apostleworm

i believe that in our culture today, that we are tolerant of every sexual sin known to man, just as it was in sodom and ghemorra. we are taught by society that its ok to have same sex parents, that homosexuality is a gene trait and not a demon spirit. the church i believe has failed miserably with performing same sex marriages, allowing the homosexual or lesbian to frequent services and never preach the truth to them out of fear of rebuttle. sexual premiscuity is rampant in the world and church today. all this is contrary to the word of god, and until we recognize just how hurtful this is to god as well as future generations, we are setting ourselves up for an unfortunate outcome.

i believe a congregation loses its "first love", (being christ) when they stray from the simple truths that his word has laid down. ie, adhereing to false teaching and preaching. signs of genuine love in a congregation, such as reaching beyond the four walls of the church, the neighbourhood, the city's lost. the poor and destitute, letting them know he cares for them is a true sign.a sign of lack would be strife and discord among church members. to regain his love a congregation must repent, not only to god but to one another to allow his spirit to feel welcome in the church.

I believe the exalted christ among the church in revelation is a clear indicator that he must be the focus of our worship within the body, we must totally depend on his guidance to have the effective church that he intends for us. if we dont, we end up being like one of the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, most had good qualities, but were still a dissapointment in one area or another.

In this passage of scripture we see a different christ than the usual, sacrificial lamb slaughtered at the alter, but rather a strong warrior, clad with full armour and judgement against the wicked. I am personally thankful to be on the side of such a strong force as jesus christ! i believe there are times in a christians life that this form is applicable. guidance of the holy spirit is highly recommended!

we are all aware of certain countries where persecution is high regarding christianity, but i think here in our great country where we are supposed to have the utmost freedom to express our faith of choice, that we are dealing with some of the worst persecution imaginable. alot of this comes not only from governmental structure, but from within the body of christ itself. when one doesnt take hold of some enforced doctrines that are being forced upon alot of congregations, then u are considered being "rebellious" to authority. i remember reading in the word, that there would be "many" that would spread false truth in the end days, and that we are to try the spirits, to know if they are of god. for that reason alone i believe the book of revelation is a word for today.

I believe this is one of those complex, yet simple questions with a variety of answers. as far as jesus and the father being the alpha and omega, beginning and end, this is complex. it goes beyond our limited understanding, everything we know has a start point and end point, but god is forever, endless and infinite. as far as the relationship between god the father and jesus the son with these corrulating scriptures, leads me to believe they are one and the same.

I believe that testimony and witness in the house of god is very important, it provides the direct result of a growing and flourishing body. Jesus, being the ultimate witness, throughout his life as well as the forty days he spent in the wilderness being tempted by satan, had to be subjected to any and all temptations that we might be faced with, in order to be that perfect witness. So that we, the believer, could be the overcomer in any situation. there are a few different answers to the last part of the question that others have already covered, i will say this, if our liberties and freedoms were stripped of us, this would bring out the "real" christian from the "pretender", would it not? God bless, Wayne Iredale

[hello, my name is wayne, im from northern kentucky. im a husband and father of three. im looking forward to finding out what god has for me in this bible study of revelation.