94% of the Methodist congregation want their church leaders to go ahead with their annual conference in August.
This is the result of the feedback from all the 53 districts under the Methodist Church Fiji wide constituency.
And that is what the Methodist church leaders must honor if they are to be taken seriously.
Their congregation have spoken and they must be seen to do what they’re purporting to promote – to respect their members freedom of choice, freedom to vote and freedom of speech, in defying the usurpers oppressive and discriminatory plan to ban their annual conference.
Obviously, the theocratic Kingdom of God, under whom the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma derives her Godly mandate, does not operate under so-called popular opinionated democratic yuh lah lah!!
The very kinda democracy we are fighting tooth and nail to restore in our beloved Islands.
For 94% of the Methodists demands for convening the conference should NOT necessarily be the absolute determinant to convene the ‘09 Annual conference, let alone the frightening precedent now demanded to defy Government directives.
The hard earned results of our cooperate fast and prayer vigils should subsequently bring forth Divine directives in harmony with the spirit and letter of the Bible. For God will, and cannot contradict His word.
To differ may conclude that we may have entered into the fasting and prayer experience with premeditate prayer points “demanding” God to move as we wish!! Prayer points are pertinent for prayer, though, when humbly brought into God’s presence, we mortal have agreed that “Thy will be done”…NO, not ours!!
Needless to repeat, that fasting and prayer is a honorable sacrament where we surrender our fleshly desires, the natural yearnings of our body in submission to our sprit being to rise and be sensitive, hence, to clearly hear from the Spirit God. A humbling pursuit to walk into that plateau of spiritual summit AND importantly remain there. Come next time of fast and prayer period we pick up from that new height as we grow from glory to glory and strength to strength in our personal walk.
Though the fast and prayer be cooperate resolve, the spiritual experience; personal!! That is the beauty of it all!!
We like to believe, that room for talks between parties is still open and possibilities for equitable resolve reached in time for the ‘09 Conference.
For the majority of the congregation to demand any form of change or manipulate the Leaders of the Church is not how Gods kingdom operate. It may be a form of witchcraft; the very evil we had fasted and prayed to rid off!!
Let the Leaders hear from God themselves.
We hope that in our zest to have the annual conference, even through act of defiance, we have not esteem the annual event as more important than our own personal relationship with each other, within and without the church, and most importantly compromise our relationship with God.
Could we look at other ways to have corporate fellowship, soli, bazaar and other Christian celebrations should the ’09 Conference be postponed? May be our fast and prayer has taught us that guarding our heart is more important then guarding a religious festival. (These are my personal views)
Well Semi Meo…to put it succintly, your personal view sucks!!
For starters, who are you to determine and assume that the views of the majority is not result of their own answer to prayers from above?
For all we know – the confirmation of the hearts of the majority is the result of peace of mind and heart that the people feel in their hearts to ask the leaders to pursue on regardless.
Who are you to suggest that the overwhelming response from the majority is not of God?
RFN…can you make a correction my piece above before you post it.
Its the fourth para…delete the fourth para and add below.
Who are you to suggest that the overwhelming response from the majority is not of God?
I commend the church leaders for using ‘democracy’ in the proper way by involving the views of their congregation Fiji-wide. That is wisdom! How dare you suggest it is witchcraft! What an inconsiderate self-righteous prick you are. (my apologies), but you are – based on this kind of writing.
Some of your personal thoughts are so contradicting that you have no idea what it is you stand for. If a shot rang, you sound like the first guy to run for cover.
Even if the masses claim to hear from God, the onus still rests with the Church Leaders to make a decision, in many cases, in consideration of the masses opinion channelled through the proper protocol. The Church Leaders do NOT have an obligation to do as the masses dictates!!
Any manipulation by the masses to cajole any Church Leaders decisions may, to repeat, be “witchcraft”. Please relook at Church governance again!! For your information Church governance is NOT democratic but Theocratic!!
Even if Joshua and Merriam are right, at the end of the day God favours Moses the leader!! Thanks for the suppletive from the dark side….speak a lot about the authors of posts….but all is forgiven!
Never ducked for cover as I post by my Real name!!….ducking under anonymity, like some people do, is not my style at all; never will!!….my e-mail is semimeo@gamil.com.
Go easy on your spirit Semi Meo..
You still miss the point, mate!! This is not the time of the old testament…The leadership role does not rest on the the people with ‘positions’ in church -they are merely tasked with the job of administration of the church.
The real leaders are the people. Their personal decisions and choices is what makes the difference because the spirit of the lord rests in the individual.
So as Administrative leaders of the church.. they have an obligation to inform and enquire of the people.
The theocracy that you talk about is not rested on the institution, but in the individual.That is the theocracy God intended from the time of Genesis after the fall.
The corporate theocracy you seem to confuse with church institution will never take place on earth but rather it will be experienced in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
Theocracy on earth today is lived in the individual not in the corporate.
You yourself shared this in one of your earlier postings that life with the Lord Jesus Christ is now a personal relationship, and no longer do we rely on the High Priest to undertake the sacrifice on behalf of the people We the people go directly to God thru the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now if you can agree with me on this – then you should also appreciate the fact that the response of the majority who have been fasting and praying have in their view received a confirmatory response to their spirit individually. nd the majority have shared their committment to continue with the conference.
With all your theological rundown you have been sharing on this site, I am sorry to say that you are still looking through the natural eyes. ..particularly with this subject we are discussing.
I am sorry,I stand by my comments earlier..if you have a problem with it, then perhaps you should seek prayer and fasting, like the Methodists have done in the last month.
I apologise for the uncalled for jab I commented at the end Iin my earlier posting)..stepped over the line there..but I pray you also get my point.
By the way this is my name! I dont share my email with people I dont know. Its a great day in Suva right now!!How is it in Australia?
@rajnalu..aplogies accepted mate. No hard feeling at all…even for your final “patriotic jab” ha..ha..ha..!
Good to e-mail me, may be will find out whether you have ever fasted or even have joined the Methodist in prayer and fasting. However, it is not for me to judge.
All we know, is in Church History, congregations NEVER decides who their POPE, QASELEVU, PRESIDENT etc be. The leadership alone have those responsibilities. A nucleus leadership, normally, those, who have gone through stringent character, spiritual and personal censorship and screening according to the letter and spirit of the Word and respective constitution. Definitely, Not any member of the ranks.
Occasionally, the leadership cast a vote, but being men/women of one mind and spirit, resolution are most times by consensus.
There are seldom campaigns or voter cajoling but prayers prior to confirming respective Church leadership.
This is my last post on this topic…and as my e-mail signature sincerely pledges to one and all; “May our resurrected Jesus blesses you and your family more abundantly than He blesess our family!!” Ni moce mada, and see you in the streets of Suva at the end of this month!! Will give you travel detail if you e-mail me!!
Thank you Semi Meo! Cheers bro!!