I know that when we talk you dont always listen to what I say, thats why I have

made a list of the things that are bothering me since last year. Ive prayed about
this and I think its better to be honest and see things as they are. I was
encouraged to do this since brother Guillermos Last Sunday School lesson, where
he mentioned that we, as believers, are not supposed to accept everything our
pastors say, rather, we should use the Bible as the main reference and Christ as the
head of the Church. I want you to read it carefully and not to take it personally,
since I really appreciate you and your support.

WHAT THINGS I REALISED I DISAGREE WITH

TEACHINGS:
I know you use the Bible to preach and to teach the congregation, but half of what
you say is based on what other Baptists have taught you or what you have learnt in
Hyles-Anderson College. I agree with you on Salvation by grace through faith alone
in Jesus Christ. But, what is more important, the word of God or what other
preachers you admire have said or commented before about a topic or Bible verses
using their own understanding and biases, and not only Scripture?
WORSHIP AND INSTRUMENTS ALLOWED:
Why some instruments are not considered acceptable for worship? That same old
argument well, early Christians didnt use drums or electrical guitars to worship
God; besides, drum sets are associated with pagan worship and electric instruments
with Rock n roll doesnt sound accurate at all, since pianos and accordions werent
used either, and classical/acoustic guitars are also associated not only with early
Rock n Roll history, but with traditional folklore which is not Christian at all (like
people used to party 2 or 3 hundred years ago).
POLITICAL VIEWS:
Depicting the Republicans as the good guys and Democrats as the bad guys. Since it
is something Im not familiar with, I prefer to remain neutral and not to take any
stance on it. I also disagree with you in killing people that came on boats as
refugees (Muslim people mainly). What if some of them were real victims and were
mistreated or persecuted in their country? Arent you supposed to investigate first
before pulling the trigger? On the other hand, shouldnt we as Christians be
supportive of preserving life? I mean, we, who claim that are against abortion and
killing babies, are killing innocent people? What different are we from the
Inquisition, then? I agree Islam is a political system under the faade of a religion,
but there are more civilized ways of solving these kind of problems and showing
them the real love of Christ.
ATTENDANCE LISTS AND STUFF:
-Why do we have to keep records or an attendance roster? Ive been doing that for a
couple of services now and I dont see the point. And I may be mistaken here, but
arent we paying more attention to numbers than on more important stuff? This may
be something missionaries do as a task, I dont know. On the other hand, since the
church is the Body of Christ and not a building, why is attending church building to
all services a must? You might say that its convenient because of the blessings I can
receive from preaching, but I can also receive blessings from reading my Bible and
from everyday experiences.
HOW I FEEL
I feel I spend more time helping in administrative things in church building rather
than spending time with Jesus and growing in the Lord. Until December last year,
my actions didnt match my thoughts and beliefs, honestly. Thats why I surrendered
to the Lord completely and came to Him and was cleaned, forgiven and saved.
I CANT SAY NO:

I have come to the point in my life where I cant say no and where I neglect my own
responsibilities to volunteer and work for your organization. Whether you want to
admit it or not, it is an organized system you work for. I appreciate you being
supportive and a good friend, but calling me and asking me if Im on my way to
church and when saying no, you dont listen, just bothers me, honestly. I feel Im not
doing it for the Lord anymore, but for IBI as an organization.
DULL TASK:
A couple of months ago, I used to come to church with a desire to learn and I was
more than ready to serve. Now it has just become a dull task. Coming to every
service because you asked me to do so and to help is something I feel I just cannot
do anymore. Now perhaps you may want to quote Jer 17:9 and say that feelings are
not to be trusted, but I have prayed through it and ask the Lord for wisdom,
discernment and enlightenment so I could make good decisions. I appreciate your
help and the patience youve had with me, but I think its time for me to take care of
my previous responsibilities.
RESPONSIBILITY AND COWARDICE:
Just because I wouldnt take a responsibility in church doesnt mean I am a coward
or a person that will always reject responsibility and work, and that will eventually
become a burden to society or a loser. God has the last word, dont you think? I find
it difficult to align my duties with the will of God, thats why I pray every day to ask
him for help and wisdom so I could do both things and give all the credit to Him
only. I was given responsibilities and I have to take care of them first, before making
commitments with others.
CONGREGATING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE:
I feel a huge need for meeting other Christians my age and who will eventually
share their experiences with me as Christians. Im not talking about meeting girls
only, but men as well. (I may not get married soon if the people Im congregating
with are all married or have families or if those who are my age doesnt even want to
talk to me, you know! If I keep like this, it may not surprise anyone if I marry an
unbeliever). I just want to serve the Lord the best I can.
WHAT I HAVE DECIDED
FAMILY:
Since I will become a husband and a father one day (God only knows when), I will
have to provide for them and to prepare myself before that time arrives; thats why I
need to keep working on my professional skills and my business project. I do not
know them yet but I will be responsible for them someday and I want to be prepared
for that. Its time for me to start saving money and keep educating myself.
CHURCH:
Attending to church is not the problem, the problem is that it has become, somehow,
a must and that I pay more attention to church administration than to God itself.
Whats worse, I came to believe that it is a sin not to go to ALL church services.
Also, I cannot keep neglecting my duties and the projects I have started before,
which God knows, are tools that will help me to go through this world. All this means
that I will only attend to church on Sunday mornings and that the time I spent
volunteering and working in church administration will be used for studying my
Bible.
FAITH:
I have surrendered to the Lord and told him everything I feel and think. He has
showed me that I need to live by faith and stop spending time in things that will
decrease my faith or stop me from growing on Him. I need to spend more time alone
with Him in prayer and reading the Bible than in church building. My beliefs and
convictions are stronger than ever before and its by faith that I must live this life

and not by works. This doesnt mean you do works for salvation, but personally I
think I did that for an entire year because I was confused and didnt understand the
general picture. I love my God and will serve Him whether its in a church building
or outside of it.
CONCLUSIONS
I know this is not my call because my response hasnt led to joy. This is what I
honestly believe and what bothers me. Dont misunderstand me, I really like you and
your family. You are diligent and zealous for the Lord which is great and I hope you
guys pray for me! I dont want you to think Im being selfish; I dont want to be seen
as a taker, but as a giver.
I also want you to respect this decision. So far, I have given more than I should give
and now its time for me to work in my own ministry so I could serve the Lord better,
and give others what the Lord wants me to give. This doesnt mean I will stop
attending to church completely or that I will disappear, I will keep attending church
on Sunday mornings.
The Lord now has control over my life and if he wants me to go to serve in another
place, I will definitely go. For the time being, he has showed me what I have to do,
which is to keep working on the projects I had and spend more time with Him and
the Bible.