I want to have joy with other Christians. I want to share my weaknesses and feel loved as well. But denominations are like a barrier. For example, I can never agree with catholicism. Therefore I cannot fellowship with Catholics. Why don’t people just let go of denominations and just teach the Lords good commandments to each other and walk in the Spirit too? If I have Jesus without messy denominations, why can’t others do the same?
Simple faith. Commandments, prayer, and joy in the spirit. I feel blessed yet this world grieves me.
Is there no one willing to give up their unnecessary denominations for the sake of unity? These denominations dont matter. What matters is obeying the Lords new testament commandments and being united in the spirit
While I ultimately agree with you that we are called to unity and that the many, many denominations within Christianity and their disagreements and divisions is a sad thing for the Body of Christ, I don’t think denominations are going anywhere this side of heaven, unfortunately.
I think the truly hard but good work of the Christian life is to love our fellow believers, even when they’re in other denominations or even if we think they don’t understand core tenets of the faith and have a true belief in Christ at all. It’s only relational, consistent, genuine love and care and willingness to listen and try to understand and lovingly share our beliefs that is going to change hearts.
@DaughterOfEve24 but doesn’t Paul say to avoid Christians who cause divisions and offenses contrary to sound doctrine that Jesus and the apostles taught us? I keep looking for like-minded fellowship but I find none. Its very sad and lonely. I dont know that I agree with A.W. Tozer or not because I haven’t heard much of what he teaches and I heard that he was influenced by catholicism which I can never agree with, but he did write something interesting. The title was “The saint must walk alone” and it reflects how I feel inside.
It seems that Mr Tozer rejected much of Catholicism but he was still influenced by it. I flee from anything related to Catholicism. Yet he did write a sermon that reflects how I feel.
(This is what I found on a Google search)
Yes, A.W. Tozer was deeply influenced by Catholicism, specifically through the writings of pre-modern Catholic mystics and devotional writers. While he remained a devoted evangelical Protestant, he frequently drew spiritual inspiration from historical Catholic figures. [1, 2]
Tozer’s engagement with Catholic spirituality includes several key aspects:
- The Catholic Mystics: Tozer was an avid reader of medieval and post-Reformation Catholic mystics. His personal library and recommended reading lists included works by authors like Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, St. John of the Cross, and François Fénelon. [1, 2]
- Christian Book of Mystical Verse: He compiled an anthology titled The Christian Book of Mystical Verse, which heavily featured the spiritual poetry and writings of historical Catholics. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Theological Boundaries: Although Tozer was nourished by their experiential writings—often praising their deep desire for intimacy with God—he was discerning. He did not endorse Roman Catholic theology as a whole, filtering out the specific doctrines he disagreed with, such as the papacy or sacramentalism
I was going to go into the whole reason so many denominations exist, but I feel that would be a waste of time. There are some churches out there that ARE non-denominational. I was a part of one on the east coast of Florida. Went from 15 people to 400 plus in like 5 years. Now it is so large that they had to move.
They are out there. You can find them. Use this (Holding up the Bible) as the measuring rod. If it is not in here, or it is contrary to what is in here, then it is a false church. Find a Jesus-centered,
Bible-saturated, Truth-oriented, Holy Spirit-filled, Theologically-conservative, Mission-focused
Church. It will benefit you a great deal.
Peter
@PeterC do you think its possible for a person not to be able to attend church?
Yes. But without human contact, which does include physical touch, and without hearing the truth, growing up in a family, you are missing out on a lot that God may have for you. People to laugh with you, cry with you, lift you when you are down, people you may be able to help, there are a lot of aspects. It’s not just denominations.
Peter
@peterc I have social anxiety. I dont want to be around people because of that. If you were me you would understand.
Yes, I think it is sound, biblical advice to avoid unnecessary arguments and divisions, but that doesn’t mean not attending church or fellowshipping with Christians. There is no perfect church, but I believe if we choose a church community that teaches the Bible and seeks to love their neighbors, and we truly invest in that community, the Spirit will work on our hearts and will bless that fellowship and use it to grow our faith. There are sure to be disagreements and difference of biblical interpretation in any church, but if we decide not to be invested, then we won’t reap the rewards of fellowship and support and joy either. Like any relationship in life (marriage, children, etc.), friendships with fellow Christians in a church community takes work, and sometimes we will need to seek wisdom to work through disagreements.
As for Tozer, I don’t know a lot about him, but I remember reading The Pursuit of God years ago and finding it very spiritually rich and biblical.
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I dont know of any church that teaches the whole truth in scripture. Paul said to avoid such people. And attending their church is like joining their sin.
I don’t think you’ll find a perfect church. Rather than finding fault with my own church, I try to set a good example.
@BobEstey im referring to failure in leadership
It seems obvious to me that many church leaders have been led astray by Satan.
@BobEstey im still looking for a church that hasn’t been led astray in these last days
Meanwhile, you might attend a church and set a good example for the others. Do some volunteer work.
@BobEstey you’re not setting a good example so you shouldn’t judge me.
When did I judge you?
@BobEstey You judged me for suppedly not serving God and the church.