Being Protestant

[Major]

AGREED..... and this is where the trouble starts.... A person ACCEPTS Jesus CHRIST as their personal saviour and THEN..... CHURCH happens.... and this is where the problems BEGIN.

and this process is called SANCTIFICATION.... but somewhere along the way... there seem to be MANY who get caught up in very dangerous teachings... which leads to improper OPINIONS about GOD and HIs plan for us.

Off the bat... I am thinking of the teachings from the WoF movement that would suggest that every SUFFERING is AVOIDABLE and that God desires ABSOLUTE and TOTAL prosperity for His children in the form of EXCELLENT physical health and an overflowing BANK ACCOUNT.
IF you are LACKING..... it is YOU who is not exercising your FAITH.... BLAH BLAH BLAH...

So.... What is a new believer to do??? That is my concern... is for the NEW BELIEVER.... the one who knows NOTHING about GOD.

I was very much protected for some reason... I give credit to the fact that I was so messed up and broken that I BELIEVED no one... and so God in His mercy seems to have ensured that HE would BLESS me to teach me sound doctrine. I had NO interest in getting my ears tickled because FAITH in CHRIST ( for me ) was a life and death decision. I needed to KNOW the truth about WHO GOD WAS.... I received a lot of BAD DOCTRINE due to the fact that I began my journey through a CHRISTIAN on-line chatroom... which means... everyone and their dog showed up to "teach me" AFTER I chose to become a CHRISTIAN. It was like a BAD STEW of EVERYTHING.

I don't think this happens much anymore. This was in around 2000 where on line chat rooms were a thing.

So many churches CLAIM to be BIBLE BELIEVING/TEACHING churches and well.... NOPE... they are not.

If anyone has any knowledge on the Lutheran or Methodist doctrine... I would like to hear about where they stand on the scale of sound teaching.

The basic Lutheran denominational doctrine is indeed biblical, as it is based on the teachings of Martin Luther and emphasizes the authority of the Bible.
Key beliefs include:...............
1. Sola Scriptura.
They accept that all doctrine is and practices must reast on the Bible as it is the final authority.

2.
Justification by Faith Alone. They believe that salvation is a gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ without any human efforst.

3. Trinity.
They affirm and teach the belief in One God manifested in 4 persons- Father-Son_ Holy Spirit.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=d4c9...2FyZV9sdXRoZXJhbl9jb3JlX2JlbGllZnMuaHRt&ntb=1
Now for the negitives. As in all other denominations there are "offshoots" that claim the name Lutheran but are very liberal to the point of being radical. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of those. I will list a few of their practices which can be easily verified..........
1. The ELCA pays for abortion for any reason in the denomination’s healthcare plan which is funded by offering dollars.
2. The ELCA ordains practicing homosexuals and now also transgender pastors.
3. the ELCA promotes a prayer to “Mother God.”


https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=d4c9...2FyZV9sdXRoZXJhbl9jb3JlX2JlbGllZnMuaHRt&ntb=1

 

[Major]

AGREED..... and this is where the trouble starts.... A person ACCEPTS Jesus CHRIST as their personal saviour and THEN..... CHURCH happens.... and this is where the problems BEGIN.

and this process is called SANCTIFICATION.... but somewhere along the way... there seem to be MANY who get caught up in very dangerous teachings... which leads to improper OPINIONS about GOD and HIs plan for us.

Off the bat... I am thinking of the teachings from the WoF movement that would suggest that every SUFFERING is AVOIDABLE and that God desires ABSOLUTE and TOTAL prosperity for His children in the form of EXCELLENT physical health and an overflowing BANK ACCOUNT.
IF you are LACKING..... it is YOU who is not exercising your FAITH.... BLAH BLAH BLAH...

So.... What is a new believer to do??? That is my concern... is for the NEW BELIEVER.... the one who knows NOTHING about GOD.

I was very much protected for some reason... I give credit to the fact that I was so messed up and broken that I BELIEVED no one... and so God in His mercy seems to have ensured that HE would BLESS me to teach me sound doctrine. I had NO interest in getting my ears tickled because FAITH in CHRIST ( for me ) was a life and death decision. I needed to KNOW the truth about WHO GOD WAS.... I received a lot of BAD DOCTRINE due to the fact that I began my journey through a CHRISTIAN on-line chatroom... which means... everyone and their dog showed up to "teach me" AFTER I chose to become a CHRISTIAN. It was like a BAD STEW of EVERYTHING.

I don't think this happens much anymore. This was in around 2000 where on line chat rooms were a thing.

So many churches CLAIM to be BIBLE BELIEVING/TEACHING churches and well.... NOPE... they are not.

If anyone has any knowledge on the Lutheran or Methodist doctrine... I would like to hear about where they stand on the scale of sound teaching.

The Methodist church doctrines are somewhat different. Methodist calls itself a smaller branch of Christianity that focuses on spiritual teachings and practices rather than on the Bible. Again, I can list a few of the concerns...............
1. Christians believe in Jesus as their only savior, while Methodists believe in salvation through faith in many different figures and practices.

2. Methodists believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, while Christians believe in salvation through faith in God alone.
(That sounds confusing, but read #1 above).

3. A Christian is someone who has faith in God, while a Methodist practices grace.
(Again, confusion. See #1 above).

4. Methodists believe in the one true, holy and living God, Eternal Spirit, who is Creator.

5. Methodists believe in Jesus Christ, who is God and man, in whom the divine and human natures are perfectly and inseparably united.

6. Methodists believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from and is one in being with the Father and the Son.

7. Methodists believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God, but there is a catch! They believe the Bible so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to be taught as essential to salvation. (Confused???...See #1 above).
Is the Methodist denomination now a liberal denomination?????

As most of you know, the Methodist denomination has gone through a major split in 2020. About 20% left the Main Line to be conservative. One side chose to be conservative and Biblical while the other chose to be liberal and non-biblical and most of it revolved around Homosexual acceptance. As that process plays out over the next few years, the remaining United Methodist churches will be more predictably progressive, but most still won't be at the most progressive edge.

1. The Methodists now ordain women as pastors.

2. The Methodists now accept openly homosexuals and affirm marriage as between two consenting adults.

 

[bobinfaith]

Sis.....the problem you are talking about when church happens is simply because people DO NOT READ the Bible and instead rely on a man to tell them what it says.

One of the reasons some people go on-line to give their opinions is because they have been run out of all the Bible believing churches around them. They DO NOT know Bible doctrine, only self absorbed opinions which they give so as to make themselves look and sound intelligent.

WOF false teaching speaks to the fleshly side of man in which the promise is given that God owes us something. They place faith as a "force" in which we can manipulate God into doing what we want Him to do. This is nothing short of idolatry, turning our faith—and by extension ourselves—into god.

Following the natural progression of these teachings, as little gods we again have the ability to manipulate the faith-force and become prosperous in all areas of life. Illness, sin, and failure are the result of a lack of faith, and are remedied by confession—claiming God’s promises for oneself into existence. Simply put, the Word of Faith movement exalts man to god-status and reduces God to man-status. Needless to say, this is a false representation of what Christianity is all about. Obviously, Word of Faith teaching does not take into account what is found in Scripture. Personal revelation, not Scripture, is highly relied upon in order to come up with such absurd beliefs, which is just one more proof of its heretical nature.

Now the question is WHY do so many people fall for it????? Again, Ignorance of the actual Word of God and falling for a "personality" instead of God's Word.

Good morning, Major;

I agree. I'd like to add with what you wrote regarding opinionated doctrine. We must be careful and pay heed to what Christ teaches us.

Those who have an ear to hear let them hear - Mark 4:9

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, - Ephesians 4:29a

but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. - Ephesians 4:29b

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” - Luke 10:27

Why do so many people fall short of these????? False Teaching. It can stimulate the "RUSH" that Christians get in confrontational discussions. They just have to win the argument or mindless debate. This character, after awhile, is exposed especially with online forums.

I'm speaking for myself and will be honest. I fell on the wrong side of Christian fellowship with online forums some 20+ years ago. If I was offended my posts were direct and cruel toward that person so the whole world could see (I straddled the line of the forum rules and got away with it.) The combative Christians patted me on the back but the ones who turned a cheek later convicted my spirit. I'm thankful God forgave me for my cruel disposition some 20 years ago.

The point I'm making is the foundation of false teaching can influence our character or personality that doesn't bring glory to God. It can fester in other areas outside of online forums.

God bless everyone.

Bob

 

[LearningToLetGo]

The RCC uses Matthew 16:13-20 as justification for Papal succession. How do Protestant churches refute this claim?

 

[Major]

Good morning, Major;

I agree. I'd like to add with what you wrote regarding opinionated doctrine. We must be careful and pay heed to what Christ teaches us.

Those who have an ear to hear let them hear - Mark 4:9

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, - Ephesians 4:29a

but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. - Ephesians 4:29b

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” - Luke 10:27

Why do so many people fall short of these????? False Teaching. It can stimulate the "RUSH" that Christians get in confrontational discussions. They just have to win the argument or mindless debate. This character, after awhile, is exposed especially with online forums.

I'm speaking for myself and will be honest. I fell on the wrong side of Christian fellowship with online forums some 20+ years ago. If I was offended my posts were direct and cruel toward that person so the whole world could see (I straddled the line of the forum rules and got away with it.) The combative Christians patted me on the back but the ones who turned a cheek later convicted my spirit. I'm thankful God forgave me for my cruel disposition some 20 years ago.

The point I'm making is the foundation of false teaching can influence our character or personality that doesn't bring glory to God. It can fester in other areas outside of online forums.

God bless everyone.

Bob

Yes sir you are correct.

You and I have seen it manifested in front of our eyes. The old...."I am right" seems to show up all the time.
However, that is not unique to Christian forums. It is human nature. I have seen it in all areas of our society. But some people seem to have a compulsion to always be right. They never, ever admit wrongdoing. And they never apologize.

Why is that?

We are surrounded by people who cannot stand to lose an argument. They won’t admit defeat in the face of compelling evidence against their position. And on top of that, they just have to have the last word as if that validates what they have been saying. Even having the last word may not be enough for them if they believe the other side has gotten tired of the discussion and stopped arguing without conceding their point. In that case, they may insist on taking up the issue again later.

I personally think that if we dig deeper into this question we will find that a person who always has to be right has a fragile ego. Their self-esteem is so frail that if they are challenged, their ego cannot tolerate admitting a mistake. Instead, the person who must always be right will actually distort reality in their minds and twist it to protect themselves to the point of lieing to be right.

 

[Major]

The RCC uses Matthew 16:13-20 as justification for Papal succession. How do Protestant churches refute this claim?

Excellent question brother and thanks for asking it.

First of all, those Scriptures listed. and Nowhere else does Scripture explicitly teach the concept of apostolic succession as currently formulated and practiced by Catholic/Orthodox churches.

Yes, Peter was a central figure in the early spread of the gospel which was part of the meaning behind Matthew 16:18-19), the teaching of Scripture, taken in context, nowhere declares that he was in authority over the other apostles or over the church. Nor is it ever taught that the bishop of Rome was to have primacy over the church.

In fact, the Scriptures show that Peter’s authority was shared by the other apostles in Eph. 2:19-20 and that the “loosing and binding” authority attributed to him was likewise shared by the local churches, not just their church leaders and that is verified in Matt. 18:15-19 & 1 Corth. 5:1-13 & 2 Corth. 13:10 as well as Titus 2:15;3:10-11.

Nowhere does Scripture state that in order to keep the church from error, the authority of the apostles was passed on to those they ordained (the idea behind apostolic succession). Apostolic succession is “read into” those verses that the Roman Catholic Church uses to support a doctrine that they insisted on having.
The Bible does not teach that the apostles were infallible, apart from what was written by them as Scripture. Paul, in talking to the church leaders in the large city of Ephesus, makes note of coming false teachers. Paul does not commend them to “the apostles and those who would carry on their authority,” but rather to “God and to the word of His grace” (Acts 20:28-32).

 

[forgiven61]

Lutherans ( which I know NOTHING about )
Methodists ( which I also know NOTHING about )

several branches of both some are liberial same are not . this is why a person should always study out the articles of faith..

 

[forgiven61]

The Methodists now accept openly homosexuals and affirm marriage as between two consenting adults.

the UMC does there is new branch of Methodist. there was a big split the one i grew up in is now Global Methodist.. they all have strayed from what the Wesley bros started . in fact most all denoms have strayed off the original founding

 

[In Awe of Him]

The basic Lutheran denominational doctrine is indeed biblical, as it is based on the teachings of Martin Luther and emphasizes the authority of the Bible.
Key beliefs include:...............
1. Sola Scriptura.
They accept that all doctrine is and practices must reast on the Bible as it is the final authority.

Well... My little city does have a Lutheran church. Sadly... they do not have a web-site which is usually where I read the mission statement.... but that could be made clear after attending a Sunday service and asking for information on What they believe.

A funny story.... I remember walking past this church often as a child and I would TRIP and usually scrape my knees.

This Sunday’s Topic: “To Renew or to Reform?” Scripture: John 8:31–36 Join us for our Reformation Sunday Holy Communion Worship Service, October 26, 2025, 10:30 am 🕊️ Fellowship will follow the service. Pastor Enzo Pellini See you Sunday! #SundayServ

This Sunday’s Topic: “To Renew or to Reform?” Scripture: John 8:31–36 Join us for our Reformation Sunday Holy Communion Worship Service, October 26, 2025, 10:30 am 🕊️ Fellowship will follow the...

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[cocoa]

Methodists believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, while Christians believe in salvation through faith in God alone.
(That sounds confusing, but read #1 above).

Which Methodist church are you referring to? It's not judicious to lump them all together because a conservative branch wont have the same leanings as a liberal branch.

 

[In Awe of Him]

Which Methodist church are you referring to? It's not judicious to lump them all together because a conservative branch wont have the same leanings as a liberal branch.

This is the DILEMMA of CHRISTIAN churches.
WHY is it that a denomination can go "liberal" or "progressive"???

I have no problem walking away from an ENTIRE denomination over this issue. It's NOT my job to figure out who is telling the truth.

Especially in the NOW times... I really don't think churches are being run properly. I think the small home church is the way to go.

 

[Major]

Which Methodist church are you referring to? It's not judicious to lump them all together because a conservative branch wont have the same leanings as a liberal branch.

Yes, you are correct. There are many divisions in the Methodist camp. I was speaking in generalities when I said...........
"As most of you know, the Methodist denomination has gone through a major split in 2020. About 20% left the Main Line to be conservative. One side chose to be conservative and Biblical while the other chose to be liberal and non-biblical and most of it revolved around Homosexual acceptance. "

Today in the United States, the two biggest names in Methodism are the United Methodist Church, and the new Global Methodist Church.

The Evangelical United Brethren Church merged which produced the United Methodist Church. This is by far the largest U.S. Methodist denomination with around 23,000 churches.

After the UMC Special Conference in 2019 exposed massive divisions in the UMC over the issues of Biblical interpretation and the acceptance of homosexuality, the UMC experienced a multi-year split. Thousands of churches left, and the denomination that received the most was a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, founded in 2022. It has about 3,700 US churches.

 

[Major]

This is the DILEMMA of CHRISTIAN churches.
WHY is it that a denomination can go "liberal" or "progressive"???

I have no problem walking away from an ENTIRE denomination over this issue. It's NOT my job to figure out who is telling the truth.

Especially in the NOW times... I really don't think churches are being run properly. I think the small home church is the way to go.

WHY????

If I answer that question, I am expecting a big time bonus check!!!!!!!

You see, Liberalism is a product of the modern world, with its pro-Western, pro-Enlightenment, pro-universals ways of seeing. It comes from the mind of those who know more now than did those Apostles who lived with God for 3 years.

Its kind of like us. When we were kids, we ALL thought that our parents were the two dumbest people in the world. AFTER we grew up and had our children, it was then that we realized how smart our parents really were. Liberalism is the exact opposite of that realization.

OK, that was the short answer IMHO.

Now, reality is very much different. The knowledge we have today from the sciences have given us the of the age of the universe (almost 14 billion years), and the existence of dinosaurs was non-existent in the early 1800s.

When the sciences of geology and astronomy developed, along with radio isotopes, carbon dating etc., liberal theologians asked...... “what does this knowledge mean for Christian faith?” ----- rather than “How do we stop the faithful from trusting in the authority of science rather than the authority of theology?”

As the discipline of history developed, questioning sources and texts and the interests that produced them, liberals took those perspectives and developed skill in reading the biblical texts critically. Liberals paid attention to sociology, psychology, astronomy, anthropology, geology, and the critical study of ancient texts.

In other words, we did what Stand did in Genesis.....we questioned the Word of God by asking, "Is that what God really said?"

Liberals then sought universal moral truths as parallels to universal scientific truths instead of the ABSOLUTES of Gods Word.

It does not take a doctors degree to see how liberalism also opened Christianity to positive relationships with other religions, since universal truths are not limited to one religion. That is called Ecumenisms.

 

[LearningToLetGo]

liberal theologians asked...... “what does this knowledge mean for Christian faith?” ----- rather than “How do we stop the faithful from trusting in the authority of science rather than the authority of theology?”

It's not either/or, my friend. We don't need to reject science to be Christian.

 

[BibleLover]

It's not either/or, my friend. We don't need to reject science to be Christian.

All truths are God's truths since He is the foundation of all truth. Thus, scientific truths also belong to God. Man's erroneous misunderstanding of scientific truths does not make them lies.

 

[cocoa]

It's not either/or, my friend. We don't need to reject science to be Christian.

I agree with this but we must be careful about what scientific claims we accept.

 

[In Awe of Him]

I think it is well established that GOD is the MASTER MATHEMATICIAN and so.... as BibleLover pointed out....

All truths are God's truths since He is the foundation of all truth. Thus, scientific truths also belong to God. Man's erroneous misunderstanding of scientific truths does not make them lies.

This topic of deceptive doctrines is one that has deeply "affected" me... and NOT because I got swallowed in... but rather... because it was charged to me/ dumped on me as "truth"... leaving me to lump it or leave it.

I have been very verbal about the fact that I have no desire to belong to a church... and that I do not TRUST any man.

This seems to have played out to my benefit in a majority of cases... because a soul that does not trust others... is not easily deceived.

There have been several major dilemmas for me with regards to false doctrine... in my Christian walk.

1. Being told I could lose my salvation at any given point IF I disobeyed God's commands.
This bold LIE kept me away from God for a great many years... and was the number one cause of great anguish
for me. My heart would simply not allow me to trust a GOD that could suddenly remove my status of salvation. I knew
that due to the fact that I was such a messed up and shattered soul that I did not stand a chance at keeping myself in
the good graces of ALMIGHTY GOD.
2. Being told that the depression I was experiencing was a demon.
This simply made me shut down. The other lie was that... those who suffer with mental illness do not need medication
but rather simply need to trust Jesus. On top of being a lie... this mind set ( from Christians ) is EXTREMELY
CARELESS and DANGEROUS.
3. Being told that I was not being healed because I lacked faith.
This is another form of spiritual abuse... and a lie from the pit.

These kinds of BAD experiences cause so much pain and heart ache to those who need GOD most.
Of all the churches that I listed in post #8... I would only attend 1... and that is the Lutheran church that I posted the video of. I like how this pastor spoke.... so much so... that I will plan on attending next Sunday. I had NO idea this church existed... other than remembering the building when I was a child because we lived close.

Claiming things to be OF GOD when they are clearly NOT is something that I tremble over.

So... I am a PROTESTANT... however... I embrace this label.... ONLY BECAUSE it ex-communicates me from the Catholic Church.

 

[Major]

It's not either/or, my friend. We don't need to reject science to be Christian.

Now I did not say that we did brother.

Notice that is said........liberal theologians asked...... “what does this knowledge mean for Christian faith?”

I am a right wing Christian fundamentalist, however, we must learn how to live with, answer and respond to any science that questions the Word of God.

 

[Major]

I think it is well established that GOD is the MASTER MATHEMATICIAN and so.... as BibleLover pointed out....


This topic of deceptive doctrines is one that has deeply "affected" me... and NOT because I got swallowed in... but rather... because it was charged to me/ dumped on me as "truth"... leaving me to lump it or leave it.

I have been very verbal about the fact that I have no desire to belong to a church... and that I do not TRUST any man.

This seems to have played out to my benefit in a majority of cases... because a soul that does not trust others... is not easily deceived.

There have been several major dilemmas for me with regards to false doctrine... in my Christian walk.

1. Being told I could lose my salvation at any given point IF I disobeyed God's commands.
This bold LIE kept me away from God for a great many years... and was the number one cause of great anguish
for me. My heart would simply not allow me to trust a GOD that could suddenly remove my status of salvation. I knew
that due to the fact that I was such a messed up and shattered soul that I did not stand a chance at keeping myself in
the good graces of ALMIGHTY GOD.
2. Being told that the depression I was experiencing was a demon.
This simply made me shut down. The other lie was that... those who suffer with mental illness do not need medication
but rather simply need to trust Jesus. On top of being a lie... this mind set ( from Christians ) is EXTREMELY
CARELESS and DANGEROUS.
3. Being told that I was not being healed because I lacked faith.
This is another form of spiritual abuse... and a lie from the pit.

These kinds of BAD experiences cause so much pain and heart ache to those who need GOD most.
Of all the churches that I listed in post #8... I would only attend 1... and that is the Lutheran church that I posted the video of. I like how this pastor spoke.... so much so... that I will plan on attending next Sunday. I had NO idea this church existed... other than remembering the building when I was a child because we lived close.

Claiming things to be OF GOD when they are clearly NOT is something that I tremble over.

So... I am a PROTESTANT... however... I embrace this label.... ONLY BECAUSE it ex-communicates me from the Catholic Church.

I feel really bad for you sister. I have over the years of my carrer counseled with more people than I can remember who have come to me with those same questions.

One of if not the only reason I post here on this web site is so that I can continue to teach the Word of God correctly and combat those false teachings.

Allow me to address your concerns one at a time.

#1.
You can not lose something that you did nothing to get. Salvation is a GIFT and is not earned.
First, the term Christian must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer or walked down an aisle or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what makes a Christian. A Christian is a person who has fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and therefore possesses the Holy Spirit and is committed to Christ!

Romans 8:38-39​

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”​

John 10:28-29​

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” ​

Now consider this fact, A committed Christian is a new creation. 2 Corth. 5:17 says.........
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Therefore, A Christian is not simply an “improved” version of a person; a Christian is an entirely new creature. He is “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be destroyed.
#2.
Is depression in a Christian a sin?......NO. 100% NO!
Depression is NOT a symptom of demonic pressure. Depression is almost always a clinical problem and with the right medication from a qualified doctor is totally controlled.

I do not have a shingle on my door, however I have been around long enough to realize that most all people struggle with some kind of depression.

Factoid.......The #1 most prescribed medication in the USA is antidepressants.

#3.
That is the number one method of guilt that has come out of the Pentecostal faith healers message. They can not blame God so they use guilt to blame YOU! Is a person a paraplegic because they don’t have enough faith. Ridiculous! It’s because they live in a fallen world.

If faith is required to be healed, or if we were not healed because of a lack of faith, then we must logically ask God why Paul was not healed when he asked God to heal him.

If good health were always God’s will, then Christians should never die. We can’t blame someone’s malady on a lack of faith, for we know, biblically, that God sometimes uses illness to accomplish His will. Also, it’s not just wayward believers who get sick.

 

[In Awe of Him]

I feel really bad for you sister. I have over the years of my carrer counseled with more people than I can remember who have come to me with those same questions.

It is sad Major... that when a person needs the TRUTH of WHO GOD IS the most... they can't seem to find it.
Granted...I became a believer via a Christian Chatroom... so I got a lot of CRAZIES coming at me from the get go...

When I was 14... something happened to my mom... and she went all in on religion. She chose the Catholic Church... she fell in love with a priest and my life was a living hell. My father had left us without even a good bye... and I was stuck living with a suddenly RELIGIOUS fanatic.

I could go on and on here... things did not get any better with my extended family BECAUSE they were the strict Pentecostals. I did not experience this till well in my adulthood... but suffice to say.... FINDING the TRUTH of WHO GOD IS... was not an easy task.

By the time I reached middle age... I was so broken... my soul was shattered and NO ONE in the Christian world offered me HOPE.
Everything was by stipulation. YOU must do this... in order... and then you must remain vigilent to REMAIN saved.... BLAH... BLAH... BLAH.

For many years... I think I simply GAVE up even trying to figure things out.... One thing I knew for sure is that I was NOT WORTHY of even being SAVED in the first place... let alone having to maintain my status.

The miracle of what happened to me at the lake 4 years ago... is truly an AMAZING event... because in one SECOND.... it was imputed into my spirit that GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS. HE is the GOD of the BIBLE. Those were the ONLY words I heard spoken.. .but after those words... was an INSTANT alignment of TRUTH. I knew that I was deeply loved and cherished by the GOD of the UNIVERSE. I knew that I was SAVED and belonged to HIM. I knew that HE would finish within me what HE has started. EVERYTHING fell into place... and simultaneously... I was healed from my DECADES long depression. I can't explain this experience.... but neither can I deny that it occurred because from it has flowed an amazing story of HEALING and REDEMPTION.

Not sure what the lesson here is...God dealt with me personally.... NOT because I was extra special... but rather because I was extra desperate and starving to death for truth. NOT one CHRISTIAN in twenty years came to my aid with TRUTH... .and so for twenty years I sunk lower and lower into the pit of despair.

SO YEAH..... I don't have a good vibe with many who profess to be Christian.
You know me more than many here Major... I think I have proven that for the most part... I have been granted the wisdom to have some solid doctrine in me. I had no interest in getting my ears tickled.... I only had interest in being able to cope with life.