Online Fireside Chat 7 – Is Marriage Hard and Negative, how can I Bear Fruit, how to be Sanctified, Head Covering, Church Kids, and about Miracles

In this seventh Online Fireside Chat, we have brothers Ken Mooney, Mark Ruthe & Ray Mulligan sit down and share with us concerning their experiences of Christ related a variety of questions.

Many of us have a lot of questions, and we may not have found the answer to them; in fellowship, we can open to the more mature brothers to hear from them concerning these.

They do not necessarily give us THE answer but they do share with us a response based on their experience of Christ and constitution with the truth.

Some of the questions to which responses were given in this session deal with marriage (is it hard, is it full of suffering, is it the worst experience in life?), fruit-bearing (is it just preaching the gospel or is it also caring for others), someone who seems to be ambitious, sanctification (is it only by reading the Bible 24/7?), enjoying the Lord (when I’m an outward person and it’s not easy to calm my being down), church kids (why do so many of them leave the church life), miracles and healing, wearing a head covering, and having children (it seems we can’t have it naturally).

You can watch the entire fireside chat via youtube here and by questions via the UniStudents website.

Online Fireside Chat 7 – Is Marriage Hard and Negative, how can I Bear Fruit, how to be Sanctified, Head Covering, Church Kids, and about Miracles

Question 1 – Can you give me a proper and accurate picture of marriage and describe how it positively affected your life?

The full question reads, I have heard many saints say and prophesy in the meetings about how hard marriage is and rarely hear anyone speak positively about it. I have also heard many brothers joke about their wives in public. Hearing all this is making me think that I’m about to enter into a prison or the worst experience of my life, and that having a wife is like coming to a dictator at home that will punish and ground you if you don’t listen. Can you give me a proper and accurate picture of marriage and describe how it positively affected your life?

The brothers give such a balanced response regarding this matter, showing both sides of the marriage life, which is full of enjoyment and happiness and fulfillment, and suffering is also part of it. I really recommend listening to the brothers’ responses.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 2 – What is fruit-bearing, and how do I bear healthy fruit for the Lord?

The full question reads, I have really given myself to the Lord to bear fruit, but I’ve never had anyone receive the Lord through what I have said. I’ve given out many tracts, so maybe someone has been saved by that. Is shepherding fruit-bearing? Helping ones who’ve received the Lord to grow? How do I bear healthy fruit for the Lord?

We all wonder the same thing: what if I don’t bear any fruit by preaching the gospel? Is bearing fruit merely preaching the gospel and saving people? What the Bible says concerning this may surprise you, for even our caring for the new ones, the young ones, and the saints in the church life is part of our bearing fruit. And this is not for our condemnation but for encouragement and experience in life.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 3 – How would you address a brother who appears to be very ambitious in the church life?

The full question is, There is a brother in my locality whom I sense, in the Lord, is very ambitious and desires to be seen in every area that he functions. It troubles me because it seems like the responsible brothers/elders 1) don’t notice it 2) seem to praise him or are happy that he is functioning 3) give him more responsibility such as opening messages of the prophesying meeting. It becomes a distraction in the meetings because it is very ugly to see. How would you address this matter of ambition in the brothers in the church life where sometimes it can cause more damage than good?

The more we love the Lord and seek Him, the more we may sense that someone may be ambitious, and it seems that the leading brothers may even promote him. However, there is much more going on in the background, there is a lot of perfecting and fellowship, and there are many dealings with many things. The brothers’ response is very encouraging.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 4 – Am I sanctified only by reading the Bible non-stop? What can I do for entertainment when I have no spiritual appetite left?

The full question reads: I want to be sanctified for the Lord, but I can only read so much Bible and pray so much in a day. I am often tired and would lay on my bed with my devices, and although the internet is worldly and defiling, I don’t know where else to turn to. Do you have any advice on what I can do for entertainment when I have no spiritual appetite left? It is particularly hard at night when I don’t feel like doing anything else.

Especially in this age today, it is so easy to just watch this or that, and to be simply tired of reading, for we read on the screen all day long. But there is a need for us to bring this matter to the Lord and find a way to be sanctified daily, even paying a price to do this. The matters the brothers bring up here are very encouraging and practical.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 5 – As a very outward person, how can I calm my being down to spend time with the Lord in an intimate way?

The full question is: I know that I am a very outward person, and it is extremely hard for me to calm my being down and really turn to appear before the Lord. I read in the ministry that to enjoy God in prayer, we also need to be silent and behold His beauty, even live according to the index of His eyes. I feel that I am so short of these experiences and am too wild, reckless, and distracted. How can I learn to spend time with the Lord in such an intimate way?

Some of us may be inward and quiet, while others may be outgoing and active. How can we calm our being down to enjoy the Lord? You will appreciate the balanced response given by the brothers to this question.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 6 – Why do some church kids who grew up in the church life together with us end up leaving the church life?

The full question reads: Why do some church kids, who grow up in the church life together with us, end up leaving the church life? After they had gone to the Poland conferences, heard such high messages, consecrated themselves, and had these experiences of prayer, etc., why did they end up leaving? Why does the Lord let this happen?

Especially if you live in Europe and you attend the Poland conferences and the Winter School of Truth, you will meet a lot of young people who pursue the Lord and enjoy Him. Why do some of them leave the church life? This is not a phenomenon that takes place just in the church life but in all Christianity, some leave. Why are we still here, and why do some leave? The response given by the brothers is so encouraging, for it is really the Lord’s mercy we still enjoy Him today.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 7 – Do healings, miracles, signs, wonders, and miraculous things still happen? How do miracles relate to God’s economy today?

The full question is: Could you please provide some fellowship about miracles, signs, wonders, miraculous healings or the speaking in tongues and other things related to it? It seems like the Gospels and the Lord’s walking on the earth were full of performing these things, yet we don’t see them that much today. How do these things relate to God’s economy today?

Especially when we hear about this or that miraculous thing happening here or there, we may wonder why don’t these things happen in the church life. You may be surprised to find out, however, that miracles do happen, tongues do exist, but the emphasis is not on this but on the economy of God, which is in faith.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 8 – Does not wearing a head covering make me an improper sister?

The full question is: I do not wear a head covering when I prophesy or pray. Does this make me an improper sister? I have had many conversations with the Lord concerning this, even in tears. I don’t understand why some sisters feel strong about this. It makes me uncomfortable.

Some sisters do, and some don’t; there is and there should be no condemnation for those who do or don’t. As the divine life grows in the sisters, they have an inward sense of life that will cause them to wear a head covering; this, however, is before the Lord and according to the growth in life. I recommend the brothers’ response from their experience on this matter.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

Question 9 – Can you share some comforting words to those who have unfulfilled desires according to your human experiences?

The full question reads, God gives man a desire to have children. But my husband and I don’t have children after being married for many years. Now I am passing the age of having children. Outwardly it seems that I am fine, but inwardly I still feel the lack in my human life. Can brothers share some comforting words to those who have unfulfilled desires according to your human experiences?

This is truly a deep human experience, even a suffering, that some of the couples go through. There is a desire in every married sister’s being to have children, and when it seems that nothing they do works, there is a great lack. Adoption is also an option, and one of the brothers share his experience in this respect. Really good fellowship.

Watch the response/s given by the brothers here or here.

You can watch this online fireside chat in Russian here: Вопросы и отклики полная сессия #7 [Russian].