|
|
 |
Reply
| |
When I was baptized I was not aware that it would make me a member of that church until I received a letter in the mail stating so. It really bothered me. Still does in fact and it's been years. I was feeling it in my heart to go up and get baptized one Sunday so I did but I didn't do it to become a member of any church let alone any denomination. Why is this done? I wish there would have been a separate thing to become a member of a church. I don't go there anymore, haven't for years, and they still bug me for money. That's a total turnoff to me. I don't know, maybe I'm just too critical and need to lighten up.  Monette # 2 |
|
 First
Previous
2-6 of 6
Next
Last
|
|
Reply
| |
hey girl that is all right. our church the Gospel Hall baptizes you and you are not in fellowship. It is two separate steps to take. Being baptized is you telling the world that you now belong to Christ. Fellowship is wanting to remember the Lord in a church service and that follows baptizim. Also the gospel hall does not take money from anyone,only those that are in fellowship, they pass the bag or box around on a Sunday morning after fellowship of remembering the Lord and it is a closed box so no one knows what you have put in and it is your choice to put in or not (we say as the Lord has laid on your heart give)now being in Canada we don't have to have the donation receipts for income tax purposes either, so if you don't want anyone to know what you have given you don't have to, but if you want to claim on your income tax there is a foundation that you can give to and they will give you a receipt and send your money on to missionaries or other preachers that belong to the gospel hall at your request. We baptize our young Christians(that is young in the faith) after teaching them about baptizm (some as young as 10 years old)and then we teach them about fellowship and usually don't push them to come into fellowship too young (age wise)but let them know the ins and outs of fellowship and the seriousness and responsibility that comes with fellowship. So hope this helps you a little. glad to see you are questioning and looking to do things right by your heart. Love and hugs, |
|
Reply
| |
Thanks :) You might have guessed already by my last 2 posts that it's me I'm talking about in my other post. If you didn't know, well, now you do! :) I really think that I was lead to Monette to help me in this area of learning because it's always been such a tug of war for me ever since I was little. Yes, I did get Saved when I was 10. My Aunt brought me to her church, the Sunday School teacher asked me if I wanted to be saved, I was extremely shy and didn't know what it meant to be Saved and felt like I should have known so I said yes (not that I would have said no though). She prayed, I said some stuff (I can't remember it now), I was led out to the front of the congregation where it was announced and everybody lined up to give me a hug or shake my hand to congratulate me I guess. It was all so overwhelming and embarrassing to be the center of attention. And that was that. Back and forth over the years I'd believe and then question. I'm tired of the battle inside. I'm learning though. I like to know why people believe what they do and how they believe what they do. My mom's dad was a minister. She told me that he believed with his mind, not his heart. My mom was not active in church that much until my dad died and my brother was messed up on drugs at the same time. She totally changed. She said she just had to escape from everything and the nearest place was the small bathroom off the kitchen where she cried and cried. She just let it all go and prayed that if He was really there this is when she needed Him most because she couldn't do it all by herself. She then felt a warm, gentle calmness flowing through her and since then she was not the mom I grew up with. It took a long while to get used to the 'new' mom. But what I notice with many believers is that it takes something like this or an all time low in their life and that's when they are Born Again (is that right?). I was bound and determined not to be Born Again at the lowest part of my life because the mind can play funny games on ya. I wanted it to happen when I was feeling stable and content. One of the times that I was questioning the belief in Jesus for a period of time I was driving on the freeway when out of the blue a male voice sort of in front of me to my left simply asked, "Why do you not believe in Me?" That's all. That right there should have convinced me enough to never question it again but noooooo, I'm such a factual kind of person I need proof. UGG, so tired of that. So really, I guess I'm kind of confessing here. This site is for Christians Only and I'm not 100% there yet. But I'm glad I am, like I said, I believe I was guided to Monette to learn from her and from you all. He knows how stubborn I am ;) lol Monette # 2 |
|
Reply
| |
oh, and I want to add that I'm ready to find a church to attend and Garrison has been wanting to go too. There's just so many denominations that I really don't know the difference between any of them. Why does there have to be so many if they all believe in ultimately the same thing = God? I don't get it and that's frustrating too. monette # 2 |
|
Reply
| |
hi again, I hope that I have been of some help to you and that also you can get some help from Monette as well. Sounds like your mother really got it when she was able to let go of her pride or whatever and just give it all over to the Lord. That is how you have to get, when you realize you can't do anything yourself but have to hand it all over to Him to do it or to lean on. About churches, well I think the devil gets in and stirs things up and remember there are only humans going there and we all have our faults and failures and if we look at people that is what we see, remember we have to keep our eyes on the Lord and looks above the problems and failures and think that we are going to church to remember the Lord. I have pretty well gone to the same church all my life with an occasional period of time going somewhere else for a little while, but alway coming back to the same place, trying to remember that people and friends fail us but that the Lord is just the same today as he was yesterday, and that we have to forgive and try to forget the hurts and remember the Lord is there for us, even when we don't feel that Christians are, all that really matters is how we have lived our lives for the Lord and done what He has wanted us to do, everyone else will have to give an account to Him in the coming day too, so we should do our best and leave the rest with Him. I love the Lord with all my heart and know that I have failed Him and disappointed Him many times but that I can always go to Him in prayer and seek His forgiveness and that He will never leave me or forsake me, He is alway here for me. So even now if you are really unsure of your salvation, you can seek the Lords face and confess your sins and ask His forgiveness and give yourself to Him, you don't have to wait until a crisis in your life or a low point, but you can do it right now, and have to assurance that you are really saved, born again, on your way to heaven and Thank the Lord for your salvation. Hugs, |
|
Reply
| |
Yes, both of you have been a big help :) Thank you. -I think what it is is that I have a strong belief in what I believe in my heart how it is: -I believe in God -I believe we all came from God. We all are a part of God. -We (our souls) are here for learning. To better our soul, to get closer to God, with each life we learn and try to be better than before. Not exactly like reincarnations but close enough. -I believe we ALL go back where we came from, to God, we review and learn from what we did wrong in our earth life, and hopefully become a little closer to God. I'm not explaining this right, not sure how to put it really. -I don't believe in the Devil and Hell. I believe that all of our actions have consequences, either good or bad and it was our own doing, not the devil's. -I think there are too many beliefs or religions for ultimately the same thing. One of my many questions to God is why there are so many to confuse me. Why is it so difficult? Why do people say that one "right" and another is "wrong"? -Why is the Bible so complicated? To me it's one big riddle. I take things so literally that I really have to have someone translate almost every paragraph to me. And that's in their interpretation. Someone else may have another interpretation. So which one is right? Anyway, those are some of my feelings. I love learning about different religions and why people believe what they do. Obviously I'm still searching for peace even though I strongly believe what I believe, just as you feel with your beliefs. But, what if I'm wrong?? Monette # 2 |
|
|
First
Previous
2-6 of 6
Next
Last
|
|
|
Free Forum Hosting
Return to Religious Topics