What has changed?

[Brother Dad]

also another point I wanted to make.  I was recently talking to a man who was critical about his Pastor and the standards his Pastor was teaching.  Yet the Pastor was teaching higher standards than the man was living.  He was using what he was finding fault with as an uncuse to stay out of church or begin to find another Church.  Sometimes maybe the Church hasn't changed as much as we have changed.

[Backseat Radio]

Sometimes we are the one thats changed.  Its very easy to get bored, critical, angry, offended, ect and any of those will change how we perceive the church.

Also makes me wonder if the church and Christians have fallen into the same trap the Judiazers of Paul's day fell into - attempting to bind a yoke on the disciples that is impossible to bear.  Feeling overwhelmed by a list of expectations that can't be met definatley would effect a person's desire to be involved in the church.

[Brother Dad]

Also makes me wonder if the church and Christians have fallen into the same trap the Judiazers of Paul's day fell into - attempting to bind a yoke on the disciples that is impossible to bear.  Feeling overwhelmed by a list of expectations that can't be met definatley would effect a person's desire to be involved in the church.

My Pastor that I sit under while working on getting into the Ministry always told me "never draw the circle so tight you can't even live within it yourself".  So true, so let us get down on our knees or our backs or sit in a chair whatever your mode is and let us begin to pray search me Lord.  Revival must start with me.

[titushome]

It is said you can take a frog and put in a pot of boiling water he will jump out.  But if you put him in cold water and slowly heat the water to a boil he sit there until he cooks to death.

That's actually a myth.  Total fabrication.  The frog will notice the heat, and will jump out.

[Backseat Radio]

The question was asked earlier "what can we do about it?"  Here's one that come to mind...

Instead of shooting for several hours of Bible reading in a day, take a short period of time each day and dig deeper into a short passage of scripture.  Look up meanings of any words your not familiar with.  Meditate on what the writer of the passage was trying to convey to the person or group it was written to.  Doing this may require looking into the cultural aspect of the people the passage was origionally written to.  Then meditate on what the meaning of the passage shows in your own life and make any changes it shows you to make.  All to often we just aimlessly read chapter after chapter after chapter but don't really stop to think about and anaylize what we've read and what it means for us as modern day Christians.

[Brother Dad]

It is said you can take a frog and put in a pot of boiling water he will jump out.  But if you put him in cold water and slowly heat the water to a boil he sit there until he cooks to death.

That's actually a myth.  Total fabrication.  The frog will notice the heat, and will jump out.

As I said it is said, haven't tryed it myself have you.  Maybe next time I find a frog I will see. 

[Brother Dad]

The question was asked earlier "what can we do about it?"  Here's one that come to mind...

Instead of shooting for several hours of Bible reading in a day, take a short period of time each day and dig deeper into a short passage of scripture.  Look up meanings of any words your not familiar with.  Meditate on what the writer of the passage was trying to convey to the person or group it was written to.  Doing this may require looking into the cultural aspect of the people the passage was origionally written to.  Then meditate on what the meaning of the passage shows in your own life and make any changes it shows you to make.  All to often we just aimlessly read chapter after chapter after chapter but don't really stop to think about and anaylize what we've read and what it means for us as modern day Christians.

This is why I don't like the BREAD program because all it does is gets you to read the Bible.  Bible reading (and I think we should read the Bible from cover to cover)  must take on meaning not just reading so I can say I have read the Bible from Gen. to Rev.

[titushome]

...take a short period of time each day and dig deeper into a short passage of scripture.  Look up meanings of any words your not familiar with.  Meditate on what the writer of the passage was trying to convey to the person or group it was written to.  Doing this may require looking into the cultural aspect of the people the passage was origionally written to.  Then meditate on what the meaning of the passage shows in your own life and make any changes it shows you to make.

Excellent advice!

[titushome]

It is said you can take a frog and put in a pot of boiling water he will jump out.  But if you put him in cold water and slowly heat the water to a boil he sit there until he cooks to death.

That's actually a myth.  Total fabrication.  The frog will notice the heat, and will jump out.

As I said it is said, haven't tryed it myself have you.  Maybe next time I find a frog I will see. 

I haven't tried it, and I don't need to.  Someone else already has:

http://www.uga.edu/srel/ecoviews/ecoview021118.htm

[Backseat Radio]

I do think simple Bible reading is a good place to start as its rather hard to do deeper study on something you've not read. 

[OGIA]

...take a short period of time each day and dig deeper into a short passage of scripture.  Look up meanings of any words your not familiar with.  Meditate on what the writer of the passage was trying to convey to the person or group it was written to.  Doing this may require looking into the cultural aspect of the people the passage was origionally written to.  Then meditate on what the meaning of the passage shows in your own life and make any changes it shows you to make.

Excellent advice!

Ditto!   

[ChangedByGod]

It is said you can take a frog and put in a pot of boiling water he will jump out.  But if you put him in cold water and slowly heat the water to a boil he sit there until he cooks to death.

That's actually a myth.  Total fabrication.  The frog will notice the heat, and will jump out.

As I said it is said, haven't tryed it myself have you.  Maybe next time I find a frog I will see. 

But the concept is true, easy to let things change slowly than a drastic change

[ChangedByGod]

also another point I wanted to make.  I was recently talking to a man who was critical about his Pastor and the standards his Pastor was teaching.  Yet the Pastor was teaching higher standards than the man was living.  He was using what he was finding fault with as an uncuse to stay out of church or begin to find another Church.  Sometimes maybe the Church hasn't changed as much as we have changed.

Didnt think of that one but true

[ChangedByGod]

I do think simple Bible reading is a good place to start as its rather hard to do deeper study on something you've not read. 

That is one thing I have started on more myself is just sittting and reading. Not by a chart but try to find a subject and read on it





I did get in contact with a church here and am going to try to go Sunday if I am not too sick

[iridiscente]

awesome

[Brother Dad]

I did get in contact with a church here and am going to try to go Sunday if I am not too sick

Awesome, hope to hear a good report.

[onli-one-jehovi]

Sometimes we are the one thats changed.  Its very easy to get bored, critical, angry, offended, ect and any of those will change how we perceive the church.

Also makes me wonder if the church and Christians have fallen into the same trap the Judiazers of Paul's day fell into - attempting to bind a yoke on the disciples that is impossible to bear.  Feeling overwhelmed by a list of expectations that can't be met definatley would effect a person's desire to be involved in the church.

Sometimes we are the one thats changed.

This pretty much hits it on the head. The Day in which we are now living has accelerated the calling of the Remnant. Revelation warns us to come out of the Harlot Church System. Come out of spiritual Babylon's idolatrous ways and join in a pure relationship with the Son of God. This causes much change.

I also tend to believe that much of the anger, boredom, critisism, etc comes from men. The church system of today is overall geared to women. Services are filled with songs more attuned to romance, than worship. Songs of being showered with "blessings", much as a man wooing a woman. Men are left out. Men are consigned to "sitting on the bench" and relegated to being little more than "open wallets" of finances. This is another major cause for change.


Also makes me wonder if the church and Christians have fallen into the same trap the Judiazers of Paul's day fell into - attempting to bind a yoke on the disciples that is impossible to bear.  Feeling overwhelmed by a list of expectations that can't be met definatley would effect a person's desire to be involved in the church

So true. And not just in Pentecost. Thus the Lord allows such pressure to reveal the false and drive out the Remnant. Good observation bsr.

[Backseat Radio]

I also tend to believe that much of the anger, boredom, critisism, etc comes from men. The church system of today is overall geared to women. Services are filled with songs more attuned to romance, than worship. Songs of being showered with "blessings", much as a man wooing a woman. Men are left out. Men are consigned to "sitting on the bench" and relegated to being little more than "open wallets" of finances. This is another major cause for change.

Your observation about the songs is very true too.  I remember as a kid we commonly sang the old hymns and a lot of what I learned came from those old hymns.  Services today tend to have mostly the 7/11 (7 words, sing them 11 times) songs that are more geared towards emotional appeal and a fast beat to dance to than really teaching an indepth concept through song.  Have we forgotten that the New Testament commands us to teach and admonish in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs?

[yosemite]

pentacostals used to draw huge crowds to their singing.

[iridiscente]

Tia, I'd like to meet you in real life to study the bible together some day. You have good insight.

[Backseat Radio]

Tia, I'd like to meet you in real life to study the bible together some day. You have good insight.

It would be cool to get together and study the Bible sometime.  I love to discuss the Bible.

[doogie]

Society in general has changed dramatically, if not exponentially over the past 50-100 years.  The choice we have as disciples of Christ is whether or not we are going to allow our surroundings to dictate our relationship with God or let our relationship with God dictate what happens in our surroundings.

Consider this:

If I dont think there is enough prayer going on in my church...
If I dont think there is enough worship going on during the song service...
If I dont think the saints are "getting behind" the preacher...
If I dont think there is enough outreach going on...
If I dont think the power of God is evident in our services...

Am I willing to step out by faith, break the ice and lead others by example?

Just food for thought...

[gabbtastic]

ooo good words doogie!

[Backseat Radio]

Or just sick of people. Tired of interaction and putting forth more effort for a cause we don't really believe in.

Was reading back through this and what iridiscente mentiones here is why my church involvement has become sporatic and half hearted and why I tend to drag my feet when pastor comes up with an idea like me teaching sunday school or going out and doing door to door visitation. Even my piano duties, I do about enough to get them by for worship service.   I'm flat out tired of putting forth the effort when my heart isn't there.

[Raven180]

Was reading back through this and what iridiscente mentiones here is why my church involvement has become sporatic and half hearted and why I tend to drag my feet when pastor comes up with an idea like me teaching sunday school or going out and doing door to door visitation. Even my piano duties, I do about enough to get them by for worship service.   I'm flat out tired of putting forth the effort when my heart isn't there.

Jesus, when talking about the heart, said that where our treasure is, there also will be our heart. (See Matthew 6:21)

If you're heart is not there, maybe it's because those things are not where your "treasure" is, if you will.

So, then, where is your treasure?