Indoctrinated or Discipled?

Church folk bother me, at least some of them. I use to be one of them. I still go to church. But I feel there is a difference between being indoctrinated and discipled.  This is how I feel. I can't see into peoples heart. We are not suppose to judge. Recently I saw a post of a young couple that have now been married 52 years. They helped when I was a teenager. They modeled a christian life before me. They were a part of the church I grew up in. I have no idea if they still belong to that organization or not. But that organization indoctrinated me, they discipled me, showed me how to live by example. I believe there is a big difference. There are subtle differences. They pulled me aside one time as a young teenager and told me emotionalism wasn't necessary, the spirit is subject to the prophet. They lived a christian life before me. It wasn't about show, how spiritual they were, they just lived it.  Another pastor asked me where I thought my Bible Knowledge was on a scale of 1 to 10. Being the modest person that I am, I figured a five. He informed me that because I was a part of that organization, it was probably an 8. That is indoctrination. It is not just one church that does this, but many feel they have a special insight into the word of God over other organizations. What this couple that have been married for 52 years modeled before me was what we call relationship. They may have been part of that organization at that time, but they had something deeper. Relationship with God the father. Many today feel that because they prayed a prayer as a child  and go to church every Sunday, they are OK.  They might live Monday through Saturday just like the person next door that don't go to church, but on Sunday they are at their little group reading the Sunday school literature word for word. Being discipled means we figure it out for ourselves, we read the word and try to understand it for ourselves and apply it to our lives and model it for others along the way.  I am not advocating good works to make it in to heaven, but what I am advocating is a relationship with God the father that is more important than our little group over here. I used to listen to Dr Walter Martin on the radio many years ago and I remember one time he mentioned this organization that I grew up in, it wasn't real bad but I didn't like what he said. I thought, you don't understand because you are not a part of our exclusive group that have a better handle on the word of God than most. I remember that thought many years later, how things have changed. I am almost afraid to go to that group anymore. I feel like they still think they are number one. I like the attitude I hear in my church, there are a lot of good places you could have chose to attend, but we are glad you chose to visit with us. I remember another minister that advised me when I told him I was looking for a home church after moving here. You need to find the church where Jesus is at, where Jesus is moving.  I thought,  God shows up at a lot of churches in every town, every Sunday and through out the week too.  Maybe I misunderstood what he was trying to say. But it caused me to be wary, because I do believe God is at a lot of different churches every Sunday morning. I am wary of people that feel they have an inside track with God over others.  I hope I am explaining this well, I don't mean to turn people away from God but to him in a real and personal way. Each generation, each person must find God for themselves. You cannot live on your organizations faith, or your parents faith, or your grandparents faith. You must develop your own faith based on the word of God. There are a lot of good people that can instruct you along the way, but how will you know if they are a Jim Jones from Guyana ( Jonestown ) infamy or not,  if you don't read and develop that relationship on your own? I hope I have explained what is in my heart in a good way. I don't want to turn people away from Church and God, but to God and his Church universal. I remember a joke I heard one time. Saint Peter was showing someone around heaven and he showed them, here are some Baptist folk, here are some Lutherans, here are some Pentecostals and be real quiet here, because ( I will not mention the name here ) they think nobody else is up here. There is an exclusiveness to heaven, you must believe in Jesus and have repented of your sins. But I believe there will be a lot of different folk up there not just one organization. I wonder if they still preach and teach that all Christians will become a part of their organization some day as Christ gathers his followers into one fold. Jesus is the answer, our hope is in his name, there is no salvation in any other. There is an exclusiveness to the gospel, we must believe in Jesus Christ and him crucified, but please do not try and tell me it is in any man made organization or institution.  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16.  I am grateful to that young couple that modeled Christianity for me so many years ago. I say young couple because I remember them as they were then. They are not perfect Christians, I don't think here are any perfect ones on this side of heaven, but I hope I can model this Christianity for others as they did for me. As Paul said,  follow me as I follow Christ. We want to be like the one who died for our sins. God bless, LVZ.