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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 25

I just want to say thank you so much for your conversations via YouTube. I regularly tune in to your lectures, “Let’s Talk” sessions, and many others. Through these I’ve found greater depth and meaning to God’s word. Thanks for all that you do and please continue. I’m currently working in the middle of Silicon Valley at Stanford University. I feel like God really has me in the right place right now and I’m sensing that your teachings might be part of it.

B. F., Silicon Valley, CA, USA

 

Testimony 61

I grew up in a prominent protestant church and had what I like to call religious anxiety. I’ve always had questions about God and Salvation that no one could seem to answer.  I didn’t know how to find resolution. During 2020, at the height of my anxiety, I fell to my knees and begged God to show me truth and light and to give me the hope that I’ve been longing for. Days later, I stumbled upon your online videos and it was like a veil was lifted and EVERYTHING made sense! For the first time in my almost 39 years of life, my religious/spiritual anxiety has lessened. I feel a sense of freedom and peace I’ve NEVER had before… and it’s all because my view of God has changed. Thank you!

Ashleighn C.

 

Testimony 18

The Healing the Mind DVD set tarted me on a journey that has changed my relationship with our loving God more significantly than any other study, and brought me to your book and Bible study podcasts, which I now listen to daily, thanks to the availability of archived content on your site and on iTunes.

Anonymous

 

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 29

Thank you for all of your work to correct misconceptions about God’s character. So many people that my husband and I have talked to seem to be against the natural law construct and view it as “errant” and “dangerous.” Having learned more about it through your blogs and lessons, I don’t really understand why they view it that way, except that it means they have to relearn theology they have known for their entire lives. But I’m so excited to relearn this. For the past few years I have been questioning how I could trust a God who punishes arbitrarily and is full of wrath for those who don’t obey His commands. That view made me afraid to “mess up” or “not be good enough,” even within my relationship with God. I really appreciated the point you bring out about God not wanting us to serve Him because we are afraid, but because we love Him.

Melissa H., IN, USA

 

Testimony 54

I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

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 64

I’ve been reading the bible and walking with Jesus since I was around 16. I’m 42 now. I’ve mostly been alone in my walk although I went to several churches in different denominations. For the past 3 years God has been showing me His character of agape. It’s been a blessing and changed how I view God and my walk with Jesus. About a year ago I came across the power of love and the principles of design law. These teachings changed how I read scripture and have been such a beautiful blessing. I’m very excited and grateful for these truths. We share these truths of agape, design law and the reality of the principles of the two trees in the garden of Eden with people on Facebook and YouTube. People all over are learning to trust God and His agape design law which makes life possible. Thank you for everything you shared with me. May God continue to bless your ministry and lives.

Bradley M., Hinsdale, NY, USA

 

Testimony 38

Since November 2015, when I started studying Gods word from this God Is Love point of view, my life has been transformed. My troubled marriage of 15 years has been healed and my husband and I are truly happy for the first time in 15 years. Now When I read the word of God I understand it so much better and I can’t help but see Gods love radiating through the pages to humanity. Gods word is living and active and I am blessed beyond measure to be having this amazing experience. God has given me a beautiful understanding of Jn 3:16 that amazes me more and more each day. Thank you again for your ministry.

Helen D., London, England

 

Testimony 51

I Love This Ministry!!!!!!! I see first hand how this message is desperately needed, how erroneous beliefs about God and His Character negatively affect humanity at every level. I thank God for your ministry, as I was searching on my own and was discovering some of your same beliefs and was blown away when I found your ministry. I know you hear it all the time, but it is truly life changing. May God continue to reveal His Will to you and Bless you!

Eric S., Sanford, FL, USA

 

Testimony 75

Thank you so much for everything you do! Because of all these truths, I’m excited to be with Jesus! I always pray everyday, “COME TODAY, JESUS.” Before finding C&R, I was always praying for delays, “NOT TODAY OH GOD. I AM NOT READY.” I just need to share more, talk more bout this truth, so everybody will be excited for Jesus.

J C Shin

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

Andrew H., Great Britain

 

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA

 

Testimony 41

I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

Melissa L.

 

Testimony 47

I can’t even begin to thank you and your ministry enough for introducing me to the Truth about a loving and merciful God! I have my daughter and her in-laws to thank for sharing with me “The God-Shaped Brain” as well as your website. I listen to the Bible study class lessons on my daily walk. May God continue to bless your thirst-quenching ministry!

Liz H., Port Angeles, WA, USA