Your Turn: "Mistakes Backsliders Make"

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by Rhoni

Dizzyde;

Thinking about what you said and I have to agree: When I let go of the illusion that I was perfect and had no reputation to live up to...I was then free to focus on relationship with God and am less concerned with appearances and living up to a standard that I never truly measured up to anyway.

Vanity of vanities saith the preacher, all is vanity.

As much as I regret some past decisons in my life; I am more fully aware of how they have helped me to be able to separate the facade from the real in my life and that of others.

All that the devil meant to destroy me...has only made me stronger and enabled me to fight back and give the devil a black eye on many occasions.

Great post Dizzyde

Blessings, Rhoni

Rhoni, after reading what you have posted, I think you would be suprised at how many things we have in common. I would be more open about my situtation, but I am attempting to protect other people, not myself. Needless to say, I have a lot of empathy for you.

Something you might be able to glean from:

http://www.prodigalvoice.org

Also something else you might be able to use or glean from.

Originally Posted by dizzyde

Rhoni, after reading what you have posted, I think you would be suprised at how many things we have in common. I would be more open about my situtation, but I am attempting to protect other people, not myself. Needless to say, I have a lot of empathy for you.

DizzyDe,

how did the concert go? I trust it was anointed and blessed!

You might want to download the syllabus I attached to my last post. I think you will find it interesting. We have a tremendous amount in common as well.

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by dizzyde

This a little bit of a thread-jacking but I thought of this when I was reading these posts. We have a little bit of a strange phenomenon going on right now at our church.

We have had a surge of people praying through who are the boyfriends and girlfriends of back-sliders. The backsliders aren't coming in, They don't want anything to do with it, just their partners.

It is just amazing to watch because these people don't want anything to do with church, and now the people that they are dating are coming to church and getting baptised and recieving the Holy Ghost! I've never seen anything like it.

Dizzyde,

On the way to church this morning my mother and I talked about this very thing. Three of my sisters left the church for a time related to past hurts and church abuse and all three re-married men that were as far from Pentecost as you could get. One not raised in or around religiousity at all and two raised Catholic. They wanted as far away from Apostolic men as they could get.

Needless to say, one of my Catholic Brothers-in-law received the Holy Ghost at a four-square church was baptized in Jesus name while they were visiting me in Tampa, and now go to an Apostolic church here in Mesquite.

The other Catholic brother-in-law has been attending an Apostolic church in Cleveland, Ohio with my sister and goes golfing with the Pastor and it is only a matter of time before this Catholic boy is filled with the Holy Ghost.

The other brother-in-law who had no raising in church went to one with my sister and while visiting got the Holy Ghost at an Apostolic church.

Try as they may...they just can't get away from my mother's prayers which God has pulled out of His bag just as they were needed.

Blessings, Rhoni

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by philjones

Something you might be able to glean from:

http://www.prodigalvoice.org

Also something else you might be able to use or glean from.

Bro. Jones, I just briefly looked at the web-site, I'm impressed! I'm going back to spend more time on there, looks like some good stuff!

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by philjones

DizzyDe,

how did the concert go? I trust it was anointed and blessed!

You might want to download the syllabus I attached to my last post. I think you will find it interesting. We have a tremendous amount in common as well.

The concert was amazing, there was so much talent there, and it was a really good mix of groups. The girls were the final act, and they really were used of God. They went right into a altar call, and my daughter wound up praying with a woman that was there by chance. She had lost her son a few weeks prior, and my daughter got her hooked in with the host church. It was a great night!

Originally Posted by dizzyde

The concert was amazing, there was so much talent there, and it was a really good mix of groups. The girls were the final act, and they really were used of God. They went right into a altar call, and my daughter wound up praying with a woman that was there by chance. She had lost her son a few weeks prior, and my daughter got her hooked in with the host church. It was a great night!

Thanks for the good report!

The number one ability God is looking for is AVAILability! Thank the Lord for your daughter and her group who make themselves available to the service of the Kingdom!

[Bro-Larry]

Originally Posted by Rhoni

Dizzyde,

On the way to church this morning my mother and I talked about this very thing. Three of my sisters left the church for a time related to past hurts and church abuse and all three re-married men that were as far from Pentecost as you could get. One not raised in or around religiousity at all and two raised Catholic. They wanted as far away from Apostolic men as they could get.

Needless to say, one of my Catholic Brothers-in-law received the Holy Ghost at a four-square church was baptized in Jesus name while they were visiting me in Tampa, and now go to an Apostolic church here in Mesquite.

The other Catholic brother-in-law has been attending an Apostolic church in Cleveland, Ohio with my sister and goes golfing with the Pastor and it is only a matter of time before this Catholic boy is filled with the Holy Ghost.

The other brother-in-law who had no raising in church went to one with my sister and while visiting got the Holy Ghost at an Apostolic church.

Try as they may...they just can't get away from my mother's prayers which God has pulled out of His bag just as they were needed.

Blessings, Rhoni

Roni, There's also a young lady who dated Ginger's son, has recently come and received the HG. She is so excited about Jesus and growing in Grace.

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by big-larry

Roni, There's also a young lady who dated Ginger's son, has recently come and received the HG. She is so excited about Jesus and growing in Grace.

Is that the girl on the front row that I prayed with and helped get baptized? The cute little blond?

[JaneEyre]

Sis. Falla39 posted a link to this family's music on another thread. I thought I'd check them out and I am glad I did.

Here is a link to "We Still Believe" CD. Scroll down and click on "The Blood of Jesus"...This song made me think of this link so I came here to share it.

http://www.thecollingsworthfamily.com/music.shtml

It's Southern Gospel so I know it's not everyone's favorite.

Originally Posted by Steadfast

Okay, folks... I'm doing something I don't guess I've ever done before. I'm generally VERY meticulate about my messages whether they be preaching or teaching. I've been moved in my spirit several times in the past and now intend to teach on my Sunday Morning Services for a while on this subject: "Mistakes Backsliders Make"

I've never done it before but I'm going to put it out here and let some of you help me preach for the next few weeks. Here's the general layout:

• I do believe it's possible to backslide and be lost.
• I've seen people backslide from the beginning of my walk with God.
• I've noticed that some come back in and do fine but many - perhaps even the majority - never quite make it after coming back to God.

I'm not interested in making this a standards debate (yes, I preach spiritual disciplines to my people) and I'm not interested in debating the essentials of the New Birth (I believe in repentance, water baptism in Jesus Name and receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues). What I'm looking for are the observations that YOU have made as to why some backsliders never quite 'make it back' spiritually.

Okay... here's the list of what I'm looking at just to give you a pattern to follow:

MISTAKES BACKSLIDERS MAKE...

1. You can't 'ease' back into the Church. (Most backsliders know too much to do it halfheartedly)

2. You can't expect to feel like you did the first time. (Just as a 'first kiss' doesn't always feel like a 'first kiss' you can be assured that once you know God intimately some things won't exactly feel like they used to... you operate on knowledge and relationship instead of infatuation and response.)

3. Trying to maintain 'carnal' loyalties generally doens't work. (Living for God means sometimes separating from certain carnal influences that drag you back down.)

4. It's a mistake to just 'seek to be saved' instead of striving to find fulfillment in God. (Spiritual 'fire escapes' never quite have the foundation that a solid relationship with God produces.)


YOUR TURN... some of you who have backslidden and came back sucessfully should have some great answers!