SILLY MOOD

[marksman]

Some ekklesias have a designated welcomer or "visitor host" as I think she was called in one I visited. As ushers in a large AOG congregation I was part of for about 10 years, we wore official ID badges and were trained to look out for troublemakers...sigh!

Trouble makers in the church?? I thought all Christians were perfect? Ah, I get it. A perfect nuisance. (I did say I was in a silly mood).

 

[Nancy]

Some time ago I had a distinct thought that busyness was a work of satan to prevent Christians from being what they should be.

Sounds about right. I have a brother does that ALL the time. Yeah, he's been "clearing out his garage" for a good 29 years now, lol...funny, it never looks any different, packed with junk like sardines! And then we have the "I gotta's"...I gotta get home, I gotta get going, the game's on, didn't sleep well so, gotta get home to sleep for a while. On and on...so, I think you are correct, it IS a work of Satan.
I call the I gotta's "Martha's"

 

[Pearl]

Please explain to me what you mean by the word to receive Christ, his real presence in the Eucharist as I can't see it anywhere in scripture.

I agree. His real presence is in me/.

 

[Nancy]

I agree. His real presence is in me/.

Yes indeed! He is the Living God who lives in our hearts...amen.

 

[bbyrd009]

I am in a very silly mood today so I am going to post a terrible question. You can treat is seriously or otherwise. The question is...

What is the point of going to a Sunday morning meeting, having fellowship with the back of people's heads most of whom you never talk to unless you are in a small fellowship, taking a sip of wine and a piece of bread to make you feel good, and listening to someone rabbiting on about this that and the other, most of which is total rubbish and in some cases, the guy up front dresses up in woman's clothes? And which most of it is nowhere to be found in the bible.

you might include the driving past ten congregations for forty minutes to get to the one preferred lol

 

[dev553344]

I am in a very silly mood today so I am going to post a terrible question. You can treat is seriously or otherwise. The question is...

What is the point of going to a Sunday morning meeting, having fellowship with the back of people's heads most of whom you never talk to unless you are in a small fellowship, taking a sip of wine and a piece of bread to make you feel good, and listening to someone rabbiting on about this that and the other, most of which is total rubbish and in some cases, the guy up front dresses up in woman's clothes? And which most of it is nowhere to be found in the bible.

Yeah that is a silly mood question, but it sounds like you need a spiritual experience and personal relationship with God. We go to church to worship the creator of the universe and life forms that we interact with on earth. Because that is how great he is. He also can speak to all peoples ever created all at the same time in a communication sense thru the Holy Spirit. We worship him because he is Holy and True, super human, super intelligent, super wise, and He has a lot to offer us. We can benefit from him in powerful ways. He can heal us, he can move mountains and comets and asteroids to keep us safe, he can calm storms, quiet earthquakes, etc. He can resurrect us and give us eternal life and then we can dwell with him in the paradise that is Heaven.

I could go on and on, but it sounds like you need church and to get involved in after church activities like service opportunities. That at minimum should be something you seek out and ask about while your there on Sundays.

But any question is a good question. Thanks for your time. Cheers!

 

[historyb]

Please explain to me what you mean by the word to receive Christ, his real presence in the Eucharist as I can't see it anywhere in scripture.

Christ Himself instituted the Eucharist at the last supper. This is my body, this is m blood not symbolic but literally is. Those who don't partake of the Blessed Eucharist really don't have Christ in any real tangible way like those of us that partake of Christ in the Eucharist. You all talk here of a personal relationship yet no one who does not partake of Christ in the Eucharist really has a personal relationship.

 

[Pearl]

Christ Himself instituted the Eucharist at the last supper. This is my body, this is m blood not symbolic but literally is. Those who don't partake of the Blessed Eucharist really don't have Christ in any real tangible way like those of us that partake of Christ in the Eucharist.

No, it's just bread and wine. If all Jesus's sayings were literal and not just symbolic he would also be a real grape vine. He did not 'institute' the eucharist, what he actually did was to eat a meal, which included bread and wine, with his friends and simply ask that they would remember him each time they shared such a meal with each other. The church turned this simple act of remembrance into the ritual it has since become.

 

[DNB]

Anonymity is such a foreign concept in the New Testament Church as one of its four pillars is fellowship.

Very true, I just thought that there was a time and place for it, on occasion.

 

[dev553344]

Christ Himself instituted the Eucharist at the last supper. This is my body, this is m blood not symbolic but literally is. Those who don't partake of the Blessed Eucharist really don't have Christ in any real tangible way like those of us that partake of Christ in the Eucharist. You all talk here of a personal relationship yet no one who does not partake of Christ in the Eucharist really has a personal relationship.

I actually get my personal relationship from the Holy Spirit. Now you'll notice the Holy Spirit is always suggested since the Catholic is not worthy of the actual body and blood of Christ. At least on the Catholic services I've been involved in.

 

[historyb]

I actually get my personal relationship from the Holy Spirit. Now you'll notice the Holy Spirit is always suggested since the Catholic is not worthy of the actual body and blood of Christ. At least on the Catholic services I've been involved in.

I have no idea as if you check out my sig I am not Catholic, period. The most personal relationship is in the Eucharist no other way without which there is no relationship

 

[dev553344]

I have no idea as if you check out my sig I am not Catholic, period. The most personal relationship is in the Eucharist no other way without which there is no relationship

Oh, sorry, yes now I see, and I can't help but notice the similarities between Catholic and Episcopal then, very similar ideas about the bread and wine.

 

[marksman]

I have no idea as if you check out my sig I am not Catholic, period. The most personal relationship is in the Eucharist no other way without which there is no relationship

That is not true. Nowhere in scripture does it say your relationship is determined by a sip of wine and a piece of bread.

 

[marksman]

Yeah that is a silly mood question, but it sounds like you need a spiritual experience and personal relationship with God. We go to church to worship the creator of the universe and life forms that we interact with on earth. Because that is how great he is. He also can speak to all peoples ever created all at the same time in a communication sense thru the Holy Spirit. We worship him because he is Holy and True, super human, super intelligent, super wise, and He has a lot to offer us. We can benefit from him in powerful ways. He can heal us, he can move mountains and comets and asteroids to keep us safe, he can calm storms, quiet earthquakes, etc. He can resurrect us and give us eternal life and then we can dwell with him in the paradise that is Heaven.

I could go on and on, but it sounds like you need church and to get involved in after church activities like service opportunities. That at minimum should be something you seek out and ask about while your there on Sundays.

But any question is a good question. Thanks for your time. Cheers!

So I need a personal relationship with God and a spiritual experience. That sounds very cliched to me so what does it mean?

 

[marksman]

you might include the driving past ten congregations for forty minutes to get to the one preferred lol

No complaints there except for one thing. They all do the same thing week after week after week so I am no better off.

 

[marksman]

No, it's just bread and wine. If all Jesus's sayings were literal and not just symbolic he would also be a real grape vine. He did not 'institute' the eucharist, what he actually did was to eat a meal, which included bread and wine, with his friends and simply ask that they would remember him each time they shared such a meal with each other. The church turned this simple act of remembrance into the ritual it has since become.

And that meal was celebrated once a year during Passover, not every Súnday morning.

I am reading a book at the moment about the history of the Old Testament Jews and how God had difficulty getting them to keep the law one of which was you were not allowed to drink blood or eat an animal that had not had its blood drained from it. So that puts paid to the catholic idea the wine is turned into blood. If it was they would have thrown it away.

 

[Pearl]

And that meal was celebrated once a year during Passover, not every Súnday morning.

I think that's how the JWs do it if I rightly remember what my cousin told me, and then only the elders.

 

[dev553344]

So I need a personal relationship with God and a spiritual experience. That sounds very cliched to me so what does it mean?

Well, by the sounds of your OP post, you didn't reflect on the purpose of going to church. It's not for the people there or even for the priest at the stand or the quality of the lesson being given. It's only to honor and worship God. You should be in the church that reflects your core beliefs though. But no one at church or the priest at the stand can truly represent God. Born again Christians I think understand that. We don't go to church for man, we go simply because we worship God and to make him pleased with us, we go thru the motions. And I think many of us are blessed by God for doing that.

Now he also wants us to fellowship and commit to service to his children.

When we commit to God and go thru the motions of going to church and having fellowship and works of service, we find that we have spiritual edification (2 Corinthians 5:17). This creates avenues for spiritual experiences. I myself have received many thru attendance of church, fellowship and works of service. Doing these things also brings us closer to Christ Jesus. And by walking in Jesus' shoes and doing the things he commands us, allows his spirit to communicate with ours, and therefore we build a personal relationship with him.

The Holy Spirit is one method that God uses to accomplish these things, my favorite verses for this are: Galatians 5:22-23. By knowing these fruits, we can understand when we're on the right path I think.

Anyways, that's what I have experienced. I've been a born again Christian since about 1997. So about 20 years of practice.

 

[bbyrd009]

No complaints there except for one thing. They all do the same thing week after week after week so I am no better off.

ah well i guess when you see the armies surrounding Jerusalem, head for the mountains!

 

[Stumpmaster]

This creates avenues for spiritual experiences.

A highly charged topic if I may say so. Many so-called spiritual experiences are actually demonic manifestations from Eastern Religion, eg. kundalini.