Out of Answers

[epy]

Reading your explanation made me think of a two things.

1. As non-comforting as it might sound, maybe there isn't a church in your area for you right now. Maybe it is not that God has not answered, but that His answer has been: "I'm sorry, but you have to wait."

2. I also thought of a story. You have probably heard it and I don't tell stories well, but I will post it anyway.

There was a man who lived out on his own and very much loved God. The man had worked hard for all that was his(cabin, tools, etc.). One day God asked him to push against a bolder that was near where he lived. Without question the man enthusiastically went out and pushed against it with all his might, all day, for over a week. Then, however, he began to become discouraged. It had not moved one single inch. He couldn't see why God would ask him to continue to push the bolder when he clearly could not move it. So, he prayed. Fervently he prayed, but the only answer he got was to keep pushing. He went out again, day after day, all day, for another week. When the second week ended he became very near distraught. He knew that God loved him, and could not see why he would be asked to continue this task when there was so much he could have accomplished in that time. He wondered, questioned, and asked God his purpose, but the answer was the same. So, he went back out. For another week he pushed the bolder. At this point he did not know what to do. He thought, "I have done all I could, but it has amounted to nothing. The bolder has not moved, not one inch in all this time. I cannot go out another week. I cannot go on like this." In all his frustration, confusion, and anguish, he fell down on his knees again and prayed: "Lord, I cannot go on. All my life I have served you, but I cannot do what you ask. I cannot move the bolder. What is wrong? Surely you would not ask me to do something I cannot do? Why can't I move the bolder?" This time God's answer was different: "My son, I never asked you to move the bolder. I only asked you to push against it. Because of these days that you have spent all your might as I asked, you have become stronger. You are now able to do far more than you ever could before."

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[Happy Orthodox]

TAW stands for "The Ancient Faith." The OBOB stands for One Body one Bread (sorry if it's the other way around).

Why don't you visit an Orthodox church? Orthodoxy is pure original teaching passed down from the Apostles together with the Bible, with nothing added and nothing taken away. It's the Early Church. Its service is liturgical, and it is very different from evangelical churches. Maybe here you could feel God's presence and find rest that Christ promiced to all who seek Him?

 

[BiancaRose]

I would suggest going to a church that is strong in its outreach. A very amazing church for the once lost is Victory Outreach.

God Bless!
Send me a note if you have any questions.

 

[heron]

epy, welcome here! I hadn't heard your boulder story before, except it has a parallel in the book Holes by Louis Sachar... someone had to carry a pig up a mountain every day, and it kept growing heavier. Anyway, good advice.

 

[justanobserver]

final addendum to all this (dont worry, there wont be anymore):

got a flyer stuffed in my streetside mail box couple weeks ago advertising a new church service just up the street from me - a 5 minute walk away.

Once again, I got excited, a very local church - thought this is what He been holding back on, why no answer for such a long time, why just a cold dead no tone on the prayer phone.

I went to work 2 Fridays ago and told the 2 employees that say they are christian about this flyer and they said MAYBE God is finally answering my prayer (they know how long this has been going on, what I been going thru and their pastors <had them ask their preachers> have no answer either - well, one of them suggested perhaps God is punishing me for something - sounds plausible I guess).

Anyways, last Sunday comes around, been over a hundred degrees every day so far, that day its gonna be about 102 when the service starts at 2pm BUT I get dressed, and walk up the street really really excited and hoping I finally found a home.....I was wrong.

To make a long story short and to keep out some specific particulars so some folks cant wrongly read into it, (will say one it was one of the most unfriendliest services I ever been to - not one person would come over to say hello or shake my hand -except the usher who sat me off to the side away from the main body - about 25 or so folks and I aint BSing - first time I ever was shunned in a church due to being the only one appearing different than others....hint hint). Plus a sound system designed for a huge auditorium being played at max in a less than 1,000 sq ft room....... my ears were ringing for an hour after wards. it hurt. no lie. It was so loud that when I turned again to ask the one guy sitting behind me to stop using the back of my chair as a drum set, I dont think he could hear me.

I left after maybe 20 minutes with a vow to Whatever sits on The Chair upstairs to never ever ever return. The usher must have had an idea I wouldnt stay - she came from the other side to open the door for me when I left. I tried to tell her why I was leaving but she, without a word, was already closing the door when I was stepping outside.

'Course on my walk back home, I sarcastically thanked Him for setting me up once again for a good laugh from heaven at my expense (am sure He and the angels enjoyed their moment) for falling for yet once again the desire to believe He really gave a crap and wanted to help me find a church.

I figger in a month or so, He will think I forgot about all the other times and once again will tell one of the angels to put another flyer in my mailbox so they can watch me get all excited with hope once again only to have it fall apart once again. You would think I would get smart after a while and see the truth that this is a cruel hatefilled being doing this and not some allegged kind loving god but guess I aint grown some smarts yet. But I am learning.

I really thought this time was it but once again like a foolish stupid idiot believing in answers and hope, I thought wrong.

Am done with all this. aint gonna fall for it and His games anymore. wont be back to respond to this post either. am tired and am done with wasting my life and time for an answer that dont exist.

I am convinced that one preacher is correct about pre-destination and if you aint gonna make it (and He would know), He aint gonna waste time to help. So why should I waste anymore of my time by keep playing the fool in a cruel sadistic game???? perhaps the agnostics and athiests in GA really do have the answer.

done here.

 

[epy]

I'm sorry you feel like this is some heavenly game. Being a practicing Christian, and even not being one and just living on this earth, is not always easy. As you know quite personally right now, it is really hard.

I know that it does not compare to your situation in magnitude but I will tell you my church hunting story, in the hope that perhaps you will read it and gain something from it. I was pretty active in my church but was not in the inner circle that ran things. At one point someone had complained about the way I was teaching a class at the time. No one ever mentioned it to me, however the "poor job I was doing"(although stated more subtly) went around to not a few people. I started looking at other churches in my area. I looked for a couple months. I ended up with absolutely nothing. As it happened, the situation blew over and I stayed at the church. However, in the process of looking I realized that the favorable opinion I have of my church would not be the way a visitor would feel.

I hope that you will decide there is a purpose in all this and that God does treasure you. The good shepherd who leaves the 99 to go and find the lost one would not toy with you as you seem to think He does. Through our struggles come a perseverance and a witness to others. Maybe all of this was not against you, but rather for you. Perhaps, if you do not give up, one day this struggle will give you the opportunity to bring someone to Christ that otherwise would not have come. Our frustrations are not without purpose, and they are not so that we are made sad so God can laugh. We sometimes come to despair over something because we cannot see what God has planned. He watches knowing that something amazing is down the way, not being able to tell us because we would surely give up if we knew all the obstacles we would have to face between where we are and the wonderful goal.

I hope you will find a place in your heart and in time where your disappointment and even perhaps anger are exchanged for the loving acceptance and peace that only God(not the church but God) can give.

 

[BarbB]

Wow, I'm impressed with your persistence - and that's a very good thing. Check out these verses - the persistent widow gets what she needs and wants, just by being persistent.

LK 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. [2] He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. [3] And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, `Grant me justice against my adversary.'
LK 18:4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, `Even though I don't fear God or care about men, [5] yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
LK 18:6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. [7] And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

What I see is that you are seeking, seeking, seeking and God is following your search. Don't think that you are being punished. It might just be a trial! That's a good thing, btw.

My suggestion is that you start going to each and every church nearby. Go for a week - if it's awful, leave and don't go back. But if it's even OK, go back the next week. Part of it is familiarity. I'm still not great friends with my church acquaintences, but I enjoy being with them for worship. (I'm kind of a loner). But it is important to get under someone's teaching - the Holy Spirit will filter the message so that you get what you need!

 

[heron]

Maybe all of this was not against you, but rather for you.

I agree. Some of my darkest moments later proved to be God keeping me away from danger.

 

[heron]

About the punishment comment... I know that people have very diverse beliefs about this. But even in the strongest peaks of OT punishment stories, God still gave warnings. God spoke to the offenses first, then gave a warning of what He would do, then would follow up if people ignored the warning. He didn't randomly punish for punishment's sake. He protected other people from harm by stopping the offenders.

Paul speaks about hardships building character, and most people recognize that any training or purification process is going to be uncomfortable. But it won't be randomly unjust. The outcome isn't supposed to be total flattening.

I think that some of the doctrines from your past still need to get weighed against other churches' doctrines. Barb's suggestion to skim the surface of many would help you separate what you think God wants, from what others say God wants, from how you think God should operate, from what God really says. People tend to present God as very legalistic. Sometimes what we logically think God should do, ends up being more scripturally true than church doctrine.

It's sad that the church nearby went to the trouble of inviting the neighborhood, and they weren't ready to welcome people who arrived. But honestly, I haven't had good first-time experiences with any church, most of all ones that turn out to be my favorites.

People are people, and are naturally thinking about themselves. They rush to drop off their kids at Sunday School, have committees and responsibilities that take up some of their worship time. They are thinking about what they need to bring to a picnic afterwards, how they couldn't find matching socks before church, how they hadn't had a chance to talk to friends all week. Some carry extremely heavy issues--layoffs, deaths, or are in physical pain, and don't have a chance to express these in church.

Sometimes I've found that rude or passive people were as new as I was... both of us waiting to have someone else take initiative. So now, when I visit new places, I try to assume the position that I've belonged to the broader Church long enough to welcome anyone anywhere. Who cares if I'm new.

But basically, people are into themselves. It's just a fact. Jesus tried to bring us out of that, reminding us what powerful lives we could have, but we still resist.​

 

[heron]

I just ran across a beautiful message about exiles... I don't know much about the site, but this is mostly scripture references:

http://www.bible-codes.org/message-to-christians.htm

 

[RaddMadd]

What is the answer when a sinner like me has been seeking a home church, the one that is right for me but nothing opens up. The churches I have gone on my own to, the door slams shut as in no doubt in my mind it aint the one. This has been going on for a while now. I have prayed daily, had folks here and other sites pray He would help me find the church I can call home and nothing, I mean not a word, inkling, thought,nada.


I really did have the faith and believe that He would answer so simple, little and easy a request - help Norm find the Right Church. I really thought/expected I would run into someone at the store, my job, an email, a phone message, something - thats how much faith I had on this rquest. Even maybe God would move on someone at this site to give an invite and assist but not a word.


Is this a possible way of God saying that it just aint gonna happen for me? That He knows (since He does know the past and future) that I would not get saved in the end so He aint gonna waste His or a church's time with me? Thats starting to sound logical to me.

Sorry for the length of this. I have a very extremely good reason for wanting God to find the right church for me. not every church is the right one for everybody.

One could say this is the answer from Him and just give up.

God works in many strange ways!! an example is when a blind man needed healing, i bet you this blind man expected Jesus to put His hands on Him and heal him. but do you know what Jesus did? He spit in dirt, rubbed it in His hands, and put it on the blind mans eyes, and the blind man was healed. so you might not run into a miracle, for a long time i've been wanting to wake up one day with an angel in my sight. you probably wont run into anybody somewhere, but im sure God will lead you to the right place, keep the faith, He also might be testing you-God bless

 

[HumbleUnderdog]

Why is there such a stron urge to join a church?

Is there a strong to join a community organization in order to gain some feelings of selfworth worth in order to gain a sense of dignity( which isn't bad), or ego (which is horrible)?

Something tells me that you feel that as a Chrsitian, that you have to be a member of a church. IF this is true iny anyway or form, please PM me.

 

[heron]

What keeps coming to mind, is Jesus' expectation of that his disciples could go out and represent the kingdom of God with only a couple years' knowledge of the ministry. They healed, they cast out demons, they were known as Jesus' team.

I think that many of us know enough about Christianity that we can walk boldly into someone else's church and look for other people that need ministering to -- not coming from a defensive position, but taking initiative to serve God and serve others whereever we set foot.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

Getting saved is between you and Jesus, not you and a building full of people on sunday morning. Please avoid that mistaken assumption. People, being human, will only let you down eventually. Pray the prayer yourself. There's a link at the bottom of the page if you need as well.

 

[wcwred]

first question: Are you born again? I know you stated you are a poor sinner, but all of us are sinners, some just saved by grace.

second question: If you are born again, what are you looking for in a church? A place you feel comfortable; a place that is friendly (which should be all, but unfortunately isn't); a place just to worship; or a place that God can use you.

If you are not born again, then you can settle that right now. It is pretty obvious that you know your need of a saviour. Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Romans 10:8-13 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.