This was all very good. I loved what you guys had to say. It was worded well. My two cents on the topic: I think if we require pastors to walk with such high integrity and have accountability, we must advocate for their rest. We also have to see them as humans and not little Gods. We must see them as broken people being used by God. I think the pressure on pastors to be perfect can be so intense for them that we set them up to have a moral failure, because they feel they can’t fail in public and we don’t give them a safe space to be vulnerable with their people. They are beloved members of the body just like everyone else and deserve love and care. This was the thoughts I had while listening. I love this podcast! I feel like my spirit gets renewed listening to this in between Sundays!
I felt like this series was directed at me when it began, yet I'm still only watching the services now. And I still don't know that I'm able (ready) to hear (with an open heart) because of my resentment and hurt with people of church more so than the institution of church. Church will always be good. Worship, practice and community are always necessary, but the "encouraging" part of church for me was not and is not the (people) church, but the content for the church, the worship in the church, the music, the word, His spirit when 2 or more of us are gathered. I thoroughly enjoyed the stats. Part of the reason I love church is I grew up going to a minimum of 3 services every Sunday for 11 years, and then 1 for the next 6 years, and now I rarely go. Not something I particularly like nor am I proud of. My lack of attendance has nothing to do with me not believing church is a necessity. My lack of attendance does not lessen my faith. Yet I do not disagree that lack of community and participation in church does make drawing near to God difficult, difficult in the sense I have to work harder to remain focused on Truth. I can't and don't trust the church community because there is a difference (for me) between a believer and non-believer. I can't be mad at hypocrisy that comes from ignorance (a non-believer), but I can mad at all hypocrisy rooted in missing the message (radical love) and framed through accountability. Untold story. .. This is a great message! And I look forward to the rest. Church is a necessity, yet God has blessed me with so much in this life in and out of my church experience that I will not reduce my relationship and faith to dependence on my church attendance. Church is necessary, but God is my safe place, and if the church is the people, the community, God provides that community in more ways than a physical space with people who may appear to be community. In my 30 years of life I have made friends in church like family, but the church has not been my family. But a clique I can't breach. And don't want to anymore, I think, yet I know that church is a necessity, so I pray: God heal my heart and open my heart for community. I value God, but you're right I don't value the church in the way I should, I see the value, but I don't have faith in being valued in or by church. In the place, with the people. I love the message(s) of and in church, I love the spirit that is present when 2 or more of us gather. However I love that in my 30 years of life I have never been separate from God. And in the times I doubted, the church never provided answers. It was prayer and singing and crying in a room by myself. Fasting and praying all day the way I saw my grandma do as I was young. My grandma was the one to take me to 3 churches a week those first 11 years of my life, she's is the reason I will never discount the importance of church, but she is also the reason I believe that my faith is dependent on me going to God, not people. For a decade I have prayed to heal my heart and mind of resentment (since getting baptized) and God has worked in me, but it's not complete yet. And I consider often that my glacial progress may be my human heart resisting out of fear. And I pray: God help me change what I do not what to do, and help me do what I want to do, what You want me to do. But seeing "Christians" demand out of love better modeling of a Christian-Life in their peers, I demand better modeling of the message of love. For I am a sinner only saved by the grace and mercy of God. I pray he work in me til my dying breath. I am no one to throw stones and call it love. But I do love mirrors, and I do believe no sin is greater than another in the eyes of the lord. I do not hate the church for its discipline, but I do not trust the church because I've seen and felt it fail to be a hospital. Again I enjoyed the message and look forward to the rest.
I have heard it said '' well I did MY good deed for the day''....AND...well...i go the other way.... ''let's see how many good deeds we can cram in a days time''...yeah....let us ALL set the bar higher..!!!....PASS IT ON ....MUCH LOVE...[[[ Teesus]]
IN ''FIX THAT'''.....CLASS TODAY..... SO......IF I COULD TAKE ALL...the great spiritual 'higher thinking'' ''great mentors '' ''great teachers '' ....'''lords and savoirs''''.....and .........what they basically ...ALL... teach etc etc......and PUT THAT in a short amount of words for people who now seem to have the attention span of a hummingbird WHAT would THAT be...??....hmmm OK.....'''' I would simply hold up a mirror to them and say ''FIX THAT'''...yep......MUCH LOVE....[[[Teesus]]]]]] THERE ARE NO LIMITS....JUST OBSTACLES
I’m curious to ask about those “Aha moments” where you were able to realize God’s work in your character come to fruition. I imagine as you submit to the process, you will get glimpses of patience’s perfect work we hear about in James 1. Would either of you share examples of when you were finally able to realize what God was trying to develop in you?
Pastor Alberto, such a beautiful and honest message, you made me cry, God bless you, so that you always continue to be a pastor who carries a message, pure and clean, may I honor our Jesus, many blessings collective Church😢❤
I just want to say God bless you and keep growing, I feel very proud of your growth, in all areas of your lives, I love you, blessings to your entire team, you do a beautiful job, I know that the Lord is very happy with everyone you,❤❤
What a beautiful sermon to start the new year, many blessings for Collective Church, and Pastor Alberto and his family, very nice preaching, thank you very much❤
''us help us all always and expose evil always '' GREAT JOB ALL...THANX 4 MAKING Tee with LIONS NAMED LEO the music worldwide. LOVE YOU ALL...!!!....MUCH LOVE.!! and ''DO THE 2'''ALWAYS....MOMENT TO MOMENT....[[ matthew 22 34- 40 ]
I have no words to say, thank you Lord for that beautiful preaching that Pastor Rich Guerra gave in the collective church of Pastor Alberto and Ashley Bello, it is a great blessing for everyone who was present, and I feel very blessed to be able to see it from my home, I have no words to say, thank you Lord for that beautiful preaching that Pastor Rich Guerra gave in the collective church of Pastor Alberto and Ashley Bello, it is a great blessing for everyone who was present, and I feel very blessed to be able to see it from my home, many blessings for everyone in the Collective Church, and all my love❤ blessings for everyone in the Collective Church, and all my love
