Well, I'm glad you're pleased, but our goal is to be pleasing to GOD.
You are apart of the UPC, and you love the UPC. Since we are on the topic, do you see or sense anything in your congregation that is attempting to get back to NT, apostolic Christianity? What strides is the UPC making to accomplish the goal of being that Glorious Church?
Let's study it out- let's take our different views, and see if we can't come to a unity on them. Some consider me an idealist, to where I believe Apostolics can come to a unity of the faith in anything, if they (and let the Holy Ghost)work at it. There is no reason why we have to be divided like the Protestants, with one brother being UPC, another ALJC and another indep.
GOD BLESS!
Bro. Alex
Can't someone say something nice to you without you picking what they said apart? Ugh!
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Isaiah 53:5: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."(KJV)
"God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves." Dwight L. Moody
Can't someone say something nice to you without you picking what they said apart? Ugh!
Brother, I could be wrong, but I sensed a spirit in your response to me. I put out a sentence about what I felt was coming from you, but then I wanted to discuss the state of the church and Scripture. You responded to the first sentence and left out the rest of my post, which shows where your main focus was.
Now, I could respond, "Thank you for being pleased with the state of the assembly I attend (although you have never been there, you can only go by my report)."
But I don't want to focus on one sentence from one of your posts and one sentence from mine. Let's discuss what we see in the church, in light of Scripture.
Well, the ark was a type of the church in the OT, and if the ark sunk, then the people in the ark were going down with it. Also, GOD is coming for a Church- not for however many million individuals. These million individuals must be in one vehicle (the Church) to be saved. My assembly of 70 or so, is part of GOD's church, a family who worships together due to the lack of an apostolic assembly is part of GOD's church. GOD's church is all over the world in pockets and places we may not expect it to be. I am not saying the UPC is out of GOD's Church, but it has a different structure than the Bible permits it to have. Might this be as the servant who knew the masters will, did it not, and was beaten with many stripes? Might a UPC church member who knows no better be the servant who didn't know HIS will and was beaten with few stripes? I don't want the LORD to have to beat or judge me. I want to be careful, I want to judge myself, and thereby spare GOD's judgement on me, and I want my assembly to do the Master's will, so that we can prevent the beating with the stripes. It seems some see the error they are in, and they figure- "GREAT, well, at least I'm saved, and I may be a bit out of order, but I'll still make it to Heaven, and just get have to go through a quick rebuking of JESUS, but that's a whole lot easier than changing things from how they've always been."
GOD BLESS!
Bro. Alex
Brother,
You apparently have some views that I don't share; however, I won't enter into a debate over those views. There have been more than a few on this forum who have engaged you in such discussions to no avail.
I attend a UPC church because that was where God lead me after much prayer. I trust that you could respect that decision.
God bless you,
CB1
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Isaiah 53:5: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."(KJV)
"God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves." Dwight L. Moody
You apparently have some views that I don't share; however, I won't enter into a debate over those views. There have been more than a few on this forum who have engaged you in such discussions to no avail.
I attend a UPC church because that was where God lead me after much prayer. I trust that you could respect that decision.
God bless you,
CB1
Brother, it's not about debating, it's about iron sharpening iron. As for views we don't share, that's where we have oppurtunity to discuss and see why we don't share the same views, and if there can be a way for us all to speak the same thing.
The UPC with the pastors who sit up high in throne chairs, along with district superintendents and the General Superintendent, are not the way the 1st century Apostolic church looked. The hierarchial model is priest worship all over again (the roots of the word hierarchy in Greek or Latin mean "priest worship"). The term senior pastor, is akin to Chief Shepard, or the Greek word archepoimen, which is used only once in reference to JESUS in 1 Peter 5:4, all the other ministers are "poimen."
GOD BLESS!
Bro. Alex
You still haven't shown me where God detests the UPCI, or church organizations in general.
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I've gone and done it now! I'm on Facebook!!!
You still haven't shown me where God detests the UPCI, or church organizations in general.
The following is written in love. The questions asked in consecutive order can be read like an interrogation- this is not my intent.
Would you like Scripture that says, "The LORD detests the United Pentecostal Church International, that will be formed in 1945"? Well, that's not there, but the fact that the structure and pattern contradicts the Word of GOD, we see the problem laid out before us.
Can you tell me where GOD authorizes the appointment of General Superintendents? District boards? A denomination of HIS Church, modelled in ways similar to Protestant denominations?
The following is written in love. The questions asked in consecutive order can be read like an interrogation- this is not my intent.
Would you like Scripture that says, "The LORD detests the United Pentecostal Church International, that will be formed in 1945"? Well, that's not there, but the fact that the structure and pattern contradicts the Word of GOD, we see the problem laid out before us.
Can you tell me where GOD authorizes the appointment of General Superintendents? District boards? A denomination of HIS Church, modelled in ways similar to Protestant denominations?
GOD BLESS!
Bro. Alex
Did God authorize you to drive a car, or shouldn't you be traveling on foot or on donkeys like Jesus and his disciples did?
Just because there isn't scripture saying we CAN, you can't claim that we CAN'T unless you have scripture that says we can't. I don't see any such scripture.
BTW, if you aren't Catholic, you are Protestant.
And I don't see denominations mentioned in scripture, do you? God has a church, not a denomination.
You said God detests the UPCI. You still haven't shown that to be a true statement.
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I've gone and done it now! I'm on Facebook!!!
Did God authorize you to drive a car, or shouldn't you be traveling on foot or on donkeys like Jesus and his disciples did?
Just because there isn't scripture saying we CAN, you can't claim that we CAN'T unless you have scripture that says we can't. I don't see any such scripture.
BTW, if you aren't Catholic, you are Protestant.
And I don't see denominations mentioned in scripture, do you? God has a church, not a denomination.
You said God detests the UPCI. You still haven't shown that to be a true statement.
Travelling in a car does not affect the running of GOD's Church. They also drove in chariots in JESUS' day, and they had boats, ect... Flying in an airplane rejects nothing in Scripture, neither does it add to any Scriptural mandate.
Appointing General Superintendants and other such offices that are not authorized in Scripture and is wrong. Also, if GOD does not have a denomination, as you say, then would it be reasonable to say a denomination is not HIS? A demoninational system is not authorized by HIM? ect... A denomination puts man at the head. The UPC works through elections and other such things? Where do we see this in Scripture? The UPC sets standards that bind and that hinder fellowship. The UPC also charges a fee for liscensing it's ministers, where do we see this in Scripture? Where did the apostles align themselves along denominational lines? Can the structure of a thing, affect the working of the thing? Can a car being built some according to the pattern, and some deviant from the pattern, make the car different? Yes, and it will run different, and it will be different. Not the best example, but it's late.
Man, I have been missing this one! Too bad I am too tired to read all the posts right now, to see how we got where it is now. Guess it's gonna have to wait until tomorrow.
Too bad I am too tired to read all the posts right now, to see how we got where it is now. Guess it's gonna have to wait until tomorrow.
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