Last Days Super Saints

Zathrus · Little Guppy Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 31

20 years ago, I was going to a church that had a, shall we say unusual theology:
They believed that most of the rest of Christianity was lukewarm, if not outright apostate, and that when the last days came, and persecution broke out, all these lukewarm Christians would be unequipped to deal with the trials they'd have to face. The people in our fellowship of churches, however, were going to be End Time Super Saints.

They believed they were the ones spoken of in Revelation when it referred to the overcomers. They believed the "bride of Christ" was not synonymous with the "body of Christ". The church in general was the body of Christ. Only several thousand exceptional overcomers, all of whom of course were part of their affiliation of churches, were the bride. This was because the teaching and the ministry necessary to bring a Christian to that level of maturity were lacking in any church organization but theirs.

Also, they alone were who the Bible refers to as the elect and the remnant.

After leaving that church, over the years I've met other Christians, mostly from Pentecostal/charismatic backgrounds, who had been members of churches that had similar teachings. Not the same affiliation fo churches I was in, but others with similar messages. Each has a certain teaching or revelation peculiar to them alone, that they think will make them End Time Super Saints.
These churches last for several years, then because of the harsh teachings and rules imposed on their members, they fizzle out and dissolve.

These churches seem to lure people hungering for a deeper walk and deeper teaching, then snare them with legalism and try to fill their heads with strange ideas.

It seems so absurd to me now that I lasted 3 years in a church like this.

Have any of you had similar experiences? Met people from churches such as these? It seems the landscape of religious America is dotted with little groups, each convinced they're the End Time Super Saints.

Nobby · Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2004 2:39 pm Post subject: Last Days Super Saints

Hi Zathrus,

Zathrus · Little Guppy Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 31

Got your e-mail, Nobby. Thanks. Very Happy

shepreach · Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2004 12:53 pm Post subject:

i know what you're talking about but i've never encountered groups like these. i must be running around with my head in the sand.

RevJP · Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 12:20 am Post subject:

we encounter them all the time, and we see individuals on these boards all the time.

They are the one's who have figured out 'the code' or the particular doctrine that all other believers have missed. Present Truth/Silver Surfer was one, we had one who had claims about 'water' baptism, and there have been others.

Seventh Day Adventists, JW's, some fringe charismatice groups who claim speaking in tongues is the sign of salvation.... we have all seen or heard from them at one time or another.

shepreach · Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 10:48 am Post subject:

rev,
thanks. that's enlightening. maybe i'm not insulated--just dumb.

Zathrus · Little Guppy Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 31

This church I was in actually borrowed freely from varous fringe groups.
They considered the rest of Christianity to be the Babylon harlot religious system prophesied in Revelation, just as Adventists seem to.

And regarding their belief about a certain "number" of Christians being the only ones who made it to a spiritually mature enough state to be considered by Christ as part of "the bride", guess how many they thought there were gonna be?
Yup! Exactly 144,000. Not exactly like the JW doctrine, but very similar.

They used to say "Truth is truth, even if you find it in some dumpster!" True, but I think they picked a few things out of these "dumpsters" that smell pretty ripe.

Nobby · Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:18 pm Post subject:

shepreach · Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2004 8:31 pm Post subject:

nobby,
at least i don't have feathers. that's all i'm telling. living a sheltered life is a good thing. read psalm 91.

Nobby · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 8:48 am Post subject:

Nobby · Last edited by Nobby on Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:09 am; edited 3 times in total

shepreach · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 10:06 pm Post subject:

nobby,
i'd forgotten about God's feathers--i guess i'm covered by them even if i don't have them. told you a sheltered life is a good thing--as long as that shelter is God.
luv ya,
sheila Smile

Nobby · Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:53 am Post subject: Last Days Super Saints

We've been discussing churches & I'm a firm believer that each of us find a church we can live with & believe their teachings, & stay with it. If we look for a church where we believe everything that is taught T said. We are never going to be happy.
We live in a small community, & we have a church where everybody knows everybody. We have a few people that come to our churh, they'll come a while, then they'll quit & go to another church for a while. Of cource the line of gossip soon gets it back to us where they are now attending. Very Happy

I have never seen so many church-hoppers as I've seen in the latter years. Has anyone seen a increase in this?
Take care,

Zathrus · Little Guppy Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 31

I don't know if church-hopping is increasing or not. Over the years, I have seen that in most churches other than large denominations where you have families going to the same church for generations, that there is a continual turnover. New folks start coming as others leave. Sometimes there's a mass exodus, other times it's a more steady process. I was a member at one church for close to 10 years, and by the time I left, there were only a few of the "old gang" left.

A few friends of mine now prefer to go to a larger church because they've been burnt one way or another in smaller congregations, so they prefer to go to a church that's large enough that they can blend in and stay pretty anonymous. Just come on Sunday, receive from God, but not get tangled in all the personality conflicts that go on in smaller congregations.

It'd be nice to find a group of believers so like-minded that you always feel like you belong with them. It's hard to find though. And people change. Some grow in God and feel called to someplace else where the emphasis of ministry is more in common with what they're being called to. Others get blown about by winds of goofy doctrines, and run off to someplace where the people have a similar "spiritual vision". Sometimes it's hard to tell which is happening.

So if church-hopping is increasing, maybe that's a good thing. Maybe not. I don't know.

Nobby · Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:48 am Post subject: Last Days Super Saints

Hi Zathrus, I believe that church-hopping still happens in the large churches. Some of the people I spoke of have went to larger churchs & have ended back at our church. I believe they have in their minds, that they're going to find the perfect church, (which is impossible) or one that suites their every whim! Smile

You need to have somthing that draws the young, the teen-agers. They are the church of tomorrow! But you still must not forget the old. The older christians have much knowledge. They also some times are set in their ways, & fight against change. At one time our church got down to about 30 members, most of them were older. Our members started dieing, our church was actualy dieing away. We got down to 22 members then we lost our preacher, we were without one for over a year. Only with the help & love of God did we we hold our group together.
We got a preacher about 2 years ago, & with God & his leadership, our church is growing.