Maybe I'm being nostalgic.
I was told by a Fatalistic Jerk that everybody graduates someday. I was told by another Jerk that my Parents aren't going to live forever. Most have Bills and Debts to pay, but I refuse to believe in traditions of Mortal Men. Perhaps that's why I don't consider Paul's Epistles strictly Gospel anymore. "We all die once and then we're judged," wrote Paul. Who says that, but Jerks?
Online, I consciously look for advances in Cures for Diseases. That remedial introspection doesn't happen in a church. I've never seen anyone healed in a church and I've sat through many denominational church programs. It's not a judgment on the Church, but it does mean that this Generation is hobbled in some ways and comparable to the early days of Christ's ministry, when nobody knew Him.
I was told by a Fatalistic Jerk that everybody graduates someday. I was told by another Jerk that my Parents aren't going to live forever. Most have Bills and Debts to pay, but I refuse to believe in traditions of Mortal Men. Perhaps that's why I don't consider Paul's Epistles strictly Gospel anymore. "We all die once and then we're judged," wrote Paul. Who says that, but Jerks?
Online, I consciously look for advances in Cures for Diseases. That remedial introspection doesn't happen in a church. I've never seen anyone healed in a church and I've sat through many denominational church programs. It's not a judgment on the Church, but it does mean that this Generation is hobbled in some ways and comparable to the early days of Christ's ministry, when nobody knew Him.
If you know someone needs healing at the church you're attending, then prioritize their healing, whether the needy Person is in attendance or not, otherwise why bother going, if you're merely going to sit there and go through the motions of doing nothing. What a tragedy for needy People at a church to be ignored! I hated being ignored, the height of Ignorance and False Prophecy. I'd rather actively pray for someone's healing From A Distance, than have to suffer existential church boredom.
I taught my students at SUNY Purchase to inquire and lay hands on the needy. We did that almost every single time we gathered. Our Ministry wasn't restricted to an hour on Sunday. We broke Bread together daily at the local Diner or School Cafeteria. We sang spontaneous songs and played musical instruments for hours because we cared for one another. These days, if I want to listen to someone sing, I'll go to a Professional Concert or a Karaoke Bar. I'll search YouTube for an indepth lecture, instead of yawning through an Irrelevant Sermon. If I want to eat a decent Meal, I'll go to a Restaurant. Pay for Gas before I attend your church service, Lol!
Listening to a Pastor preach about irrelevant subjects is Idolatry. What is disturbing is that America is bereft of Pastors that know what they're talking about. The Prosperity Gospel is so trashy, I can't stand it. The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed because of Pastoral thieves. No wonder the Twin Towers were destroyed.
From afar, I consider the Church a Synagogue these days, which would require me to visit on a given Sunday, but healing isn't a communal sign anymore. Church has become Programmed Pageantry. As it is, I'm not that into convincing anyone of anything anymore. That's what Google is for, now: Self~Study. In hindsight, I did learn a lot at church, but issues weren't resolved there. It was more about socializing, if anything. Going to church didn't solve AIDS, for example. To have to wade through a half~hour long sermon followed by announcements, hymns, tithes, etc. when there are People with needs to be attended to seems like a waste of time. Just get to the healing all ready. That's what Jesus did in the Synagogue: Heal People.
Being Jewish requires Innovation and Scholarship. Being Christian means Stagnancy. The Prophets and Apostles were imperfect, so their books aren't that inspired. Jesus, however, was Perfect. He is the Personified Bronze Torah Scroll the Jews unravel. He is the Personified Gideon's Bible collecting Dust. I still believe in Personified Perfection.
JEWISH VIRTUAL LIBRARY: there is room within Judaism for protest to be leveled at God when suffering is thought to be undeserved.
MARTIN SCHILLER: ,,,my Mother saw that I was rejecting the religion.
MARTIN SCHILLER: I have to remind you, once again, that, at that time, you were no longer looking at a youngster. At that time, you were ground into being an Old Man. There was no such thing as play,,, It was just a daily plan of survival and that can age you very fast.
FRED MALO JUNIOR: Christ was a socialist.
FRED MALO JUNIOR: It’s also appropriate to capitalize the “H” in He or Him when referring to Christ or God. Even I know that, and I’m an atheist.
desiringgod.org/labs/is-jesus-like-god-or-god
A: No. Faith is not the absolute requirement for Jesus healing people. Miracles were done by God to produce faith in God and His teachings.
II Kings 13:20-21No one was asking for a miracle. No one was looking for a miracle. There was no faith involved by anyone in this situation, and yet faith came as a result of the situation.
Matthew 12:9-13
He wasn't looking to be healed, he had come to the synagogue for worship. He never asked for his arm to be restored. The leaders and Jesus were having a disagreement and then Jesus simply asks him to extend his hand.
Luke 7:11-16
No one asked Jesus to do anything. There was no requirement for faith. Nothing was offered to them to believe in until after the miracle occurred.
Acts 3:1-10
What faith did the lame man have? He didn't know who Peter and John were. He wasn't asking for healing, he was looking for money. Yet without asking and without faith, he was healed. A more accurate description is that faith came after he saw he was healed.
Sometimes the one being healed or the one asking for a healing was asked if he believed, but not always. But in each case the focus was on the fact that the healing came from God and it resulted in faith in God.
For two thousand years
Jesus waited when He heard
Lazarus was ill.
amazon.com/Rescue-Dead-Posthumous-Non-Christians-Christianity/dp/0195140990
NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH: Ever since Jesus brought His sacrifice it has also been possible for the dead to attain redemption. He Himself said: "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live" (John 5:25).
