There's obviously nothing morally wrong with the fact that you just go ahead and believe the Bible as a spiritual narrative. You obviously also have the privilege of calling on divine inspiration at any time in your private life to apply any verse that comes to mind as a starting point for the solution to your problem or even as the whole entire solution to your problem. It's merely that your life isn't my own life, or anyone else's life. That's always the social problem in a Bible study, people read and use prayer to find their own answers, except in narrative story times (usually for children) or in doctrinal seminars for grownups. Aside from silly people who think that the Bible can be used to order the state, in contravention of the first amendment, the only serious problem are braggarts in their marriages, loudmouthed men sometimes cause a disturbance in a service or prayer meeting by announcing how they do it in their houses, or pompously showing off what expensive secondary schools their children got admission to thanks to their extremely "goowed" discipline at home, which has led to daddy dearest having a real fat bank account. The women are just as bad, Mary and Martha's story illustrates it in the gospels. I've met very highly skilled women in churches, actually, and they can be fun to talk to, but at the end of the day it's not her sewing and quilting or her cooking that's going to get her into Heaven. It might get her that postbac MRS degree, but so what? It's church. All you're supposed to do in it is listen to Jesus Christ. I know I fall into the classics and prophecy history black hole too, I do it all the time and I find those fields absolutely absorbing. But that's not the divine service. Your church does serve communion, doesn't it? Mone uses bread and water instead of wine or grape juice. Every week.
Dear tLm, (Brother/Sister?)
I see the Bible as the Word of God, a Revelation given to man that they man may know in part who God is, what God's purpose is for them, in Words that are beyond the physical containment that is our corrupted flesh's understanding. Too often as you have seen, man reads in eisegesis in taking to Scripture, while they should be reading or searching in it by exegesis.
The problem with seeking His Truth verses our own and knowing the difference, is that many do so without the Holy Spirit to open their understanding to what that Truth might be. They lose clarity that is available to them, but only through Jesus Christ the Son of God, to God's purpose, and not our own, by the Holy Spirit. Even though our own purpose will not be denied us either.
So, though the Holy Spirit can be received in a temporary fashion, for a specific purpose if you will, as is evidenced in the Old Testament more than once. However, this stands as but a whisper of the seal given to us by Him through the love of Jesus, and it's continually indwelling for the purpose of service. Experienced by many, faked by many as well, yet never fully understood, though experienced.
As far as communion, too often the purpose of it is lost upon the recipient, and for some on a weekly basis is seen as a way of receiving God's saving grace through Jesus Christ by His body & blood in truth by some mystical manner in the physical components given in and of themselves. Instead of just remembering the truth of His Sacrifice which is amazingly wonderful, and heart wrenching enough in contemplation that it can be overwhelming to the soul and spirit.
With the Love of Christ Jesus.
YBIC
Nick
\o/
<><
P.S. You would do well in communicating with a Brother in Christ who I have not heard from for awhile here, but if you PM me, I will endeavor to hook you both up together by way of the PM. That is if you are interested. \o/
