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Old 10-02-2005, 06:08 PM
WrittenFromUtopia WrittenFromUtopia is offline.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Scott Bushey
Gabriel,
If what you convey is fact, then your concern is valid as well as your charge.

What to tell your friends? Do they respect you and trust in your judgement? Are they biblical students at the same institution as you? The fact that they are involved in such a situation shows their lack of knowledge in Gods word. You might consider starting small. Keep it simple. Don't try to build Rome in a day. Too much information will only cause a brain fart.
A lot of the problem seems to stem from the fact that, as of recently, they all have denounced the study of theology and doctrine as useless ... along with everything else in the world. Everything we do is pointless and fruitless to them. They have built up a false sense of piety, in my humble opinion, around this idea that the less you are involved in the world and things of the world, the more holy and connected to God you are (in my opinion, adding to the gospel of God's grace). However, some of these "things of the world" involve going to school, going to work, and enjoying anything else that God has given us which we are to exercise dominion over in the name of Christ and for God's glory. Furthermore, this piety does not seem to carry over - as it should - into how they treat others or their consistency in laying charges and judgments against others.

Anyway, they end up very arrogant towards me, especially considering I'm a presbyterian and reformed, as I have this wacky belief that God's Word regulates how He is to be approached, served, and worshipped...

All of that to say this: They do not seem to believe God's Word has much if anything to say about proper worship, ecclesiology, etc. This, I believe, is a big part of the problem.

I'm all for someone wanting to be immersed in God's Word and be close to Him in a spiritual walk as they seem to desire - however, you cannot know how this is done without studying His Word in a way so as to learn theological and doctrinal truths from it, along with practical application. You cannot go straight to application if you don't understand properly how or what to apply! You can't desire to "just worship and serve the Lord" if you don't know what worship is! You can't "go to church" unless you know what a Church is! I hope you see my point, as I'm trying to be as vague and non-slanderous as possible.

I need help in knowing what to do, if I should do anything, and where to start.