I was on the street today when i saw a magazine with different gory captions.
1. why Tunde Bakare tore Oyedepo's book openly.
2. why he resigned from rccg.
3. Foursquare sack Badejo
4. the 2 chris at loggerheads. e t c
Things like these are eyesore to christianity because the real definition of a true church is no longer imbibed. we are now in the era of church as a profit making business. i think is better we stay put at home and worship the Lord than being under a church with burning roof.

Jcob:

I was on the street today when i saw a magazine with different gory captions.
1. why Tunde Bakare tore Oyedepo's book openly.
2. why he resigned from rccg.
3. Foursquare sack Badejo
4. the 2 chris at loggerheads. e t c
Things like these are eyesore to christianity because the real definition of a true church is no longer imbibed. we are now in the era of church as a profit making business. i think is better we stay put at home and worship the Lord than being under a church with burning roof.

hhaha, if you start thinking about that, you will never go to church, the fact is that most of those guys that called themselves pastor are not pastor they are business me, what they do is after reading a book like The 48 Laws of power , they go into full practice.knowing very well that Nigeria supplies enough suckers for their con.

Jcob:

I was on the street today when i saw a magazine with different gory captions.
1. why Tunde Bakare tore Oyedepo's book openly.
2. why he resigned from rccg.
3. Foursquare sack Badejo
4. the 2 chris at loggerheads. e t c
Things like these are eyesore to christianity because the real definition of a true church is no longer imbibed. we are now in the era of church as a profit making business. i think is better we stay put at home and worship the Lord than being under a church with burning roof.

Educate more and more gullible folks around you stop patronising fraudulent "men of God"

with the way things are going, no church is an exemption.

Jcob:

with the way things are going, no church is an exemption.

can anybody name 1 nigerian church that is not corrupt, that is sincerely helping the poor with the tithes they make?

manmustwac:

can anybody name 1 nigerian church that is not corrupt, that is sincerely helping the poor with the tithes they make?

No be only helping the poor.

That is why I want us all to read this book.

http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/church/new/churchage_index.pdf

Extremely Important!

Honestly. . .i'd rather stay at home.

I realize it's when i'm in church i'm furthest from God. My mind wanders and i find myself thinking things i'd have to ask forgiveness for. For instance, i go "yeah freaking right" during testimony time.

During offering, it's "Kaaaching" when i see the men carrying the tall basket of money to the vestry or whatever they call it.

When the pastor is preaching, i'm thinking. . ."Hurry Up, darn it."

When the pastor tells us those funny anecdotes that's meant to humanize him, i think "oh Jeez, we heard that one already"

When the choir sings, it's "Jeebus! Ever heard of rehearsals"

After the grace. . .It's "Thank you Jesus. God pls don't let there be traffic."

All in all, my sunday church experience is nothing to write home about. I leave church feeling i need spiritual cleansing.

@ OP good luck to you.

You could try one of the orthodox denominations, there's some more sanity there.

Well, well!You guys are slowly beginning to get it.You just keep on waking up.Now is the time.

Jcob:

I was on the street today when i saw a magazine with different gory captions.
1. why Tunde Bakare tore Oyedepo's book openly.
2. why he resigned from rccg.
3. Foursquare sack Badejo
4. the 2 chris at loggerheads. e t c
Things like these are eyesore to christianity because the real definition of a true church is no longer imbibed. we are now in the era of church as a profit making business. i think is better we stay put at home and worship the Lord than being under a church with burning roof.

Most religious organizations have produced bad fruitage. It is not the fact that groups are organized that is bad. But many have promoted forms of worship that are based on false teachings and are largely ritualistic instead of providing genuine spiritual guidance; they have been misused to control the lives of people for selfish objectives; they have been overly concerned with money collections and ornate houses of worship instead of spiritual values; their members are often hypocritical. Obviously no one who loves righteousness would want to belong to such an organization. But true religion is a refreshing contrast to all of that. Nevertheless, to fulfill the Bible’s requirements, it must be organized.


Heb. 10:24, 25: “Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.” (To carry out this Scriptural command, there must be Christian meetings that we can attend on a consistent basis. Such an arrangement encourages us to express love toward others, not only concern about self.)

1 Cor. 1:10: “Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.” (Such unity would never be achieved if the individuals did not meet together, benefit from the same spiritual feeding program, and respect the agency through which such instruction was provided. See also John 17:20, 21.)

1 Pet. 2:17: “Have love for the whole association of brothers.” (Does that include only those who may meet together for worship in a particular private home? Not at all; it is an international brotherhood, as shown by Galatians 2:8, 9 and 1 Corinthians 16:19.)

Matt. 24:14: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (For all nations to be given the opportunity to hear that good news, the preaching must be carried out in an orderly way, with suitable oversight. Love for God and for one’s fellowman has caused people around the earth to unite their efforts to do this work.)

Does Your Religion Really Please God?

‘GOD is not a God of disorder but of peace.’ (1 Corinthians 14:33) Surely, then, the many religions with their conflicting doctrines could not all have God’s approval. Hence, there can be only one religion that meets his requirements for true worship. How can we find that one religion that really pleases God?

Doubtless, many feel that such a search would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Sifting through it would be quite a task! Yet there is a simpler method—using a powerful magnet. It would attract the steel needle and separate it from the straw. Likewise, the Bible can be used as a magnet to separate truth from error. But how does the Bible do that? By defining acceptable worship from God’s viewpoint.

The apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) Accurate knowledge of the Bible is essential if we are to avoid the pitfall of reducing religious devotion only to what is convenient or pleasing to us.

Additionally, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, stated: “God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) How can we “worship with spirit and truth”? By following the truthful guidelines that God has provided, through inspiration, in his Word, the Holy Bible.

True Worshipers Exhibit Love

What does God’s Word lead us to expect of true worship? We have an immediate clue in three words: “God is love.” (1 John 4:16) Therefore, worship that pleases God must be based on genuine love.

In practical terms, what does that mean? Religion that pleases God cannot inculcate or allow for hatred of fellow humans. The Bible’s simple command is, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) That means separating from this world’s hatreds, prejudices, and conflicts. It means learning war no more and pursuing peace.—Isaiah 2:2-4.

To illustrate the point: Could we imagine a “French” apostle Paul going out to kill a “German” apostle Peter just because their respective nations had declared war? Yet, during the second world war most religions were so deeply involved in the war efforts of their nations that they even supplied chaplains for the armies! At the same time, “Christian” clergymen on both sides prayed to the same God for victory. But does God stand divided? Can he be dragged into what Professor Albert Einstein described as the “infantile sickness” of nationalism, “the measles of humanity”? Of course not! That is why worshipers who really please God must remain neutral and practice genuine love. (John 13:34, 35; 17:16) They ‘do not wage war according to what they are in the flesh.’—Compare 2 Corinthians 10:3, 4.

True Worship Exalts God’s Name

The apostle Paul pointed to another mark of religion that is pleasing to God when he said that although many are called gods and lords, among true worshipers there is only “one God the Father.” (1 Corinthians 8:5, 6) Surely, then, those pleasing God would know and use his name.

The Bible, in its original languages, specifically mentions the name of God over 7,000 times. For instance, Psalm 83:18 reads: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” Then why do adherents of so many religions worship a nameless God? And why do they omit his name from their Bible translations? That certainly is not the way to please God, for Jesus prayed: “Let your name be sanctified.”—Matthew 6:9.

BELIEFS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES


BELIEF                                                                                                         BIBLICAL BASIS

Jehovah is God’s name                                                                                     Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18

The Bible is God’s Word                                                                                    John 17:17;
                                                                                                                        2 Timothy 3:16, 17

Jesus Christ is God’s Son                                                                                  Matthew 3:16, 17; John 14:28

Man did not evolve but was created                                                                 Genesis 1:27; 2:7

Human death is due to Adam’s sin                                                                    Romans 5:12

Soul ceases to exist at death                                                                            Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10;
                                                                                                                         Ezekiel 18:4

Hell is mankind’s common grave                                                                        Job 14:13; Revelation 20:13,
                                                                                                                         King James Version

Resurrection is the hope of the                                                                         John 5:28, 29; 11:25;
dead                                                                                                                  Acts 24:15

Christ’s earthly life was the
ransom for obedient humans                                                                             Matthew 20:28; 1 Peter 2:24;
                                                                                                                         1 John 2:1, 2

Prayers must be directed
only to Jehovah through Christ                                                                          Matthew 6:9;
                                                                                                                         John 14:6, 13, 14

Bible’s laws on morals must be                                                                         1 Corinthians 6:9, 10
obeyed

Images must not be used in worship                                                                Exodus 20:4-6;
                                                                                                                        1 Corinthians 10:14

Spiritism must be avoided                                                                                 Deuteronomy 18:10-12;
                                                                                                                        Galatians 5:19-21

Blood must not be taken into                                                                           Genesis 9:3, 4;
one’s body                                                                                                        Acts 15:28, 29

A Christian must keep separate                                                                       John 15:19; 17:16;
from the world                                                                                                  James 1:27; 4:4

Christians must witness,
declaring the “good news”                                                                               Isaiah 43:10-12;
                                                                                                                        Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20

Baptism by complete immersion
symbolizes dedication to God                                                                           Mark 1:9, 10; John 3:23;
                                                                                                                        Acts 19:4, 5

Religious titles are improper                                                                             Job 32:21, 22;
                                                                                                                        Matthew 23:8-12

We are now in “the time of the end”                                                                Daniel 12:4;
                                                                                                                        Matthew 24:3-14;
                                                                                                                        2 Timothy 3:1-5

Christ’s presence is in spirit                                                                              Matthew 24:3; John 14:19;
                                                                                                                        1 Peter 3:18

Satan is the invisible ruler                                                                                 John 12:31;
of the world                                                                                                      1 John 5:19

God will destroy present wicked                                                                       Daniel 2:44;
system of things                                                                                               Revelation 16:14, 16; 18:1-8

Kingdom under Christ will                                                                                 Isaiah 9:6, 7;
rule the earth in righteousness                                                                        Daniel 7:13, 14;
                                                                                                                        Matthew 6:10

“Little flock” to rule with Christ                                                                         Luke 12:32;
in heaven                                                                                                         Revelation 14:1-4; 20:4

Other people God approves will                                                                       Luke 23:43; John 3:16
receive eternal life on a
paradise earth

@dwonder
nice write ups.

dwonder:

Does Your Religion Really Please God?

‘GOD is not a God of disorder but of peace.’ (1 Corinthians 14:33) Surely, then, the many religions with their conflicting doctrines could not all have God’s approval. Hence, there can be only one religion that meets his requirements for true worship. How can we find that one religion that really pleases God?

I beleive the answer to the above posers can be found in James 1:27:Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Can that be referred to as religion?Does one have to belong to a religious group to care for orphans and widows in distress?
Being kind, loving and caring is a state of being, a state of consciousness that has little to nothing to do with belonging to any group bound together by a set of ideologies(whatever the nature of those ideologies might be)
So the question now is this, "what exactly is the use or role of dogmatic religions in the one on one relationship between man and his creator?" Does man need organized religions and their scriptures based doctrines to have a relaionship his maker?Personally, i do not think so.

KunleOshob:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

jagunlabi:

[b]Can that be referred to as religion?[/b]Does one have to belong to a religious group to care for orphans and widows in distress?
Being kind, loving and caring is a state of being, a state of consciousness that has little to nothing to do with belonging to any group bound together by a set of ideologies(whatever the nature of those ideologies might be)
So the question now is this, "what exactly is the use or role of dogmatic religions in the one on one relationship between man and his creator?" Does man need organized religions and their scriptures based doctrines to have a relaionship his maker?Personally, i do not think so.

Well that is how the bible defines religion, it is the church that has changed the meaning to the ways of man. That is one of the reasons i have serious problems with the way the church is organized, focused and run today.

I generally like to see 'religion' as the outward exhibitions that result from belief in a supreme being. That is also how I interpret James 1:27. Caring for widows and orphans is not the belief itself, but a way of expressing that belief.

For me I consider worship to be fulfilling the intentions of the Creator.  What do I mean?

I'll put it another way.  The most perfect worship is for me to be True to myself as fully as possible.  Not allow myself to get distracted from the path that has been appropriated for me.  

If I fashion a knife for myself I will be sorely displeased if the knife does not cut properly.  The best thing that the knife could do to please me is to fulfil my intentions for creating it.  Only then would I be pleased.  If the stupid knife started instead to sing praises through it's blade and all kinds of other tricks that I didn't send it, It would just end up annoying me.  

Similarly there is an appropriation that has been set aside for each living creature.  Walk that path, and just be that!  Then you are worshipping your God and Creator.

Is loving one’s fellowman what really counts?

There is no doubt about it, such love is important. (Rom. 13:8-10) But being a Christian involves more than simply being kind to our neighbor. Jesus said that his true disciples would be outstandingly identified by their love for one another, for fellow believers. (John 13:35) The importance of that is emphasized repeatedly in the Bible. (Gal. 6:10; 1 Pet. 4:8; 1 John 3:14, 16, 17) However, Jesus showed that even more important is our love for God himself, which is shown by our obedience to his commandments. (Matt. 22:35-38; 1 John 5:3) To demonstrate such love, we need to study and apply God’s Word and assemble with fellow servants of God for worship.

Is having a personal relationship with God the really important thing?

It certainly is important. Merely attending religious services in a formalistic way cannot take the place of it. But we need to be careful. Why? In the first century, there were people who thought they had a good relationship with God but whom Jesus showed to be badly mistaken. (John 8:41-44) The apostle Paul wrote about some who evidently were zealous about their faith and obviously thought they had a good relationship with God but who did not understand what was really required in order to have God’s approval.—Rom. 10:2-4.

Could we have a good personal relationship with God if we treated as of little importance his commandments? One of these is that we regularly assemble with fellow believers.—Heb. 10:24, 25.

If we personally read the Bible, is that sufficient?

It is true that many people can learn a great deal by reading the Bible personally. If their motive is to learn the truth about God and his purposes, what they are doing is highly commendable. (Acts 17:11) But, being honest with ourselves, are we truly going to grasp the full significance of it all without help? The Bible tells about a man who held a prominent position but who was humble enough to acknowledge his need for help in understanding Bible prophecy. That help was provided by a member of the Christian congregation.—Acts 8:26-38; compare other references to Philip in Acts 6:1-6; 8:5-17.

Of course, if a person reads the Bible but does not apply it in his life, it does him little good. If he believes it and acts on it, he will associate with God’s servants in regular congregation meetings. (Heb. 10:24, 25) He will also join with them in sharing the “good news” with other people.—1 Cor. 9:16; Mark 13:10; Matt. 28:19, 20.

I understand that Jagunlabi sees religion as a set of organised beliefs shared by an organised body of people.

KunleOshob's references to religion seem to be based on a totally different definition of the word.  

You see, this is why it is very important to define what you mean when you use certain words.  The more popular the word is in common usage the more important it is to define it before using it, because 99.9999999999 per cent of the time that word means something different to different people.

Better still will be to invent your own terms for your own concepts, so you define it from scratch.  You'll avoid a lot of conflict that way.  People get very territorial with words.  The greater part of arguments that I've seen on the internet have been over what a word means.  I'm tired of such arguments.  That is why  I go to great lengths to avoid using even the word christian as it has become vacuous and meaningless.

Will Sincerity Alone Please God?

Is sincerity in worship sufficient? Or is something additional required to please God?

SINCERITY is a virtue. You surely would not appreciate it if someone regarded you as being insincere. Insincerity is akin to hypocrisy.

Sincerity in the way we worship God is also a virtue. Here, too, you surely do not want to be insincere, as this also would be similar to hypocrisy. It would be especially bad, since it is connected with one’s relationship to God.

Because the need for sincerity in worship is generally recognized, many persons, when asked what they think pleases God in the way of worship, reply: “Oh, I believe that if a person is sincere in his worship, regardless of the way he worships, this is pleasing to God.”

Do you feel that way? Do you believe that as long as one is sincere in the way he chooses to worship God, regardless of what that way is, this is acceptable and pleasing to God?

WHAT IF MISPLACED?

While sincerity is commendable, what if it is misplaced? What if the result of a belief or action is not as anticipated because that belief or course of action, however sincere, was in error?

Not long ago a drug called thalidomide was introduced on the market. It was used as a sedative and proved effective in inducing sleep. However, to the dismay of the whole world, it was later discovered that the drug was responsible for babies being born horribly deformed. Mothers who had taken the drug early in their pregnancy bore children who had deformed arms and legs, or who were lacking one or more of these limbs. Sometimes the external ears were missing. Deformities were also noted in the eyes, throat and intestinal tract. Swiftly the drug was removed from the market. Governments banned its distribution. It was definitely proved to be a threat to the birth of normal, healthy babies.

This drug was introduced in all sincerity. It was to be an aid to those having difficulties with sleep. Yet it proved a disaster. All the sincerity of doctors, druggists and scientists was of no avail. Their confidence in this new drug had been misplaced. Instead of proving a benefit to humanity, it proved a curse. Sincerity alone was not sufficient to produce pleasing results.

Again, how pleasing would it be to an employer if an employee did not do the work assigned to him, but took it upon himself to perform other work not delegated to him? Would the employer be happy that he did not carry out his assigned tasks? No, the employer hired the worker for a specific task and he expects that task to be accomplished. The worker might be sincere in walking off his assigned work to another job, but that sincerity would not be pleasing to the employer.

So, too, the builders of the superliner Titanic were sincere in feeling that the ship was virtually unsinkable. Yet on its maiden voyage in 1912 it struck an iceberg and quickly sank, with great loss of life. Her designers no doubt sincerely believed in the ship’s ability to withstand damage, but this sincerity did not prove to be enough.

But does one have to first of all believe in a supreme being before finding and showing altruism?What about those who have discovered altruism without having to believe in any supreme being.
I am one of those who believe that true altruism comes from within and not without.Having to first of all believe in a supreme being whom you have to conferr your kind deeds to is externalization of what is intrinsically innate in all of us.

A_K_O:

I generally like to see 'religion' as the outward exhibitions that result from belief in a supreme being. That is also how I interpret James 1:27. Caring for widows and orphans is not the belief itself, but a way of expressing that belief.

Yep, that is the way i see it becasue that is the way religion presents itself.But people are free to and will redefine terminologies to suit their ever changing personal perspectives to worldviews.This is quite normal and frequent.
I think that we are moving slowly but surely back towards where we once was at, polytheism , where beliefs and what they constitue becomes a very personal and subjective thing.

Pastor AIO:

I understand that Jagunlabi sees religion as a set of organised beliefs shared by an organised body of people.

A_K_O:

I generally like to see 'religion' as the outward exhibitions that result from belief in a supreme being. That is also how I interpret James 1:27. Caring for widows and orphans is not the belief itself, but a way of expressing that belief.

WORD. . .that phrase is on-point

Dwonder started off well, but the copy and pasting is starting to grate.

stay home.

Pastor AIO:

Dwonder started off well, but the copy and pasting is starting to grate.

I'm sorry if you feel that way I just wanted you guys to read what I read that changed my mind 'bout a number of things.

Just as you said earlier what you what to say is as important as the way you say it. It is important to clearly define what you're saying. 

In any case the bottom line is that Religious leaders as well as followers have made it difficult for honest hearted individuals to believe in God.

Those who do are tired of the hypocrisy of organized religion. The truth is you can't find a perfect religion no matter how hard you seek however you can save yourself all the heartache that comes with organized religion by patiently examining what the bible really teaches.

The word "religion" should not even come into the discussion if we're talking Christianity. One can be religious about a number of things, you are either a Christian or you're not, there is no "in between", religion has a corruptible influence when associated with Christianity.

Poster needs to keep looking for the best fit in terms of finding a place of worship that shares his/her values as a Christian, no need to be in a place where your heart is not. House fellowships are on the rise now to counter some of this adulteration that has been going on for a while in "organized Churches"