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Showing posts from August, 2012

Going to church

     As many of you know, I have been struggling with my relationship with the church.  I want to have a connection with God's people.  I also want to have a strong relationship with God and to feel his presence in church.  The problem is, that often I don't feel His presence there.  Often I come out of the service just as tired as I was when I entered.  I'm asking myself these days what do I need from church and how will I know when I have finally found my church home?      We went to a church this morning and the pastor said that he had been in that church about 3-4 weeks.  He was very excited and you could tell that he was still in the "honeymoon" period where things were going well and things are new.  I hope that he keeps his enthusiasm.  I hope also that the church stays behind him.  He seemed to say that, for him, he experienced God's presence in the service, which was billed as a "healing prayer" service.  I'm glad that he had an encou

The Spirit of Jesus did not permit them. . .

  I was listening today to a sermon online by Pastor Rick Kavanaugh about Acts 16.  He is talking about the team of five that God used to reach those in Europe.  He mentions that Lydia was the first convert of Europe.  She was a seller of purple, a very expensive fabric.  She had her own home and the church met in her home Acts 16:40.  One of the points that he makes is that God was bringing all of these people together to help fulfill the mission that he called them to.   I also noticed in looking at this passage that there was some areas that God did not for some reason want Paul to enter at that time.  It says that they had a desire to move through Asia, ye the Spirit of God forbidden them "to speak the word in Asia".  Then, they also had the desire to move through Bithynia, but it says, "the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them." Acts 16:7.  I find this difficult to understand because first I wonder how God made this clear to them.  Unfortunately, the scripture