If you don't mind, please include your age and country you live in.
Your response can be anonymous if you prefer.
Thanks!!!
L8r:
~faithful
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
A survey for the young American Christian (practicing & non-practicing)
If you don't mind, please include your age and country you live in.
Your response can be anonymous if you prefer.
Thanks!!!
L8r:
~faithful
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9 comments:
too many rules...
I would say becoming bored with the same routine of what is involved with 'church.' The pressure and manipulation that leadership can impose upon striving young people as if they were never young. There seems to be a lack of compassion and more condemnation in the church as if someone has a monopoly on God's forgiveness. Other than my personal feelings, I love being 'saved' and being a Christian. It's not easy all the time, but my determination and love for God is beginning to outweigh the desire to please my flesh. I keep in mind that the race is not given to the swift...I'm running at my pace, as long as I don't quit...I'm a winner!
The number one stumbling block is the fact that majority of us dont want to CHANGE,And we lack the ambition to learn the strategy to fight those sins that keep us bound. We rather use the excuses "its to hard!" or
"I cant do it".Then fight with the word of God which has deliverance and power. Some of us like myself sowed alot in sin so ive been exposed to many strong spirits.So my walk is going to require more than someone who hasnt sowed as much."It takes more than A Desire to live Holy it takes a lifestyle."
Seeing other people fall off that a "beginner" looked up to spiritually, feeling like people pass judgement upon you when they see you, people making you feel guilty for your sin like they never have instead of embracing you and encouraging you that GOD doesn't have respect of person and ALL things can be forgiven...or them making you feel like your sin was so much worse then theirs...when a sin is a sin which makes people feel like there's no chance for them, fakeness, seeing no change, a DEAD church, knowing who's talking about who behind the scene, feeliing overwhelmed, no guidance...
I was just thrilled that I'm still in the "young" category!! LOL
seriously, to your question: I think WHEN a person comes onto holiness, HOW, WHY, and WHERE are all relevant to how hard it is. I have lived most of the years listed as young being saved and I don't think I've ever just left God--I've had rocky periods where I decided I would just stand still, but not just go out and transgress everything I've been taught.
WHEN: for me, I was older, not raised in holiness, but called at a very young age (4) in a dream, so I had a deeper knowledge and revelation of God than most people in my family and church. I was hungry to know God and it was the revelation of a scripture ( Rom 5:6-8) that caused me to understand how previous the gift of salvation I had taken for granted was.
HOW: it was not an emotional, impulsive, pressured decision. I was taught how my lifestyle would have to change, my music, friends, etc. before I was allowed to take the step. And I had to understand that everytime I discovered something I was doing was against God, I had to make the same decision--this isn't a one shot deal it's daily living. When I began to witness I taught people as I was taught and all I helped teach remain with the Lord even today (how that blesses me!).
WHY: my how and why are similar, but although I wasn't raised in holiness, I believed God was real and I didn't/don't want to be separated from Him. So I had to declare sides.
WHERE: a strong church is important! People select schools, jobs, based on their merit. Churches should be no different. We are blessed to be where we are...hands down. I have seen so many people searching for God under leaders with zeal not according to knowledge, waffling and dying and being misled....
The challenge is raising children in the fear of the Lord and teaching them to love Him above all. I say achieving a balance where they understand that not participating in the world's buffet does not mean we don't have abundant life is important. We have so much more open to us than the world does but we must choose EVERY DAY who we are going to serve.
And I believe the word is right and if we train children right when they are old they won't depart--whether that child is 2, 20, 50 or other.
The thing about it faithe is that the world is tired of church, the world is tired of religion, the world is tired of the game thats being played with religion. Atleast Gods called are. Christianity has it's challenges, but the truth of the matter is the leaders of the church ( not due to their own doing but the burden placed on them by people) are forced to uphold a disgusting standard and image of perfection that cant be upheld. This is one thing that pushes people away from the church and causes them to just live a holy and acceptable life-style.
- on top of that there's the feel good about yourself preachers. Alot of people look at church now as a therapy spot.
step
1. go in
2. sit down
3. think back
4. shout,
5. release
6. leave.
i mean this is not what the house of God was meant to be, the church is not meant to be a glorified shrink.
- on TOP OF THAT lol
The people of God are afraid to be the people of God because of fears instilled into them by the world, and by the church.their afraid to help the homeless, because of fear of being robbed, their afraid to help those in projects, and stuck on welfare, their afraid to talk to drug dealers, they've been injected with so much fear that the only resolution we have is to sit in our box week after week, shouting, it out. and at the end of service, take a peek out the lid to see if anybody saw us and wants to come in and play too....lol kind-of reminds me of that episode of sponge-bob where he and patrick were playing inside a box using there " imaginattioon" inside the box everything was fine and glorious, but the perception from the outside is WHATS GOING ON IN THERE" ... NO BODY WAS INTERESTED in getting in the box, the box was shaking, and moving, bcz patrick and sponge-bob were causing it to do all types of stuff using their imaginations but at the end of the day what they saw as real was only real in their little box.
The church has got to get out of it's weekly box, and stop using it's imagination inside of this box hoping that everybody in the world is feeling the same way about it's little world. and begin getting out there and getting it's hands dirty.
TIME IS OUT FOR USING OUR IMAGINATTTIONNS... IT'S TIME TO BE THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST ...even forget the church
-Ecclesia
lets be the people of God and change the world ...
so ......theres ur stone cold answer
I LOVE YOU FAITHE''''
@Anonymous #4: i LOVE your Spongebob story. LOL That ties in perfectly to how church-folk do. Wow. Thanks for your input. Very helpful.
In fact, I am loving everybody's feedback. This is helping me a great deal. Thanks for taking the time to share your insight! :D
Love yall!
Niecy, I don't even remeber when I was in this age group! Are you messing with me by sending me this email?????
I think it is the idea of what Christianity represents for youth. When the Body of Christ, made its triumphant mark in the earth, it was purely about Christ and His power to change and transform this sinful nature that we are complexed by. Salvation means sacrifice. Unfortunately, in this day and age, sacrifice has negative connotations. That is to say, the messages in society and resounding in the atmosphere are in the words of Rhinna's song, Just live your life. Ultimately, it is about self and pleasing self. Although, I must say, on-the-other-hand, most youths are turned away because the church as presented has lost its salt; its flavor--effect! I say the church as it is presented because I believe that the true church could never lose its flavor. But the true church isn't what is popular. It is as if the church is hidden: diamonds in a haystack. To say the least, those that are apart of the Body of Christ,both young and old, need to compel them to come.... It is an urgent hour. And as a young person, who received Christ at the age of 17, I can attest that it is all about the Love, power of God, and purity of His Word that persuaded me to serve Him.
KEMERLIN
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