I'm back and craziness abounds

[joemama]

hi I went up north for a funeral service and I have missed you all.
I went to church yesterday and they had a visiting preacher come up and speak.His whole message was that we can't have excuses (like Moses) because it makes God angry. My point is that God didn't mind Mose's excuses so much that he didn't use Moses to lead the people out.Nevertheless, he went on to say that all he had to do was to tell Pharoah who sent him and Pharoah would be o.k with that.And that whenever Moses went and told him that "I Am " sent him that Pharoah didn't even ask questions. All of this is Biblically wrong. The GIST OF THE WHOLE MESSAGE WAS THAT WE SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE FINANCING OF THE NEW CHURCH BUILDING--THAT GOD WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT.??!!!....Then after assuring us(several times) that he hadn't talked to the pastor befrore speaking he went on to tell us of how God had opened financial doors for him and his church.
My problem is not with church finance--it is with the church.After the message-the pastor got up and stated that the Gospel work takes alot of money to accomplish.
WHAT??????I thought that the Gospel message was love your neighbor as yourself--love the Lord your God with all of your heart--am I wrong????
----I keep trying to make excuses for him--trying to say that it DOES cost money to do some things--but THAT WASN'T WHAT HE SAID. He said that the Gospel message took alot of money.
After church I was pissed. During church I was pissed.
Oh and did I mention that they have now brought in yet another "worship singer" from a neighboring church who is slated to become our worship leader when the other guy leaves? I think that it's like saying that no one in Your church is talented ENOUGH for God.That it has to be FANTASTIC or it is nothing.AND yet again we heard about What a BLESSING it is to have great music and how he can really FEEL THE SPIRIT.
I was so relaxed up north-left to my self--I talked to my husband yesterday after church and he was annoyed as well,but for some other reasons--I am praying that we will come to a consensus on what to do. I am so mad /confused /sick.

[jane]

My point is that God didn't mind Mose's excuses so much that he didn't use Moses to lead the people out.

and your point is a good one! :)

I wonder why so many churches have a "new building" fund anyway. We built a new building, picked up a mortgage for over $800,000. and all that it entails. In that building for not even a month and we have a new building fund collection for the "new building". That is when we believe that we heard God say, you're not going into the next building project here. It wasn't long before we left.


I heard a sermon from a preacher who went to South America. He said that when he was leaving to get on the plane, a mother was desparatly handing her infant to him to take to America. Apparently the child was likely to die, facing starvation and disease. He said that more than half of the children born there would die by 10. On his way home to America, he felt that the Lord held him accountable for that life. Something to the idea of , "when I was naked you didn't clothe me; hungary, you didn't feed me...." He said that he was so convicted about his building project. He felt like the parodox was the American MEGA churches vs. the poverty in other countries. He said Churches are being built, bigger, with more comptfortable chairs, with more modern media equipment, central air conditioning-- some with shopping malls. He said that we are spending all of our money making ourselves comptfortable for Sunday service and not on what He has called us to do.

In my opinion, you are right. It is very cheap to spread the love of Christ to someone.

:D glad your back, sorry you had to go to a funeral.

more sorry about "hiring another worship leader".....

Jane

[molehills]

I've just had it with the building craze. When you start caring more about square footage than the people in the church something is so wrong. Why don't they start a daughter church if they've outgrown the facility? Why can't they remodel an existing building? Why do they have to have coffee bars and such?

I started to give up on a big church we really liked when they tried to raise funds for a new roof by sending home story books with the SS children about how Super Pastor was going to fix the roof--oh that and the pennies they put in the little giving banks they were all given! The emphasis was all on personal responsibility there was no emphasis on our dependance on God. I know there is a balance, but they never once asked God to provide the money. They just kept explaining it was everyone's responsibility to fix the roof.

:mad: I hate all this building craze. Why aren't we building people?

[jjc9497]

"I hate all this building craze. Why aren't we building people?"




Too much work--building a building is easier and not so messy.

[jane]

molehills,

I'm sorry I must've read you wrong....did you say a book about superpastor- who was going to repair a roof???

Did someone in your church write this book or is this one that can be purchased at the local bookstore?

Wow. I think I am speechless. :(

jane

[molehills]

It was a special book they had printed (4 color no less) for the SS kids with a superhero body with the pastor's head on it! What with that and the little church shaped penny banks and the decorative umbrellas all over the auditorium, I wonder how much they spent foolishly on this fundraising campaign. The book was a special creation written by a church member and published just for the roof campaign. What were they thinking? They weren't generally so out of it, but that was the beginning of me just feeling out of step with them. I keep thinking it's such a small thing to be bothered by, but it bothers me. Aren't we supposed to depend on God no matter how rich we are? Aren't we supposed to at least pretend that He supplies our needs?

[jane]

Aren't we supposed to at least pretend that He supplies our needs?


LOL

[jane]

Well, we could have used that book....our pastor announced one day that we were getting too lazy :eek: He said that he had More spiritual things that had to get done that we had to start building the new building.

Maybe a superpastor book about a pastor fixing the roof might help my old pastor get motivated into getting his hands dirty....

Jane

[Doug64]

Yes and Yes.

If pastor is such a super hero, he should build the building himself. Then the rest of you can give to the poor, the Red Cross or something.

Doug

[butterfly]

Welcome back joemama. :) butterfly

[Jerry]

Dear joemamma,,,
"I tell you this,,,,there is not one stone here resting upon another,,,that will not be thrown down" :D Oops,,,,guess they never read that part :rolleyes:
Love Jerry