Healing

[Mark C.]

Dear M.  
   Thank you for your response to my comments and I appreciate your presence on the BB.  I wasn't trying to take you to task for making a difference between AK's and those involved in the "politiking" of the leadership.  I was attempting to show that the purpose of the BB is to expose evil and promote truth, and that the pursuit of this is always healthy for all concerned.  We need not shield Ak's from a full discovery of what they were involved with in fear that the revelations will plunge them into confusion.  
   It is the business of the Holy Spirit to bring any/all persons needing repentance to that place, as it is humanly impossible to do that work (I'm sure that you agree with this).  The business of those who serve the Gospel is to clearly present it and to defend it against those whom would distort it.
  While it is impossible for us to judge the motives and the specific culpability of the former leaders, it is not only possible, but our duty to inform others re. teaching and practices that are contra orthodoxy.  
   The confusion of former youth (as well as adult) will be evident as they attempt to assimilate into the evangelical Christian community.  As Tom Maddox ably stated in the "leaders etc." thread there needs to be a discovery of the false fountainhead from where flows the teaching of the Assembly.
   We don't have to involve the youth in the "he said-she said" of specific accusations re. individual leaders, but we must take the opportunity afforded us by the visititation of the Holy Spirit, via the knocking at the Assembly door, to pursue the list provided to the Laodiceans in Rev. 3.  This list required the church to allow the voice of Jesus to penetrate their preconceived notions and to learn to think differently.
  Was Jesus unfair to make a blanket statement to the church at Laodicea?  He seemed to place all individuals in the same boat in re. to culpability.  To respond to the "sweeping generalizations" of Jesus to the Churches of Asia by mounting defenses of certain individuals to lessen their culpability would have missed the point.  
  Each and every individual can profit from The Sword of Truth that proceeds from our Lord's mouth.  To protect ourselves, or others, from honest assesment of Assembly teaching/practices is not compassionate, but subversion of the work of the Holy Spirit.
  It is a general principle in scripture that, "if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."  History shows that groups, as well as individuals, have a great propensity to wander from our Lord and that our Good Shepherd seeks to find and extricate us from the bramble bush we are lost in.  Those who want His help must admit they are stuck, lost, and in desperate need.  Those who are too proud to admit their need will not discover the help and healing of the Holy Spirit.
   In order to find healing we must stop qualifying and parsing our Lord's call to repentance and see that we all must go through the process of recovery.  This repentance(change of mind) begins with the understanding that the basis for our understanding the Gospel was in error and that in the Assembly this error was systematized.  Everthing in the Assembly was tainted with the above error and as such needs a thorough "trying in the fire".
   When we accept the hand of Our Lord (and drop our protests) we will experience the wonderful comfort of Him who lifts the burden of the weary and heavy laden.
                                 God Bless,  Mark

[Bluejay]

Not all AKs were treated as Bluejay was.  This is not to belittle in any way what Bluejay has experienced in the 'assembly system'. I believe that this BB should minister to him with respect to what he has gone through.

I know this may seem shocking to everyone, but although I completely disagree with about 95% of the philosophy of the former assembly and had a horrendously bad experience with TG, I really did like and still do like the majority of the people I knew in the assembly.  

The reality of the situation is that if I had never gone out to Fullerton and had that bad experience with TG, who knows how long I would have stuck around for.
I guess I probably owe TG a thank you.  I have gotten a lot more out of playing golf every Memorial Day weekend the past nine years than listening to GG and his ridiculously stupid seminars.  

[Mark C.]

Hi MGov!
  I never thought I would ever qualify comments made by Dietrich Bonhoffer, but I believe he was addressing his comments to Christians who were not in churches with authoritarian leadership.
  I believe it is important to those who for years sat passively by to understand that it is key to be able to have confidence in their relationship in the Lord as individuals.  In the Assembly we were taught that there were, "no Lone Ranger Christians".  This led to a false discipleship that allowed leaders to cross boundaries between oneself and Christ.
  As we sort out what is a Christian assertion of my liberty in Christ vs. a self defense of my hurt ego we will make some mistakes.  As I shared on another thread, the difference between righteous anger and sinful anger is identified by what we are defending.
  If we are standing up for the Gospel, and the liberty it proclaims for individuals, we must be most unyielding to any kind of compromise or moderation.  If we have a personality strife with another Bro./Sis we need to be willing to suffer silently, as Bonhoffer stated.
   To those fresh out of years of having their souls controlled, manipulated, and abused it will be difficult for them to control the expressions of pent up emotion.  To tell such individuals to be silent, invoking the words of scripture, will not help such in healing.  I think rather that we can redirect the strong emotional reactions of these into the same kind of emotional defense that Jesus and Paul made for the defense of those injured at the hands of toxic faith.
  In other words, "be angry, but sin not;  express understanding to those who are hurting by coming along side and listening to their complaint.  Encourage them that the Lord is not interested in correcting their emotional intensity and weeps with them.  Also, let them know that they are right for feeling angry that they were taken advantage of and those who abused them were very wrong.  Then let them know that God is not the angry perfectionist that was falsely represented in the Assembly, but the lover of their needy souls who is merciful and gracious.
   Discovery of Jesus, as He really is (our best friend), turns the hurt into healing and gives us the same compassion for others.  Grace turns us from our own hurts to the defense and help of those wounded on the pilgrim path.
                                         God Bless,  Mark


 

[MGov]

I want to add my Amen to Brother Mark's post.

Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

M

[MGov]

STREAMS IN THE DESERT
October 21

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2 Cor 5:1)

The owner of the tenement which I have occupied for many years has given notice that he will furnish but little or nothing more for repairs. I am advised to be ready to move.

At first this was not a very welcome notice. The surroundings here are in many respects very pleasant, and were it not for the evidence of decay, I should consider the house good enough. But even a light wind causes it to tremble and totter, and all the braces are not sufficient to make it secure. So I am getting ready to move.

It is strange how quickly one's interest is transferred to the prospective home. I have been consulting maps of the new country and reading descriptions of its inhabitants. One who visited it has returned, and from him I learn that it is beautiful beyond description; language breaks down in attempting to tell of what he heard while there. He says that, in order to make an investment there, he has suffered the loss of all things that he owned here, and even rejoices in what others would call making a sacrifice. Another, whose love to me has been proven by the greatest possible test, is now there. He has sent me several clusters of the most delicious fruits. After tasting them, all food here seems insipid.

Two or three times I have been down by the border of the river that forms the boundary, and have wished myself among the company of those who were singing praises to the King on the other side. Many of my friends have moved there. Before leaving they spoke of my coming later. I have seen the smile upon their faces as they passed out of sight. Often I am asked to make some new investments here, but my answer in every case is, "I am getting ready to move."

[Mark C.]

Thanks MGov!
    That is a wonderful thought from "Streams in the Desert" and I thank you for sharing it.

                            God Bless,  Mark