Amazing experience last night !

[MikeCollier]

I just moved into a close-knit Filipino community, and attended a evangelical Christian service last night. About 30 attendees. There were a few caucasions, like me, but the rest, and the pastor, were Filipino. They were small families mostly. Very intimate setting. I moved here to live with my new love, a Filipino lady, 56. I am 59. It's on the island of Maui.
The service went for 2 hrs, with lots of singing. They had a drummer and piano player, both of whom radiated the spirit of Love, understanding and friendship.
I was instantly struck by the humility of everyone there. So welcoming to me too. There were the usual falsehoods about Jesus blood having saved them, within their songs; and a minimal amount of this from the sermon. This dosen't bother me anymore and I expected it. I was just very impressed by the overwhelming intention of the sermon and people to grow in Love.
This far outweighed everything else.
The sermon was so beautifully simple in this respect.
The pastor was teaching , and reminding about facade, judgements, comparing ourselves with others, gossip, and self-centeredness. He sighted many about how we miss the point of simply being Loving in our day to day lives. He was full of intelligence and emotion !
He focused on feeling the presence of God and opening ourselves to His great Love that He has been waiting to give us, and how this alone can transform us. He also talked a great deal about the importance of Humility, and how this quality can serve us, if we continually remind ourselves of it. He also spoke about the importance of feeling our emotions because they are the real us, and if we don't do this, we can become lost in facade.
In his secular life, he is a manager of 7 restaurants; and he used (unamed) examples of his employees and patrons to illustrate how a lack of Humility causes so many of the problems he deals with. He said it's because when we lack humility, we enter facade, which is also my understanding of AJ's (JESUS) teachings too...it was very cool to hear echoing many of Jesus' and Mary's focus.
I was lifted into another, more loving and intelligent world during this service, because I have studies Jesus' material largely on my own. I found myself among people who genuinely persued a more loving life.
Jesus has said to us in his presentations that he attends different churches sometimes, just to see the other side of things, and to experience different things.
I will definitely keep attending these weekly services, because of what I believe was a strong inflowing of Divine Love happening there to myself and others. It was palpable, and it left me feeling good.
Also, toward the end of the service, the pastor invited couples with newborn babies (3-4) to come up to the front, and he asked everyone to make a commitment to their welfare and to assist in the raising of them, as a community, because, he said, it takes a village.
I was moved to tears several times during this service, and was amazed by the simple emotions of gratitude to God; and the celebration of how much simpler and loving life is when we become increasingly God reliant !
Jesus has said a few times in his videos that there are many Christian people, eventhough they hold some false beliefs, who are nonetheless receiving Divine Love in good quantities, and are developing good in Love. He even said some are more developed than many of the people who attend his seminars, and I believe him, as I believe everything he and Mary and Cornelius and others at Divine Truth say...
Anyway, this was an experience for me that really affected me, and maybe others here on this forum have things to share about attending a church, just for the feelings of Love that can be had there, instead of focusing on the errors. I do not feel compelled to try and educate an entire church, that's for sure...but if someone is curious about my path, which I do hope will happen, I won't feel afraid to express my beliefs for their perusal.
Overall, it was like a breath of fresh air for me to be involved in asking God for Love and guidance, surrounded by humble people seeking reliance on God, which can never be a bad thing, I suspect...

[Pierrejoseph]

Hi Mike,

thanks for sharing. Your experience feels beautiful, very touching to me and I can almost sense and visualize it. How funny? As I sometimes talk a lot about God and DT, I have been lately invited twice to attend 2 different religious services and I have gone by curiosity and honoring my loa.

In the first church, I did not feel connected to God at all, nor the people around who where saying loud prayers for everyone to hear it and thanking God and Jesus. I felt completely disconnected from God and me for some reasons. I left during the preaching as I felt losing my time.

In the second church, I arrived during the singing (with a local band) and I started crying and feeling and talking to God. Many where silent and crying there. Then it was the preaching, people wanted to give me a bible, I wanted just to stay connected to God and my feeling but felt it all quickly stopped for me and others. It became very intellectual and with lot's of untruths among truths. Then I left. I came back a few times and always felt the loving connection during the siging. I felt many addictions going on there in this village church community being like a cultish family, you join you are saved, you not, your are damned (they were so scared of it). I cant say about the amount of love in people but some (especially men I felt) were quite humble and emotional.

I enjoyed these experiments with churches services because it helps me to connect to God at times, sometimes when I feel very disconnected from God and very miserable, and so I explore my desire and love for God.

Cheers, Pierre

[Pierrejoseph]

But was it God's love, my spirit guide love or christian spirits love I felt all along in these churches when I was crying so deeply and feeling love entering me? Not 100% sure actually as I am doubting my connections with God, and that's a problem in itself is it not? Any insight / experience about how to know the difference ?

[julie_bennion]

Hi Mike & Pierre ~
I have gone to a few churches as well, since learning Divine Truth, wishing to be with others in sharing, singing out! our love for & desire to know God. I haven't found one where I felt I could fully engage my desire to know God, since they all had preachers (& followers, preaching to me, overly friendly & inviting, which feels like a lot of falsity to me, at the door, in the hallway, etc.), talking about Jesus as Lord and Savior, dying for our sins. It's great to hear that isn't such a bother for you, Mike, since the church in Maui is flourishing with loving people who love God!, and that that is the primary message you are hearing & receiving.

I have also cried heartily a couple times, during the music, Pierre; For me it's like a combo. plate of deep longing, deep grief, and love for God, with maybe a twinge of God's Love entering me. I don't know about that part, since there's a fair amount of emotional baggage being released (when I let it come). Seems like I might not feel clear about receiving God's Love until there's more room inside, a place for overwhelming Love to be welcomed & received. So this means it's good to be patient with all that is occurring, while not putting my foot on the brake by going for addictive, shutdown food, judgment, denial, or other distractions.