Still can’t believe my wife made us pay our rent way ahead of time and stocked up the house with food, prepaid meter unlimited, just before we started wedding expenses 😂 😂
I must marry a doctrinally sound man because we will be raising our children in the way of the Lord before any church raises them. We will first disciple them. Our home will be their first church. And by God, we will do them right.
A man's money is never your money.
i can't buy into this idea of marry rich or only date high value men cause there is zero security in any of that.
As a woman the only financial security you have is to make your own money and ensure you always have a way to make more!
Pattern Recognition is also the form of intelligence that causes the most stress.
You will see things that others do not.
You'll feel crazy.
Things will be *so obvious* to you, and others will just deny it.
Getting married is an act of faith, because there’s no perfect partner and no perfect readiness to marry.
There’s only, “I have entered this covenant trusting that He who began this good work in us will bring it to completion.”
For all the perceived imperfections of Celebration Church, pray for us.
We are trying our best
I’d like to think that it will matter more to every true Jesus lover that we are getting the most important things right;
- Teachings are strictly Christ centered
- Members love each other
- People are truly knowing Jesus better and excited about the gospel.
Part of our mission statement as a church is to disciple people excited about God, His message, and His church. I’m glad we’re achieving that.
I could also argue that it is a huge testimony that you can tell our members just by their tweets. For even when Peter tried to keep his anonymity, it was said:
"Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you." Matt 26:73. (See also Acts 4:13, 11:26)
The problem is that a brand of Church where you keep your anonymity and ideologies has been popularized. That brand of Church where the only thing that ties you to the Church is that you actually attend. So when people see Church done in a way I’d argue to be the Bible way, they have an issue with it.
The word Church (grk- ecclesia) literally means ‘called out’ gathering.
Faith in Jesus calls you out and into a community of saints.
It is impossible to do Church the Bible way without, in some sense, losing your ‘individuality’.
This doesn’t mean you can no longer think for yourself. It simply means that you begin to think biblically and have a Christian world view.
And guess what? A group of people who share the same ideology, mission and fellowship may seem cult-like to you.
This is exactly why unbelievers coined the name Christian to describe a behavioral pattern and excitement of a group of people identified with Christ. The name Christian was originally derogatory.
Issues of people crossing the line in admiration isn’t new either.
“As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." Acts 10:25-26.
(see also Acts 14:11-15).
I could argue that a Church that doesn’t have to deal with this might be doing things the wrong way.
Just like Peter and the early saints, God will help us to continue to help people never to cross the line.
But trying to constantly shame people for being excited about their Church and Pastor is unkind.
Sometimes the motives also seem suspect. Why Celebration Church? Which Church more than ten thousand members strong doesn’t share these attributes?
Being excited about your Church is not idolatry
Being excited about your Pastor is not idolatry.
(Paul literally said: “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” 1 Cor. 11:1)
Placing anything or anyone above God is idolatry.
Being grateful for someone who helped you get closer to God isn’t.
If all of these still seem too much for you, please find a Church that works better for you.
It’s one thing to not understand or to even dislike our excitement. But to constantly try to pick on people for it seems suspect to me.
Ultimately, God has our score card. He sees all and will judge all.
I think with the whole Simi's old tweets that have resurfaced and how it has been handled by the public, we can all finally tell ourselves the truth.
And the truth is, the world is not fair to men.
I remember how Ezra became popular here a few months ago.
All he did was ask for his money that Maki borrowed from him.
Instead of paying back, she came out to reveal the dark sides of Ezra.
No one asked her! But she did it, gained sympathy, and Ezra lost his company.
But of course, she paid him back his money.
My point is that the world did not even give Ezra a chance to tell us the reason why he had those weird fantacies.
Everyone came for Ezra with their torch and axes 🪓.
Now, look at how Simi's issue is been handled.
All of a sudden, people are making excuses for her. Some are even saying that she bought the account.
Even after she came out and admitted she wrote those tweets, people are still making excuses for her.
This clearly shows you that the world is NOT fair to men! Period!
Men don't get to explain themselves.
They are guilty first! And it takes the grace of God for them to be proven innocent by the public even when we know that they are innocent!
Our society is not fair to the male gender! And it makes me sick to my stomach!
Accuser: Deyemi raped me.
Some Women: That’s it. Deyemi is a rapist.
Some Men: What happened? When did it happen? Where?
Some Women: Why are you asking questions? He’s a man. Believe her.
Some Men: We’re asking because false accusations happen. We need to be sure before labeling someone a rapist.
Some Women: She’s crying. That’s proof enough. All men are rapists anyway.
Some Men: No. Ask questions. Get facts. Make sure we’re not falsely accusing someone of something this serious.
Some Women: If you’re asking questions, you’re siding with a rapist. Your only response should be to call him out.