Just one of many things I will never understand...

[World Traveler]

Ok, I don't understand the need for bodily ornamentation such as tattoos in the first place, but some of the reasons people have for getting them boggles the mind.

I have a friend that decided to get a tattoo. I tried to talk her out of it. I even gave her scripture. It was all to no avail. She said the scriptures I gave her pertained to heathens, not Christians. She wanted to get a tattoo to show her love of God and that she is a Christian.

So, she got the tattoo.

As I said earlier, some things I just don't understand, but I guess a tattoo of a cross right above her "hoo ha" so people can see it when she wears her bikini proclaims her christianity like nothing else.

I guess I am just getting old.

[World Traveler]

Another thing I will never understand... Are there any standards left when it comes to getting married?

Another friend of mine (mind you, neither this friend or the one in the story above are in, or to my knowledge, have ever been in the truth. They go to "christian" type churches), got back in contact with an old friend from high school on Facebook. They graduated the year before me I think.

Anyway, she ended up leaving her hubby and marrying this guy.

Oh, she proclaims to be a christian while he proclaims to be an atheist.

That is only part of what I found troubling.

What I really found troubling were all the posts of support for both of them that their friends were posting and how happy all their friends were for them.

[Chseeads]

I find people to be morons, across the board.

[Babs]

I find people to be morons, across the board.

[Scott]

I don't understand how a brown cow can drink green grass and give white milk!

I don't understand why we drive on parkways and park on drive ways!

I don't understand how people can live like Satan all week and on Sunday show up all grins and smiles.

[Niki]

This reminds me of something Bro. Huntley said at NC Family Camp '86:

"I don't understand anybody who was a fireball for the devil, but now they're a little ol' fizzle for God. I don't understand anybody who was a Niagara for the devil, but now they're a little drip drop for God. I don't understand anybody who was a lion for the devil, but now they're a mouse for God. I don't understand anybody who shouted for the devil, who danced for the devil, and now they won't do it for God."

[Melody]

I have a hard time with understanding the "support" so many Apostolic give someone that is for all we know, something wrong & totally out of the will of God. Divorce is a big one, I'm seeing that right now. Both 'in church' both partying their brains out, totally obviously backslidden. One divorces the other & posts about the stress of it all.  At what point do people stop saying things like, "you'll come out stronger, God has better things for your future, just hang in there there, God will see you through, your blessed & highly favored!"  Um... all rubbish in this situation.

The one doing the "in your face" sin (like 1/2 naked pictures of new tatoos) & complaining is the one that is divorcing the other.  But because she's social she's getting encouraged.

I know we are supposed to be positive but come on!

[Babs]

the ones i dont understand are the ones that claim they reach out to sinners but refuse to have contact with anyone they deem "not like them"

i have a good laugh at people on fb and other sites, sending out requests to only apostolics.

this one guy send me a message earlier that he sent me a request because he thought i thought like him but seeing i was controversial has felt the need to delete me. soul winning is controversial?? LOL

if it wasnt so sad i would find it amusing

[Chseeads]

I have a hard time with the "support" so many Apostolic give someone that is for all we know, something wrong & totally out of the will of God. Divorce is a big one, I'm seeing that right now. Both 'in church' both partying their brains out, totally obviously backslidden. One divorces the other & posts about the stress of it all.  At what point do people stop saying things like, "you'll come out stronger, God has better things for your future, just hang in there there, God will see you through, your blessed & highly favored!"  Um... all rubbish in this situation.

That's when you pipe up and post, "Divorce is of the devil and you're both a bunch of sinning heathens, stronger my hindend...."

And then after the fur all settles back to the ground, and you've been defriended, just smile and laugh and go on your merry way. lol 

[Chseeads]

I don't understand how a brown cow can drink green grass and give white milk!

I don't understand how a cow drinks grass.


I've seen a lot of cows, and nary a one of them ever made a green grass smoothie...

[Niki]

  @ Seth!

MY,
Totally agreed! Divorce is a sin and is only allowed if your spouse commits adultery. But even then I think God would prefer people work things out and stay together. I too can never give words of support or encouragement to someone who is divorcing their spouse. Unless their spouse commited adultery. Then of course I tell them how sorry I am that things have happened that way. The man represents Jesus (or is supposed to) and the woman represents the church. Just as Jesus won't divorce his church, a husband and wife shouldn't divorce each other. The devil loves divorce and hates marriage because of what those things represent.

[Newsman]

I'm going to disagree with some of you here.

Adultery is the one method specifically enumerated in Scripture where someone could divorce and MARRY AGAIN without being sin. We don't preach that in churches, because it hits too close to home for some. However, A woman shouldn't have to be a punching bag, and I'm not going to tell a woman who's,beaten black and blue she dopesn't have a right to divorce the husband. Now, I don't think she has the right to remarry, as long as the husband has not committed adultery, but divorce and having other 'partners' can still be two different issues..

It would be ideal if adultery-affected couples could, with the help of God, recover, and they can. But it was in place under Old Testament Biblical days where the guilty adulterer shoud have been stoned to death, and the other party in the marriage would have been a widow or widower, and free to remarry

That stance is altered somewhat when Jesus said for the one without sin to cast the first stone at the woman, but he told her to go and sin no more. In our society, you legally can't do anything to even a habitual adulterer, other than improve your divorce case.

Let's also talk brass tacks. The society we have, even in the Apostolic Church, is NOT going to see the VAST majority of 20-40-somethings who get a divorce stay sexually inactive. The most that will happen if they remarry is that, for some organizations, it would prohibit them from holding ministerial license.

YMMV, of course.


John

[Babs]

exactly SirJ

[Melody]

no no no, my post has nothing to do with divorce being right or wrong in itself.  But about people making HUGE life decisions while they are living like the devil. And because there are concessions given for divorce for certain circumstances and it all is of a private nature, people don't ask or know.

So instead of holding back until they DO know or praying for the person and encouraging them to come back to God, they just blanket it all, approving and supporting something that they have NO idea if it qualifies as right or if the parties involved are acting in any kind of a honest state. 

This happens to be people who I consider friends, who I have been an ear to, time and time again.  And right now, there are decisions going on that have nothing to do with what God thinks.  My heart breaks for these people who need to get back to JESUS.  But here are all these folks saying stuff that just helps keep my friend feeling like it's ok to be given into such carnality, to give herself a break.  Some have literally used scriptures about being suffering for Christ's sake and God ordering their steps.  God does not order sin, and I don't mean divorce.  So there is a breakdown at what people are calling themselves "ministering," and it's not even where God is at. 

We can say the right things all day, but if it's not rightly applied, it can be harmful.  We have to be in Truth, yes.  But also the Spirit which is discerning and timely. 

When it comes to the whole adultery/divorce issue, which is huge...  We can't give some blanket statement about it being OK to divorce when there has been adultery, when the Word says, "Because of the HARDness of your hearts.."  and when God wants to do a greater work, heal the people and the marriage for a much more Glorifying testimony, instead of settling for some, "I have a RIGHT to because they did me wrong." :2cents: 

[The Cold Water Kid]

Adultery is the one method specifically enumerated in Scripture where someone could divorce and MARRY AGAIN without being sin.

I agree with your sentiment about women getting away from abusers, but this idea that adultery is a grounds for divorce and remarriage is inaccurate. Fornication, not adultery, is the only grounds for divorce and remarriage. The confuse comes because we do not understand betrothal. When a couple is betrothed, they are legally married (as were Joseph and Mary before the birth of Jesus) but they have had no union. During this time a man goes to prepare a place for himself and his bride (Jesus went to prepare a place for his bride, the church). If, when a man returns to collect his bride, she has committed fornication (maybe she is pregnant or has had a child) then he has the right to divorce her (just as Joseph intended to do to Mary). But once the marriage is consummated fornication is no longer possible, only adultery.

[Lynx]

Cold Water Kid, request scriptural substantiation for that last sentence. 

[Lynx]

One thing I will never understand is why people keep forgetting me when they are notifying members of a group about a change of plans.  Last night I showed up at the church because the youth group was going to be there from 5pm to 7pm making chocolate covered peanut butter eggs to sell.  Nobody there... called the youth pastor.  "Oh we changed that to Tuesday night."  And... who was supposed to tell me?

Once would be irritating.  After the first ten times one begins to get suspicious.  It's not one group or one leader that forgets me either, it's almost everyone.  And it's not that they are forgetful... everyone else always knows.  I'm always the only one that nobody thought to inform when a meeting is canceled or moved to another day.  It has reached the point where every time I drive to church for (insert practice, planning session or other meeting here) I always wonder if anyone else will be there.

Kind of makes you wonder if you're really part of the group, ya know?

[The Cold Water Kid]

No problem, but I think I just edited it, lol. What did it say?

[The Cold Water Kid]

Wow, that sounds like some kind of trial or tribulation ( I'm not sure about the difference). Are you sure that they have your phone number, email addy, etc?

[The Cold Water Kid]

Cold Water Kid, request scriptural substantiation for that last sentence.

Oh yeah, I remember now.

Romans 7:2
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:39
The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

[Lynx]

Been the same phone number at this house all my life, and it's in the church directory.  Been the same email since I first got internet.

Maybe I'm just so good at fading into the background that I'm TOO good.  Or maybe nobody thinks of good ole Bro. Isaac unless some kind of audio needs to be set up, or CDs burned, or someone needs to run the sound booth, or...

Wow, that last sentence was a bit sharp.  Maybe I need to go cool down.

*Goes off to find a big bucket of ice water to stick his head in.

[The Cold Water Kid]

Well, don't forget the one who matters most; I can assure you that Jesus is glad to see you when you show up for events and feels your absence acutely when you don't.

[Newsman]

Cold Water Kid,

   I want to thank you fo spurring me to do some detailed reseach on this issue. While I'm not in agreement with the exact nature of your point, you have spurred me to both do some detaikled reseach, and it has inspired me to dio more.


John

[The Cold Water Kid]

Awesome John! The more you look into it the deeper and more profound it gets; it is a wonderful study. If you ever want to trade notes let me know!

[Newsman]

Lady Melodya,

   My apology for misunderstanding you.

Cold Water Kid,

   I may do so. I'm going to give this area soe more thought and study.


John