Why do I keep hearing the same thing over and over again?

[YourChild]

Why do I keep hearing the same messages over and over and over and over and over, oh did I forget to tell you? and over and over and over again, everytime I come to church? Why are the messages so general and feel good messages and why are there no hardcore Biblical teaching from the Bible? WHY WHY WHY WHY!!!!!

sorry I'm just talking to myself.

And why is this website so annoyingly slow like never before? Do the site monitors realize this? Can something be done to stop this slowness?

 

[HuntingMan]

Why do I keep hearing the same messages over and over and over and over and over, oh did I forget to tell you? and over and over and over again, everytime I come to church? Why are the messages so general and feel good messages and why are there no hardcore Biblical teaching from the Bible? WHY WHY WHY WHY!!!!!

At church ?

Ive always assumed that its because the general congregation really isnt always ready for moving past the basics...at least in the minds of many pastors.
I think thats why they generally will have things like 'discipleship' classes or other things for those who want to move beyond the elementary things.

Ive talked to one of my mentors who has asked me a couple times to come teach in his church about doing things like Q&A in his sermons to give the congregation a chance to tell him what THEY want to hear about. This gives the individuals in the church a chance to get some real meat taught about that the rest of the group surely could use.

A lot of pastors simply wont go beyond the basics....its the same repetitive things over and again and its really one thing that keeps me from even wanting to sit thru a sermon...I prefer the studies where 5-10 of us might sit around swapping ideas or something with one person being the 'teacher' of sorts.

And why is this website so annoyingly slow like never before? Do the site monitors realize this? Can something be done to stop this slowness?

I think its just the kinks in the software since the changeover.
This is a pretty busy forum so that kind of change may take a while to get settled in

 

[YourChild]

I don't know if I would call it 'basic.' There's not even any mentioning of Jesus on the cross saving lost souls. It's always stuff about going out there and accomplishing your goals, reaching your dreams, making something out of your life, getting a lot of blessings from God, asking God to bless our finances...positive feel good messages.

I dont know I just feel kinda frustrated over this right now like I'm just looking to vent out somehow...I guess I'm just speaking out my thoughts. you know...you sit through the week then Sunday comes and you're looking to learn something new from the Bible and there it goes again...what you hear is what you heard last week and nothing new comes in...There are 52 weeks a year ..I am sure there are more than 52 topics to teach on from the Bible?

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! it's all I ever HEAR IN CHURCH!!!! BLESS ME BLESS ME BLESS MEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

 

[HuntingMan]

I don't know if I would call it 'basic.' There's not even any mentioning of Jesus on the cross saving lost souls. It's always stuff about going out there and accomplishing your goals, reaching your dreams, making something out of your life, getting a lot of blessings from God, asking God to bless our finances...positive feel good messages.

Oh...
Well, I dont know how attached you are to your church, but have you considered trying others ?
There seems to be a move away from traditional bible teaching to these type of teachings that for the most part are nothing more than 'self help' seminars with a 'christian' twist.

I dont know I just feel kinda frustrated over this right now like I'm just looking to vent out somehow...I guess I'm just speaking out my thoughts. you know...you sit through the week then Sunday comes and you're looking to learn something new from the Bible and there it goes again...what you hear is what you heard last week and nothing new comes in...There are 52 weeks a year ..I am sure there are more than 52 topics to teach on from the Bible?

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! it's all I ever HEAR IN CHURCH!!!! BLESS ME BLESS ME BLESS MEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

I know what you mean and know that you arent alone in how you feel.
There are many crying out for more of Gods truth in the church but many churches are really leaving teaching Gods word behind.

If you cant get scriptural food where you are, trying looking around at other churches...thats really all you can do other than speaking to someone in your church and getting them motivated

 

[YourChild]

I would find another church but some preacher preached that God places you in certain churches and you shouldn't leave a church just because you want to. I don't even know if this is Scripturally true.

 

[HuntingMan]

I would find another church but some preacher preached that God places you in certain churches and you shouldn't leave a church just because you want to. I don't even know if this is Scripturally true.

Well, let me say that Ive been called names by pastors who didnt like that I wouldnt commit to staying at their church exclusively.
I dont believe that we are tied to any group in any location. ALL christians are our brethren and I dont see any scripture that says we are stuck in one location with one group. And if that group isnt getting you fed scripturally, why would God want you there ?

Id be very wary about being told by leadership that God planted you in the church you are in. That is a typical tactic used by some just to keep you too scared to shop around for a church where you can really hear about Gods word.
If they are following God, wouldnt you think that if you were needing something they WERENT providing that they would even suggest that you get to a church that was teaching more of the word that you are very clearly desiring ?

 

[ebia]

I would find another church but some preacher preached that God places you in certain churches and you shouldn't leave a church just because you want to. I don't even know if this is Scripturally true.

At the time that the NT was written there simply wouldn't be multiple congregations in one place, so the question doesn't really arise. Some people are too prone to swap churches and need to be advised to stay in one place and see it out. But sometimes it is necessary to change.

 

[Garyzenuf]

Perhaps while you're working out your pastor difficulties, you could check out any home bible study groups your present church runs. I imagine a home setting with bible focus, and group prayer, may lead you to the deeper understanding of your faith it seems you're looking for.

At the very least, you'll have 104, not 52, things to look forward to every year.

 

[wayseer]

It's always stuff about going out there and accomplishing your goals, reaching your dreams, making something out of your life, getting a lot of blessings from God, asking God to bless our finances...positive feel good messages.

This is what is know as the Prosperity Doctrine. It's built on some obscure piece of scripture (someone might know of it) lifted out of its context to promote the idea that Christians need not feel guilty about making lots of money and spending it on $300 pair of shoes - as one Pastor told me. Truth to tell, most of these 'prosperous' Christians are only prosperous in the amount of debt they have have accumulated.

Get out of there - this is not the teaching of Jesus.

 

[Holy Roller]

Two of my favorites:

Yeshua said:

26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

And:

Yeshua said:
51Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

52For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

 

[YourChild]

This is what is know as the Prosperity Doctrine.

The Prosperity Gospel is great but what happened to the Gospel of Salvation?

If I had the chance to do so right now, I would grab the biggest hammer and band it against a pile of pots and pans just to express how much I am tired of hearing the Prosperity Gospel. Infact I feel like ripping apart those pots and pans with the hammer just because I am so overly saturated with the Prosperity Gospel!

 

[wayseer]

The Prosperity Gospel is great but what happened to the Gospel of Salvation?

Nothing - you are living in a spiritual desert. Hop on your camel and move. Forget the hammer and chisel approach. If you need the exercise - run.

 

[ebia]

The Prosperity Gospel is great but what happened to the Gospel of Salvation?

If I had the chance to do so right now, I would grab the biggest hammer and band it against a pile of pots and pans just to express how much I am tired of hearing the Prosperity Gospel. Infact I feel like ripping apart those pots and pans with the hammer just because I am so overly saturated with the Prosperity Gospel!

The prosperity gospel isn't great, it isn't even a gospel. If that really is the focus of where you are, and there is no prospect of being an agent of change, move on.

 

[visionary]

Different pastors have diferent focuses.. go to a different church.. and you will hear a different message... After a few churches you are going to find one that helps youin your spiritual growth.

 

[JacktheCatholic]

Why do I keep hearing the same messages over and over and over and over and over, oh did I forget to tell you? and over and over and over again, everytime I come to church? Why are the messages so general and feel good messages and why are there no hardcore Biblical teaching from the Bible? WHY WHY WHY WHY!!!!!

sorry I'm just talking to myself.

And why is this website so annoyingly slow like never before? Do the site monitors realize this? Can something be done to stop this slowness?

At my church we will have heard and discussed at least 90% of the bible in five years and that is only going once a week for one hour. We also have other times of study where study scripture at depth as well as history. I cannot say my church is redundant like yours. I feel for ya.

 

[ebia]

At my church we will have heard and discussed at least 90% of the bible in five years and that is only going once a week for one hour. We also have other times of study where study scripture at depth as well as history. I cannot say my church is redundant like yours. I feel for ya.

If you are following a standard lectionary as most churches - including Catholic ones - do you won't have covered as much as you think. Most Sunday lectionaries have 3 readings (+ a psalm) each sunday over a 3 year period, with less than one chapter per reading. That's a total of 3 x 3 x 5 readings - a total of 450 readings or around 150-200 chapters at most, plus the psalms. You'll cover msot of the NT, but only a modest proportion of the OT. Nothing like 90% of the bible - most of books like Numbers, Leviticus, Chronicles, Proverbs, minor prophets - never occur in the Sunday lectionaries.

Lets face it, the reading the whole bible aloud over 150 weeks would require something like half and hour a week - about half your 1 hour service - devoted to bible readings. That's before you get into any sermon/homily/discussion of them.

 

[Blank123]

Why do I keep hearing the same messages over and over and over and over and over, oh did I forget to tell you? and over and over and over again, everytime I come to church? Why are the messages so general and feel good messages and why are there no hardcore Biblical teaching from the Bible? WHY WHY WHY WHY!!!!!

sorry I'm just talking to myself.

And why is this website so annoyingly slow like never before? Do the site monitors realize this? Can something be done to stop this slowness?

because its easier to suck up to the people by telling them what they want to hear than offend them with the truth

sounds like you need to find a new church though.

 

[JacktheCatholic]

If you are following a standard lectionary as most churches - including Catholic ones - do you won't have covered as much as you think. Most Sunday lectionaries have 3 readings (+ a psalm) each sunday over a 3 year period, with less than one chapter per reading. That's a total of 3 x 3 x 5 readings - a total of 450 readings or around 150-200 chapters at most, plus the psalms. You'll cover msot of the NT, but only a modest proportion of the OT. Nothing like 90% of the bible - most of books like Numbers, Leviticus, Chronicles, Proverbs, minor prophets - never occur in the Sunday lectionaries.

Lets face it, the reading the whole bible aloud over 150 weeks would require something like half and hour a week - about half your 1 hour service - devoted to bible readings. That's before you get into any sermon/homily/discussion of them.

You forget the priests homiliy which also covers various parts of scrpture. As well as the soings that are sung which incorporate scritural passages.

But that is not the whole point.

The point is that many churches concentrate on a small amount of passages and never really stray from them. In these churches you are not taught outside the key passages that the pastor decides are important.

My point is that the Catholic Church makes it a point to cover new scripture all the time.

 

[ebia]

You forget the priests homiliy which also covers various parts of scrpture. As well as the soings that are sung which incorporate scritural passages.

But that is not the whole point.

The point is that many churches concentrate on a small amount of passages and never really stray from them. In these churches you are not taught outside the key passages that the pastor decides are important.

My point is that the Catholic Church makes it a point to cover new scripture all the time.

Don't get me wrong - I don't have a problem with the lectionary system used by the RCC and many other denominations. It's a very good way of making sure you cover a good spread of scripture in a systematic way. (Though many of the main lectionaries do skip over some of the more "problematic" passages.) But it is sometimes necessary to point out to people that a sunday lectionary doesn't cover all the bible by a long way - in a 1 hour church service there is no way you could. People do need to read the bible, especially the other bits, in their own time - perhaps by following a weekday lectionary, or simply by reading through it. People tend to assume that their sunday services cover more of the bible than is possible.

 

[JacktheCatholic]

Don't get me wrong - I don't have a problem with the lectionary system used by the RCC and many other denominations. It's a very good way of making sure you cover a good spread of scripture in a systematic way. (Though many of the main lectionaries do skip over some of the more "problematic" passages.) But it is sometimes necessary to point out to people that a sunday lectionary doesn't cover all the bible by a long way - in a 1 hour church service there is no way you could. People do need to read the bible, especially the other bits, in their own time - perhaps by following a weekday lectionary, or simply by reading through it. People tend to assume that their sunday services cover more of the bible than is possible.

I agree that you should not rely on Sunday service alone. Reading scripture should be a daily thing. I do not read everyday but when I read I read a lot. I also like to study scripture with a study guide. This summer I have studied four different books and I am working on a fifth. I also try to study history. But the most important thing is prayer and trying to shed the old self for the new self. So self study and work are very important. This is what I have been taught as Catholic and so I try to concentrate on things having to do wiith God versus things of this world.

Hopefully my spiritual life is on track. I also tried The Charismatic movement in the Catholic Church and learned much about the gifts of the spirit and even am aware of several that God has given me. Anyhow, that is my church and I hope it sounds as exciting to you guys as I feel it is to me.