Honestly? I feel when we started to injest the world's ideas about suffering. It makes sense that if you only believe in the flesh-based existence, that suffering would be an anathma to be avoided at all costs and humans are terrible at estimating long-term risks when there's a short-term risk to distract them; earthly suffering seems like a more short-term risk while salvation is a long-term gain. I've been really wrestling with this idea of how we characterize and burden with an enormous amount of importance the idea of suffering and its avoidance - just as the world does - while I become more and more convinced that that's not the point, it is REALLY difficult to expound the idea that suffering is not important without sounding like a heartless monster. I've been busy trying to formulate my ideas while trying not to sound like a complete sadist, but I'm just not putting the pieces together. But I feel like sacrilizing the idea of avoiding suffering is a huge part of this
I think that the Western world has been separated far to long from the faith of the Apostles but more and more people are looking into what the Ancient Fathers taught and thought even before the Bible was put together
We started walking away when the first so-called disciples walked away from Jesus. But as a culture, during the time of Constantine. In our country, probably in the 2nd or 3rd generation after its founding. Real, serious Christianity can’t be passed down from one generation to the next; it has to be a brand new experience for each individual, and each individual must make the decision to give his or her life to Christ or walk away. God doesn’t have grandchildren.
I wouldn’t say the 12 walked away from Christ. Not at all! Thousands upon thousands have died for the faith and to continue the spread of Truth even before the Bible as we know it came into existence. Certainly the culture did change with Constantine and we know that faith is personal relationship but without partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ or receiving the Holy Sacrament of Baptism and participating in the work (Liturgy) of the Church we are at a disadvantage
Things drastically changed when the dispensations were given and we started following the fake pretrib doctrine and the once saved always saved. Nobody has clue at this point what walking with the LORD actually looks like and we've been lulled asleep by the darkone and his minions. We are the church of the Laodiceans but our arrogance has us believing we're the church of Smyrna and Philadelphia. What a sad time for the body of Christ. When the Lord does come back...what an absolutely mess it will be for the ones that bought their "spiritual indulgences" and believed the man behind the pulpit.
The Catholic Church did make some grave errors and the Great Schism of 1054 caused a rift that left the Body of Christ as preached and defended by the original disciples and their followers, pretty much unknown to the West. But the Eastern Orthodox Church as it is now called has continued strong and growing. Saints such as St Maximos the Confessor, St Basil, St Gregory Palamas etc etc and their writings are now available online and people are discovering anew that we serve a Living God
I won't speak to the historical Church, but I will address something that stands at the core of the rot that can infect the modern Church in America and Canada (where I live).
Many churches today are molded and shaped by the dictates of the state as legal bodies, or chartible organizations, that conform to specific frameworks that are not of God. Because of this, we end up with situations where legalities of state trump the practices of a body of true believers.
The early church met in homes, broke bread together and based their leadership and their structure on biblical truth, not on state-directed regulations. Operating like a corporation ends up leaving many places where we are treating our pastors, brothers, and sisters like an HR department. This is a far cry from the standard that God sets for us in mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation. As much as we need to address sin, we also need to have space to heal our brokenness and afford our people the opportunity to begin the journey to a renewed heart in community without the fear of legal issues and have our walk as a body stunted by the fear and hardness of heart that this engenders.
I pray that we, as the big "C" Church will bridge the gap that has been created where the enemy can divide us.
One word- antinomianism. It’s running rampant in the church since the 1900’s. Modernism has deteriorated the original faith since man thinks he is so much more “enlightened” than the forefathers. This is proof that man is devolving and that evolution is clearly false which is visible to the naked eye just within my lifetime. Most churches teach that nobody really needs a savior or certainly not the blood of Christ. The few that do give the impression that it’s only for a moment in time then you’re free to return to the land of living like the rest of the world. Repentance isn’t a life changing event anymore but just a nod of the head. A quick prayer then move on…baptism isn’t seen as a life changing event either, the symbolism is lost in the idea that life change isn’t a part of salvation but rather just a moment in time then on to the next thing. But the ones with ears to hear know that the Bible says otherwise-”From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.“
Honestly? I feel when we started to injest the world's ideas about suffering. It makes sense that if you only believe in the flesh-based existence, that suffering would be an anathma to be avoided at all costs and humans are terrible at estimating long-term risks when there's a short-term risk to distract them; earthly suffering seems like a more short-term risk while salvation is a long-term gain. I've been really wrestling with this idea of how we characterize and burden with an enormous amount of importance the idea of suffering and its avoidance - just as the world does - while I become more and more convinced that that's not the point, it is REALLY difficult to expound the idea that suffering is not important without sounding like a heartless monster. I've been busy trying to formulate my ideas while trying not to sound like a complete sadist, but I'm just not putting the pieces together. But I feel like sacrilizing the idea of avoiding suffering is a huge part of this
I think that the Western world has been separated far to long from the faith of the Apostles but more and more people are looking into what the Ancient Fathers taught and thought even before the Bible was put together
We started walking away when the first so-called disciples walked away from Jesus. But as a culture, during the time of Constantine. In our country, probably in the 2nd or 3rd generation after its founding. Real, serious Christianity can’t be passed down from one generation to the next; it has to be a brand new experience for each individual, and each individual must make the decision to give his or her life to Christ or walk away. God doesn’t have grandchildren.
I wouldn’t say the 12 walked away from Christ. Not at all! Thousands upon thousands have died for the faith and to continue the spread of Truth even before the Bible as we know it came into existence. Certainly the culture did change with Constantine and we know that faith is personal relationship but without partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ or receiving the Holy Sacrament of Baptism and participating in the work (Liturgy) of the Church we are at a disadvantage
Things drastically changed when the dispensations were given and we started following the fake pretrib doctrine and the once saved always saved. Nobody has clue at this point what walking with the LORD actually looks like and we've been lulled asleep by the darkone and his minions. We are the church of the Laodiceans but our arrogance has us believing we're the church of Smyrna and Philadelphia. What a sad time for the body of Christ. When the Lord does come back...what an absolutely mess it will be for the ones that bought their "spiritual indulgences" and believed the man behind the pulpit.
The Catholic Church did make some grave errors and the Great Schism of 1054 caused a rift that left the Body of Christ as preached and defended by the original disciples and their followers, pretty much unknown to the West. But the Eastern Orthodox Church as it is now called has continued strong and growing. Saints such as St Maximos the Confessor, St Basil, St Gregory Palamas etc etc and their writings are now available online and people are discovering anew that we serve a Living God
I won't speak to the historical Church, but I will address something that stands at the core of the rot that can infect the modern Church in America and Canada (where I live).
Many churches today are molded and shaped by the dictates of the state as legal bodies, or chartible organizations, that conform to specific frameworks that are not of God. Because of this, we end up with situations where legalities of state trump the practices of a body of true believers.
The early church met in homes, broke bread together and based their leadership and their structure on biblical truth, not on state-directed regulations. Operating like a corporation ends up leaving many places where we are treating our pastors, brothers, and sisters like an HR department. This is a far cry from the standard that God sets for us in mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation. As much as we need to address sin, we also need to have space to heal our brokenness and afford our people the opportunity to begin the journey to a renewed heart in community without the fear of legal issues and have our walk as a body stunted by the fear and hardness of heart that this engenders.
I pray that we, as the big "C" Church will bridge the gap that has been created where the enemy can divide us.
One word- antinomianism. It’s running rampant in the church since the 1900’s. Modernism has deteriorated the original faith since man thinks he is so much more “enlightened” than the forefathers. This is proof that man is devolving and that evolution is clearly false which is visible to the naked eye just within my lifetime. Most churches teach that nobody really needs a savior or certainly not the blood of Christ. The few that do give the impression that it’s only for a moment in time then you’re free to return to the land of living like the rest of the world. Repentance isn’t a life changing event anymore but just a nod of the head. A quick prayer then move on…baptism isn’t seen as a life changing event either, the symbolism is lost in the idea that life change isn’t a part of salvation but rather just a moment in time then on to the next thing. But the ones with ears to hear know that the Bible says otherwise-”From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.“
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV