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Church Attendance & Conspiracies

Church Attendance & Conspiracies

Could explain the pros and cons of church attendance? Are there times when it is not healthy to attend and what attitude should we bring when we do attend.

What are the “reasons” for church attendance? I have come to the point where I think it is better to bail water than jump ship. If you’re not part of the solution you are part of the problem!

The second topic that has come up again more than once is the distraction of Conspiracies! I have in my past been caught up in them until I realised that my focus should be on Christ. But, let’s be sure there are conspiracies all around us i.e.: Evolutionism, 9/11, washing machines and odd socks…! Is there any benefit in being aware of conspiracies? For example should we research to the best of our ability such things as microchips and flu vaccinations so as to not blindly walk into a trap? I realise heart motive is what is important, but what is our responsibility? I raise this issue because almost unavoidably we run into some conspiracy theorist nut who certainly has a lot of “evidence” he is willing to share… but how do we respond to such people?

S


Great questions and I will answer them separately.

Church Attendance:

We must remember we are at war – war between good and evil, Christ and Satan, love and selfishness, truth and lies. Satan is working with all his evil scheming to destroy minds and capture individuals to his way of living. One of the classic strategies in any warfare setting is to “divide and conquer.” If we allow the enemy to divide us, split us apart, then we cannot work together, encourage, uplift, assist the wounded, share supplies, plan actions together etc. A divided enemy is an easier enemy to conquer. Therefore, the Bible encourages us:

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:25

The closer we get to the coming of Christ the more desperate Satan becomes and therefore the more intense the warfare and the more important we band together. It is essential that we join together with other Christians to encourage, uplift, share burdens, multiple our resources, coordinate our efforts, study the truth, and ultimately experience greater love and brotherly affection thus advancing God’s kingdom!

I see no benefit in avoiding church or disengaging fellowshipping with believers in Christ. Such activity works to Satan’s advantage as those severed from the church are easy prey for discouragement, entrapment in worldly schemes, confusion of mind, and ultimately acceptance of the world’s value system.

Where it gets confusing for some is when they attend a particular church which has been taken over by the “tares” who are trampling the “wheat”. Christ said that the wheat and the tares grow up together until the harvest. This means that in any body of believers there will be those who are loyal and faithful to Christ and those who are doing the enemies work. And, sometimes, an organization or group can become toxic. When this happens and there is no possibility to reclaim leadership for Christ and redirect the group in healthy paths, then the only healthy choice is to leave that group, but not for isolation and solitude, but to join with another body of believers for continuation of the gospel commission.

I like your analogy to bail water rather than jump ship – well said. However, I have had patients who were in churches, local independent bodies, in which the pastor was critical, controlling, abusive. He would single people out from the pulpit and publicly chastise them with “a word from the Lord.” My patients would leave the service discouraged, depressed, distraught and humiliated. There was no possibility of changing the environment and therefore the healthiest solution was to find another church. But again, leaving a particular local congregation is not the same as leaving church and staying home. We must not forsake our duty to minister to others and our ability to minister is markedly enhanced by our fellowship with other believers.

Conspiracies:

There is no end to conspiracies and if we spend our time on conspiracies we are not focusing our minds on the truth. One of God’s laws, which govern our development, is the law of worship – by beholding we are changed. We actually become like that which we admire, worship, focus upon, meditate upon or otherwise fill our minds with. Therefore, we need to be cautious allowing our minds to dwell on conspiracies. They will only confuse and distract the mind from truth.

It is much better to be so acquainted with the truth that error becomes obvious by contrast. The following quotation states it beautifully:

The best way to deal with error is to present the truth, and leave wild ideas to die for want of notice. Contrasted with truth, the weakness of error is made apparent to every intelligent mind. The more the erroneous assertions of opposers, and of those who rise up among us to deceive souls, are repeated, the better the cause of error is served. The more publicity is given to the suggestions of Satan, the better pleased is his satanic majesty. —  Testimonies to Ministers, p. 165.

There is a difference between “conspiracies” and legitimate questions that arise. Many individuals had legitimate questions regarding the safety of the flu vaccine. The problem arises when individuals allow hyperbole, fear, rumor, allegations and rhetoric to form their beliefs rather than the evidence. Jesus said the truth will set you free (John 8:32). This applies to all of life, including to questions such as whether to get a flu vaccine or not.

From a heavenly perspective the evolutionary theory of origins is a clear counterfeit of Satan’s, designed to confuse the mind. Yet, there are many people who have honest questions about the scientific record. In order to win these people to the truth of God’s kingdom it is beneficial to become familiar with the evidence and tenets of the evolutionary theory in order to discern the errors and lead people into truth. However, only persons who are mature and well grounded in the truth of God’s word should undertake such a venture.

The theories of the enemy are well crafted to deceive and only those solidly grounded in truth, those who have developed by practice the ability to discern the right from the wrong should spend time studying the theories of the enemy.

When I was in my residency I was required to read the various theories of psychiatry. The vast majority of the theorists have rejected the idea of God and accepted the evolutionary origins of life. Their theories of the mind are completely infected by this bias. Yet their theories are highly thoughtful, intellectual, and have the appearance of wisdom. I realized the power this material could have over my mind. Therefore, for every hour I spent reading one of these theorists I spent two hours reading God’s Word and other Christian material. It was only in this way I could keep grounded. Through that method I was able to understand the various theories yet not become confused by them. I learned to recognize in these theories the truths they contained from the errors entwined throughout.

From such study, and experience with patients, I have been able to present a model of the mind that promotes the truth about God, is rational, reasonable, in harmony with the scientific evidence and therefore powerfully refutes the evolutionary theories of our mind.

So my approach is to ignore the vast majority of “conspiracies” as they are mere distractions from the healing truth about God. The more time we focus on the conspiracies the more credence we give them. However, when certain falsehoods reach public saturation and become so commonly accepted as to be considered legitimate possibilities, we have a responsibility to wisely familiarize ourselves with these theories in order to expose the error and lead people to truth.

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Testimony 30

God lead me to your book “The God-Shaped Brain” while I was searching for another book about the brain and then to your interview about your book on HeartWise Ministries [where] I found out about [Come And Reason Ministries]. I’m now devouring the webcasts of your Bible studies. I have been so greatly blessed and I thank God so much for your courage to speak the Truth in love no matter what. Listening to you contrast the two opposing systems (laws) and digging deep to unearth the hidden treasures in the Bible makes me so incredibly happy and I feel very blessed to be part of your Bible Study Group although I live far away. I am just so excited that there is a group of people that is spreading the Truth about the character of God and it saddens me how few realize what our Father in Heaven is really like.

Kessy B., Australia

 

Testimony 45

I have been confused for years about what [christianity] calls [its] most disgusting teaching. It has never made much sense to me and for that reason has been evermore empty. I have listened to your class off and on and have struggled determining what is truth, because of the resistance design law encounters in the church. So, I thank God for your ministry. What you teach makes sense. It’s logical and backed up by the power of love. I have never seen that in Christ until now. I am astounded by the insight that is found when we look at God’s ministry through design law. All strength to this message, as I believe it to be the power of God.

Brendon S.

 

Testimony 17

The blessings of clarity and understanding you and your class inspire me to take from the word of God have impressed upon me so greatly the true, loving character of our Creator. I have found amazing freedom and joy through building a stronger, more intentional relationship with Him. What is new is that this is now a relationship built on love, reverence and respect rather than fear and obligation, and as such my eyes have been slammed OPEN as I am continually impressed by the manifestations of God’s true character in His provisions for fallen man.

T.E.H., Salt Lake City, UT, USA

 

Testimony 1

Thank you! I love listening to the Come And Reason Ministries Bible study classes and am using some of your notes to get the lessons together that I will be teaching. You always have such good quotes and Bible texts and pull things together to make good sense.

T. C., IN, USA

 

Testimony 15

I have been sharing Come And Reason Ministries Bible study lessons with several folk. You have such a beautiful view of the plan of salvation. If we had this message preached when I was young, my generation would still all be in church.

H. R., New Zealand

Testimony 55

I was born [into the church], then I left it for many years. 10 years ago, I came back, but I could not take the hypocrisy and the lack of answers to the missing pieces. I struggled, but I did not abandon my commitment to know the truth. God is leading me to the simple understanding of his relevance and I am relearning what the church taught me as a youth… that he loves me, that he has led me to a knowledge of him such as I have never known. He is using Dr. Jennings to connect the dots that are now so apparent and hiding in plain sight!

Dean P., Arlington, TX, USA

 

Testimony 22

I have found your Bible study class lectures to be very inspiring and useful as I prepare to teach class every other week. I subscribe to the podcast and download your notes on the weeks I teach. The audio and notes are such a great help in preparing. My own understanding of God’s character has grown as I teach the class. Commendations on the thought-provoking and well-prepared material Come and Reason provides. Personally, I get excited by the tie you make between the spiritual and mental/physical domains.

A.A. Corrales, NM, USA

 

Testimony 50

After coming into contact with Come And Reason Ministries, I can finally say that many of my unanswered questions have fallen into place. I discovered that my view of God’s Law was “imposed laws and rules” with “imposed punishments” and that this was the major culprit of my many unanswered questions. Thanks be to God for using you and those around you to help us who have struggled with this “infection” of thought. I have now rejected the “imposed law” concept to fully embrace “Design Law”… to look thru “Design Law,” instead of “imposed law,” is a relief.

Viliami L., Australia

 

Testimony 3

My husband is a pastor and I listen to your lesson almost every week. Thank you for helping me in my study life and to help me love the “real” God more.

C. F., NC, USA

 

Testimony 57

You have helped make sense of thirty two years of confusion. The material you freely provide reorganized so much of my life into such a beautiful pattern that has always been hinted at from within, but misguided with my training and what I was experiencing externally. My filipno parents, who were converted from Catholicism to SDA, were sincere and did their best to raise me the right way and I have deep respect for them. However, being immigrants and not understanding the language made for a difficult transition as I was growing up, which also applied to my spiritual growth as I learned the patterns of religion. I have been listening to as many bible study classes and reading blog posts as my time in a work truck will allow, searching for the practical applications of where spirituality and reality meet, and I thank you for helping me find that. You have helped me reach a point in which I can truly say that I love God, that I believe He loves me, and, like David, I delight in His law. God bless.

Emmanuel V., Calgary, AB Canada

Testimony 68

Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

Laura G., London, Ontario, Canada

 

Testimony 24

I wanted to thank you very much for presenting your understanding of God. I’ve always been troubled by this question: Why did Jesus have to die? Since my conversion I understood that The Father & Jesus are one, I did not have issues with that. But was there not any other way to save us than for Jesus to die? I guess I actually had a question about God – if He is so wise, how come He did not find another way? I did not see the real ‘beauty’  in the cross. Only when you explained the picture in the medical context, Jesus providing medicine for my selfishness, have I started to finally ‘see the light’. Thank you so much. Your seminar, “Healing the Mind,” are absolutely marvelous & have shared them with my family and many other people, including colleagues at work. Thanks, thanks, thanks. May God bless you abundantly in your ministry.

M. W., Australia

 

Testimony 42

I am just writing to say that I have been so blessed by the teachings of Come And Reason Minitries recently. I watched last week’s bible study lesson on Youtube and am thankful that the error in the printed lesson guide you use was pointed out and this week’s study was of equal benefit, if not more so. My understanding of God’s nature has been very confused of late and I am so grateful for clarity in this matter. I have never really fully understood previously how a good God can cause bad things to happen and now I realise that He doesn’t, it’s a natural consequence of sin. May the almighty Father and His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to bless your ministry.

Laura P., United Kingdom

 

Testimony 40

I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

Tom W., Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA

 

Testimony 16

Your seminars are still inspiring and changing our lives and we continue to share the principles we have learned from you. Your ministry has changed our lives!

E.W.