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To: Stourme; ejonesie22
Oh so you're ashamed of your sect then...a rather cowardly choice you've made IMO. Why should I give your words any credibility when you don't even have the courage to speak the name of your church? I don't think the Angels of heaven will be giving you a standing O for your example any time soon.

It is not the name of our church which brings salvation, but the One who brings us that salvation by grace - not by works. As a Christian, I am a member of Christ's catholic (universal) church throughout the ages - all believers who have accepted God's grace through Jesus. It doesn't matter if we choose to worship in a barn, former bar or large cathedral, Christ promised us that where 2 or 3 gather, He is in our midst. As for me, I grew up in a non-denominational church, later was baptized and confirmed as a Catholic and am now attending an Assemblies of God church. I have worshiped with tens of thousands of other Christian men of all denominations at PK conferences. While there are differences, all recognize that it is Christ alone.

I know I am prepared to meet God S - are you? Have you done “all” you can do for salvation? Have you achieved perfection “in this mortal life”? Have you repeated a sin after asking for forgiveness? Have you “procrastinated” the day of your repentance? Have you cleared “all ungodliness” out of your life? Have you maintained all of the ordinance and rules?

Jesus is fully sufficient for me as He promised in the Bible. Is He that for you or only a component?

53 posted on 07/25/2008 3:03:02 PM PDT by Godzilla (The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.)
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To: Godzilla
Interesting isn't it. Tthe divided seek to divide the Community of Christians...

I guess they feel it will give them some power. Sadly, it is doomed to fail for they are not the first...

54 posted on 07/25/2008 3:07:42 PM PDT by ejonesie22 (Haley Barbour 2012, Because he has experience in Disaster Recovery.)
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To: Godzilla
It is not the name of our church which brings salvation, but the One who brings us that salvation by grace - not by works.

Salvation comes by the mercy of Jesus Christ. That, we can agree on. However, you must qualify for that mercy. Believing in Christ is the first step toward salvation; not the last.

No matter how "saved" you claim to be; you, like everyone else that's ever lived will stand before the judgment bar of God and the books for your life will be opened and you will be judged by your works.

The attributes that Jesus described on the sermon on the mount were not just suggestions or good advice. They were commandments. God doesn't change for man. He commands men to change for Him.

1 Corinthians 13:2 - 5
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

The whole and complete mission of the Church is to help the members achieve that goal. To help us achieve those Godly attributes. We do this by our service to one another and to the community.

Matthew 18:3
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Have you become as a little child? How is your church helping you to progress toward that end? Do you even know what it means?

It's a terrible trick of the devil that he has deceived so many to believe that all they have to do is to profess the name of Jesus and nothing more.
57 posted on 07/27/2008 2:53:44 PM PDT by Stourme
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To: Godzilla; greyfoxx39; MHGinTN; ejonesie22; wmfights
It is not the name of our church which brings salvation, but the One who brings us that salvation by grace - not by works. As a Christian, I am a member of Christ's catholic (universal) church throughout the ages - all believers who have accepted God's grace through Jesus. It doesn't matter if we choose to worship in a barn, former bar or large cathedral, Christ promised us that where 2 or 3 gather, He is in our midst.

I usually lurk and just read these threads, but every once in a while...

It is indeed strange that the door-knockers can't grasp the true unity of the body of Christ. Have had the visits from the guys with the 'Elder Soandso' name tags and from some other group that says they are witnesses of something or other and it seems that sooner or later they want to talk about what church I go to and then suggest that I'm not doing it right because there are so many different church names out there while they (whichever 'they' it is that day..) are the true way because they are united, bigger, have new revelations, have the real Bible and/or all of the above...

It is distracting that the Body of Christ has managed to find ways to put different names on the sign in front of their buildings. It is true that attending any one of these buildings does not make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a BigMac. It is also true that not everyone who attends any of the various buildings for worship is a true Christian. It is even more true that from all the various 'church' groups that say they are followers of Christ there are those who know, as Godzilla said, the One who has called us and gives us salvation through His grace, they are the true Church.

One of the activities that I have been attending yearly (since 1983) is something called the Creation Festival, a four day outdoor music and teaching event that is held in the middle of Pennsylvania (here on the right coast) and now also in George, WA (on the left coast.) It is an event for Christians of any and all denominational affiliations.

I bring this up because some years ago now I was doing youth work at a Baptist church and my friend was youth pastor at an AoG church. Our groups would do things together and one of the events we combined on was the Creation Festival. It happened that whichever one of us would send in for the tickets would name the group for that year under his or my church name. We both found that in the course of promoting that year's event we would run into people who reacted strangely to either the Baptist or the Assy of God name. We both found that to be upsetting since the group that attended with us was not really exclusively from our two churches. People were getting hung up on the name of the church rather than what we were trying to accomplish. About 15 years ago we decided that the church name, whichever one we used, was more a hindrance than a help so we changed the name of our group to the name of a band we once were a part of.

Now our group includes people from three states, various denominations (we have Presbyterian, Reformed, AoG, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic represented in the core group) and we enjoy the time each year getting together with other members of the Body of Christ to worship and fellowship without the confines of the man-made barriers called denominations.. Why? because I have more in common with a Baptist, a Presbyterian, a Lutheran, or a Roman Catholic who really knows Jesus than I do with a lot of people who just sit in a pew...

So, Elder Soandso and those people who think they witnessed something can come and ring my doorbell, but if and when they do, they can try to talk about whatever it is they are selling that day but we will talk about the Name that is above every name, and they can try to talk about believing the Bible as far as it is rightly translated, but I will talk about the One who wrote the Book, and they can try to tell me that God is an exalted man like me because the Bible talks about the finger of God and the eye of God and the hand... (you get the picture..) but then I will just have to mention that by that logic God could also be a great big chicken because the Bible also says He will cover us with His wings...

So, Godzilla, right on... The only Name we need know is not the one on the sign out front of whatever building is is we worship in, it is the only Name under heaven given among men where by we must be saved. Jesus is all sufficient..

91 posted on 07/27/2008 8:42:37 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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