As they say, Kathy, Been there; done that.

Phil.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathy Du Bois" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 1:02 PM
Subject: Re: Right Church


> Boy Phil,
> I hear what you are saying here and, I do agree with it, but you have to
> admit that there are those who leave the church who accuse you of
> harassment when you try to connect with them and discuss why they are no
> longer attending.  Often, the fear of rejection makes it a little touchy
as
> to when you should call and when you should let things be.  So far, Greg
> always tries to connect, but there have been those times when the
reception
> has been very nasty and the people weren't even interested in clearing up
> misunderstandings.  That is painful.
> Kathy
>
>
> At 12:18 AM 1/23/2005, you wrote:
> >Finding a church is always a problem.  It seems to have become even more
> >difficult than ever before.  I know how hard and difficult this is from
> >personal experience.  So I was meditating about this situation the church
> >finds itself in these days.  How do you know if you are in the right
church
> >or not?  How can you find the church the Lord wants you to be in?  Jesus
> >answers this question pretty well.  In Luke's Gospel, Chapter 15, verses
3
> >through 6, Jesus uses an owner of sheep as an example.  He explains that
> >there is one man, who owns a hundred sheep.  Upon discovering one was
> >missing, he left the 99 sheep and went out looking for the one lost
sheep.
> >Upon finding the lost sheep, Jesus says, the man rejoiced.  Have you ever
> >had a pastor, that was so dedicated, that if you left his church, he
would
> >come and find you and encourage you to return?  I have known a couple of
> >pastors, shepherds, who would do exactly that if someone left their
church.
> >I personally had one pastor that was of this nature.  Otherwise, of my
> >nearly 48 years of walking with the Lord, having many pastors over nearly
5
> >decades, I personally only have one Christian friend, with whom I have
made
> >an agreement, that if either of us ever walk away from the Lord, either
due
> >to sin or lack of desire or confusion or whatever the reason, we have
agree
> >to come after the one who has walked away and do everything in our power
to
> >bring that one back.  We are just Christian brothers and we have
literally
> >been there for each other more than once when the wheels have come off
our
> >relationship with the Lord or when we have face spiritual heartache.
> >
> >I left a large church once that averaged, one summer, 1800 people every
> >Sunday during all three months of that summer.  I ended up becoming the
> >youngest deacon, at age twenty-one, that church ever allowed to serve as
a
> >board member.  I preached several times on Wednesdays and during chapel
> >services in their 1000 student Christian school and spoke in Bible
> >conferences there.  I was supported by that church financially as a guest
> >speaker when I traveled for several years and spoke in churches.  My
oldest
> >sister taught in their kindergarten for 26 years.  All three of my
children
> >attended the Christian school operated by the church.  When I left, with
my
> >family, in January of 1986 to join a Charismatic church for the first
time,
> >I wrote the pastor a 9 page letter.  I gave him my testimony of how the
Lord
> >had been leading me in the past 4 years and how that had led up to my
> >decision to leave the church to join a Charismatic church.  He answered
my
> >letter and basically said I was theologically and doctrinally wrong but
he
> >wished me the best.  He never called me.  He never came to see me, even
> >though we literally live across the street from the church.  In his
letter,
> >he never tried to get me to think again.  He never asked if I would go
out
> >to lunch with him and talk about what had occurred in my life and why I
was
> >leaving.  Six months after we had left, two men, both deacons from the
> >church, knocked on my door one evening.  I was home alone, for some
reason,
> >so I invited them in.  I wondered if they were there because we had left.
> >They talked with me for over a half an hour but nothing was ever said
except
> >that they hadn't seen me much lately.  They never asked if I was going
> >elsewhere or if I had any problems or needs of any kind.  It appeared
they
> >did not even know I had left the church and become a Charismatic.  This
same
> >church, by the way, allowed my three children to remain in their
Christian
> >school.  When the school board voted on scholarships?  My children were
> >passed over because, we were told, we were Charismatics now.  This same
> >church stopped doing business with me, I ran their entire tape ministry
for
> >many years, because, they said, I was a Charismatic now.
> >
> >So this is my personal opinion.  It isn't Gospel.  It isn't even really
> >doctrine, although I have already told you what Jesus said about the
> >shepherd and his concern for just one lost sheep.  By the way, these were
> >100 sheep and not 100 goats.  Sheep are depicted in Scripture as
Christians,
> >and goats as those without Christ.  So, again, this is my personal
opinion
> >so take it for what it is worth.  If you are in a church with a pastor
who
> >would not care if you left, wouldn't come to at least discuss it with you
in
> >person, forget this telephone call garbage, and didn't care enough to try
> >and get you to return, you may have a pastor but you don't have a
shepherd
> >for a pastor.  He may be called but not to pastor/shepherd sheep, and you
> >won't be ministered to when you need it the most.  In short, you don't
> >count.  Cynicism or truth?
> >
> >I was recently accused of being a cynical Christian and that if I didn't
> >change my ways, he warned, some people might take me wrong.  After days
and
> >weeks, and now months, of reflection, meditation, and prayer concerning
this
> >man's comments to me, I came to the conclusion, but what if I am right an
d
> >they are wrong?
> >
> >Phil.