I
continued attending the Sunday morning service at Metrochurch.
Since those in the singles group obviously wanted nothing to do with me, I simply sat by myself near the back of the
auditorium.
(See Chapter 11)
It
was puzzling to me that those in the singles group turned from me because I had shared what we're told in the Bible about the adultery that results when a divorced woman remarries and when a man marries a divorced woman.
Romans 7:2-3 For
the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so
long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the
law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
Matthew 5:32
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for
the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
They carried Bibles and attended church.
But they didn't really care about scripture, what God has said.
This is antichrist.
***
After
several months, I noticed that there were new people sitting in the auditorium, in the area where the singles group sat together.
When an announcement was made that the
singles group was going on a bus trip "to minister" to people at a
church in Guymon, Oklahoma, I saw this as an opportunity to meet these
new people in the singles group.
There
was a very strong desire in me to be around people of God, and I convinced
myself that surely these people wouldn't be like those who had previously been in that group.
So I signed up to go on this trip and went to the church parking lot at the appointed day and time.
In
the parking lot were school buses ... non-air-conditioned, rough-riding
school buses ... for a 4-1/2 hour trip ... one way!
And this was in September, a hot
time of year in Oklahoma!
To make matters even worse, I tend to get
motion sickness on buses.
***
But
I boarded one of the buses and looked at the faces of the people
already on the bus, expecting to see friendly-looking people.
But this
was not the case.
No one acknowledged me in any way.
I found an empty
seat and sat down, then I turned to those around me to say "hello".
But
they were focused only on the people they already knew and they were not at
all interested in speaking with me.
I
noticed a woman sitting a couple seats behind me who was obviously
crying, tears welling up in her eyes and dripping down her face.
Although it was clear this woman was quite upset, people around her
ignored her.
No one showed any care or concern toward her at all.
I
started to go talk with her, but just then someone else sat down in the seat
next to her.
***
After being on the bus for 4-1/2 hours with little communication with anyone else, we arrived in Guymon.
People
at the church in Guymon had volunteered to let us stay with them in
their homes.
As we got off the buses we were assigned homes where we were to spend the night.
A
woman from the Guymon church, who was a widow and whose children were
grown and no longer living at her home, had offered to let 3 of us stay
with her.
I was assigned to her home along with the woman who had been
crying on the bus, Linda ... and one other woman.
(I found out later that Linda had been crying because of how she had been treated by some of the other people on the bus.)
The
woman who opened her home to us had made nice preparations for us and
was very welcoming. Both Linda and I expressed appreciation to her and
visited with her during the evening.
But
the 3rd woman from the singles group, who was staying with us, was openly
angry that she had been separated from her friends.
She would hardly
speak to any of us.
She went to her room and didn't come out.
I was
very embarrassed for the rudeness she showed to the woman who had opened
her home to us.
***
The
next morning we all met at the Guymon church.
I asked one of the men
who was in charge of this trip what we were to do to
"minister", but he didn't have an answer.
It
turned out that we just sang a couple of songs during the church
service.
After the service was over, we got back on the buses and
started the 4-1/2 hour trip back to the Metrochurch parking lot!
The
trip back was more pleasant for me since I now knew Linda and we sat
together on the bus and visited. We continued as friends for many years, until she died.
***
Overall,
however, this trip was shocking and sad to me. I had looked forward to
being around people of God, but found only one person I could even talk
with out of 3 buses filled with people.
The
rudeness and lack of common courtesy shown by people calling themselves
Christians was especially sad to me.
Their behavior was far worse than
anything I have seen in secular settings.
There was no evidence of caring about things of God or the people of God.
No evidence of fruits of the Spirit of God ... The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: (Galatians 5:22-23)
This trip was a religious-sounding work authored by man, not by God.
Matthew 7:22-23 Jesus says ... Many
will say to ME in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in THY
name? and in THY name have cast out devils? and in THY name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.
And it is incredible that we went nearly 300 miles with no idea of what we were to do when we arrived at the "ministry" site.
Like many works which man devises, this trip was hard and futile, whereas God's yoke is easy.
Matthew 11:30 Jesus says: For MY yoke is easy, and MY burden is light.
I made no more attempts to participate in any singles group activities.
*****
For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ... 2 Corinthians 6
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