Important Suggestion

Why don't we find a way whereby we can easily identify from which city or state we all are. That way we would be able to see how many of us are from one city or state. If there are enough of us (I'm in Texas), we could make arrangements to meet somewhere,say, once or twice a year to have fellowship. I'm starved for fellowship with those who... well, I don't want to sound judgmental... let's just say, those who use this site extensively. As A.W. Tozer would say, brethren (also sisters!) of the Burning Bush.

I think it is a great suggestion to have people to fill in the information as to where they are from. You can see this info right below the user name at the left of the screen. My info is just below Christisking and you can see that I am from the Detroit, Michigan area.I was also greatly thirsting and hungering and praying for like-minded fellowship with other believers. I had a brother from the area email me with his phone number and over the past couple of month have meet and had fellowship with numerous other brothers and sister from all over the state of Michigan and Ohio. Praise God! I had thought for a while that I was pretty much alone here in Michigan, but now I have brother and sisters to fellowship, meet, and evangelize with. We are going tomorrow to evangelize and preach outside the Gunisse Book of World Records largest haunted in the world and will out together at the Super Bowl in Detroit. If you go to the home page on sermon index and do a search typing in your state as the search word, at the bottom of the page you will see the results for the Forum section of the website. Try there to find others in your state whose posts you are in agreement with. Email them with your phone number and see if they have a fellowship of like minded believers. To drive a hour or two to fellowship with true servants of Christ is well worth the drive. I had been praying for true fellowship for many months - praise God through this site I was able to find many true and dear brothers and siters to meet and fellowship with face to face and heart to heart.

Christisking wrote:To drive a hour or two to fellowship with true servants of Christ is well worth the drive. I had been praying for true fellowship for many months - praise God through this site I was able to find many true and dear brothers and siters to meet and fellowship with face to face and heart to heart. What are you looking for in a group of believers? What would you like to see in a 'normal' church that would make it worth joining?There is no trick questions or hidden agendas in this. I suppose the question is open to all who feel the same as CIK.

If you select Search Members from the option under 'Main Menu' to your left of this screen you will find a useful search facility. Enter the name of your state in 'Location contains', hit 'return' and you will find your neighbours.So that others find YOU, select "View Account" from your personal little menu to your left of this screen and enter your 'state' in the location field.Good hunting!

Ron,Thank you so much. I'm new, here and half illiterate when it comes to the "point-and-click" things, even though I "point-and-click" and "copy-and-paste" all day at work.Blessings,Al

Thank you for responding. I would like to see an absence of the spirit of the world. The spirit of the world encourages activities for the sake of activities, song items during the services to add an element of entertainment rather than worship, meetings for the sake of networking and socializing and, what I would call "marketing" activities, because the church is viewed as a "business." I'm not really expressing myself well, but I want to find a place where believers worship in Spirit and in truth. The sermons I hear in church are nothing like the ones I listen to on sermon index. That said, I don't go to church with a critical spirit. I'm just not fed, but being there provides opportunities to encourage others and build them up in the faith. I just came back from Mt Vernon, MO where Keith Daniel preached. The Spirit of the Lord was so real in the services. It was a revelation, and inpsiration and life changing.

Thank you, Patrick. It so encouraging "fellowshipping" here on Sermon Index. I will update my profile. I'm new to all this, but I'm learning quickly.

Thank you, my brother/sister in Toronto: I've had a great response. For starters, I learned that I should update my profile and then use the search function. That done, I shall pray that your vision comes to fruition. The recent camp meetings held in Mt Vernon, MO, where Keith Daniel ministered, was in a sense a gathering of such people, many of whom heard about the meeting on Sermon Index. I'm sure they will have the same meetings again next year, God willing. This could be the beginning of many more. If many of us meet there next year, we can set time aside to discuss our vision. In England they hold Keswick meetings once year at Keswick, where believers are encouraged to seek a deeper experience with God. I remember sermons at Keswick meetings on Jacob wrestling with the Angel, Isaiah 6, Unless a seed die, I'm crucified with Christ, Romans 12, Hebrews 4, Deut 6:23, Rivers of Living Water, Possess the Land etc. Mt Vernon was for me a Keswick experience, like no other. Blessings.

ZekeO,I think Al put it very well,Quote:“I would like to see an absence of the spirit of the world. The spirit of the world encourages activities for the sake of activities, song items during the services to add an element of entertainment rather than worship, meetings for the sake of networking and socializing and, what I would call "marketing" activities, because the church is viewed as a "business." ... a place where believers worship in Spirit and in truth. The sermons I hear in church are nothing like the ones I listen to on sermon index.”I am not sure how things are in South Africa, but in America, sadly to say, the spirit of the world has almost completely devoured the church. This is almost universal in the churches in America. I have found that there are pockets of whole-hearted servant of Christ throughout the land (many hear on sermon index) but they are few are far between and most are outside the institutionalized churches. I, like Al, also go to church, not to fellowship or be feed, but to witness to people. One of the most neglected harvest fields in the world today is the institutional average American corner church. I think it was Ravenhill who said something along the lines of (not an exact quote) “We are preaching an acceptable gospel today and all we are doing is giving people a shot to get them to hell quicker, or make them more comfortable as they travel the wide path to destruction ... I’m embarrassed and ashamed to be part of the church today” I agree with this, and can soundly say there are very few people in the churches today that are saved. They worship a “jesus” - mostly a fake plastic blow up “jesus” they have made up in there own minds - but salvation dose not come from worshipping a self-serving, sappy, watered down form of the Jesus written about in the New Testament, or in making a mental or intellectual assent to a doctrinal system of beliefs. It is sad to say but this is what the vast, vast, vast majority of the American church has degenerated into over the past 50 - 100 years. Sure there are some exception, but very, very few, and shrinking in number everyday.I’m not sure if this answers your question, as there is MUCH to say on the subject. Please let me know if there are any other questions you have, or if you wish to discuss this matter further. I love the church (bride) of Jesus Christ with all my heart and it is one of my favorite things to talk about and discuss.Oh yeah, I posted this article by Zac Poonen a week or so ago. It describes much of my feeling on the present state of the church very well. https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7588&forum=35&0

Patrick,It really is amazing how we of like mind find each other - "birds of a feather flock together." I have only been at this site now for about two weeks, but prior to this I have been ordering and listening to the tapes of AW Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill and Zac Poonen, among others. Here you mention the latter two in your response. That is what my heart craves after. To hear such preaching week in and week out. Talking about South Africa, where I grew up. During my teenage and university years, I sat under the ministry of Rex Mathie, Frank Retief, Ken Terhoven, Roger Voke, Douglas Crossman (an itinerent minister from Wales), Keith Daniel and other AEB missionaries. It was glorious. As young people we had such a zeal for God. We preached at a public park every Sunday afternoon where thousands of people came to relax; similar to New York's Central Park. Then we would go into a densily populated area of high rise apartment and preach there. It was constant soul winning and all nights of prayer. I still seek out the lost on the streets, but it is a lonely ministry, although I thank God for others who also do that although I don't them and they don't know me. Blessings, Al