Re: [revival-fire] [POSSIBLE SPAM] A Cry for HELP

******* REVIVAL FIRE!!! *******    

Very Good Wendi!!

 

I watched my dad for years move from place to place looking for ............. I guess the perfect people. A time in his life that had passed..... And wouldn't ya know it, everywhere he went he couldn't stay because "those" people weren't there. They couldn't live up to his expectations. In his moving so much he also caused pain, but couldn't really see it.

 

Well, he found that place and died less than a year later. His normal time span for staying in one place after I moved out was about two years or less. Well, guess what,        that place turned out to not be perfect either. That church had many struggles, he just left before he had the chance to see them.

 

I don't share this to make a point, just showing you where I'm coming from.

 

I do believe the church is changing, I DO! And for the better. I see many churches around us that are not traditional. I'm not ready to give up on her! And I don't think God is either.

 

maybe we should change our name to a fellowship of believers or radicall lovers of God, Jesus. Whatever, that would need to be purged one day to, everything does, even governments.

 

I appreciate everyone who is sharing and I appreciate everyone's views. Thanks for sharing and letting me share.

Kathy

:)

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: wendi@riverrockchristianfellowship.com

To: A forum for Revival Discussion and Posts

Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:15 PM

Subject: [revival-fire] [POSSIBLE SPAM] A Cry for HELP

******* REVIVAL FIRE!!! *******    

I've been following the revival fires for some time now and they have hooked me like a good novel. I don't say

this to make light of any of the pain being shared but to say that the pain that's being revealed in the church

is gripping and heart breaking. We've all known that it's true and has been going on for centuries I'm sure. Even in the

1st century church, offenses and temptation to break relationship over misunderstanding, neglect, un appreciation and apathy towards sympathizing and empathizing with peoples needs were prevelant. If not so, why was I Corinthians 13 written?

 

My husband and I have been pastoring and in the ministry since 1987 and have worked with people, their needs, their pains

their successes, their joys, their sorrows, their tragedies, their victories. After all this time, and even currently in our ministry we have been able to some up what the church is.

 

The church is: a living ORGANISM, not an organization

The church is: PEOPLE, not a place.

The church is: PEOPLE that come together in the name of the Lord and agree to gather together to learn more about God, who He is and what He wants for our lives. These "people" that come together, be it, one day a week or two times a week or every night of the week, are still the same people, carrying with them their own fears, temptations, prejudices, sicknesses, life experiences and limited understanding of what it's all supposed to be about and how they can be helped with their problems, looking for God's unconditional love and power.

 

 

Let me be another encouraging voice on Revival Fire so we can move on and experience the revival God so desparately wants to bring.

 

God is not finished with His people yet, as imperfect as we all are. When you say your walking away from the "church" or your taking time off from the "church" or you're having your own "church" by yourself, you're really saying, "I'm walking away from God's imperfect people", "I'm taking time off from God's imperfect people", I'm going to spend time with God's imperfect people by myself away from God's imperfect people.

 

I would encourage us as one living organism, the body of christ to overlook the multitude of sins being done to us by imperfect people and ask God to release I Corinthians 13 into us in a greater measure. Love covers a multitude of sins.

 

Right now the living organism of Jesus christ, his body, made up of imperfect people that believe in him are "caught up and walking in offenses" the Lord says. Not only are they walking in their offenses, but they are getting offended at the offenses, so now we have double offenses that we're trying to work through. The Lord is looking for people who will aggressively pursue their offenders and shower them with the Love God has. If you're walking in offense then perhaps you need to be pursued by love to help you rise above it and move on to perfecting love in your own life as I corinthians 13 does say, "love is not easily offended" some versions say "love does not keep a record of wrongs".

 

So, instead of focusing on the way of "getting away from God's imperfect people" let's press into God's imperfect people and ask God how we can begin to impliment I Corithians 13 into our own life, starting with each one of us.

 

Revival will come in it's fulness when God' imperfect people learn to press through their offenses, hurts and bitternesses and ask for wisdom on how to impliment I Corinthians 13 into their own lives, one imperfect person at a time.

 

It's not easy. If it were everyone would do it. And from the sounds of these latest revival fires about "leaving the church (the gathering of God's imperfect people) it sounds like we could use more implimentation of I Corinthians 13 in our lives, starting with whoever wants to go first. Any volunteers?

 

Blessings to all of us and let's keep pressing in to God and all the imperfect people He places in our paths.

Find someone who's hurting and ask them how you can help.

If someones offended at you, persue them with humble apology

and if you're offended at someone, forgive them and look for a way to actively love them according to

I Corinthians 13.

Wendi
Let the Sound of His Spirit
be the Gift that enCircles all your
Highways and Spheres of Influence!
Wendi <)))>< 530-320-9293

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Steward [mailto:lespritministries@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 03:59 PM
To: 'A forum for Revival Discussion and Posts'
Subject: [revival-fire] [POSSIBLE SPAM]

******* REVIVAL FIRE!!! ******* I have not read all the posts on the subject of church quitting, but I have scanned a few.  I have gone to church all of my life and I had to tell my Pastor this last Friday that being in church is so painful I cannot return, at least to that church.  When my wife and I go to church we are worse off when we come home.  I have a son who is very kind and compassionate, a wonderful boy.  He has loved being with God and reading God's word his whole life.  He is an amazing young man with a tremendous calling.  He went away to college to study the Bible at Biola University in La Mirada in Fall of 2004.  In his second year he became psychotic and we went out to get him to bring him home.  Two hospitalizations later and two and a half years of a living nightmare we are just now recovering.  Our son was labeled Schizophrenic and given more meds than a human should be allowed, but we had to follow this course because he's an adult and we have no rights.  My church did next to nothing to help us during this whole time.  The only time I talked to people is when I have called them because I take responsibility for what I need.  I even talked in front of my church in September of 2007 about this ordeal.  I received little feedback about my talk.  Most people seemed shocked.  I had friends in my church before this but now I can't say I have any.  The only reason I spoke was because I told my pastor that if he didn't schedule the time I would be like one of those people when Jesus spoke who interrupted his sermon with withered hands and stuff like that.  Heal me!  In my pain I reached out to the church and no one reached back, which makes it like a double wound.  I live a block away from my church and no one has been to my home during this time.  At one point I spent about 6 months not going to church (because I had to guard the exits of my home for fear that my son would leave and kill himself) and no one noticed or said anything.  No one helped us here.  So, I'm not going to this church anymore.  I really loathe the idea of church hopping and I don't know any other places where it's any better, so I don't believe I'll try another.  There is a church in town that does a lot right and I went to a prayer meeting they sponsored last night.  Someone in their church has cancer so over twenty people from that church went over and spent nearly three hours praying for this woman.  I would like that.  We may do cancer right in the church of God but no one seems to know what to do with mental illness.  Church, get ready, because the chosen in the next generation are getting whacked by the enemy in this area.  The enemy wants to take out the next generation and he has taken my son away, for now.  We need to find a way to nurture these individuals and their families and also determine what the enemy is doing and how this fits into the the overall plan of God.  By the way, I have never been in a better place with my God.  I love Jesus so much and our intimate moments together are so nourishing.  Why would I go to church to mess that all up?  I do go to church in many other ways so I do not feel I am forsaking the assembling together.  The church is not just a building on Sunday morning at 9:00am which includes a few songs, announcements, offering, and a somewhat relevant sermon.  I'd rather be alone with the Spirit that he may speak truth and relevance to my heart, and this I do.  I have mutually nourishing moments with those who understand, those who know Truth. With Windows Live for mobile, your contacts travel with you. Connect on the go. --- Thankyou for contributing to Revival-Fire! You are currently subscribed to revival-fire as: [wendi@rrcf.net] HOW TO JOIN: Send an e-mail to: revival.fire_admn@yahoo.com Subject: subscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain To UNSUBSCRIBE, send the following message to: lyris@hub.xc.org subject: unsubscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain Enter the following line in the main text body unsubscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain Comments? Questions? Contact the following: Revival Fire Site Overseer/Supervisor: Pastor Rich Oliver, Family Christian Center e-mail: riverrgo@msn.com Technical and Admin oversight: Eric Leach e-mail: revival.fire_admn@yahoo.com TO POST MESSAGES TO REVIVAL FIRE: Send your message as an e-mail TO: revival-fire@hub.xc.org Subject: (insert your message subect) REMEMBER!!! If you hit "Reply" to a message received, it will only go to the original poster, not everyone on the list. If you want your response to go to all members, make sure the "TO:" address is revival-fire@hub.xc.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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---  Thankyou for contributing to Revival-Fire!  You are currently subscribed to revival-fire as: [revivalfirenetwork@gmail.com]   HOW TO JOIN:    Send an e-mail to:  revival.fire_admn@yahoo.com  Subject: subscribe revival-fire,  yourusername@yourdomain    To UNSUBSCRIBE, send the following message   to: lyris@hub.xc.org   subject: unsubscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain   Enter the following line in the main text body   unsubscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain     Comments? Questions? Contact the following:  Revival Fire Site Overseer/Supervisor: Pastor Rich Oliver, Family Christian Center  e-mail: riverrgo@msn.com  Technical and Admin oversight: Eric Leach  e-mail: revival.fire_admn@yahoo.com    TO POST MESSAGES TO REVIVAL FIRE:  Send your message as an e-mail  TO: revival-fire@hub.xc.org  Subject: (insert your message subect)    REMEMBER!!! If you hit "Reply" to a message received, it will only go to the  original poster, not everyone on the list. If you want your response to go to  all members, make sure the "TO:" address is revival-fire@hub.xc.org  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~