Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
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La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.
Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.
Manna Minutes en español:
Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.
Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:
Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.
Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
Church Pastors Against Home Bible Studies
Thousands of church pastors across the United States have lost, and continue to loose members. The majority of the people left in their congregations are the elderly, children, teens, and young college students. Among the many reasons for this is failure to feed the flock through the teaching of ALL of the word of God. Consequently, many people, finding no answers for legitimate questions or to real-life problems, simply seek out church pastors no more.
Home Bible Studies for Spiritual Growth
In response to this problem, some truly Christian members of churches have decided to offer home Bible studies to deal with issues that are not being dealt with by their leaders or other church pastors. Sounds like a good idea? Not to most leaders of congregations who have actually forbidden their members to conduct prayer or home Bible studies outside of the church building. Why?
The following are some of the reasons given by church pastors:
1. Incorrect teachings might go forth.
2. Lay members are secretly trying to start a church.
3. All spiritual instructions should be taken from the pastor and the people that he or she has appointed to teach within the church.
Let's take a very brief look at these reasons and how they line up-- or not, with biblical scripture. First, how many incorrect teachings have gone forth from church pastors of virtually every denomination? Many. The church of God in Christ (COGIC) once taught against women wearing shoes that exposed their toes and heals, skirts that were too long, yes we said too long, not too short, and so many other things. One pastor even severely punished his son for playing marbles, thinking that the scriptures had forbidden a perfectly innocent game. The list could go on and on. Obviously, many church pastors have preached erroneous things directly from the pulpit.
Conducting home Bible studies automatically translates into trying to secretly start a church? A Bible study and a church are two different things. And, just because people want to learn the things of God's word that are not being taught by church pastors, often because they don't have answers, does not mean that they want to start a church. And, even is such were the case, what evil is there in starting a church if they are a true believer in Jesus and willing to become ordained?
There's something terribly wrong when church pastors are threatened by home Bible studies. There are a multitude of lost souls in the world. If Christians were doing battle for their salvation, the churches would be full, no matter how many sprung up.
All spiritual instruction should come from church pastors and the teachers that he or she has appointed? Again, erroneous teachings have gone forth from the pulpit from pastors, ministers, elders, deacons, evangelists, and those who refer to themselves as apostles. Nevertheless, the members of their congregations continue to blindly follow whatever they say, preach, and teach, allowing their church pastors to lord over them.
Peter told the leaders of the church, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre (monetary gain), but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:2-3).
The teaching of erroneous things has taken place because so many church pastors failed to diligently study God's word which is why they have so few answers. They are not feeding the flock. Erroneous teachings have also been fueled by a desire to put unnecessary burdens on the flock, to control them instead of encouraging the people to submit to the control of Christ, the true Pastor of the church.
To say that all spiritual teachings must come from church pastors, leaders or ordained people is in sharp disagreement with the word of God. The Lord said that He is our teacher. His Spirit deals directly with each and everyone of His servants. We read, "And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me from the least to the greatest" (Hebrews 9:11).
Of course, this does not mean that He does not use the many wonderful, godly men and women whom He truly called to be pastors. However, the believer should never ever forget that the word of God tells each and every individual to diligently study the scriptures. Absolutely no restrictions are placed on where that study should be conducted or by whom.
If the Lord has truly called you to conduct home Bible studies, will you hear His voice or the voice of church pastors who forbid you?
Recommended Related Reading:
Hearing God's Calling for Christian Ministry
Christian Ministry Born from the Voice of God
Are Ordained Ministers Prepared for Christian Ministry?
The Voice of God Is Heard by the True Servant of God
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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