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THE FREE MAN & WORSHIP:

    It is utterly ridiculous to speak of leaving our classrooms to go “into the sanctuary to worship.” Worship in the new age is never defined as moving from one location to another. If we are not worshipping in the first room, it is unlikely the situation will improve by moving to the second room. For the committed believer, worship cannot be turned on and off at will. It is his whole life [see John 4:24 & Rom. 12:1].

Buff, The Free Man

I see more people walking away from Churches to be free of religion altogether, than people walking away to seek a higher road.

Amen, as it is written "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written."

"Good" that they are leaving the religions of this world, and their philosophies and traditions of man, and their man made Shrines of Worship. Bad because they believe these religions and their preachers are representatives of the One Truth God.

At some point everyone will know.

Therefore we all should "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities."

I have said before that I perceive that you were once hurt very badly by some probably not very good elders in one or more churches that you served.  I could be wrong, but it certainly seems that way to me. 

I see more people walking away from Churches to be free of religion altogether, than people walking away to seek a higher road.

If that is so, then they are being deceived.  Leftism, which is the driving force for those walking away today, is itself a religion.

4WD:

   Regarding your Reply #36, I was once a proponent of the Restoration Movement, which Thomas and Alexander Campbell were supposed to have initiated. However, they did not propose a restoration, as such; instead, they authored a reformation. After they passed on, the reformation movement they introduced to a divided Christendom began to fall apart and religious parties of different sorts replaced it. And that's where we are today.

    At one time, a couple of decades ago, I possessed every volume of everything Campbell published. A few years ago, I cleaned out my Library and sold every volume of Campbell's Christian Baptist and Millennial Harbinger. He was one wise man indeed! I visited his gravesite in Berkely, West Virginia in the 60s.

    It is sad, very sad, that this great reformer's reformational efforts have been laid upon the shelf and almost forgotten by those of us who came after him. As he was dying, he quoted the Lord's Prayer and then breathed his last.

Buff

This "great reformer" that you mention was a divider.  Perhaps that wasn't his intention, but that was the result of his "reform."

This "great reformer" that you mention was a divider.  Perhaps that wasn't his intention, but that was the result of his "reform."

Well yes, but in that same way you could call the apostle Paul a divider.  But as I noted above, the Restoration Movement (RM) was not an intended reformation so much as a restoration.  The intention was to get rid of all the man-made creeds that appeared to be the major dividing issues for the various denominations.  While it was well intentioned, it wasn't widely well received.  I think the reason for that was that the divisions were not so much the result of creeds, per se, as it was the result of different interpretations of Scripture; that prevails to this day and is not likely to change.

All of that aside, I tend to be a supporter of the RM because I tend to believe it comes closest to accurate interpretation of Scripture.

MORE FROM "YOURS TRULY"—THE FREE MAN:

    The clergy person must go! His position is a cancer in the body of believers, preventing the various parts from functioning as God intended. The divine testimony is silent about our modern-day “pastors” and “pulpit ministers,” except they are referred to as hirelings [John 10:11-13]. They need to be dismissed and encouraged to find a job—or adopt evangelism, taking the Good News to the unsaved, whereby they would naturally be financially supported.
 
    Evangelical church leaders and Elders should cease accentuating extraneous issues such as "The Rapture," "The Battle of Armageddon," The Thousand-Year Earthly Reign [which has been in effect for 2,000 years], Middle East Israel, and other doctrinal “supplements” and start pointing the unsaved to Jesus.

    The innumerable magazines and books relating to these issues are causing confusion among the uncommitted and frustrating those who are reaching for a higher level of spiritual curriculum. They hunger for meat but are fed milk.
 
    These changes are not likely to come about overnight, for they did not develop overnight. Somewhere along the trail, change will come. The mood and the times are right for it. May God grant us wisdom as we make preparations.

Buff

MORE FROM "YOURS TRULY"—THE FREE MAN:

    The clergy person must go! His position is a cancer in the body of believers, preventing the various parts from functioning as God intended. The divine testimony is silent about our modern-day “pastors” and “pulpit ministers,” except they are referred to as hirelings [John 10:11-13]. They need to be dismissed and encouraged to find a job—or adopt evangelism, taking the Good News to the unsaved, whereby he would naturally be financially supported.
 
    Evangelical church leaders and Elders should cease accentuating extraneous issues such as "The Rapture," "The Battle of Armageddon," The Thousand-Year Earthly Reign [which has been in effect for 2,000 years], Middle East Israel, and other doctrinal “supplements” and start pointing the unsaved to Jesus.

    The innumerable magazines and books relating to these issues are causing confusion among the uncommitted and frustrating those who are reaching for a higher level of spiritual curriculum. They hunger for meat but are fed milk.
 
    These changes are not likely to come about overnight, for they did not develop overnight. Somewhere along the trail, change will come. The mood and the times are right for it. May God grant us wisdom as we make preparations.

Buff

More overly broad statements and rhetoric focused on externals rather than internals.  You aren't a "free man" when you are still in bondage to your past traumas.

Signed,

The Man With More Freedom than "The Free Man."

4WD:

    "...the Restoration Movement (RM) was not an intended reformation so much as a restoration."

    Wrong! The Campbells and others like them always referred to their ministries and/or efforts as reformation, never restoration.

Buff

They ended up restoring a capella music.   

Texas "SuperFree" Conservative.

Texas Bondage:

    "More overly broad statements and rhetoric focused on externals rather than internals. You aren't a 'free man' when you are still in bondage to your past traumas."

    Give me something accurate to chew on instead of muddying the water with tiny stones and marbles. I desire substance, not insignificance.

Arizona Free man

It's obvious that like 4WD said, you were treated poorly by some elders in your ministry period.   What I said was 100% accurate.  When you post substance instead of a focus on external things, we can talk about substance.

SuperFree

Texas Super Free:

    "It's obvious that like 4WD said, you were treated poorly by some elders in your ministry period.   What I said was 100% accurate. When you post substance instead of a focus on external things, we can talk about substance."

    Your apparent supernatural gift of discernment is invalid in my neck of the woods. If you know that much about my personal history, tell me the name of my first dog. Plus, tell me about my friend who died while he was drinking milk.

    But let me help you. My first dog's name was "Trigger." I named him after Roy Rogers horse. My friend passed on while drinking milk because the cow fell on him.

    Now since you could not discern these bits of history in advance, I consider you to be a counterfeit prophet.

Arizona Super True