watchman.net/articles/churchianity.html
The Crisis of Christless Christianity - http://www.watchman.net/articles/crisis.html
Dismantling the Religious Machine - http://www.watchman.net/articles/machine.html
Escape From Churchianity - http://www.watchman.net/articles/escape.html
Mind Control - The Ultimate Terror - http://www.educate-yourself.org/mc/
Christian Mind Control - http://www.zephnet.com/reports/redirect.php/?report_id=4000
Church Bondage (BrainWashing, Mind Control, Indoctrination, Oppression, Coercion, Intimidation, Legalism, False Teaching, Shame, Guilt and Bondage in the Modern Christian Church) - http://www.biblelife.org/bondage.htm
All the links above contain Truths which cannot be neglected carelessly by any sincere Christian.
No. That is not how a true fellowship ought to be. But, sadly some churches have this kind of fellowship or employ this kind of methods which they think is right but Christ may not be present with them. They end up more like a religio-social-gatherings instead of pure, loving and divine fellowships where Christ is present.
Christendom today has become more religious and less spiritual. Most Churches today can be likened to the Jewish Synogogues during the times of Lord Jesus Christ. And most Christians can be likened to the Jews which could not understand Lord Jesus Christ in those times. Some of them even fight and bite each other. They are ravening wolves wearing sheepskins. It is better to avoid such kind of Churches. There are some Churches where if you do not agree with them and not interested to associate with them and their doctrine completely, you would be considered as an outsider even if you had been with them for some time. Moreover, Christian Leaders have their own social network (or clout) which they may use to control their sheep and to usurp authority on their sheep. And if the sheep stop attending the Church then they try to create problems for them and see to it that they come running back to the Church again. This is all because they are religious but not spiritual. Most of them want to increase their number and grow big like a Babel Tower. Most of them want to get the credit, importance, reputation and power in the cut-throat competitive Christendom today. That is why i fear today to point any new christian to a particular Church. It is better to point him/her to meet a Man or Woman of God who is truly Godly and Spiritual. Such a Man or Woman of God can help in his/her Spiritual Growth. Lord Jesus Christ said where two or three are gathered in my name i am in the midst of them. So, it doesn't matter whether we attend a small church or big church. Also, sadly there are Churches today which judge you whether you are truly saved or not, right from the time you start attending their Church. And although you are saved and in the Lord they don't think you are saved until they get the realization for themselves.
It is hard to find ....
A Church which allows you to openly talk your opinions without judging you or being harsh with you.
A Church where you are free to come and go without any pressure.
A Church which does not condemn you if you are no longer with them.
A Church where people are genuinely friendly.
A Church where people are least judgemental and where they genuinely esteem each other (brothers and sisters) as better than themselves.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you don't clap hands during worship alongwith them.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you don't raise your hands during worship alongwith them.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you feel shy to pray amidst them.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you where a particular kind of dress.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you are either rich or poor.
A Church which does not look down upon you if you are either educated or uneducated.
A Church which does not pressurize you to behave in a particular way either directly or indirectly.
A Church which does not terrorize you to get rid of your sins with some kind of emotional blackmail.
A Church where you can find simple people without guile.
Today, with advanced technology Churches are employing Mind-Control and Mind-Manipulation methods on their sheep. Scintillating Music and Orchestra is also used to make the gullible innocent soul into making the decision for Christ (under the sway of the deeply touching music). Music is good i don't deny. Even there is music in heaven but music alone should not be the motivating factor for the Person. God should speak to the Person and His Spirit should do the work of saving the Person. Hypnotic methods and Power Words are used to influence the simple sheep to accept their doctrine and teachings. The Early Church never employed these methods and were undoubtedly more spiritual than most of the Churches today. It is a lot better for us to avoid attending such Churches. No Church is indispensable. No Christian Leader is indispensable. And No Christian is indispensable including me. We are not rejected by God just because we don't attend Church. We are rejected by God only if we reject Him completely and if we don't think about God any longer. I hope this point is clear. And the Bible says we are the Temple of Holy Spirit i.e we are the Church of Christ. We are the letters of Christ which people see.
It is good to confess our sins to fellow-believers which may help us in some way spiritually. But, no one ought to take advantage of us when we confess our sins or they should not exploit the person who confesses his/her sins genuinely and repents and hopes to overcome his/her sins in the future. What i mean to say is the fellow-believers should not despise or punish us for our past sins which are already forgiven by God.
They find fault with almost every other Denomination, Pastor, or view. This is because they would want the sheep in their fold to remain intact and within the fold. I am happy to see some of Pastors who say, "You are free to attend this Church and free to leave if you feel this is a wrong place that you have come into".
Instead of depending on the Church, let us depend on God alone. Let us go on from Bethel (House of God) to El-Bethel (God of the House of God).
I hope the following articles encourage and enlighten you and all those who read this thread -
Churchianity Today - http://www.watchman.net/articles/churchianity.html
The Crisis of Christless Christianity - http://www.watchman.net/articles/crisis.html
Dismantling the Religious Machine - http://www.watchman.net/articles/machine.html
Escape From Churchianity - http://www.watchman.net/articles/escape.html
Mind Control - The Ultimate Terror - http://www.educate-yourself.org/mc/
Christian Mind Control - http://www.zephnet.com/reports/redirect.php/?report_id=4000
Church Bondage (BrainWashing, Mind Control, Indoctrination, Oppression, Coercion, Intimidation, Legalism, False Teaching, Shame, Guilt and Bondage in the Modern Christian Church) - http://www.biblelife.org/bondage.htm
All the links above contain Truths which cannot be neglected carelessly by any sincere Christian.
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M
mannysee
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seems like a bad place....perhaps a 'fringe/extreme' type of group. I'd skadoodle outta there.
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SpeakLife329
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The whole idea for the body of Christ is to be on one accord Philippians 2:2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.I think within your church the problem would be something like these people are preaching things against the word..I mean like they preach things that do not align with the word of God, sometimes people like to base salvation around what they say not necessarily what the Bible says . What kind of Church is it (Denomination)? If it's not safe to ask that on this site just don't answer ..but very small denominations sometimes act a little cult like in their belief system..claiming that other people aren't saved based on ridiculous traits that their church has that the other does not ...it is all very sad and something that's been going on for so long even after Jesus ascended into heaven differnt types of Churches sprung up....my question is if God has one set order for salvation and the Bible is our living instructions why are their so many different paths people are taking ? but back to your situation....It's important that you get a good church where you can learn the word and the people rightly divide, include God in your life, and i'm probably talking to my self...but He wants us to Know him and fellowship with the believers I am sure....just pray to Him, and talk to Him about what you are going through and He will move within your life..He's pretty good at doing that 
He loves us and just wants to be one with us, we gotta include him in what we do, and talk to HIM about delimas and problems in our lives and pray for the church that youre in also..if you have to leave ...leave them peacefully and with a heart that is not angry or vengeful towards them, and pray that God will move in the church and that he would deal with the Pastor and the members accordingly, if they are wrong that God will reveal His word to them and correct them, God bless your heart I hope that you stay encouraged and Pray and ask God about your situation.
Be blessed in Christ
K.
He loves us and just wants to be one with us, we gotta include him in what we do, and talk to HIM about delimas and problems in our lives and pray for the church that youre in also..if you have to leave ...leave them peacefully and with a heart that is not angry or vengeful towards them, and pray that God will move in the church and that he would deal with the Pastor and the members accordingly, if they are wrong that God will reveal His word to them and correct them, God bless your heart I hope that you stay encouraged and Pray and ask God about your situation.Be blessed in Christ
K.
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Evie
what he said! <img src="http://www3.christianforum
you should be able to speak your mind,to talk things over with any fellow believer.msmyth said:
We had this man in our past church that carried his bible wherever he went because if he disagreed with you. he'd show you what God's word says. If anyone has questions and concerned we should be able to talk to our Pastor or a leader.
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Nom De Guerre
Who amongst you doesn't see life as permanent?
1 John 1: 3-7 "3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Fellowship with Christ, and our Heavenly Father; in such there is no fault, we then already have fellowship with the body of Christ(each member).
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Fellowship with Christ, and our Heavenly Father; in such there is no fault, we then already have fellowship with the body of Christ(each member).
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HoT-MetaL
Yahweh Warrior
Its heavy pastoring.
Unfortunately some churches are like this - the case is that some people more so than others.
Like you, I cannot stand it... Church should be a voluntary and pleasurable activity, somethign that can be hard but s houldnt feel like a burden.
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the Church that God wants you at.
God Bless, metal.
Unfortunately some churches are like this - the case is that some people more so than others.
Like you, I cannot stand it... Church should be a voluntary and pleasurable activity, somethign that can be hard but s houldnt feel like a burden.
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the Church that God wants you at.
God Bless, metal.
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0
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