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I am so glad you enjoyed it Sharleen. Yes…it is a totally different message from Peter…. It is shocking once you SEE it so clearly!!
🙂
Here is what I found Trace….oops…cannot make this smaller! LOLMen·non·iteˈmenəˌnīt/noun-
(chiefly in the US and Canada) a member of a Protestant sect originating in Friesland in the 16th century, emphasizing adult baptism and rejecting church organization, military service, and public office.Question: “Who are the Mennonites, and what are their beliefs?”
Answer:
The Mennonites are a group of Anabaptist (opposed to infant baptism) denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). Mennonites are committed to nonviolence, nonresistance, and pacifism.
Mennonite congregations worldwide embody the full scope of Mennonite practice from old-fashioned “plain” people to those who are indistinguishable in dress and appearance from the general population. There are many different groups who call themselves Mennonite, primarily because they refer back to their founding leader, Menno Simons, and their stance on nonviolence and pacifism.
Early Mennonites in Europe were good farmers and were invited to take over poor soils and enrich them through hard work and good sense. Often the governing bodies would take back the land and force the Mennonites to move on since they would offer no resistance. So the migration to America started, and they were welcomed by the Colonists.
There are many schisms, which actually started in Europe in the 1600s and continued after the immigration to America. Many of these churches were formed as a response to deep disagreements about theology, doctrine, and church discipline. Mennonite theology emphasizes the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament. Their core beliefs deriving from Anabaptist traditions are the authority of Scripture and the Holy Spirit; salvation through conversion by the Spirit of God; believer’s baptism, usually by pouring or immersion; discipline in the church (including shunning in some congregations); and the Lord’s Supper as a memorial rather than as a sacrament or Christian rite.
There is a wide scope of worship, doctrine and traditions among Mennonites today. Old Order Mennonites use horse and buggy for transportation and speak Pennsylvania Dutch (similar to German). They refuse to participate in politics and other so-called “sins of the world.” Most Old Order groups also school their children in church-operated schools. Traditionally, they used horses to pull the farm equipment, but within the past ten years some are now using steel-wheeled tractors for farm work.
Conservative Mennonites maintain conservative dress but accept most other technology. They are not a unified group and are divided into various independent conferences. Moderate Mennonites differ very little from other conservative, evangelical Protestant congregations. There are no special form of dress and no restrictions on use of technology. They emphasize peace, community and service.
Another group of Mennonites have established their own colleges and universities and have taken a step away from strict Bible teaching. They ordain women pastors, embrace homosexual unions, and practice a liberal agenda, focusing on peace studies and social justice issues. Very little is mentioned in their church services regarding the fact we are all sinners and in need of a Savior as a sacrifice for our sins, rather focusing on maintaining good works and service to others.
The word “Mennonite” today can mean so many things; there are almost as many varieties of Mennonites as there are fast food chains. Some groups are more evangelical than others; some groups are focused on Bible study and prayer; other groups are carefully maintaining the works-based tradition set out by their ancestors; and, sadly, some groups have left the faith of their fathers and focus instead on current social issues.
Okay my dear sisters…here is an update.
I was in Billings for 5 days….and it seemed to take 5 days to get ready to go …LOL It was a wonderful conference and I will be posting some things in the next couple weeks about what I learned.
I waited until Monday to come home, so I could stop in Butte and have another Chelation and Ozone treatment and then go on home. The next day I drove to the Fair grounds in Dillon and pretty much set up my booth. Then I rested for a day…followed by 5 days at the Fair. It was quite an incredible experience. I think in the spring I will very much like going to local Fairs and Rodeo’s around me into the summer.
The ministry in Dillon seemed to appeal to teenage boys the most! I was totally surprised! They came in groups…and it seemed at least one from most of the groups would make their way back to me to ask questions.
One question that absolutely hit my heart hard…was a teenage boy came back, checking to make sure none of his peers were around, pointed to the poster that said, “If you die tonight, do you know where you will be tomorrow?” and said to me, “I really need to know what that means“!!!
He was very intent and intense, they all were really… I asked him what he thought it meant and he said, “Does it mean whether you will (and he pointed) go up or down?” And then the witnessing began….
One thing I learned is that for the next fair I will have cards made up to give the kids…my name and number and email so if they want to talk or ask questions later, they have someone local they can speak too!! The material had Grace Ambassadors number and invitation to call, but I still think someone local would also be good! So anyway, when I thought of it I wrote my name and local number for them on one of the handouts they took….
OH…another thing the young people liked was a small sign on each table that said,
Mari Edgekoski
Ambassador of Christ
They wanted to know if I was a actual appointed ambassador…and I told them yes. I am an ambassador of Christ from Heaven to Earth. 🙂 Oh gosh…some things were so much fun. They must have thought I was like a Jedi….and that they could and would be too if they were a believer. LOL
All fun aside, it was amazing to me, actually stunning how many “church” kids stopped to talk…and did not know if they were saved or not. They understood Jesus Christ, and they believed He was their Saviour…but they did not understand that this made them saved…and the “tomorrow” they would be with Him, because they believed in and on Him. This was one of the most rewarding of conversations with these young people…was to see understanding dawn as I asked them to say back to me what made them saved in Jesus Christ. Simply believing….
I also met an ex-Mennonite who loved the grace message and rightly dividing, it just fell into place for him. We talked for over an hour, and he knew a lot of what the words meant in Greek…which to me was interesting conversation. I really, really liked him. He was showing off a bit to me, and since he believed rightly dividing, I could listen to a few Greek words…. 🙂
The next biggest group of people that spent time looking at the handouts and wanting to talk to me, were those of the 7 to 12 age group!! Two of these children were looking at tracts when one young man suddenly reached out and slapped down hard on a handout and rather shoved it backward on the table! I calmly asked what had upset him and slowly walked over. He said he did not like what the handout said, that it made him angry. It was the handout that said “Half of Pastors Don’t Believe the Bible”
His friend said quietly, “But, (name) it is true.” I agreed with him and he went on to tell me their pastor had just been fired for teaching what was not in the Bible. I asked him what he was teaching, and he explained like an adult that…you know how marriage is between a man and a woman in the Bible…and I said yes, this is the truth…well their pastor was going to be marrying men and instead the church fired him. The young man who had gotten angry finally looked up at me and said, “It was really bad.”
I was not aware of this but in checking later found that the Presbyterian Church had fired their pastor for just this reason the month before. It affected the children greatly and I think many did not want to talk to the younger kids about what had happened, but the one child was anxious to tell me what had happened and his understanding, while the other young boy at first thought they were being mean to a man he had liked. When it was all said and done the angry boy understood and took that hand out as well as others. He seemed relaxed when he had the truth lined up in his mind with understanding. I have to tell you…there were so many WOW moments…where all I could do was in humility praise and thank our God.
It truly felt like the Lord indulged me…coddled me if you will…perhaps He would like me to learn more how to deal and talk with people face to face and do this some more! 🙂 I could answer questions and knew the answers! I was sooo worried about this! I prayed and prayed for my mind and memory to work!! However, there was one question I did not know that surprised me very much! One man was talking to me and said the of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, that Mark and Luke were not Apostles. It was that Catholic clogging again…and I did not know this, even though I did know this…I know, I know that sounds crazy. It is like when I learned that Paul was not one of the 12 Apostles and was frankly blown away that I had know this too, but had not. It is like a cult blindness, that often times you have to meet the facts head on to understand completely that sometimes your marrow (that may have been brainwashed since birth) still needs cleansing in and through the word of God with complete engagement of mind and understanding!
Many adults, young and old who simply ignored me and walked by…often stopped mid-walk and said something like…”I am so glad you are here…” or some such…and then kept on. Like an encouragement out of the blue.
With some believing adults that stopped to chat, I witnessed that I believe we have a dual mission. To save the lost, but also to witness the fellowship of the mystery with all men, which includes the saved. This really interested many believers and I gave out about 10 or so Rightly Dividing books written by Justin Johnson of GA…or sometimes a book called The Mystery by Joel Finck. I thank God for such wonderful literature to give out…
Okay…one more story. A lady that was quite old, but meandering through the Fair…stopped to look at and read the titles on the handouts…and then she just stood there for a time. So I said to her, “If you know the answer to this question (pointing to the poster that said if you die tonight where will you be tomorrow….there would be a bonus! She replied, “Can anyone ever really know?” And then the witnessing began…..:-)
Oh, it was hard work sitting at a Fair for hour after hour being available to all, but it was easy too. It was so worthwhile and so edifying, so wondrous to meet the believing, the unbelieving that wanted to walk by you, but still would stop and say or ask something…because I believe they were struggling with hearing the Lord call them. I wanted to support them, to show them love, to tell them truth, to be there to perhaps plant a seed or see a seed burst forth with understanding and faith!
There was discouragement too and dismissal as well as almost open hostility! A couple people actually asked me if the Fair knew what I was representing…which was simply the gospel of the grace of God and rightly dividing the word of truth… It was all okay because as Ambassador’s of Christ, we know there will be suffering too, and we may count it glory unto the Lord!
Next spring…I will let you all know my schedule, and if any one would like to come in and help me ‘woman’ a booth for a few days…I will help with your plane ticket, put you up and feed you, and care for you while you are here! And we will witness together, learn together and trust and love the Lord with all our hearts…together as members of the body of Christ. I cannot think of anything better. So…I am into saving money like never before. LOL
I thank God for these last days. It is such a privilege.
Next week Bible Studies and Sermons will be posted again! 🙂
Love,
Mari
Today I listened to a most wonderful sermon from Shorewood Bible Church. It is by Pastor Alex Kurz. I will post it here and on Bible STudies.
The video is below….and below that is the audio for those who cannot do video.
I believe so…gotta message Debbie on FB….I think she did not know to hit the notify at the bottom…LOL
I forgot to subscribe here Pam….duh!!!
Debbie….there are many groups with the name Bible Study 101 on FB…which is yours…could you post a link here?
Okay…please update me. Who on FB is coming against rightly dividing? Is it a group…or what? I have not seen this….can you direct me Debbie…
Sharleen….
It is important to pray before listening to anything ANY man has to say. It must be proven through the word of God. It is why we are told…to “study to shew ourselves approved unto God…” No one piggy backs to heaven nor to rewards…LOL We have each who have chosen to believe on GOD, on the blood of Christ for our salvation…are to study ourselves whatever anyone teaches us…
When you are open to the whole truth of God, no matter who it is that is teaching it…someone in your church camp, or in another church camp…it means you do not have a dog in the race. No one, no man, no woman to protect…or like what they said because you affiliate with them….but only wanting the truth, then and only then…do I believe God gives us the truth with peace.
I am not set to align myself with a person or a particular church. I align myself fully with the word of God and the truth that is presented through the word of God.
Remember too, God does not want you confused, He wants you to understand His word, it is why it was written and given to us…and so, we CAN understand it…and we can make choices in regards to it, but unless WE study it to know and place our faith in the word of God…we might be confused by what the different teachers believe, when we have to believe for what? OURSELVES. And we do this trusting in God, not man.
I know as women, we have not been taught this as men have been taught, but today…God says another thing in regards to faith and belief….Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
We are all required to study to show ourselves approved unto God.
Does this help?
I like Don Webb too…met him at Cedar Lake Conference.
If you do not have a church to go to….one may simply have communion at home….and it can be as often as you come together to eat! This is what the word of God says….
So, as a family, at dinner…share a bite of bread…a bit of grape juice or wine…and read the Bible verses in memory of Christ and then have your dinner. This is a wonderful thing to do as a family….the husband is the head, if he is not home, the mother…or young son or daughter! We are not priests…we are all members of the body of Christ. Interesting the freedom to have relationship with Christ…not only alone, but as members of the body of Christ…as a family….
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