Comments on: Theology Thursday: Needing the Body of Christ http://bethstedman.com/2008/07/31/theology-thursday-needing-the-body-of-christ/ Sat, 12 May 2012 03:25:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rita http://bethstedman.com/2008/07/31/theology-thursday-needing-the-body-of-christ/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Rita Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:23:49 +0000 http://bethstedman.wordpress.com/?p=301#comment-160 Hi Beth. I'm not going to downplay the fact that we need eachother, BUT, I have found that to depend on anyone but God himself ends up in dissapointment. So when others let us down, do we say, "You don't love me Lord" I know I have, but then I see how silly it was to think that. When I took my expectations from the shoulders of my friends and family, and placed my expectations on God, then I was so much more at ease, because I stopped "expecting" others to give me what only God can. And what is that for me? Acceptance. Hi Beth. I’m not going to downplay the fact that we need eachother, BUT, I have found that to depend on anyone but God himself ends up in dissapointment. So when others let us down, do we say, “You don’t love me Lord” I know I have, but then I see how silly it was to think that. When I took my expectations from the shoulders of my friends and family, and placed my expectations on God, then I was so much more at ease, because I stopped “expecting” others to give me what only God can. And what is that for me? Acceptance.

]]> By: Beth http://bethstedman.com/2008/07/31/theology-thursday-needing-the-body-of-christ/comment-page-1/#comment-159 Beth Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:04:15 +0000 http://bethstedman.wordpress.com/?p=301#comment-159 Alan, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your encouragement with this. And I loved how you took this thought farther and applied it to the independence that churches corporately exhibit - I'll be thinking about that for a while. :) Alan, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your encouragement with this. And I loved how you took this thought farther and applied it to the independence that churches corporately exhibit – I’ll be thinking about that for a while. :)

]]> By: Alan Knox http://bethstedman.com/2008/07/31/theology-thursday-needing-the-body-of-christ/comment-page-1/#comment-158 Alan Knox Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:30:18 +0000 http://bethstedman.wordpress.com/?p=301#comment-158 This is a very good post. I think that everyone that I know (myself included) struggles with independence. We want to think that we are independent from one another, while God created us to be interdependent. I don't know if this is cultural - i.e. American individualism - or not. But, when I've talked with people from other countries, especially less "developed" countries, this doesn't seem to be as big of a problem. I also suggest that this idea of independence demonstrates itself in our churches as well. We want to have "autonomous churches", which simply shows our desire to demonstrate our independence. Instead, we should recognize that we are interdpendent as individuals and as the church. I appreciate your sharing about your own struggles. This helps me work through some things in my own life. I hope you keep sharing about this, especially as God provides opportunities for you to demonstrate that you are not independent but interdependent upon Him and his children. -Alan This is a very good post. I think that everyone that I know (myself included) struggles with independence. We want to think that we are independent from one another, while God created us to be interdependent. I don’t know if this is cultural – i.e. American individualism – or not. But, when I’ve talked with people from other countries, especially less “developed” countries, this doesn’t seem to be as big of a problem.

I also suggest that this idea of independence demonstrates itself in our churches as well. We want to have “autonomous churches”, which simply shows our desire to demonstrate our independence. Instead, we should recognize that we are interdpendent as individuals and as the church.

I appreciate your sharing about your own struggles. This helps me work through some things in my own life. I hope you keep sharing about this, especially as God provides opportunities for you to demonstrate that you are not independent but interdependent upon Him and his children.

-Alan

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