Positive Things About the "Assembly"

[ccmalibu]

Some of you may have come to this thread because you read the title and thought, "WHAAAATTT??? What could possibly be positive about one's "assembly" experience?
Well, in order to be fair and not have this B.B. too one sided, I started this thread and will list some positive things as a result of my "assembly" experience:

1. Some of my very best friends I met in the assembly, and they will be life long friends!! (I love you guys!!   )

2.  I, as well as MANY others, will NEVER again be duped into a group like this, or be subject to authoritative "shepherding."  I use my own mind and make my own choices concerning the will of God for my life...I'm responsible to seek out his will, not hand it over to somebody else to find it for me!!

3. I will never again squander my God given talents and gifts for the sake of a cause.

4. I am very clear NOW, after having left the "assembly" where I stand w/ God: I believe with all my heart that God loves me and accepts me, and I don't have to do a bunch of stuff to try to gain His approval...THIS IS SOOOOO AWESOME!!!! It also makes for great times of worship...some of my best times are in my car!!

5.  I see the error of assembly-like elitist teachings and practices: I have friends from many different Christian churches and don't exclude them because they may not go to my particular church. (You miss out on sooo much when you're exlusionary...!!)

6. I sure have a lot of things to look back on and LAUGH about!! this BB is proof of that.  Man, I haven't laughed this hard in a while...only because I can relate to soooo much of this stuff.

7. I have seen many people transformed as a direct result of their assembly experience. For example, I personally know people who were once harsh w/ their wife and kids, lacked the joy of the Lord, lacked the fruit of the Spirit, busy trying to make a good impression w/ the LB's etc..Now, they are totally different. As a result of their assembly experience, they were able to see their error, by the grace of God, and are now living a very joyful, positive Christian life...and the fruit of the Spirit...YOU BET!!! These people are also very genuine!
Please Note: I DO NOT recommend that anybody get involved w/ an assembly to try to learn these things! However, for those of us who weren't smart enough to walk out after the first 10min. of the first meeting we went to, God still worked in lives! It's such a blatant example of how, "the end is greater than the beginning, and...."what the enemy intends for evil, God can change for good!"
 ...anybody else have any positive experiences you'd like to share...?? I'd love to read them!!
 

[trockman]

Great Post Cristina

Yes, there are many postive things we learned. In fact, there are many positive things that are still being taught there.  You listed some that many of us agree with.

The sad thing about it is that it is hard to enjoy the good, because a little leaven leaven's the whole lump.  Even what is true and lovely is perverted with the sort of teaching and practice that goes on.

However, in His time, he can restore beauty from ashes. He can restore what the canker worm has eaten.  We learned precious lessons in the school of Hard Knocks!

Never the less, I think this school needs to come under new management, or perhaps even shut down for good.  We shall see.

Brent

[Sebastian Andrew]

Greetings everyone:

Occasionally I would have real conversation with someone where we transcended for a little while assembly-speak and assembly-think; and would just talk about God, his love, or some other related uplifting subject- in the kitchen of all places! What a refreshment (like water in a dry and thirsty land) to lose track of time and have fellowship-communion-together in deep and sometimes even profound conversation. This was, for me, the "kitchen of heaven." Gosh, if one were able to discard the corporate baggage just for a moment, I think it could be said that this gathering of 2 or 3 had "Jesus in their midst." To paraphrase someone else here not everything from the assembly needs to be discarded, but it does need to be sifted.
Yours,
Sebastian Andrew

[ccmalibu]

Oh yeah, another positive thing about the assembly is the Santa Barbara mimes..(forgot their name)
Anyway, I thought their performances were very awesome, and I was usually very moved when they performed...too bad they're attached to a lodge...because if they were affiliated with a healthy Christian gathering, i would definitely go see them, and bring 2 or 3 of my friends!!!

[Mark C.]

I'm with Brent; great post Cristina!
  The most positive things I remember re. my Assembly experience were the people; not the Big Wigs, but the simple little folks that we trudged the Assembly trenches with.
  The best times for me were in the early Bros. house's in the Valley where we had an ecclectic gathering of social outcasts.  We would come home from a late prayer meeting, after stopping off at the Jack-In-The-Box, and get very silly telling jokes.  We often would pull little practical jokes on each other and generally do things that our "Leaders' would have disapproved of.  It was in this house that we got our hands on a TV and tried to watch the then new TV series called, "Kung Fu".  With much trepidation I agreed to watching only this one show all the while expecting that judgement would fall.  Well, judgement did fall!  As we tried to rig up an antenna a program finally came into view and it was the "Easter story" with a picture showing Jesus on the cross with those standing by and weeping!  This was too much and the TV was forever banished from the House.    God Bless,  Mark

[sue xander]

This is the first post that I am responding to.  Its true there are some good things to remember.  The one that really jilted me was Christina's number 1.  I have one best friend that also left the assembly that was my friend "in" as well as "out" in my" local" assembly.  One recently left and has re-established a relationship with me and my family that I very much treasure.  As for the others, I have to say used a lot of "LOVE" words and never followed thru.  I have never felt so rejected by a group of people that was supposed to be "christ-like" in my whole entire life.  I have been harassed ( and will tell that story soon) for the last 3 plus years with visits, letter, e-mails and phone calls telling me what a sinner that I am and how bad I am for leaving and that if I don't come back God will pour heaping hot coals on me and my family.  I was even warned that I MUST return or I will not receive any of God's blessings!  What a CROCK!
     Has anyone out there been harassed for over 3 years?  There are 4 total friends that I have that have left the assembly.  I love them, true.  They have indeed earned my trust and some have far exceeded it!  
     The GOOD news is that I have seen that God is not like them.  He is a friend for life.  I could ask for no better!  He has proved to me over and over what a great decision my family made to leave that mixed up , unhealthy, cult like place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We are healing from there!  I am seeing God in a new and healthy way!  He has given me confirmation after confirmation of what a RIGHT decison that we have made!  This web site is a place truly where people can actually say what they are feeling as opposed to holding back for fear of not being Godly.  (God forbid anyone would have a good idea out there except for the leading brothers!)  Its a place where by talking and reading about people's experiences that we are not alone, and it can even be used to help some of us heal a little quicker.  There are some stories the same and some unique but we all have scars, we all have been damaged from being there in some way.  
     I read this awesome quote from NAPOLEON.  THis needs to be geared toward the leading brothers.  : " A LEADER IS A DEALER IN HOPE."  Its too bad that their hope was in themselves and how fast they could move up the totem pole!  However  this quote inspired me to be that kind of a leader...to lead ones to Christ and a healthy place to worship God!

[Eulaha L. Long]

Sue,

When I left my particular lodge (San Luis Obispo, CA), there was a single sister who used to call me every other hour and tell me I should come back to the Assembly.  Then, she began to stop by my apartment.  Then, she used to send her daughter over to my apartment with notes (they lived in the same apartment complex as me).

One day, she cornered me in the laundry room and invited me to an All Night of Prayer.  I declined.  I decided to give her a taste of her own medicine and invited her to my church's worship service.  She hesitated then said, "Are you trying to lure me away from the Assembly?"!  I guess it's ok for her to invite me to Assembly functions, but not the other way around!

[Aslan213]

Sue, I understand something of what you've gone through.  Before I left, I was told by an ex-assembly member that I would be lucky if I kept one friend.  Well...he was right.  I lost all my "friendships" except for one.  That one is stuggling though with the relationship.  I'm still glad   I left!  What this shows you is the bondage they are still in.  

I still "love" that LB's favorite phrase.    "I love all of you!"  "You are my dear friends!"  

[Arthur]

Way ahead of the high school kids, huh?  That's impressive.  But can you clean toilets, wash windows, scrub floors, and cook for twelve?

[David Mauldin]

After many years in the assembly I went back to school.  I found out that I was way ahead of many of the kids coming out of high school. My reading level was way up.  I could interpret literature, poetry and write a decent paper.  This was due to the "no T.V. rule and "What does it say?  what does it mean? and What am I going to do about it?  

Did you realy cook for twelve people?  I cooked for about 5 at a time.  Some of the head stewards I was under were real jerks.  

[Arthur]

Being in the assemlby is kinda like going to seminary, only more intensive.

Yeah... At David's house we had at one time, four single bros, one couple, and David and Judy with their three children...that makes 11.  
At Rod's house we had at one time 3 single bros, a couple, Rod and Barb and 5 kids.  That makes 12.  Ok one was an infant, so maybe 11.  But then there were times when we had guests (especially for a seminar)...there were a-lotsa people.  
At Jeff's home....hmm, I don't recall having to cook there.  

Harsh head stewards? LOL.   Well, I tend to think of them now as being under pressure  

[David Mauldin]

 :-*To be fair I must confess that on one occassion I witnessed George ask Rand bates (In a humble manner)  Do you think the brand new car I just bought (With my and everyone elses donations) is extravigant?  (Of course asking Rand is pretty safe but it was a time where he was opening himself up for critisim.)

[Peacefulg]

Hi Cristina, thought that I would stir back up your post.

For now I only have three points (just kidding)!  

- One thing was outreaching push, having been in other fellowships before and now after, I learned things there through the great push that people in my current place of fellowship want me to teach them.

- Glad to say I have over 5 good friends from my time in the assembly (located from coast to coast), and my wife and I get to stay with them some of them time to time (live in Texas now).

- The Hymns done the old skool way (yes I enjoy the contemp worship stuff, Hillsongs, etc.), but it is good to break out the Hymns for the little flock here and there and just hum or sing.

- What chapter summary did for my walk and learning the word I loved.  Ok I know it was not an assembly thought up way, and it is not the best, but it does work to get you deeper in the word.

There is other things, but that is all for now folks.

Cheers,
George Allen

www.e-sword.net   "It's only a flesh wound!".........."I've had worse!"

[Eulaha L. Long]

George Allen-are you the Black brother from Hunington Beach?  Just wondering...your name sounds familiar...

[Peacefulg]

Hi Eulaha, I am the one in the same!

P.S. I forgot to mention doing gospel sketch boards holding a Jamba Juice on the Pier (guess if I was not in Texas I could still do that!)  

Lord Bless,
G