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alive in christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 14 (view)

Christian-Other question Posted: 3/19/2009 4:37:52 PM
I am a born-again Christian who attends a non-denominational church, which makes me Christian - other. I don't think changing it to "Religious - yes or no" would be very helpful. Those of us who are truly Christian put a lot of weight on whether or not someone shares their faith. I'm sure people of other faiths feel the same way, and I highly doubt that the athiests want to be involved with those who are born again. There are so few choices on the religion question. Numerous major denominations are not listed. I know they can't all be listed, but I think giving us a few more would be nice.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 59 (view)

A question for Christians Posted: 1/22/2006 9:04:24 PM
We are all born with a sin nature. I’m happy to say that my church is very loving and welcoming. We are located in a very depressed area and have a food pantry and soup kitchen, so you never know who might wander in. I’ve never seen anyone come in who was not treated with love and respect. I’d like to add that there are many churches who do not welcome everyone, and I think that’s really sad. I’ve visited several churches that didn’t seem welcoming at all. The church I grew up in seemed to have more of an attitude of "What are you doing here?" instead of "We're glad you're here."

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 25 (view)

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/17/2006 1:51:37 AM
What a sad, deceived train of thought.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 33 (view)

Church or ?? Posted: 1/14/2006 10:44:36 PM
I'm very sorry that you feel that way. But your orignal post did ask for suggestions . . . I was only trying to offer some. Again, I';m sorry if I offended you. It was not my intention.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 30 (view)

Church or ?? Posted: 1/14/2006 10:30:16 PM
Thanks Santorini! As I said, Strange Fiction, I honestly wasn’t judging you. Maybe I’m just not doing a good job of putting my thoughts into words. Please forgive me if I offended you. It’s not that you lose credibility with me. It’s more that I love it so much myself that I can’t understand how anyone else wouldn’t.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 18 (view)

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 10:22:35 PM
If Jesus is not God, then what do we do with the verse (John 10:30) where Jesus says "I and the Father are one"??? I'm also curious to know where the idea that Jesus was once an angel comes from. John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." If you continue to read, it explain that Jesus is the Word. It does not say the Word was A god or an angel or anything else. It says the Word WAS God.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 43 (view)

Prophets and a Silent God Posted: 1/14/2006 10:06:40 PM
Well, he doesn't speak out loud any more. But he definitely speaks. I understand a lot of people try to discredit the Bible and come up with all sorts of so-called facts. Sometimes it takes a lot more faith to believe what the scoffers come up with!

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 27 (view)

Church or ?? Posted: 1/14/2006 10:01:18 PM
I understand, Strange Fiction—I’ve been there. Not with any one church, but with a certain group of over-zealous people within a church. If the majority of people make you feel uncomfortable—definitely the wrong church. Why do people lose credibility? Well, from my point of view—and PLEASE understand that I’m not judging you and I’m not looking down on you. But for me personally, I love worshipping God with others who love him as I do. I love hearing his Word and praying together with other believers. I love hearing the testimonies of other believers and how God is working in their lives. I love hearing the prayer requests of others in the congregation so that I know what their needs are and what to pray for them. And I really love hearing when the prayers are answered. I’ve seen people healed miraculously, and I sure wouldn’t miss that for the world! I guess love it all so much, that I can’t imagine how anyone could not want to be in church.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 23 (view)

Church or ?? Posted: 1/14/2006 9:30:05 PM
Hey, that sounds just like my church!

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 20 (view)

Church or ?? Posted: 1/14/2006 9:20:05 PM
I think I understand where you’re coming from, Strange Fiction, but I truly believe you just haven’t found the right church. I don’t know if this is any more helpful to you than anything already said, but I like to use the example of a fire. If you take just 1 coal out of the fire and set it aside, it goes out. That became so real to me when the church I had been attending for 8 years closed. After a couple of months of not having a church I called home, I could see the changes in me, and I didn’t like it one bit. After lots of prayer and asking God to clearly show me the right church for me, he did. Like Santorini, I knew it was right the first day I went there. I couldn’t have ever asked for a better church to belong to. One thing you have to remember—the pastors and the congregations are still human, and they’re not perfect, either. They make mistakes. If it’s only one or two people in a church that are a problem, it doesn’t mean the whole church is bad. And if you don’t agree with the pastor or understand the traditions, talk to him about it—with gentleness and respect. If he’s not willing to answer questions or explain why he believes as he does, then he’s not a very good pastor. My pastor and I disagree on a few things and we debate about them. But we both respect each other and are willing to discuss our differences in a way that shows that respect. I never thought I could go to a church where I didn’t agree with the pastor. But my own personal Bible study time has gone to a whole new level because of our discussions. Now I dig a lot deeper for the truth. I don’t know what to tell you about people who are home-bound. Ideally, they at one time attended a healthy church that is still reaching out to them thru phone calls and visits. There are a couple of elderly people who live near my church. I don’t honestly know if they were regular church-goers in the past—my church has only been open for 3 years. But we reach out to these people and make them a part of our family, even if they are unable to come to our services. Unfortunately, a lot of churches aren’t doing their jobs . . . RDtoo’s suggestion of starting a group in your own home is a great idea. At any rate, pray about it. Pray hard, and be persistent. God will show you where he wants you to be. Just understand that there’s no such thing as a perfect church!

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 41 (view)

Prophets and a Silent God Posted: 1/14/2006 8:33:18 PM
Maybe I missed it, but with all this arguing, I don’t see where anyone has really tried to answer the original question. First of all--just to get this out of the way—Oral Roberts is a false prophet. Sadly enough, there are a lot of them today. Yes, there was much more prophecy in the Old Testament. But wasn’t most of the prophecy in regards to Jesus? There were more than 300 prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament, all of which came true. And no, they couldn’t have been written after the fact. The Old Testament was written well before Jesus was born. Since the Old Testament prophets prophesied about Jesus, and that has all come true, what need is there for prophecy, except concerning Christ’s return? We don’t need any new prophecies. It’s all been written down already. But although God doesn’t speak in the same way he did in the Old Testament, we definitely don’t have a silent God. Anyone who belongs to him, has a relationship with him, and prays to him will also hear from him. He really does speak to those who love him. But there won’t be any new revelations. There’s no need for it.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 20 (view)

Sheltered Lives? Posted: 1/4/2006 8:55:07 PM
Sheltered lives? No way! My favorite preacher was once a drug addict living in a cardboard box. God very often calls the people who have been through the worst of life.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 35 (view)

Proof of healing? Posted: 1/2/2006 8:50:20 PM
I had a bad case of bursitis a few years ago. My doctor prescribed a load of medication and told me it would probably be a couple of weeks before I was better. That night, I asked a man to pray for me, and I was healed within a few minutes. A couple of weeks later, I was back at the doctor’s office for a case of strep throat. I asked him if bursitis ever went away suddenly, and he said that was completely impossible, was I still in pain? He seemed very shocked when I told him what happened, but he didn’t argue about it. I’m sure he didn’t document anything, but bursitis isn’t a major thing, either. Unless you’re like me and have absolutely no tolerance for pain! But the man who prayed for me was healed of lymphoma several years prior to that. His doctors were the ones who told him “the man upstairs must really like you,” because there was suddenly no sign of the lymphoma. I don’t know if his doctors documented anything, but they were the ones who brought up the word "miracle." And I do agree that most people who have the faith to heal or be healed don’t want to make money from it, although there are a lot of people on TV with a different agenda. Some of these people may have started out with some genuine miracles, but I wonder if the fame and fortune didn’t get to some of them. I know of at least one hugely popular televangelist who can come up with absolutely no documented proof of any of his miracles, after all the years he’s had his so-called healing ministry. Of course, this can leave many people wondering what’s real and what’s not. And it can make people suspicious of anyone who claims to be able to heal or has been healed. I guess that brings us back to faith. If it was explainable, why would we need faith? We just have to ask the Lord for wisdom in discerning what’s for real.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 3 (view)

How is eternal life achieved for the Christian? Posted: 1/2/2006 8:09:31 PM
Xelsorsior, I’d say the Spirit has definitely been giving you wisdom in your studies of the scriptures! Livinthedream—You are correct in saying that there is more than one form of baptism. However, the Bible does not say that we must be baptized in order to be saved. Water baptism is not a requirement for salvation, but it IS a command of God. It should be one of our first acts of obedience after becoming a believer.

alive in christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 8 (view)

What is a Christian Posted: 12/30/2005 6:15:47 PM
Happygirlie, you are absolutely right—that’s not how Christianity works. I certainly can’t judge what is truly in your X-boyfriend’s heart, but he’s certainly not acting like a Christian. If he truly believes that he can do as he pleases because his sins are forgiven, I would see that as a huge red flag in regards to his faith. Yes, if one has surrendered their life to Christ, their sins are forgiven. But if one has truly surrendered, they no longer want to sin and will do their best not to. Repentance is a big part of being a Christian, and that means turning away from sin. This doesn’t sound like what is happening with your X. It may not feel like it right now, but you’re definitely better off without him.

alive in christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 5 (view)

what is important to you Posted: 12/22/2005 6:10:30 PM
What else but Jesus!!!

alive in christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 100 (view)

Happy Holidays Posted: 12/22/2005 5:59:14 PM
I think our local Wal-Mart has given up on Merry Christmas/happy holidays. Only 3 days till Christmas, and they’re still saying “Have a nice day.” This “happy holidays” thing is getting ridiculous. If 80% of the people in the country claim to be Christian, then you’re offending the largest portion of the population by saying “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

alive in christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 29 (view)

bible fact or fitcion Posted: 12/22/2005 5:16:06 PM
This won’t make sense to anyone who hasn’t experienced it, but I tried to read the Bible many, many times during my first 34 years of life. It never made sense to me. Then I was born again. I will never forget the first time I picked up the Bible after I was born again. Like they say—my eyes were opened! I was completely shocked, because it made sense to me. People had told me about this, but I didn’t really believe it until it happened to me. There’s a verse in I Corinthians that says something about people not being able to understand the things of God if you don’t have the Spirit of God within you. Politicians and pornographers??????? OK, I can sort of see where you’d come up with politicians. I guess someone like David, who was called “a man after God’s own heart,” could be considered a politician since he was a king. Only a very small number of books of the Bible were written by people in “political” positions. But pornographers? Please explain.

alive in christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 26 (view)

Would christians still burn books in piles if allowed? Posted: 12/22/2005 4:42:44 PM
I can’t for the life of me imagine why a Christian would have a problem with the “Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” CS Lewis was a devout Christian, and anyone who really understands Christianity should be able to see the parallels. There’s a lot more to it than good triumphing over evil, although that is obviously a big part of it. I’m a born-again Christian, and I absolutely loved the movie. I was a little shocked that Disney actually put out something known to have a Christian theme, tho. Book burnings. That would be some evangelism tool, huh? I’d hope that any Christians on good solid ground would say “No” to that one!

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 46 (view)

The worst Christian heresy of all Posted: 12/19/2005 8:49:05 PM
Daviemckie, that was about the best explanation of “Eternal Salvation” that I ever heard! Great job! Living the Christian life is not difficult at all. If you have truly surrendered your life, you don’t want to sin anymore. What you want is to do what is right in God’s eyes. When that is the desire of your heart, living a godly lifestyle becomes much easier. Of course, we all still sin, and we always will, as long as we live in these human bodies. But living a life of sin is a different story. The Bible really does seem to say that if we are truly Christians, we are not able to embrace the sinful life. I know who I was before Christ was in my life, and I know who I am now. I could never go back to the life I lived in the past. And I know my salvation is secure.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 19 (view)

Men with long hair Posted: 12/19/2005 8:25:08 PM
I Cor 11 is the passage I was referring to. If you read the the entire passage, it seems to state that if men can’t have long hair, women can’t have short hair, and that women would have to pray with their heads covered. While I see nothing wrong with a woman covering her head if she wants to, I don’t believe this is a command of God, and I don’t believe the long hair/short hair thing is a command of God, either.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 99 (view)

Biblical Polygyny Posted: 12/19/2005 8:13:36 PM
I don’t believe polygamy was ever what God wanted. Look what happened to Abraham when he took Hagar as a wife.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 19 (view)

When is Just being happy good enough? Posted: 12/19/2005 7:54:08 PM
Christians care about others, and that’s why we like to share our beliefs. I don’t feel guilty if I don’t share my beliefs. To be honest, I’m a little too shy to be an evangelist. But at times, I do pray for boldness, because I want to share the joy I’ve found in Christ. Believe me, I’ve already tried alcohol, drugs, etc., etc.—nothing else compares. And nothing else lasts. We all have some sort of a void in our lives. I’ve found that Jesus is the only thing that can fill it. But I’ve also found that the best way to share my faith is not to preach it, but to live it.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 16 (view)

Men with long hair Posted: 12/19/2005 7:40:58 PM
I don’t believe it is a sin for men to have long hair. For one thing, what is considered long to one person might not seem long to someone else. At what point do you draw the line? And more importantly, the same Biblical passage that discusses long hair on men also mentions that a woman’s long hair is her glory, and that it is a disgrace for her to cut her hair. People always complain about men with long hair, but no one ever seems to mention women with short hair. Besides that, this is also the same passage that says a woman must pray with her head covered. I believe that the whole passage is a discussion of the customs of that time, and not something that is a command of God.

Alive in Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005

Msg: 58 (view)

Christian or not? Posted: 12/19/2005 7:29:09 PM
I noticed a couple of people have mentioned they were formerly Christians, with things like “logic” leading them away from Christianity. Logic has nothing to do with it. That’s why we have faith. It is the evidence of things not seen. Faith defies logic. If a person has surrendered their life to Jesus, if he or she has made Jesus their Savior and Lord, if the Holy Spirit lives within them, then—and only then—can they call themselves a Christian. And the Spirit living within a Christian is greater than ANYTHING in this world. How could anything be strong enough to pull someone away from Christianity if that person is truly a Christian? I know I lived the first 34 years of my life claiming that I was a Christian because I was raised in a church. I knew who Jesus was, but I had no relationship with him. I had no idea what it meant to make him my Lord. But when I learned the truth, my life changed so drastically, my heart changed so drastically. Today, I feel very sad for the people who believe they are Christians because they’ve been to church a few times. I don’t look down on them, because I was one of them for the better part of my life. They just don’t understand, and I pray that someday they will.

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