For those who want to know...RULES at my church!

[JaneEyre]

Originally Posted by Jekyll:
How thick of a line is there between honoring, submitting to and pretty much obeying a pastor vs. the rules that were stated in the beginning post?
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Here is a very simple way that I look at this now:

If the rules follow what is Biblical, then they are pleasing to God - Follow them.

If the rules are extra-Biblical, then they may or may not be pleasing to God...Beware.

When rules get to the point that they are harmful to self and others, that's when it's time to draw the line.

All of the isolationism (only meeting with a certain number of people from the church on certain days and having to be the object of so much regulation as far as houses, jobs, clothing, etc., etc.) is not healthy.

God wants the Church to be a healthy body - not a battered and bruised one. He doesn't beat and bruise us to get us into shape. His Word is there for us to learn and His Spirit is there to guide us.... I've often wondered if some preachers would have been happier living in a different era - the time when Bibles were not available to the common person. In some churches, it's almost as though "the Priest" or "the Pastor" is the only who who can read and INTERPRET. God gave us a High Priest and He can be touched by the feelings of our infimities. He wants us to be healthy. He gave us His Word. We need preachers, but we don't need dictators.