This is very frightening indeed.

I was once at a prophetic conference (years ago) and most everyone but me started laughing. I could feel the Holy Spirit all over me, but I was never prompted to laughter.

The mp3 downloads are great. I listen to them while I’m doing jobs around the house, or whatever. I am still relistening to them to absorb things. There are some great perspectives on well known scriptural passages which are freeing and encouraging.

After experiencing disillusionment, I went through a kind of crisis of faith. I felt like I knew nothing really anymore except Christ. I went through a process of ‘losing’ my church, although I still attend. I have not been hurt at church like you have though. My story began with a concern for people I saw getting hurt or damaged and a concern about false doctrines (often these justified the damage I saw happening). Anyway, again, I don’t know if this will be of any help to you, but I found the perspectives there very helpful.

I will pray for you, in any case,

yeah…. that’s me. I have gone through it so many times before and yet it still happens in a regular cycle when the new “flavour” person comes through the doors.

inside i’m just dying.

Sometimes these people experience more betrayal than support, particularly if the goals of the organisation are relentless to the point of subordinating an attitude of love towards members. This is not always how things work, but I’ve seen it a few times.

May God bless you as you work through it all, and bring you into a better place. (Even if you stay where you are!)

thanks.

I am particularly low right now. I am dealing with the machinations of a large church and some very aggressive, determined opposition from someone I don’t actually even know, as i simply try to do what is asked of me. I am also dealing with the fact that things promised are now being revoked. It is very hurtful and I am trying to understand it all.

“If God is all the things the Bible says about him then why is the church on earth in such a divided, bickering, weak state?” Because we don’t do what he said. “What was it about Wesley and all those guys that God saw and decided to open up to? Why can’t that happen today, for real?”

The aim of being a christian is to know God (or rather be known by him) and as a by-product of knowing God we get eternal life (because knowing God is eternal life). Wesley and others were powerful because they knew God like a father as He has indicated we can do.

There are lots of ways not to know God:
1. You don’t know God by experiencing signs and wonders. Just like you would not know me by using the amazing software I write.
2. Similarly you don’t know God by awesome praise and worship or preaching. Those things are great but they are not knowing God.
3. Also you don’t know God by knowing about him. You could read everything ever written about Winston Churchill, say, and never know him.
4. You don’t know God by obeying him. He spent the whole of the old testament making that particular point.

You know God through faith. And things that you can see are not faith. Paul especially tries to get us to not judge things by what we see. The 5000 saw a miracle but had no faith in Jesus. They trapsed after him to get more of what they wanted but that was not what he wanted.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

And of course “believe” here means the exercising of faith. I think Wesley sought God and sought him as the scripture say he should. The person I know of who knows most about this stuff at the moment is Wayne Jacobson whose stuff I find most encouraging.

God bless (because I know he does )