Why is Church so Boring?

(Super Kal;47264)
I was talking to the original poster... Church doesn't have to be boring, Radd. If you need to, try and start your own bible study... if you really feel it's letting you down, I would suggest you do that. You never know how God may help you when you want to seek Him outfor me, I need church... I desperately need it in my life, and I don't find it in the least bit boring. In fact, the only day I truly find happiness is on Sunday when I go.and I think I remember something in the Bible about God commanding us to gather us in a place... if I'm remembering it correctly
I think most of the church just want your money. I have been in a bible study with my family for the last 2 years. We learn a lot.:bible:

Imgaine A Church where they preach for like 30-45 mins and then they just sit and discuss life like all those questions about God and Christ. that be nice But oh well i dont mind it i find my troubles sink away

I think it's because The Church has lost sight of it's spirituality and has become a carnal bore that pastors try to fill with some of the most ungodly worldly things, God bless em' they think they're doing good. We've got to get back to what life is truly about and it ain't filling your eyes and ears with the world. It's about a higher order and a new and better way of life in this world with a focus on the invisible things of God, we see the visible signs of God everyday and still we are unmoved by His power. God is a Spirit and when I say invisible things of God I mean the awesome power that is God. The Spirit is alive and if the church is dead it's led by the dead. And Jesus said what? Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

(AnaheimDucks;48469)
Imgaine A Church where they preach for like 30-45 mins and then they just sit and discuss life like all those questions about God and Christ. that be nice But oh well i dont mind it i find my troubles sink away
I understand. God is so awesome I could talk about Him for days. He has given me insight into alot of spiritual matters. Wanna learn a little about the awesome power of God? Read The Book of Enoch, it explains lots of things. You will find it on line if you are interested. Ever wonder if bigfoot is real or if ufos are real, how about demons and spiritual beings. Angels that shape shifted into humans produced an evil hybrid race pre flood and God was not pleased. This text was taught to early Christians and is still just as important today as then, and in light of our present situation it may be more so. It's really worth looking into it explains alot. We still should not neglect The Holy Bible as it contains God's love and wisdom to us, but He is awesome.

(cronnie36;48485)
I understand. God is so awesome I could talk about Him for days. He has given me insight into alot of spiritual matters. Wanna learn a little about the awesome power of God? Read The Book of Enoch, it explains lots of things. You will find it on line if you are interested. Ever wonder if bigfoot is real or if ufos are real, how about demons and spiritual beings. Angels that shape shifted into humans produced an evil hybrid race pre flood and God was not pleased. This text was taught to early Christians and is still just as important today as then, and in light of our present situation it may be more so. It's really worth looking into it explains alot. We still should not neglect The Holy Bible as it contains God's love and wisdom to us, but He is awesome.
Well I dont know if I would get that carried away but you are right about the pre flood hybrids but did you realize there was a second influx ? Goliath ring a bell ? Heres a couple threads you may enjoyhttp://www.christianityboard.com/fallen-an...107.html?t=4107http://www.christianityboard.com/nephilium-t2623.html?t=2623

Hello, marksman. I'm glad to know you are reading your Bible. I do respect your opinion. Everyone has one. But, I still do not think anything is wrong with paying a pastor for full-time ministry. Unless you have walked alongside them or been a family member to one of them, you haven't a clue as to how consumed their lives are with sacrifices. They don't have time for another job. My best friend's dad is a pastor. I have known them for about 20 years now. He is called upon day and night. People don't want anyone else but the pastor sometimes, either. A deacon or elder won't do. Our church is up to about 2,000 in attendance. How in the world can you counsel, prepare for sermons, visit the sick, organize functions, pray, meet with the needy that stop in randomly, etc. if you aren't there? And if you are there all of the time is it right for the church not to take care of you? And why are you saying the OT isn't relevant? Should we just tear out that part of our Bibles? Why did the Lord Jesus refer to it for learning, to fight off Satan, etc? It was the only Bible He had in His day. His own words were that He came to fulfill the law of the OT, not to destroy. True, we are not under the JUDGEMENT of the old law, but under grace. Nevertheless, we can still take what's there as a guide for caring for one another. Also, me saying the thing about sincerity and all, that goes hand in hand with having a relationship with the Lord. If you have read all/any of my other posts, you will see a consistency there. I have never said it is okay to follow your own whimsical ideas/thought/feelings. When one knows Christ and His word, He will be led in the right direction because He is seeking Him in sincerity, facing the truth about himself and who Jesus really is. You took a surface glance at my words, but they meant so much more. It's okay though, because if you took it that way, then someone else could have too. Live and learn. I am not that easily offended because I feel comfortable in my relationship with the Lord. I don't need validation from anyone to know my position in Christ. He has redeemed my life out of the pit of destruction and set my feet upon a solid rock! So...praise the Lord. He gave me a new song and a new day to sing it.

eternalarcadia, I meant to respond to you earlier. I'm sorry I didn't. I shouldn't have let the other response take precidence over you. Never, never, never let anyone make you feel like you are less of a Christian because of your style of worship. The Psalmist said, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) That would tell me that a quiet worship is fine and in fact, needed sometimes. I don't know exactly how the Jewish worship services are conducted, but I do know they are reverent. Just remember the Lord sees your heart. He would rather you worship Him with honesty, not caring what others think, or even thinking about them, than to lift your hands because they are. Try this. Close your eyes when you're singing and only focus on Christ. That's what I do. I shut out all that is going on around me, if I can. That is true worship. Sometimes I lift my hands, and sometimes I don't. I try to do what I feel the Spirit is leading me to and not even think about others. He is the one that is worthy and He can be praised with our lips and thoughts just as well as our hands. You may find you graduate to this stage later on. Relax and think about the words to the songs and what they mean to you. The Holy Spirit will quicken in you true worship when you are His.

But, I still do not think anything is wrong with paying a pastor for full-time ministry. Unless you have walked alongside them or been a family member to one of them, you haven't a clue as to how consumed their lives are with sacrifices. They don't have time for another job.
I would like to make it quite clear that I don't place much value on what people think unless it is supported by scripture. All that matters to me is what the scripture teaches. it doesn't say "do what you think is right". We are called to follow the revealed word of God.Not once will you find any reference to having a salaried pastor in the scriptures. You won't even find any reference to a pastor running the church. If you can please let me know as I have been searching for 12 months and consulted at least 40 other authors. The word 'pastor' which is 'poimen' in greek is only there in one verse of scripture in Ephesians 4 v 11 and this verse is not related to the oversight of the local congregation.You will find however 17 verses that refer to the oversight of the local assembly in terms of elders (plural). In these cases the word is 'presbuteros' where we get the word presbytery. This word means a body of elders in the christian church. I have set out the teaching of scripture on this matter along with the views of over 40 other authors in my website. If you want to know the truth take a look. You will find it at http://churchalive66.googlepages.com For your interest, I have been the pastor of a church and have worked with many of them on evangelism projects as the head of parachurch organisations. Again, in my research, most pastors experience burnout because they are doing what they are not called to do. In scripture there is no word for 'clergy' and 'laity'. The only concept that it recognises is the 'priesthood of all believers'. When everyone is functioning in their gifting you don't need 'a pastor' because you have 10, 20 30 or even more pastors. In the church that I was part of in England that did this we had at least a dozen pastors, none of them were paid and all had time to do a day job and shepherd the flock because we didn't rely on one man. I was one of them and although my job took me away from the town most of the time during the day, I wasn't under any pressure in shepherding the flock as I didn't waste my time on sport, TV, pleasure activity etc.The OT is not relevant when deciding what form of government is to be used to oversee the local congregation. The NT tells us all we need to know. Most of the time when people draw on the OT to inform them about government of the local congregation, they usually use it to justify things that are not in the NT. One clear example that I have read several times is that women can lead churches because of the example of Debra in the OT.

You know, marksman, I'm amazed at the people who say they use only the Word of God as their guide, but then they decide which part they render "worthy" of following. It's conditional. You say the OT isn't what we follow. Well, in Colossians 3:23, the scripture says to "work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do just as though you were working for the Lord." So... it matters not what you are "paid" to do as long as it's what God has called you to do. You should do it with full integrity, to the best of your ability, and it's okay to support your family as unto the Lord. What better way to serve the Lord than to work full time for Him. It matters not to me what one's opinion is either, I don't agree with yours. I see plenty of evidence in scripture that it's okay to do this as a full-time profession, if you don't "discount" the OT as irrelevant. I accept the Bible in its totality. So, we can agree to disagree.

(jburic09032;48285)
I think most of the church just want your money. I have been in a bible study with my family for the last 2 years. We learn a lot.:bible:
I've never been to a church that just wanted my money. I've been to a lot of churches where members of the church, unlearned and selfish, don't want to let go of their money; However, I've never been to a church where all the church wanted was money.I'm sure there are churches that exist that are wrongly focusing on the money, but I have never been to a church where that is all they want.

Radd why does the God you believe in want you to be poor? I am sorry we do not believe in the same God. The one I believe in wants the best for me He wants me to enjoy life He will give me everything I need and more if I search His Kingdom first. Why do you want to remain poor when God will give you the best of everything. There are countless testomonies where people trusted God not only for a house but for a three story house and He provides. Your church just had more faith in God and trusted Him for nicer things than other churches, your church is not wrong the others are missing out.He says whatever you give up in His name and for the message He will repay 100 times as much back IN THIS LIFE. God likes giving us nice things you are missing out on such joy and love by thinking God wants you to suffer and be poor.Hope He shows you the truth.

It's fine if you find a decent house, decent things, but however we shall not put on our heart on material things... Materialism tends to make people off focus on God. He rather wants us to be rich in the Truth... in the soul, not phyical riches...

True, some churches these days, makes money by preaching a lie. And to be honest it is unhealthy to do so.

Well, in Colossians 3:23, the scripture says to "work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do just as though you were working for the Lord."
A classic example of taking a verse of scripture to support a non-biblical view. This chapter has nothing at all to do with local church leadership, it is instruction for holy living which is relevant to everyone one in the church, not just those leading it. By the way Colossians is in the NT, not the OT.
What better way to serve the Lord than to work full time for Him.
This is a 20th century concept, not a scriptual one. In the NT everyone was in full time unpaid ministry. There was no such thing as a laity and clergy divide. No one was paid to be a pastor, but everyone was expected to minister through the gifts of the spirit that they had been endowed with by God, not by some denominational heirarchical leadership, which didn't exist in those days. Working full time as a paid minister who was set apart did not happen until the fourth century and was a product of the apostate Roman church.
I see plenty of evidence in scripture that it's okay to do this as a full-time profession,
I am still waiting fo you to produce this so called evidence from scripture that to be a pastor was a full time paid profession, and I mean real evidence, not some vague notion of what a scripture could mean.
Your church just had more faith in God and trusted Him for nicer things than other churches, your church is not wrong the others are missing out.
You are on dangerous ground if you deem God's blessing is evident by possessions. Material possessions were never a criteria of spirituality in the NT. We have a jaundiced view of God's blessing because we interpret it according to 20th century thinking. Jesus commanded us to take up our cross and follow him. This does not involve getting material possessions, it means selling what we have if there are people in the fellowship who do not have i.e. I have two cars, Mrs Jones who is a widow has none so I give her one or sell one and give her the money to buy one.The wealthy church is the one who is making disciples and who is committed to building the kingdom of God, not bulding our church. How did Jesus say that the world would know that we are his disciples? By our three story houses; by our two plasma screens; by our overseas holidays; by our Mercedes Benz? I think not. The world will know that we are disciples of Jesus as opposed to religious church attenders, by our love for one another. When was the last time you sacrificed for another believer?

(thesuperjag;49255)
True, some churches these days, makes money by preaching a lie. And to be honest it is unhealthy to do so.
One person said. "Christians don't tell lies,they sing them."That is the kind of church that is rich in wealth ( not all the time but some-a lot) That is why I rather go to a dirt poor church full of the holy spirit! I am with Radd

(ForYou;49268)
(thesuperjag;49255)
True, some churches these days, makes money by preaching a lie. And to be honest it is unhealthy to do so.
One person said. "Christians don't tell lies,they sing them."That is the kind of church that is rich in wealth ( not all the time but some-a lot) That is why I rather go to a dirt poor church full of the holy spirit! I am with RaddI have no problem agreeing with you, cause I do agree with you.

Marksman I am not on dangerous grounds. I believe the same as you do I am just trying to show you, you are missing out. I do not care about material things every time I am in church I empty out my wallet if I have things I like but do not need I give it to someone who needs it. But although I do not care about these things its nice having them so at certain times God blesses me with them.Mark 10:29 says that whoever gives parents, brothers,sisters and HOUSES(this is material) up in the name of the Lord will recieve 100 times as many parents brothers,sisters and HOUSES(material) in THIS LIVE.Like I say I do not care about materials but God is so great the more I give away the more He gives me to give away, and enjoy myself. God loves you He knows the deepest desires of your heart and He wants you to have them. The problem is, most people care to much about materials and will not give them up for God so they will never be blessed, but I have found since I only care about doing what God wants me to do I have had more nice things than I ever wanted. But still if He tells me to leave it all behind, I will, thats why some are blessed and others are not.I am no saint sometimes I am scared of letting go of my comfort zone and my nice things, but if I do it, God blesses me with more so next time I can give more back to Him.All I am saying is all you guys do is sit here and judge the people and churches who have nice things. You have no idea what they have given up and what God's plan for them is. It has nothing to do with you so stop pointing fingers and get your own story straight.I have found that people with problems are the first to accuse others of having problems. Alcoholics are the first to accuse someone of being an alcoholic, same goes for druggies, rapists ect. So maybe you have a problem with a church or person having nice things because you have nice things and you know you will not be able to give them up in the name of the Lord.Everything I have is His and everything He has is mine. So if He says give everything that is mine back to me I will, but I know in the future He will give me more back.Like I said I am saying this because you are missing out on so much God wants to offer you, and personally I am tired of people judging people God has blessed when it has nothing to do with them.I find that your accusations against these people are not of love but more of(If I can not have it why can they).Enjoy your day!God bless

Your church just had more faith in God and trusted Him for nicer things than other churches, your church is not wrong the others are missing out.
I have to go by what you write Craig. This statement suggests that churches who do not have nice things are somehow being judged by God for their lack of faith.That means my church because we are a pioneer one that has very little. But we do have a passion for prayer and the Kingdom of God which we believe will bring the fruit that God wants, not what we want. If I have my way we will be a church that never has much because we are reaching out to people that do not have much. All the other churches in the town are middle class and have lots...and are as dead as a dodo. There are churches in Africa who's total possessions are a thatched roof on a few poles. No walls, no musical instraments, no professional paid preachers. Just spirit filled believers who are prepared to die for their faith and a passion for the gospel to be taken to every creature. There are churches in China who meet in homes and fear being thrown in jail any minute because the government has deemed their meetings to be illegal.The Chinese government have introduced 77 new laws to stop people spreading the gospel at the Olympics. Anyone caught doing so will be thrown in jail. Despite this the true Chinese church has said it is going to obey God rather than man even though they may end up in jail. Many of these christians haven't got much more than what they stand up in. They have more faith than you and I will ever have because they have to live their faith on a daily basis because they have a hostile government. I guess by your standards, they are failing God because of their lack of possessions.In one respect I do understand where you are coming from as you are only 19 and have not experienced war, depressions that ravage the economy, and abject poverty. My children are nearly twice your age and are parents. That is when you can start to feel that you have some experience to draw on. After 55 years as a christian, I think I am finally coming to grips with what the scriptures are all about despite having four degrees and being discipled by fine christian men so here is a bit of advice for you. Instead of going to some bible college in the USA, save yourself the time and money and spend one day every weekend alone with God and your bible in the forest, the park,the beach or your room and deny yourself food and drink other than water.Tell God that you are not going to let him go until he blesses you. Expect God to invade your territory and teach you things that no bible college can or will teach you. Let the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth and then follow him into the highways and byways of life. Go from town to town preaching the gospel to whoever will listen and let God provide for your needs.At every step, be led by the Holy Spirit. Plant churches in every town you visit and then appoint elders to take over when you move on to the next place of God's choosing. In a word be a Timothy to South Africa. You never know, you may be the catalyst for revival in SA. I will give you a word of warning however. It will cost you everything and you may end up with just the clothes on your back, being unjustly accused, being thrown in jail, being beaten up, being penniless. Despite all that you will always have the Holy Spirit with you to give you the strength you need to fulfill his will.As a matter of interest I have checked Mark 10 v 29 in the greek and I don't think it has anything to do with material possessions. The word translated 'house' means literally and figuratively an abode (somewhere to live) and by implication a family. So you may give up your own family but he will give you another spiritual family that you can live with. It has nothing to do with possessing or owning houses.