My world view was completely altered and while I feel united with Christians of many walks, I know I am an outcast because I refuse to identify myself as any of them.

Look around, supposedly the most “Christian” nation on the planet is involved in disgusting abominations that are pushed to a global scale. Righteousness somehow was lost and the church (name your denomination) has failed. Why?

It only took me about 3 months of 4 hours a night bible study (and 5 cups of coffee at work the next day) to figure out that the concept of righteousness in the U.S. is either corrupt or not believed.

Point being, once I started studying the bible forward, and removed myself from a bible study where books guided me, my world view rapidly changed. Now I hunger and thirst for righteous scripture debate and hope that someone will prove me wrong so I can obtain a greater righteousness. Right now, one doctrinal point can rip apart a church and cause so much pain. For what?

A friend in Christ,

Linda

“”"Unfortunately, I’ve known a lot of “One God Apostolic tongue-talkin’ Holy Rollin’ Born Again Believers in the Liberating Power of Jesus’ Name” who faithfully grow the fruits of the flesh.”"”"

“”"On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit (notice that the word fruit is singular, not plural) is: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-2318). One of the things that caused me to first start questioning Oneness Pentecostal doctrine was the sheer number of Oneness Pentecostals filled with the deeds of the flesh and the sheer number of Trinitarian Christians who were cultivating the fruit of the Spirit.”"”

God is no respector of persons, he will give gifts to anyone who seeks after them. Abraham had several sons, to each of them he gave gifts to but to ONE he gave the kingdom. In the same token, God will give gifts to anyone of his children who go forth and cultivate new believers. Who is to say which ONE of His children he will give the Kingdom to? “For the is One Lord and one Salvation…” if I am not mistaken that is in the scriptures. Of course I take this comment to be very bitter because your foundation of readers are suppose to be UPCI believers who are weak in faith and weak in substance. The problem with us is that we do not cultivate our own, we merely get people “saved” and then release without any of the “bread” for substance. So here you see some that are on the ropes of their beliefs and just as the broken hearted will easily fall for the first person who “cares” for them, there are those who come here and fall in love with what you say, your take on what the scripture says because it feels good. This is taking advantage of someone in distress, as the wolf preys on the weak. I have been to near about every denomination of belief that I could get my hands on since I was 14 years old. I determined that there are a lot of good people out there and a lot of good things coming from many other belief systems, never will I call them out and declare them wrong because I believe something to the contrary. My 2 good friends are a priest and a baptist preacher, we have many a differences and many of a great conversation and never do we condemn eachothers beliefs.

I think I have just went off on my most passionate soap box, I am passionate for souls of the LOST. Not for conflicts that will cause MORE people to decide they do not want to follow anything. I knew so many people who got tied up between differences that they forgot who they were and became Godless people turned agnostic or athiest. That is what we do when we spin our wheels trying to disprove eachother.

Just as you did, anyone can take scriptures through the Bible and formulate a doctrine. If put into context, many of the one scripture references mentioned above we find that many were declared for a particular setting and a particular time and will have a totally different message. Still relevant to today, but relevant in CONTEXT. Im sorry, I’ll call it a night on this note (my 3rd post of the night). I just don’t like us, ALL AS CHRISTIANS disproving Christs message by disproving eachother until we lose faith in everything.

Seriously? Now that’s some seroius bondage you’ve got going on there. What if you mistakenly got baptised in an outdoor man made pond with flowing water with a rubber liner. Does that qualify or will you loose your soul over the rubber liner. I’m makng fun of some of you and that should be clear.

If you want to complicate the Gospel go for it. You can make up rule after rule like the Pharisees did. If you want to believe H2O washes away sin have some fun with that cause it’s going to take a lot of H2O. Or, how about if you unknowingly got baptized incorrectly. Sounds like a whole new law is being established here.

And on the Tongues issue, many have spoken with tongues and many have not. There have been entire centuries where God did not pour out his Spirit in masse. Do you really think that everyone will speak with tongues? Time for a reality check. What goes on in most UPC churches is that people are scared into doing something that they call tongues which is just babbling. What if the tongue you spoke in was a little more psychologically motivaed than Spirit motivated. Do you loose your soul for that. Fortunalty not.

You know, some of you ought to just read the Bible. God’s love is liberating and leads to righteousness. Eph 2:8 says that you are saved by faith, through grace, not of works lest any many should boast.

Oh, and for all of you really holy guys out there, I mean the really really holy one’s, that magazine you glanced and twice at the checkout counter…yep that was a sin. And every time you do it it’s a sin. And every time Christ’s sacrafice on the cross is enough to cover that sin.

By faith you are saved and not of works lest any man should boast.

Do you have a relationship with Jesus or your crazy rules. Hmm.

You know what bothers me the most

e-mail me directly please

Thanks and God Bless!