September 3, 200818 yr Anyone else think nowadays to many preachers are watering down christianity to be a feel good, do good religion. Leaving out the hard on the ears sin, eternal punishment to non believers, and Jesus is coming back and you better be ready. Most people dont want to hear it and it seems more people will come give their money to the lord more if it is a feel good sermon... What I'm tired of seeing are these "Christian" preachers who are giving away "miracle (insert product here)." I've seen miracle holy water, miracle bread (manna), and miracle red handkerchiefs. I can't believe people buy into that crap.
September 3, 200818 yr Here is another food for thought Luke 14:25-35 (NIV) Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes even his own life-he can not be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you want to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good but if it loses its saltiness how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Three questions: Why do you not hear this message preached? What is the point of this message? Is this essence of discipleship, if not what is it? I actually have preached that passage a couple of times. It's a lectionary text in Cycle C on the 14th Day of Pentecost. Maybe your pastor needs to follow the lectionary some.
September 3, 200818 yr What I'm tired of seeing are these "Christian" preachers who are giving away "miracle (insert product here)." I've seen miracle holy water, miracle bread (manna), and miracle red handkerchiefs. I can't believe people buy into that crap. Matthew 7:21-23 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
September 3, 200818 yr The perfect church is Christ's church. That statement raises a whole 'nuther group of ugly questions, of course. Tell me, how is that church you speak of defined? Does it have a name?
September 3, 200818 yr The real question that needs to be asked is what did Jesus teach that he wanted the disciples to teach. Modern Christianity errs when it talks about what you believe ABOUT Jesus. Do you have the right doctrines are your dogmas correct? Good healthy religion focuses on living like Jesus. It is not all about going to heaven and not committing sin because you are afraid of going to hell . . . Going to "heaven" is part of it, but the focus is on living our lives LIKE Jesus and not sinning because we love our neighbor as much as we love God. Even if they live in Section 8 housing.
September 4, 200818 yr The real question that needs to be asked is what did Jesus teach that he wanted the disciples to teach. Modern Christianity errs when it talks about what you believe ABOUT Jesus. Do you have the right doctrines are your dogmas correct? Good healthy religion focuses on living like Jesus. It is not all about going to heaven and not committing sin because you are afraid of going to hell . . . Going to "heaven" is part of it, but the focus is on living our lives LIKE Jesus and not sinning because we love our neighbor as much as we love God. Even if they live in Section 8 housing. We actually agree in principle Ace... I'll wait for you to recover a moment... I would however reword your statement above to read: Healthy Christianity (not a religion but a way of life) focuses on living like Jesus. It is not all about going to Heaven and not committing sin because you are afraid of going to hell. Going to "Heaven" is certainly part of it, but it is a distant reward. Our daily focus should be on living our lives like Jesus and not sinning because we love Him, and we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. I honestly believe a life lived in this manner will bring a little Heaven here and now. :thumb:
September 4, 200818 yr We actually agree in principle Ace... I'll wait for you to recover a moment... I would however reword your statement above to read: Healthy Christianity (not a religion but a way of life) focuses on living like Jesus. It is not all about going to Heaven and not committing sin because you are afraid of going to hell. Going to "Heaven" is certainly part of it, but it is a distant reward. Our daily focus should be on living our lives like Jesus and not sinning because we love Him, and we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. I honestly believe a life lived in this manner will bring a little Heaven here and now. :thumb: I am a bit flabbergasted, and I can go with your modification.
September 4, 200818 yr That statement raises a whole 'nuther group of ugly questions, of course. Tell me, how is that church you speak of defined? Does it have a name? Well the head of the church would be Christ and the headquarters would be in heaven. The rules would be the bible. Christ would be the ultimate authority. The church would be purchased with his blood.
September 4, 200818 yr The real question that needs to be asked is what did Jesus teach that he wanted the disciples to teach. Modern Christianity errs when it talks about what you believe ABOUT Jesus. Do you have the right doctrines are your dogmas correct? Good healthy religion focuses on living like Jesus. It is not all about going to heaven and not committing sin because you are afraid of going to hell . . . Going to "heaven" is part of it, but the focus is on living our lives LIKE Jesus and not sinning because we love our neighbor as much as we love God. Even if they live in Section 8 housing. I agree with the rest of your post, but I can't agree with the bolded. It is essential that people understand who and what Jesus is.
September 4, 200818 yr Well the head of the church would be Christ and the headquarters would be in heaven. The rules would be the bible. Christ would be the ultimate authority. The church would be purchased with his blood. Way to dodge the question.
September 4, 200818 yr Way to dodge the question. I don't think he's dodging the question. I understood what he meant in his first post. He's referring to the Body of Christ. You're expecting him to name a denomination.
September 4, 200818 yr The perfect church is Christ's church. I don't think he's dodging the question. I understood what he meant in his first post. He's referring to the Body of Christ. You're expecting him to name a denomination. That sure sounded like that's where he was going. The question still remains: How is the abstract "Christ's church" defined on Earth?
September 4, 200818 yr That sure sounded like that's where he was going. The question still remains: How is the abstract "Christ's church" defined on Earth? It's defined by the people who have the Holy Spirit living in their hearts. The problem is, none of us can truly know who those people are. We can only be sure of ourselves. Only God can see and know the entire truth. I can't be completely sure that Hatz or lbbc are Christians, any more What is the answer you're looking for?
September 4, 200818 yr The real question that needs to be asked is what did Jesus teach that he wanted the disciples to teach. Modern Christianity errs when it talks about what you believe ABOUT Jesus. Do you have the right doctrines are your dogmas correct? Good healthy religion focuses on living like Jesus. It is not all about going to heaven and not committing sin because you are afraid of going to hell . . . Going to "heaven" is part of it, but the focus is on living our lives LIKE Jesus and not sinning because we love our neighbor as much as we love God. Even if they live in Section 8 housing. :laugh:
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