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 Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:16 am
Sorry to have to do this you guys, but I really need help right now and I do not know who to turn to. The church I am a member of seems so distant from me and the church I go to now at home for the summer break I am almost completely separated from (at this point, the only reason why I go is because my father goes there.) I feel completely isolated from all society, the only ones I get to talk to are my mom and her boyfriend whom I have already have had some talks with. I know it is not Christ-like, but he sometimes drives me over the wall with his antics.
Nevertheless, as a result from this felt loneliness, I have been spending exorbitant amounts of time on the internet leading to various issues. I have had some people tell me that maybe it is what God has planned (me being alone and all), but the issue is is that I have never really known what organic fellowship is, nor have I felt connected to a church, and I know that fellowship is key to growth. Most of the people who attend my church up at college for me are those types that have been going to church for their entire lives, or they are the really popular types that know how to get connected quickly. I tried to get involved and participate in as many Bible studies as I can, but time and time again I get treated like a unruly kid and not once like a brother, except when I am alone with them.
Basically, my bottom-line is is that I feel so far away from the church that I cannot go to them for help with addictions. I know God is with me always, but this addiction ultimately leaves me separated from God, since God is holy and cannot have fellowship with the sin in my life. Help me please, I am really desperate for help...
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:42 pm
Well...i know how you feel, since i'm the only youth at my church, there is no one really to talk with to motivate me. Except my sis and pastor. I will pray for you. Just don't let it bring you down and always stay positive.
You know, this guild is like it's own church. To say you don't have a connection to a church is really not true, because there are many people on here that you can talk with about scriptures, ideas, questions, etc. You are really connected with this church and just like anyone in this guild, we will not mistreat you or cast you out. If you need to talk, you can always PM me or anyone else in this guild.
Take care and GOD bless!! smile
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 6:50 pm
Thank you for that... it really means a lot. But in reality I am not connected with this guild. Sure I post a lot of stuff and ask a lot of questions, but what I am searching for is something more than that. I am looking for what it means to have genuine fellowship. I have caught glimpses of it before with my peers and the fact that they treat each other like genuine brothers and sisters minus me. I think it had to do with the way how I was introduced to God under false-pretenses. Not the fact that I was introduced to God (actually this point makes me realize the gravity of the situation and humbles me more and more as I think about it. The false-pretenses was why the person was helping me, or at least from the way the person carried themselves.) But it made me realize something, what if I never met that person? Would my church or any church for that matter would have reached out to me?
You see, at my church there is a strong emphasis on preaching the Gospel, but to many that is done by friendship evangelism which I do practice every so often, but I prefer cold-contact more for reasons I will outline later. So to friendship evangelize, you must first become the person's friend. Well for me, I am even to this day a loner by nature. Even when I feel God's presence I always find myself at a quandary because I feel a need to be alone at the same time. So naturally people will tend to avoid me (for that and other reasons as well.) So now my next question is this: Is friendship evangelism correct? I mean, yes God points us out to different people, yes I am extremely thankful that I was found by God. But my point is that, at least from my view-point, many people go by without at least having a chance to hear the Gospel, and people who tend to hear the Gospel are those whom the preacher is friends with already, so outcasts like me would theoretically never hear the message. And this brings me to the reason why I avoid friendship evangelism: I think that it is unbiblical. My reasoning comes from James 4 where it says that friendship with the world is enmity with God and in Romans where it says that God shows no partiality. Idk though, I am still young to a lot of people and my opinions usually fall on deaf ears, so I understand if you reject this line of thinking, I am accustomed to the pain.
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:12 pm
hmm i had to read this over a few times, sorry my understanding is a bit off today. Even if u feel this connected from this guild, people still care for what you have to say, treating you like a brother. I wouldn't have posted if i had no concern for you or your problems, however i consider you as a brother so Never forget that!!
Preaching the gospel is very important, in my opinion. I try my very best to tell others even though 80% of the time i get laughed at. Like you said, most people that tend to listen are already christains but there are few ears out there willing to listen and those are the ones that need to hear. lets see, one time i was at the state fair and i told the "wordless book" and surprising the people i told were all adults and some didn't know christ. Even though i'm very quiet in real life and usually block the outside world, i try my best to at least let someone hear the news. Best thing to do is try and never get up!! People yell at us, use the middle finger, and even throw stuff at us, i never let it get to me because i know the lord is with me.
I don't know if it is correct, you made a great statement on your opinion and i can't judge you by it but i try to tells others the best i can, and thats just my opinion. I hope you take care, and i'm sorry if i hadn't answered your questions the way you wanted.
God Bless You!! biggrin
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 2:52 am
I'll pray for you brother... I can't say that I know what you're going through because in reality only you and God know about it. There are some similarities though I also feel isolated from my own church so I just distance myself and just have fellowship with my family. (Which is like okay since we're really close.) That's why I'm glad there are communities like this in gaia because even if we're technically strangers to one another and possibly from different areas in the globe, you still have a fellow brother or sister that you can share things with and they won't ever judge you and just accept you for who you are.
Whatever you're going through right now, know that God is always there and sometimes He uses fellow brothers and sisters to be of help in your time of need.
Peace be with you brother... blaugh
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 10:21 am
my heart goes out to you. i almost want to cry reading what you have to say because i can identify with it and i know what you are going through. i'm a loner too, but for most of my life i tried to fight it. i worked so hard to try to be a socialite and it only created stress and led me to compromise my ideals. finally i realized it wasn't worth the effort. i wanted to be popular, but i didn't really want to be close to the people in the popular crowd. so i've excepted my personality and you know what, it made me popular. with other people like me. other people who understand that sometimes we need someone else around and other time we just want to be left alone. and that isn't a bad thing, it doesn't mean there is something wrong with us or we're broody, its just our personality. i was an outcast at my old church because of my personality type too, but i have found someone who understands my point of view and with whom i can enjoy fellowship. fellowship doesn't have to be with a big crowd of people, it just has to be with people who connect with you. if the people at your church don't understand you and accept you then they aren't the right people for you. don't worry about it, there are others out there better suited to help you in your walk with the Lord. and maybe at this time it is just supposed to be you and God. i know its hard to turn away from entertainment and spend time alone with God, but it gets easier and is well worth it. whatever God has planned for your life right now, trust that he will work all things out to your benefit. he'll bring you closer to him and send people your way who are fitting friends for you. all you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open for what God has to give you, and refuse to give up hope. God can only help us if we don't struggle against him, and things may not seem to be getting better, but you have to be put in the right direction. and remember, when God says delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart, that is two-fold. he will give you what you want, but he will also give you a desire for the things he wants to give you, even if it is completely different from what you initially think will make you happy.
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