Dear Laura,

In 1988, driving near Kayenta, Arizona, I ran into a cow.  I was going 50 miles per hour at the time.  The result was that both my car and the cow were killed.

Just because something happens doesn't constitute a "proof" that God did it.  Does God murder cows?

Was this a good thing?  The Navaho police thought it was wonderful.  The officer told me, "We're going to have steaks."  My car disagreed.

We have seen many evil things go on in the assemblies for many years.  People bilked of thousands of dollars, people you loved turn on you and treat you like dirt, (in God's name), even a couple of people who became so depressed over their inability to measure up that they killed themselves!

So, as you read the postings on the BB, remember that EVERYONE felt just like you in the beginning.  These are people who spent years, even decades, in this very flawed system.   They don't want it to happen to you.

I pray it won't.

Thomas Maddux

Dear Laura

The folks at the booktable were looking for you, and everyone else who looked their way.  

Chances are, you would have "run into," Campus Crusade, had you missed your divine appointment.

Even so,  I rejoice that you are my sister in Christ, and I can't tell you how happy I am that you won't be repeating my life, after I "ran into" the saints in SLO.

Read about it here:  http://www.geftakysassembly.com/navigating.htm

Suzie

Amen. Some of us who didn't live in Cal. and weren't directly involved with the work were not affected negatively by it. We just had the opprotunities to see its fruits and continue in our walks with God as He has shown us.


And in answer to the earlier reply from Suzie- I agree that I would have found out about the bible study on campus eventually but what I was really saying was that God not only brought me to that table but to that campus, that city, that state, and that country and exactly the right time. To deny that would be like denying God's working at all. But I'll admit that I was fourtunate to not be involved with the gathering while it still had its kinks but rather I got in on the tailend of things when God was doing his pruning. While no gathering is perfect, I still believe the saints here have real insight into God's will.

Dear Suzie,

Hi this is Daniel Teater I was actually the first person from "the assembly" in St. Louis to run into Laura.  I thought I would offer one point for clarification.  I did not even invite her out!  I talked to her about what I believed about various topics and then I was ready to end the conversation.  However, she was not so ready.  She had to ask me when, and where the Bible Study was to take place.  So no, I wasn't"looking for her" I was just out at that booktable time trusting that the Lord would use me in whatever way that He could.  Please try to understand that though there has been great failure,  God is sovereign.  Also try and remember (as the Lord has reminded me) that He has such a deep intimate concern and care for His flock.  Do you not think God's loving eye was on this whole situation.  Please stand with us!!  God was not taken by surprise as some of us were.  I can assure you that God has not stopped addressing long standing issues, but I know that truth must be communciated in love.  

Daniel,
You are right. God has used this website and BB. I can attest to that. I appreciate your thoughts here.  God has and is working in spite of all our/my failure.
I sure appreciated your message when you visited Champaign awhile ago. I could see the Lord's work in your life. It was very encouraging .
Lord bless you and your family.
Pat

I can definitely attest to what Arlene has said.  It is the Lord who has stayed her.  She has sensed this "Galatian" error for quite a long time.  A verse from that epistle kind of describes her mind, "But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:" (Gal 2:6). She was very patient with me, I did not see it until the beginning of this month, when Rachel, Brent & Co. "beat me over the head" with their revelations.  My response? Repentance towards her and my family.

Regarding St. Louis, tho' I'm sure it has not entirely escaped the spiritual abuse issues, I do believe the brethren there (whether "leading" or not) have learned much of what it is to live according to grace, especially in the past three to five years or so.  It's not that they don't need to examine some teachings they/we have unquestioningly taken as true, and make some changes, but I do think that assembly has been on the right track for some time now.

One thing:  In all the years that I have been in the assembly, Christ has been preached.  It was not a lot of candles and chants, but it was Christ.  They didn't sacrifice cows and they didn't preach Satanic Worship but new testament following of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As we stand in this time of great sorrow and great hope, REMEMBER YOUR ENEMY.  It would be easier if you could narrow it down to the guy down the street, or the lady at the grocery store, but that doesn't work.  It is the devil who is very much alive and very powerful and wants to destroy our faith and remove our hope.  It is easy to begin pointing the finger and going,"It's their fault, or them." "It is that brother."  "Two years ago, he offended me."  We can all say that of each other.  We have all been offended and since we are humans, we have offended.  We need to forgive and pray hard.

Also, regarding this issue, let us remember that we are not God.  I am not.  You are not.  We do not know what he knows, but we each, as individuals and as a corporate body of Christ, we must follow in His train.  We have an individual responsibility that we stand before God in whatever we do.  We have a responsibility that when someone says something, or when something is preached, we do not sit back on our rear-ends and "take their word for it."  We must search the scriptures and seek if these things are true.

Now concerning this assembly, I have heard many things, but mostly all the time, it is backed up by the living word of God.  And when it isn't, I am responsible before God to go look it up for myself and really seek the truth.  I trust that Laura has been doing that.  And from what she has said, she sounds pretty confident to me.  Yes, just because something happens, doesn't mean that it was directly from God.  It would be quite foolish to jump off the nearest cliff because the preacher down the street told you to.  It is your job to go to the scriptures and look it up.  "OH!  It says here that suicide is wrong.  So therefore, I should not jump off that cliff, and this man has been teaching wrong things."  

We all stand before God for all of our words, thoughts, and deeds.  When you stand before Him, you won't be allowed to pass off the blame.  "But God, that preacher told me to do that!  George Geftakys told me that was right or that was wrong."  God is not going to let you off the hook for another man's false teaching.  I think He might say something like,"Yes, I know that preacher taught you wrongly, and he will be responsible for that.  But you had My WORD.  You always had the Bible to look it up.  Why didn't you?"  God does not want us to walk blindly but circumspectly, always comparing the world around us, with the word of God.

Acts 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they recieved the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scripture daily, whether these things were so.

A Brother in Christ,

Luke Robinson