Want help

mikeforjesus

Well I'd like to stop posting as most members here have as I feel I may talk more than I listen. But I cannot resist the urge to post. Also how can I leave my friends I have met online on oc.net who still post without making them feel they are going the wrong path and may not be saved ? I know not everyone who is on forums will not be saved some will but there is much danger in that path and sins to fall into. It needs a wise man

I wish I could know what is in your head which made you stop posting I mean what you see as the prudent man who forsees evil and hides himself and I wish I could see my own sins on the forums and could see what you see and why you would avoid posting what I post if you were me
Is your relationship with Christ stronger as you left ?

According to how I interpret pope Shenoudas words those who have put everything in Gods hands have found God's hand in everything and someone said when worries end faith begins
A member on Oc.net wanted me to stop posting but I did not listen to her advice

I am willing to stop posting by counting all my talk as rubbish that I may gain Christ but I cannot resist the urge to post and want help from you to stop
My dad thinks I am trying to take Gods business He says I cannot save anyone by my words only my life is supposed to be a gospel on how I treat others

I don't think however you can expect me to change straight away. I don't have enough faith by not going on forums that we are making ourselves available to others that want help

Also I want help being satisfied with a little job or talent God gave me with the small work God gave me and not think more highly of myself than I ought to think because I try to save many outside my talents with my posts but I suspect many here are happy with their small talents and giving glory to God rather than themself trusting God can save many through their faithfulness over their small talents which they offer with love


I am posting this as it is written if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Therefore He promised to change me but how do I know if I confessed enough. I think if we keep trying falling and rising we will eventually be changed because it is written He will save His people from their sins and He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities

The other thing is our confession father can't help all our problems because he seems too many people but as Moses father in law said to Moses in exodus 18 there needs to be not only captains of thousands but captains of 10 that is Sunday school servant

My mum and dad might think I can get lost on forums they may have said that once but once they said I won't but I am wasting my life

ItalianCoptic

When I converted to the Coptic church, I felt the Holy Spirit in the church and respected the fullness of the Divine Liturgy and all of the fasts. I was chrismated and received into the church with open arms, but I did not fully understand the deeper aspects of our faith. 

 Because of the 1,400+ years of isolation, for the most part, the church and culture of Egyptian Christians intertwined.  It wasn't until the mid 20th century that the church began to come with the immigrants to North America, Western Europe and other Western nations, Australia, etc.  

So, there was no understanding of how to explain the deeper meanings of our faith to people from outside the culture. I could see it, but I just didn't fully grasp it.  When I felt I should learn more about our church, become closer to Christ, I did was most people from their teens to mid 30's do, I turned to social media to look for answers. 

I grew up Roman Catholic, as you can tell from my username, and I was not fully aware of the whole Eastern/Oriental Orthodox situation. When I began to join, "Orthodox" groups on Facebook, I was being told I was not Orthodox. I cross myself from left to right, so I am a heretic!

Some horrible things, from people who profess to be Christians!

I came to understand some basic elements of the Divine Liturgy, Fasts, the Saints,etc. and listened to some Orthodox (both Eastern and Oriental) media and formed a deeper understanding and belief. A lot of time with faith, you have to have just that: faith. You have to suspend some practicality and look past every single aspect. You will never be able to have every single thing explained. 

There are two reasons I wrote all of that to you. The first is that social media is wonderful in some ways, but it's not the best way to have religious discussions. A number of people will be very rude, and that shows a lack of understanding and maturity on their part. It is very difficult not to retaliate back and make the issue even worse.  Some people have been told things, take them as fact, and do not have the capability or want to study the subject themselves. That is why your parents are objecting to overuse of the discussion boards. 

Secondly, the whole, "I must save everyone and force it on them" ideology is NOT Orthodox. I began to believe when I started to understand things past the aesthetic features of the incense and icons. Just because my church and faith is traditional,  what does it all matter if I don't understand what it all means? These aspects are there for a reason, and PART, not ALL, of what it means to be Orthodox Christian. We are best to convert people through showing our own faith to them, being patient, not rejecting people because they do not believe the same as we do. 

Finally, you should put situations (not situations created solely by your actions based on ignorance or laziness) in God's hands. But, do your part and use the abilities that God gave you.  Trying to convert random, non interested non-Christians on the internet was not one of those gifts. 

You can use technology to help in different ways that may lead to the use of social medial as an evangelization tool.

Work on a church's website, help with some of the media for a church function, a youth group, Bible study, festival, things like that. Those are better ways to use your understanding of the internet and social media. 

Start an online Bible Study group, or a discussion group with other Christians -- Orthodox and non-Orthodox -- ask them about their situations, the needs of the church and their faith issues. Then you can explain about our church, and maybe they would be interested to learn more?

 When people see your actions and participation, they will begin to ask, " I saw your church website... I saw something about a youth function on Facebook that some of my friends are going to." 

Your opportunities for evangelizing open up for people who are curious and see that you are doing things by being involved in activities. Not by posting things on forums to people who are not interested.

Thank you for reading.

Please Pray for me. 

Joshuaa

Hi Mike
Isaiah 66:2

"For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

Why would God say this Mike?

Well, it is because those who are humble and contrite of spirit have lost the hardness of the heart in which God can mould them into the righteous person He wants them to be.
We tremble at His word because it opens our minds to the situations around us and the distance we are from Him.

Lately, I have been having differculties with the people in the church. I see it as the weak in the church believing they are strong. But if they were strong then their hearts wouldn't be hard and there would be people going to confession.
As for some who haven't visited this site in a while I can't speak for them.
Pray for them Mike.

Do you ever test yourselfMike to see how much doubt you have and what you absolutely trust in. If you listen to God's word then you be able to know what you can trust.

mikeforjesus

Thank you very much ItalianCoptic you addressed some important points and gave good counsel :) I hope I can follow through with that but not everyone knows I am an introvert in reality and some services are hard to do if I am not an extrovert because it takes a lot of energy being with people. 

mikeforjesus

Thanks Joshua. I didn't see your reply. I will try to examine what I have my trust in. I think I trust in possessions to give me comfort or I would give more to the poor than the 10%. But my brother says I don't care about our coffee shop if it fails or not but that is not true. I just want to seek wisdom first. I would prefer I only needed enough to supply my needs but I will never know how much I need incase I seek a wife and children. Should I trust in God for my family because I think in this day and age children in first world countries can find jobs and support themselves praying to God to give them one. But not if they want their children to inherit companies. I think even bill gates did not start with nothing.

Perhaps I need to trust in God rather than possessions and only make money in case others have need but never spend on myself. It is hard but maybe when Jesus said not to store our riches on earth he also had in mind spending on ourselves. 

I think I need to take the word of God more seriously 

Joshuaa

If you are in doubt Mike pray be merciful to me a sinner for I don't know what is good for me unless I have your word. Also pray to God to enlighten your mind to know His wisdom.

God bless you Mike

mikeforjesus

Thanks :) God bless you too 

sirlanky1990

forums are a good way to communicate with people of like minded opinions. I know for me, some of the forums I have been a member of have been instrumental in some of the life choices that I have made. The internet has enabled what used to take months with letters to take only minutes now.

mikeforjesus

Thanks for your views and informing me about the role and proper use of forums.
Thanks for your reply :)

mikeforjesus

I decided to continue posting because people should respect the desire of people to contribute or the contribution of people in forums and I use the forum for my growth and sometimes reach people and I like to share things in my mind that I am convinced of