Smell smoke in your Church?

[Overaged]

Yep, far too much emphasis on the apocalypse, monster show and not enough of doing what the book describes the saints as doing. "They follow the Lamb wherever He goes."

In about 10 days at the church where I go is starting a Revelation study group using study guides for the book "The Lamb Among the Beasts". The intent will be to stay focused on the Lamb throughout. This will be my 3rd time helping out with a study group taking this approach. I have an entirely new love of the book as a result. It's not a scare-fest anymore.

[Overaged]

It seems Adventists have also focused a fair bit on the dark sides of the books like Revelation rather than its main point of light.

This idea alone could make this a very HOT Thread Tom! A lady pastor who used to work at Walla Walla first put a very similar idea in my head, regarding the book of Revelation. I think her name was Diane Forsythe, but anyway she said quite a bit about how there were all these "little islands of praise" throughout all the hairy scary stuff, and she backed it up with the scripture references in a book she wrote on how to study the Bible. it was this very idea that you have captioned above which made me want to be an Adventist

[ClubV12]

Stan says,

"...where as non adventist would often go 4 times a day it they had a choice."

That very much reminds me of the evangelistic meetings I attended AND the follow up studies with an elder in the local church. I could not get enough!!!

[Naomi]

Quote:

In about 10 days at the church where I go is starting a Revelation study group using study guides for the book "The Lamb Among the Beasts". The intent will be to stay focused on the Lamb throughout. This will be my 3rd time helping out with a study group taking this approach. I have an entirely new love of the book as a result. It's not a scare-fest anymore.

Oh how I wish I could get my grandchildren to a study group like that. As preschoolers they went with my parents to a series of meetings that scared them so badly that they don't even want to walk into that particular building.

I think they now understand that is not what we are about ... but "train up a child ...."

[Tom Wetmore]

Yes, been there, done that. It was not until I had to cover the message whole book of Revelation in one session of about an hour and a half that I discovered it is about staying focused on the Lamb and following Him wherever He goes that the scare-fest was over. As I was fretting over how to cover its message in such a short time frame, I had an epiphany listening to Michael Card's Unveiled Hope that I realized it could be done in 40 minutes. That CD is the words of key passages of Revelation set to music from beginning to end only about 40 minutes. Michael Card captured the beauty of the message of hope Jesus has for us in that book. Once it is revealed there is nothing more to fear. It all ends well.

[skyblue888]

During my first year as an intern, I noticed this old man who would come to church from time to time. I also noticed how quiet he was and how nobody seemed to take an interest in him. He didn't smell very good and he walked all bent over staring at the floor. I decided to talk to him and before long I asked him if he would be interested in having Bible studies. He nodded and the following week we began Bible studies on the second floor of the church in the Pastor's office. I will never forget how the first times he kept falling asleep on me. But I would wait until he'd wake up and I would keep on going as if nothing happened. One day, the door opened and the Pastor in charge walked in. He didn't know I was studying with this old man. I had not yet told him. He didn't seem too happy about it. He took me aside and told me not to bother giving Bible studies to people who could not pay tithe. He told me that the Conference had told him that they would put a lock on the door of the church if we didn't bring more tithes.

I was shocked.

Later on, I began studying with a man in his thirties, a builder who smoked cigars during our studies. I never mentioned anything to him about his smoking. I studied with him for about a year at the end of which he told me he wanted to be baptized. By that time he had stopped smoking. The morning of the baptism, I was sitting in one of the pews when the Pastor in charge walked by. He bended over and whispered these words in my ear: "Big fish" with a big smile on his face!

sky

[Tom Wetmore]

If in your church, you can not smell smoke or alcohol on anyone, and other similar things, your Church is more than likely not doing a good job in reaching the community.

The last several Sabbaths I have noticed two different people smoking in the parking lot as they are leaving church. I'm glad they came and hope they keep coming back.

[Woody]

This is the thing-

There are those among us that 'think' we must be a 'pure' church. (Which is a laugh).

And they are the ones who would go and tell the smokers to leave and go elsewhere. YOu know - it might give the wrong impression to the community.

This is the same thing with the disfellowship issue. There are some who feel we have to keep the church books pure. Oh what garbage.

Them books will never be pure as long as I am on them.

[phkrause]

Interesting stories skyblue888, and so sad. I remember when growing up I'd always heard stories about, "we have to baptize as many as possible to get the numbers up." That always bothered me, I haven't heard that lately not sure if that is still something that's happening or not.

[Woody]

depends upon the conference pk

[Woody]

each conference is allowed to set their own 'tone'. They can ban whom they choose. OR bring in whom they choose.