What are we about?

[ushalk]

I wonder how much time we all actually spend reading and asking the Holy Spirit for revelation of the word of God? There are times that we all get side tracked from the study and our relationship with Christ. however one thing that seems to be consistant is the truth of the church. The truth is that all churches have what they call ministries and many of them are not ministries, rather they are business advertisements. People go out and tell all about the great activities they have at their church or they invite people to their church or they give out cards to their church.

This is my question, where in the Word of God is this found and called a ministry? I have never seen it nor have i ever seen where the apostles did it. We are called to share our faith and testimonies of Christ with the lost. We are not called to bring members into a church building, denomination or congregation but to make members of the body of Christ. How can we do this when we give people nothing to hope in Christ for. No i am not saying to give them hope in money and wealth but a peace and joy and the knowing that with Christ we can not lose. This does not promise a perfect life on earth by any means. Rather a lot of challenges and testing of our faith.

The promise of God is not riches or the seeking after money. But that if we are seeking after HIm and living out His will on our lives that all of our needs will be met. If we miss use what he gives us for the things that we do not need then we are at fault not God. So what is the true importance of the churches in todays society. It seems as though it is all about money and making members of a denomination or building or congregation rather than deciples for the body of Christ. I see it all the time where many "Christians" run and chase after money and have not their faith or a relationship with Christ. Rather they belly ache about what they dont have rather than being thankful for what they do have.

Having many members does not mean that we are a prosperous church. It could mean that we are a dead church.

Please share any thoughts you have or what you may see as false in this.

chris overy.

 

[NewManMikey]

You have two thoughts going in your thread.

Ministry is in the Bible. Jesus in the Gospels and the other books of the New Testament talk of ministering to the needs of others. Ministry is just your ability to serve others. Your witness of Christ is in how you conduct yourself in all situations. Some of those situations require you to give of your self in time, money and sharing of what God has provided for you in both the physical and spiritual realm.



The second thought you bring up are the promises of God in the Bible. Someone counted them once and came up with 7386 promises in the Old and New Testaments. How accurate that number is I don't know and it is not important really. What is important is how those promises are manifest in the lives of God's children. There are many writings of God's riches spiritually, physically and monetarily. To take any of God's promises and say it is not true or relevant is the same as saying slavation may or may not be true. Just because a promise doesn't manifest does not mean it is not true. We miss plenty from God because we get in the way of Him fulfilling that promise.

Mikey

The God/god you serve will always show through.

 

[ushalk]

You have two thoughts going in your thread.

Ministry is in the Bible. Jesus in the Gospels and the other books of the New Testament talk of ministering to the needs of others. Ministry is just your ability to serve others. Your witness of Christ is in how you conduct yourself in all situations. Some of those situations require you to give of your self in time, money and sharing of what God has provided for you in both the physical and spiritual realm.



The second thought you bring up are the promises of God in the Bible. Someone counted them once and came up with 7386 promises in the Old and New Testaments. How accurate that number is I don't know and it is not important really. What is important is how those promises are manifest in the lives of God's children. There are many writings of God's riches spiritually, physically and monetarily. To take any of God's promises and say it is not true or relevant is the same as saying slavation may or may not be true. Just because a promise doesn't manifest does not mean it is not true. We miss plenty from God because we get in the way of Him fulfilling that promise.

Mikey

The God/god you serve will always show through.

ministry is in the bible yes. but what many are calling minstry is not in the bible. god promises to take care of our needs yes this is true. however us running out of our way to gain money and make christianity a business is not in the bible. we are also not promised to be rich with material or monetary things. please read my post more thouroughly and pray about it.

 

[NewManMikey]

ministry is in the bible yes. but what many are calling minstry is not in the bible. god promises to take care of our needs yes this is true. however us running out of our way to gain money and make christianity a business is not in the bible. we are also not promised to be rich with material or monetary things. please read my post more thouroughly and pray about it.

When you put it that way I see your point and agree. I do however disagree somewhat with the monetary thing. Of course it depends on what one considers "rich with material or monetary things". What one considers rich another considers poverty, many a person is missled by amounts or the count of things and fail to see the blessings because they judge the size and miss the coverage of the blessing.

I believe monetary blessings are dependent on one's ability to not be influenced by the "mamon", based on one's submission to Christ. There are many huge monetary needs in the Kingdom and God can trust some of His children to do what is right in His eyes with great sums of money. Every one has job to do in God's house and someone has to handle the money.

Selfishness is our undoing, it was Adam and Eve's undoing. What I want is important. When we can get past that God will give us great responsibilities. If I had to describe Jesus with one word it would be "unselfish". That won't describe man..

That said, is every promise available to everyone? I would have to say yes because if a promise was true for one and not another than how can Salvation be true for all. How can healing be true for one and not another? How can the infilling of the holy Ghost be true for one and not another? How can deliverance from sin be true for one and not another? How can blessings be true for one and not another? That would lead one to believe salvation is true for one and not another. I believe we miss God or miss His Word and therefore miss the blessing or the promise.

Mikey