Support Needed from Fellow Lutherans

[Flatscan82]

Very good Flip---hit the nail on the head.

porterross you are excedingly welcome here. Ever hear of the prodigal son or our sins are forgiven as far as the east is from the west?

Anyway I was in the same situation for MANY years. Even so far as to get involved in transendental meditation, white whitchcraft, astral projection, being an outlaw biker, totally ruined my marriage by drinking and cheating on my wife. God has forgiven me so that my sins are totally forgotten and I even sometimes find it hard to believe. After all "My grace is sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in your weakness". THere are some of us that were TOTALLY unworthy but God does loves us and we are His by His grace and mercy.......AMEN

I generally don't like that modern interruption of that passage about the prodigal son. it originally was supposed to be about the Pharisees. The father was God, the bad son was the Jews that followed Jesus and the good son was the Pharisees.

 

[Flatscan82]

A quick little thing on those verses on marriage in Matthew. Jesus is speaking to those in the crowd who divorce without cause here. Many of the Jewish leaders were giving their wives certificates of divorce for reasons other than the ones Jesus specified. He knew this and threw the true essence of the law back at them.

If you consider the essence of your marriage you said that you married an unbeliever which caused many problems for you. Did he abuse you physically, verbally, mentally? Did he withhold things you were entitled to in your marriage?

The Good news is that Christ died for the sins committed in that marriage and divorce. While you can not go back and repair the damage that led to the divorce you can be remorseful that it ended the way it did and pray for forgiveness. God will forgive you.

The Lutheran Church is not the Roman Catholic Church. Divorce is not a barrier to getting remarried. I will advise though that the next time you are prepared to make that step in your life that you and your future husband seek pre-marital counseling to know that you are both spiritually compatible as well as your mutual physical and mental attraction to each other.

You should never divorce some one just because they believe differently than you. Paul said so. I don't know the exact versus but he says stay married to them so that the Holy Spirit might work through you to bring them closer to God. But if he is causing you unbearable pain and suffering then kick his @$% to the curb sister.

 

[Flatscan82]

He didn't go last night. I didn't pressure him either. Maybe one of these days something may happen and he'll go..

It sounds like he feels like that he does not belong or is worthy of Gods love. Some one made church a bad experiance for him, I am guessing. Try to make baby steps for him. Going to church to out-right would be too big of step for him. Start of by inviting a few or one church friend(s) to come over for BBQ or dinner. Try not to talk about church though. Then work up to a bible study or invite the pastor over for casual lunch. Still keeping God and church to a minimum. Let him become comfortable with the people at the church, then maybe, have him come to a bible study or help out with bible school for children.

I don't know your spouse personally or you for that matter. So take what I say with a grain of salt. I don't want my ideas to make things worse for you or you spouse.

 

[ctay]

He went with me to the Good Friday service and the Easter service. Since our church had service at 8 am we were planning on going to church with his mother too, she had asked us to come. He called her to see if she was going, but she wasn't feeling good so she didn't go. We decided not to go since she wasn't going.

 

[ctay]

Oh yeah I am planning on having a cookout here and inviting everyone in the church to it and see who shows up.. I told him I wanted to. He didn't seem to have a problem with it.

 

[Jim47]

Great news CTAY. Very happy for you.

 

[porterross]

Outstanding news, CTAY!

 

[ctay]

I still don't think he'll keep coming though. I'm hoping if I have a cookout here maybe they'll make him more comfortable. I just hope they don't start in on him about church. He gets a little testy...