apelogeito-this might help a little:

http://www.ntrf.org/video/sd-p.....ings-1.php

As I mentioned in my first post, I have been 22yrs+ in SGM and am in the process of withdrawing my membership from my local SGM church and discontinuing my association with SGM at large.

In my pursuit of church (corporate gathering) and family involvement (community/relationships) in the life of a local “body of believers”, I have attempted to study what the scriptures teach concerning “polity”, especially in regards to the areas of “authority” etc.

This obviously becomes an important issue, when seeing the multitude of areas that polity(right/wrong) can influence.

I have also attempted to study the early church (Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers) to survey the early development of some of our modern day expressions of polity.

I would love to hear more on your personal polity thoughts, as you stated:
 
“My personal polity, which I course think is Biblical, is so far removed from the mainstream that I’ll state right now that I’m unqualified. Pk is another story.”

I, also, seem to be developing some “non-traditional” opinions.

Any thoughts? Is it appropriate to discuss here?

Defended,
If I remember my fairy tales correctly (and that is questionable) it was a KID who outed the King.  Here we have a head of state walking around without his clothes and all the adults were too afraid to tell him that he was naked (or at least in his boxers).  They were afraid of him!  Then, a child speaks up like the innocent that he is – stating the obvious, because that’s what little kids sometimes do (saying loudly, “Mommy, that man has no arm”, “Mommy that woman’s hat is really ugly”) – I’ve had five kids, so I know.  This Canary has slapped her wing over the mouth of a few chick-lings in her day, blushing furiously. 

Remember when Jesus said that we must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?  Well, in the case of speaking the truth, the obvious facts as they are known, more and more sgmers should become like those little children.  Some, like the adults in the fairy tale, might be too afraid of the consequences to point things out to their leaders (there are exceptions!). I know I was very afraid when we had to confront our pastor long ago.

 The opposite of this (there are so many dichotomy’s in the bible - salvation is free but it will cost you everything is one example ) is that adults need to act like adults and ask questions without fear.  Or some little kid might one day expose the nakedness of the King…

Will anyone love him enough to tell him the truth?    Men of mlc!  Gather your courage!
Speak the truth in LOVE!

and know we are praying for all of you.

I don’t know how Jim keeps it up because his end of it is so much bigger.  God’s grace, obviously.

And a good wife!!!

Some encouragement for this weekend…

I just saw Robin Hood, and whether or not you liked the movie (PD and I happened to really like it), there was an amazing quote in the film:

Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions

For all of you currently despairing, winded, saddened, or even numb, suffering defeat either physically or spiritually, and for both those inside and outside SGM, I give you those words again:

Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions

All of us may have been bloodied sheep at one time (and we’ll always be our precious Christ’s sheep, and He our Shepherd), but today I see lion after lion on this blog.  Be strong, and take courage in those words sisters and brothers!

Lionesses and Lions, be encouraged…

–Protestant Knight & Protestant Dame

 Thank you to all those who have begun posting recently, even in the past six months.  It takes courage.  It takes love and a lot of patience.  It is refreshing to read such wonderful wisdom, to just be able to write “amen”.  Thank you, thank you for joining the watchers at the gate, for being red cross workers for the wounded…I just wanted to say that.  My heart is full of gratefulness.  I hope this came out right… so hard to put into words. 

Your ministering words on above posts are like streams of water……living water…..I pray these words of truth,shared in your open and honest ways will be both a healing balm to many…and “splash” refreshing water onto those who are ‘asleep’………….

It is remarkable how similar the post SGM life was for so many of us. Sweet, tender, gentle people all of a sudden scared little animals, ready to bite (or at least hiss at) the next pastor to come along and try to speak to us.  Under the covers.  Feeling like God is for us yet against us at the same time.  All of this- so scary-so painful, yet ultimately temporary.

There will come a day when He will wipe away all the tears and we shall see Him face to face.  To see HIM face to face.  Soak that in. Relish in it.  He is here for YOU, because He loves You. 

Sweet Gracie said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’m fiercely protective of my intimacy with Him, and He is jealous for me as well!  How wonderful! ”

Joy, joy, what wonderful joy!  Blessed assurance Jesus is mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stunned

After we left, Sunday mornings found me curled up under the covers in a fetal position.  I couldn’t pray for a while — and when I did, I would only pray for other people, not for myself.  I wouldn’t read the Bible; couldn’t stomach Christian radio or Christian music.   God, in His unbelievable grace and mercy on my unbelief,   put me back in a church as an employee, and I went grudgingly,  kicking and screaming.  I told Him I’d show up and do my job, but that was IT.   No getting to know people, no fellowship other than just being casually friendly.  I viewed everything there with complete suspicion.  And, it’s embarrassing to admit,   I still had the condescending idea that anything outside SG was “church lite.” 

Slowly, as I heard the reading of the scripture and listened to some pretty good exegetical preaching, the gentle “washing by the water of the Word” began to dissolve the hard protective shell around my heart.  Still, I am cautious and suspicious of every ministry, every pastor, every church, and have felt guilty about that.  When I mentioned this to a friend just this week, she said, “You must realize that this reserve you have is a gift from God.”   Wow.  Thank you, Lord!

To this day, I have knee jerk reactions to certain things — sometimes they cause me to reject what should be embraced.  Songs about the cross existed long before SGM nailed Jesus back to it,  and I’ve had to remind myself that the complete definition of “the cross” is the empty one — the FINISHED work of the cross  includes His whole life, His ministry,  His resurrection — and His triumph and His forgiveness!  “Alas, and did my Saviour bleed” was written by John Newton who also wrote Amazing Grace.  He never heard of SG, and his gospel was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  So yes — now I can even sing songs about the cross!  And I SHOULD sing songs about the cross.  How could I have let SG reduce the very definition of the cross! 

Now, about a decade out, I have readjusted my expectations of Christians.  For so long, if someone told me they were a Christian, I expected a certain standard of behavior, of ethics, of intelligence and some evidence of maturity.   ’Taint so!   The only thing you can know for sure about a Christian is that he’s gonna be in heaven one day.  Any thing else is gravy.

Pam — take it easy — take it slow. And take heart!   You aren’t walking this lonesome valley by yourself.  Jesus walked it — and many of us as well.

One of the reasons I connected with Stunned so easily is that she reminds me of my outspoken daughter – speaker of direct truth.  She also has a great sense of humor. I wouldn’t be surprised if my daughter pulls me over one day in her State Trooper car just to scare the heck out of me and then have a good laugh.  She’s an ornery one…

It is so good to see you posting again.  I hope everything is going well in your part of the country.  Praying the heat isn’t too bad…