Post by TheArchDuke on Jun 5, 2005 18:57:37 GMT -5
I'm not sure this is in the right section of the forums so feel free to move it around. I wrote this in a different community i'm a part of:
I've heard a lot of Christians, some of them my close friends whom I won't name, say things like, "This church or that one makes me feel uncomfortable when I attend. They make me feel like a bad person" and so on. That's called conviction by the Holy Spirit my friend. And that is a good thing. You can go to a comfortable church if you want and drink coffee while the pastor tells you how good you all are, but I'm telling you right now, that's not the message of Christ. You can attend those churches if you want, but what will you ever learn besides a few witty retorts to use in creation vs. evolution debates? The purpose of learning is to recieve new insight about yourself or the world that you can utilize in someway and make a change for the better. If the teachings at your church don't convict you then you're either perfect, or the church you attend isn't saying the right things. Conviction is good. It causes you to realize your mistakes and to change for the better. A guilty feeling is bad, but that's another discussion. Your pastor shouldn't be making you feel like a good person because you're not; no one is. Of course, after conviction comes comfort from the Holy Spirit Himself. And along with that comes the strength to change. Then comes the next conviction, correction and comfort over and over until we are with Christ in paradise; perfected, glorified.
I've heard a lot of Christians, some of them my close friends whom I won't name, say things like, "This church or that one makes me feel uncomfortable when I attend. They make me feel like a bad person" and so on. That's called conviction by the Holy Spirit my friend. And that is a good thing. You can go to a comfortable church if you want and drink coffee while the pastor tells you how good you all are, but I'm telling you right now, that's not the message of Christ. You can attend those churches if you want, but what will you ever learn besides a few witty retorts to use in creation vs. evolution debates? The purpose of learning is to recieve new insight about yourself or the world that you can utilize in someway and make a change for the better. If the teachings at your church don't convict you then you're either perfect, or the church you attend isn't saying the right things. Conviction is good. It causes you to realize your mistakes and to change for the better. A guilty feeling is bad, but that's another discussion. Your pastor shouldn't be making you feel like a good person because you're not; no one is. Of course, after conviction comes comfort from the Holy Spirit Himself. And along with that comes the strength to change. Then comes the next conviction, correction and comfort over and over until we are with Christ in paradise; perfected, glorified.