Lived Experience Forum

[Bismuth]

Hi - Anglican here. I don’t think denominations are important in terms of salvation, but for some reason, I still call myself Anglican!

I once saw a wonderful take-off of those inspirational verse artworks. I must find it again, but it was a heart artwork and in it, in beautiful calligraphy, was “then he took up his k**** and cut his concubine into twelve parts”. (That’s from Judges, where the Israelites behaved very badly.)

It was supposed to be saying that, whilst the inspirational snippets of scripture make us feel good, the bible needs to be reckoned with fully.

Anyway, hope you’re having a good weekend and will have a restful Sabbath tomorrow 

[Rosemary4]

Hi @Bismuth,
I'm thinking denomination / teachings we sit under are important. I'm still looking for a suitable Christian church since moving here pre covid. thought I found one this weekend but they don't practice regular communion which I thought Jesus commanded us to, and I get have a large charity shop in the premesis causing counsel to rezone the land from 'religious' to 'commercial' for it to open full time. I don't know, Jesus said "my house is to be a house of prayer" long gone are open churches where you can just walk in and pray, well I don't know any. Is reverence the word? Where have we gone. It's like the best of us have said to God "thanks for the tips, we got this now" and separated ourselves from the vine. Makes me sad.

Anyway, Mental Health scriptures 🤔

[Bismuth]

@Rosemary4  Teachings and denominations aren’t synonymous, though. Within any one denomination you’ll have groups that disagree very strongly, sometimes about quite important doctrines. 
Finding a church you fit into is important, though. As for regular communion being commanded, that’s probably debatable. Jesus said to do communion “as often as you eat bread and drink wine” - if you don’t drink wine regularly, how does that apply? However, I do think it is important, but I can see how you could take communion less regularly and still be theologically sound. It’s a preference, really. I do wish churches were open every day for prayer, but I suppose I’d have to ask: am I going to pay for all their running costs and insurance to do that? If not me, who? It’s a different world to even 100 years ago.
James said: “Religion that is acceptable to the Father is this: to care for widows and orphans in their distress” (religion being the practices associated with a faith). Maybe that is what we should focus on?

[Rosemary4]

I love the story of Jesus with the woman about to be Stoned for adultery (where's the other party, the man? I ask 😕 But), Jesus handles it so well, maybe he named the man she was with when he put words in the sand. But he silenced the mob of assassins saying "he who is without sin cast the first stone"  YES!!! No particular sin in mind, but I identify with this woman, more in my head though,  social phobic fear of being judged, often getting wobbly at the knees just to step out the door among people (as if they haven't got better things to do lol), but reminding myself of this incident with Jesus reveals the truth how God sees it, He doesn't stone people but holds back judgement to give  us a chance to to change, to "go and sin no more" to live on in peace. We all mess up and deserve to be Stoned,, but Jesus put the angry mob in their place 👍. This brings me great peace, to trust such truth, a force so sound. Jesus is My go to place of prayer, my safe place, my refuge and strength and healing and balance and correction in live, He puts my feet on the right path and helps me to rise again, every day ☀️

[Rosemary4]

I hear what you're saying. @Bismuth, thanks for talking, and if we had communion every time we came together for a meal (to remember Jesus, to honour him), this would be enough I guess, Jesus doesn't want us to get bogged down in legalism, shown by his good works on the Sabbath, shocking the establishment then. Guess there's no 'perfect' church. We are "in the world but not of the world"

How's your day?
I need to go for a walk, get the blood pumping lol

[Bismuth]

@Rosemary4  I’ve mowed, whipper-snipped, and weeded today. I think I’ll sit down for a while now!

[Rosemary4]

Good job! Getting the lawn done @Bismuth  we have professionals do ours, fortnightly, takes the two of them 15min with a ride on cost $70.so better to do yourself &;save👍 

[Sione]

Christians are being covertly persecuted here in Australia through sabotage, misinformation, and misdirection. ONLY GOD CAN SAVE US! JESUS WILL RETURN TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD! THANK YOU JESUS FOR PAYING THE PRICE FOR OUR SINS SO THAT WE MAY ENJOY EVERLASTING LIFE!

[Bismuth]

@Sione  as a Christian, I don’t want to join in on popular culture without thinking it through, and I don’t think that statement is correct. We are discriminated against, but that is different to persecution. Victim culture is very popular amongst secular societies these days. It isn’t something Christians should join in on. Christians are persecuted in many countries, killed and arrested in places like the Sudan and Afghanistan, but not in Australia.

Yes, the media encourages certain untrue views about what Christians do or do not believe, and they like to insult us. I’ve been told I should be publicly executed and my friend was physically attacked for wearing his dog collar, but this is not really systemic persecution.

[Sione]

@Bismuth 

There are voices in my head and they are trying to brainwash me. They are trying to coerce me lose faith in Jesus Christ our LORD and Saviour. They aggressively force me to listen to their unwanted opinions 24/7 non-stop for prolonged periods of time. The voices increase the stress intensity by yelling and disrupting my thought processes, especially when I'm trying to read the Bible and pray. The voices tried to coerce me to abandon my Christian beliefs for many months by forcing me to listen to the voices of my loved ones being tortured every time I read and pray. The voices wanted to make me homeless for not cooperating with them. They wanted to control me. They tried to make me a muslim, a vegetarian, an atheist, a homosexual, a drug dealer, a member of an organised criminal organisation, etc. They tried anything to make me lose my faith in the one true God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). They are trying to punish me for not cooperating with them. They are spreading misinformation after covertly sabotaging my life. They make observational comments mocking me when I'm in private places such as the toilet, shower and driving alone. They tried to make me crash many times by sleep depriving and distrupting my sleep. They are trying to demoralise me so I can become more vulnerable to their coercive commands and suggestions. They are punishing me for not cooperating with them. They are psychologically manipulating me and their constant interruptions to my thought processes can cause disordered thinking/speech. They want me to become disoriented and delusional so they can misinterpret my behaviour to spread misinformation. They persecuted me because I was praying in August 2020 on my quiet night shift while I was working at the quarantine hotel. They don't want me to pray to God as a coping mechanism. They want to turn to Satanic coping mechanisms like alcohol, women, drugs, violence, etc. ONLY GOD CAN SAVE US! JESUS SAVE US!