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 Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:54 am
Howdy, everyone!
I'm Kat (yes, that is the real name I use IRL and have used since about 1983... oh, yeah, and I'm OLD cat_gonk )
I dedicated my heart and my life to Christ Jesus almost 10 years ago, but I still consider myself a "babe in Christ". There's so much I still need to not only learn, but to truly understand about Christ and His Word. That's partly why I am here.
However, I do have a few questions about the guild (not about any individual member) that I asked in my application but did not get a response:
1. Which version of the Bible does the Guild hold to?
2. What day of the week does the Guild hold as the Holy Sabbath?
... How does the guild figure that day of the week is the Sabbath, according to the Bible?
3. Does the guild promote the concept of "The Rapture"?
4. Does the guild uphold the concept of the Trinity, or as God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost as one entity?
5. Does the guild promote baptizing in titles "In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost", or in Jesus' name "In the name of Jesus Christ"? (yes, there is a difference in doctrine).
6. What is the average age of the membership of the guild? I ask because I am an adult... an OLD person (age 43 and getting older everyday), though I do not consider myself a "grown-up" cat_blaugh
I know these questions may sound odd since the guild is obviously a CHRISTIAN guild made for Christians by Christians...but not all Christians celebrate Christ the same. As a child in Christ, I am learning from Bible study with my family that I need to question things rather than assume when I am seeking out other Christians with whom I can have fellowship and Bible study. My Dad-in-law is a Minister, and is our family's teacher. We believe in TEACHERS, not PREACHERS. Just trying to explain where I'm coming from cat_wink
I will answer these questions for you after I have heard from the guild leader(s). I don't take or put anything personally... I just have lots and lots of questions.
I try my best to not judge others as it's not my place to judge, so please do not take offense to any of my questions. They are simply to gather information to help me determine as to whether or not this guild is the right fit for me.
Thank you for your time and your openness.
emotion_bigheart
Kat >^..^<
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:15 am
I remember your application, I was on my iphone and it wouldn't let me copy/paste your questions in a message. D: Thanks for posting them here though.
1. Which version of the Bible does the Guild hold to?
We don't use a specific Bible. I like the KJV the most but I know other people here like the NLT, NKJ, and ASV versions. Whichever version you understand the best is fine.
2. What day of the week does the Guild hold as the Holy Sabbath?
... How does the guild figure that day of the week is the Sabbath, according to the Bible?
I think all of us here believe that, that day is Sunday.
3. Does the guild promote the concept of "The Rapture"?
Yes.
4. Does the guild uphold the concept of the Trinity, or as God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost as one entity?
Yes.
5. Does the guild promote baptizing in titles "In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost", or in Jesus' name "In the name of Jesus Christ"? (yes, there is a difference in doctrine).
To be honest I never really thought of that... (bad I know)
6. What is the average age of the membership of the guild? I ask because I am an adult... an OLD person (age 43 and getting older everyday), though I do not consider myself a "grown-up"
Mostly we have twenty somethings in here, I have seen some people in their thirties in here though. Plus we have a lot of lurkers, I'm not sure on their ages.
With answering these questions I realize that I really need to put of a Statement of Faith sticky. I have just been really lazy about it... D; I keep getting sidetract with side projects and stuff.
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:12 am
South Polar Eclipse I remember your application, I was on my iphone and it wouldn't let me copy/paste your questions in a message. D: Thanks for posting them here though. 1. Which version of the Bible does the Guild hold to?We don't use a specific Bible. I like the KJV the most but I know other people here like the NLT, NKJ, and ASV versions. Whichever version you understand the best is fine. 2. What day of the week does the Guild hold as the Holy Sabbath?
... How does the guild figure that day of the week is the Sabbath, according to the Bible?I think all of us here believe that, that day is Sunday. 3. Does the guild promote the concept of "The Rapture"?Yes. 4. Does the guild uphold the concept of the Trinity, or as God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost as one entity?Yes. 5. Does the guild promote baptizing in titles "In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost", or in Jesus' name "In the name of Jesus Christ"? (yes, there is a difference in doctrine).To be honest I never really thought of that... (bad I know) 6. What is the average age of the membership of the guild? I ask because I am an adult... an OLD person (age 43 and getting older everyday), though I do not consider myself a "grown-up"Mostly we have twenty somethings in here, I have seen some people in their thirties in here though. Plus we have a lot of lurkers, I'm not sure on their ages. With answering these questions I realize that I really need to put of a Statement of Faith sticky. I have just been really lazy about it... D; I keep getting sidetract with side projects and stuff. Thank you for your quick response heart Please don't take any of the following the wrong way...but my faith is much different from the general faith of the guild. I will now answer my own questions as I said I would. In my family's Bible study, we are very strict about only using the KJV as the other versions have changed and even removed entire versus from their bibles. According to the Old Testament and the timeline of the crucifixion of Christ, the Sabbath falls on Saturday. That is the day we hold holy and as the Sabbath. Please quote the verses in the Bible that state that there will be a "Rapture". I have found none; neither has my Bible teacher who has been studying the Bible (not via a university, but actually reading and re-reading the Bible) for almost 3 decades. I can get the exact verses from him that explain how the sinners will be the first to be "bundled up" like sticks and thrown into the lake of fire. The Children of Christ will suffer through the Tribulation (which will be cut short from 7 years to 3.5 years) before we are united in Spirit with the Lord Christ Jesus. Quote: 4. Does the guild uphold the concept of the Trinity, or as God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost as one entity?Yes. I am a little confused by your response to this one cat_sweatdrop I am going to assume that the guild believes in three separate entities that comprise the Trinity. My faith is that Christ is God, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost. The 1st Commandment is that we shall have no other gods before The Lord. The titles of "Father" and "Son" and "Holy Ghost" are all the titles of Jesus Christ. It's like I am "Wife", "Daughter", and "Woman"...but I am Kat. It's not bad that you've never thought of how the wording of the baptism is... as long as you are seeking the Word of God for the answers. In Acts 2:38 we are told by Peter, "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins". Many churches baptize in "titles", aka "In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost"..but they never say that name...which is Jesus Christ. Thank you for the info on the age demographics from the info you have. I think it is wonderful that there are so many young people who are searching for Christ and seeking fellowship with others who are doing the same. I also think it's great that people in their 30s and possibly older are comfortable in your guild- that says a lot about how well everyone gets along. I don't think there would be any problem with an age difference for me cat_biggrin I really don't want to come off as snooty or "know it all"...because I sure as heck do NOT know it all... I don't know MOST of it yet LOL... that's why I NEED to study the Bible and really make the Word of God part of my heart. We have some definite differences in how our faith is leading us. The use of different Bibles; the definite stance of the guild that Sunday is the Sabbath; the belief in the Rapture; following the ways of the Trinity rather than Jesus Christ is God... I feel that my involvement in the guild may lead to many awkward discussions and perhaps even arguments because of our differences in faith. I think it would be best for me to continue to search for a Bible Study guild that follows the same faiths I do. Please feel free to PM me if you wish to have the Scripture and Gospel verses that back up all that I stated I believe in; especially if you feel it would help the guild as a whole. I will refrain from posting unless I hear from you via PM because I do not wish to cause any disturbances in the guild. God Bless you all, and may you find the answers in Christ that you seek. Never stop seeking... there is always something new or renewed to be found in The Word of God. emotion_bigheart
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 11:49 am
You know, I never really thought about this guild having a doctrine, but your questions bring up some interesting points. In the book of Acts, the church was all "of one accord," and it was obvious in one of Paul's letters that Paul was angry with some people for following him or anyone else, rather than Christ himself. So, it might be useful to put up doctrines, but it might be even MORE useful to just say that we believe in Christ, and the Bible, and that apart from that, we're human, and thus don't always follow the Holy Spirit perfectly, so are prone to errors, though the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth (and righteousness).
That being said, here are my answers to your questions:
1. Which version of the Bible does the Guild hold to?
For me personally, I read the NIV, but I've read through the NKJV, and read bits in the KJV, and, to be honest, I'm more interested in what God's saying than the specific rendering of the words. My papa (grandfather on my mom's side) said something that really stuck with me, which was that he was at a bible study with some people in his church, and they all had different versions of the bible, but they all got the same message out of the text. Now, I'm sure part of the concurrence was that in that particular passage, all the translations were good, but also, it has to be that the Holy Spirit interprets for us, rather than us getting something random. As long as we defer to Him, we're pretty solid. That being said, I'm sure there are some bad translations, and I do get a pretty bad feeling about the NLT or the Message, or some other attempts to elicit our common tongue in favor of more direct translation, and that bad feeling leads me to believe those translations are probably not up to snuff, and distort the Word in some passages.
2. What day of the week does the Guild hold as the Holy Sabbath?
... How does the guild figure that day of the week is the Sabbath, according to the Bible?
The Sabbath is obviously Saturday, for the Jewish people. But, keep in mind, the catholic church moved the day of corporate worship to Sunday, and that has become custom. Also, where Paul writes that some people hold one day in higher esteem than others, and other people hold each day the same, we are not to condemn one another for such things. That being said, having a day of rest is most assuredly good, and shows deference to God.
3. Does the guild promote the concept of "The Rapture"?
I've always been confused when people talk about the "rapture", because I could never find out, in the Bible, what that was supposed to be. So, I can't really give you an answer, because I don't really understand what the "rapture" is.
4. Does the guild uphold the concept of the Trinity, or as God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost as one entity?
I'm with Brittany on the concept of the Trinity question. God is a mystery. As Paul writes, again, "now I see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face." And, as other people have written, "no one has seen the father at any time." I've struggled with the concept of the Trinity, and how God wants to be known to us, but, as is written in the Old Testament, "hear oh Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one." God is one, but in a fascinating way. Jesus says that He and the Father are one, but in a different passage states that only the Father knows the day or the hour of the end, but the Son does not, indicating that while He is on earth, Jesus does not have access to all the knowledge of the Father, and indicating also that the two, while one, are separate. Similar things apply in regard to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is referenced as a he, and as in perfect accordance with God. Indeed, in Revelation, we get perhaps the clearest picture, where God is seated on His throne, and the Sevenfold Spirit (the Holy Spirit) is before Him. God is three parts, but also one. It's a deliberate paradox, and oversimplifying that paradox does a great injustice to our understanding (or lack, thereof) of our unfathomable God.
5. Does the guild promote baptizing in titles "In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost", or in Jesus' name "In the name of Jesus Christ"? (yes, there is a difference in doctrine).
For Baptism, yes, the disciples baptized in the name of Jesus, just as John's disciples baptized people into repentance. The current group of pastors and doctrine baptize "in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost" as a deference to Catholic tradition, but the distinction isn't important. God is God, salvation doesn't come through baptism, it comes through faith. Our commitment to obedience to God binds us in a covenant, whereas baptism is the declaration of that commitment. As long as we're not baptized into something false, like in the name of Paul, or Kenneth Copeland, or any man, woman, or child apart from God, we're good.
6. What is the average age of the membership of the guild? I ask because I am an adult... an OLD person (age 43 and getting older everyday), though I do not consider myself a "grown-up".
I'm gonna side with Brittnay on this one, too. I have no idea how old some of the people here are...
Now, keep in mind that my responses are not for the guild at large, but only personal (I'm not representative of the guild...). I'm still learning the Word, and learning more about God, in my own relationship with Him. That's not to say that I think anything I said to be false, but, in case I did say something false, there ya go.
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