Staying in DUMC is not christian life. It has little to do with the people. Its the leadership propagating wrong doctrine. What's the difference? Already the congregation can't act as a blessing to others, because we can't even bless each other. People there are indoctrinated to think that serving is balancing your current account with God, to accumulate your richess in heaven. If that is true, then what Christ did on the cross for us is in vain. We still have to pay our "sin tax" by serving???? to reduce our balance sin account with God? Is that what the pastor is trying to say? No wonder nobody is feeling blessed at the church.

The church is so calculative, day by day, telling people you have to boost your "give" currency because you have been collecting to much "receive" currency.

Its a church with no love. I go to my gf's church, there's more caring, fellowship and more effort to tell the congregation to be better disciples. Not because of serving, but because the pastor cares about his congregation.

I am not going to my gf church, because of my personal reasons I cannot disclose here. But I am thinking of going to another church. Not a small one. A church that is not influence by the DUMC doctrine. I do want to serve, but I do not want to be exploited. I want to serve because I love Jesus and what he stands for. Not because I want to pay my sin tax. How can I go on serving at DUMC, if they keep on trying to guilt trip their congregation?? I don't feel the love there. I already have a few of my friends from DUMC left the church for New Creation Church. Some of them tell me that everytime they go to DUMC, they go back home, feeling guilty, remorse and low self esteem. Its because the pastor keep beating their brow, about how not enough they are doing.

I know of one guy, who serve the church, gave his all resources to the church. He serve every weekend at the church and its ministries. He gave away 50% of what he earned. And when he retired, he found out that he was close to bankrupt. He was desperate for job. He went to the pastor, and ask for help. And then the pastor did what? Come, come to altar call and pray. THen after that, forgot about him. WOW

Desperate he came to my friend to beg him for a job. My friend who is also attending DUMC became disgusted. He provided the old man a job, but when he heard this, he left the church for another.

ALL ACTIVITIES NOT OF GOD AND VOID OF GOD BEING RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

The difference between believing into Christ and believing in religion is that in believing into Christ it is God who seeks man, whereas religion requires man to seek God. What is religion? Religion is man’s belief in and reverence for God; it is man’s consciousness that there is a God and his consequent desire to worship Him. Man believes in a religion because in his consideration there is a God, and he is thus determined to serve Him, worship Him, probe into Him, study Him, survey Him, and be zealous for Him. However, believing into Christ is not like this. Believing into Christ is God’s coming to seek man, desiring to enter into man and desiring man to serve Him.

According to the common concept, people often ask, “What is the difference between Christianity and religion?” Or they may ask, “Is Christianity a religion?” To answer this question cautiously, we must say that Christianity is not a religion. The Lord Jesus never used the word religion during His ministry on the earth. Likewise, the apostles never used the word religion in their preaching of the gospel. Although Christianity is considered to be one of the five major religions in the world, the fact is that believing into Christ is not believing in a religion. We also can explain this by saying that those who truly believe into Christ are Christians, not followers of the Christian religion.

What does it mean to believe in a religion? People believe in a religion because they feel that there is a God and that they need to revere and serve God. However, those who believe into Christ are not like this; they are not like those who worship God out of their own initiation because they sense that there is a God and feel that they should worship Him. Every instance of man’s believing into Christ is initiated by God. It was God who came to seek Moses while he was shepherding the flock (Exo. 3:1-6); it was God who came to seek Saul while he was kicking against the goads (Acts 26:13-15); and it was God who said to Peter and Andrew while they were fishing, “Come after Me” (Matt. 4:18-20). It is wonderful that in the entire Bible, whenever a person has contact with God, it is always because God has contacted him first. God first came to find Job, and then Job served Him (Job 38:1—42:6); God first came to find Moses, and then Moses served Him (Exo. 3). There is no case in the Bible where a person served God because he first had the thought of serving God.

The entire Bible speaks only of God coming to find man. One day Isaiah saw a vision and heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” Therefore, he answered, “Here am I; send me” (Isa. 6:1-8). After seeing a vision, Jeremiah rose up to prophesy to the Israelites the words that Jehovah had commanded him (Jer. 1:4-19). Daniel also saw a vision before he rose up to fast and pray, beseeching Jehovah to restore Jerusalem (Dan. 7—9). The entire Bible shows that God first comes to find man before man serves God. Those who believe in a religion take the initiative to serve God; those who believe into Christ serve God after they have been prompted and touched by God.

For this reason we say that one should not rush forward to serve God. We should serve God only when He touches us to do so. If we serve God without God first touching us, we are in a religion. Figuratively speaking, many people today hang the sign “Christian” outside, but they are engaging in a religious enterprise inside. They are Christians in name but religious people in reality. What is it to be a Christian? A Christian is one who has Christ stirring within him through the Spirit and who thus becomes restless and has no choice but to serve God. A religious person, on the other hand, is one who initiates his service to God, desiring to do many things for God. This is the situation of many Christians today. They do not wait for the Lord to move in them and then follow Him accordingly. Instead, they themselves are the initiators, and the Lord is merely a spectator. However, in the experience of genuine Christians, the Lord is the One who initiates, and they simply say Amen. The Lord is the Initiator, and they are the followers. This is completely different from the way of religious people.

The principle here is to not move until the Lord moves in us. However, most Christians are not this way. In the past, when pursuing fame and position in the world, they were accustomed to rushing ahead. Now that they have been saved, the moment the Lord touches them a little, their old habit is manifested again. They rush ahead to organize a Christian fellowship to carry out a work on a campus, and they plan to invite a few great pastors and host a great evangelical meeting. All these matters are initiated by themselves. Hence, they become religious people who do not allow Christ to move in them and live out through them.

What does it mean for you to be a Christian? It means that when Christ moves in you, you follow His moving. If one day He says, “My child, come to Me,” you then should ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” After Paul met the Lord, the first words he spoke were, “Who are You, Lord?” The Lord then told him, “I am Jesus, whom you persecute. But rise up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you what you must do” (Acts 9:5-6). From the first day Paul met the Lord, he learned a lesson, realizing that all the things he did formerly were merely religious activities. He was zealous for the Lord, going to the high priest for letters to Damascus for the synagogues so that if he found any who were of the Way, he could bring them bound to Jerusalem (vv. 1-2). Going to Damascus was something determined by Paul. However, when the Lord met him, he fell down, saying, “What shall I do, Lord?” (22:10). All his actions from then on were of the Lord. When the Lord moved in him, he moved; when the Lord did not move, he did not move. All his moving outwardly was the Lord’s moving inwardly.

As Christians, we have One who is moving in us. When He moves, we move. Nevertheless, we are not puppets, having no feelings, thoughts, affections, or opinions. We are living beings; we have a mind, emotion, and will as well as inclinations and preferences. Thus, we are not passive; instead, we are cooperative and submissive. To be submissive is to go along with the One who is moving in us. This is our oneness with the Lord. It is only when the Lord moves in us that we move. This is the way a Christian should be. In this way, we are led by the Lord. In other words, we understand the Lord’s will and know the Lord’s way in us.

Please pray with me that one day my boyfriend and his family will see the real Jesus and return to God, amen

But the problem is he or she prays for his or her “wants” not God's will.

double nickers?

Is John the Baptist a prophet or only a human messenger?

Thats what I mean. Its not as simple as what he make up to be. Thats my disagreement. 

seems like you are actively promoting this website.  Are you one of the owners of the website?

seems like you are actively promoting this website.  Are you one of the owners of the website?

probably you want to go through the history of Christianity beginning from the apostles period to modern day.

I see my buddhist society and catholic friends have more friendship and laughter than the pentecostal christians. Don't know why they so focus on doing charity work. They want to make excuse to reach out and convert us? When in actual fact they don't even care abotu us.

Just some musing.

As Christians we don't have to play politics to hurt others or demean others just to protect ourselves or to be promoted because we have God who not only loves us but take care of our well being.

The people of the world do because it's survival of the fittest, a dog eat dog world.

I'm trying to encourage you, don't be like the people of this world, it's a bad testimony if you play the same game. They'll see you as no different from them.

Where is the Glory due to the Father then?

The story of Jesus walks on the water reassured us n times of crisis our focus should be in Jesus.  "Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"  Immediately Jesus reached out his and and caught him."

In a tough situation, our focus should be in Jesus.  He will listen to our cry.

you tell me.