In Reply to: Re: 29 years later posted by matt on April 12, 2009 at 18:18:26:
Dear Matt...as I already said, it's really wonderful to have some "sign of life" from you...what I like about your post is, how unmasked you describe your realities, just as they are...isn't an easy thing to do.It must have been traumatic to loose your wife, the way it happened....I figure, it must take a long time, to get over wounds like these....when I was last year on the birthdayparty of my brother in law I met there for the first time since may be almost 35 years an old friend of them, one I was also very fond of....he listened quite eagerly to all my weird experiences and as he was somewhat of a dropout himself, he wasn't really the negative/looking down-type...he thought it might be worthy to write down all of my experiences & publish them....never, ever thought of it...although it's sometimes good, to write down some things experienced & give it to people, so that one doesn't have the workload of always repeating onceself...
I don't have such "huge tales" to tell, things people love to hear...like the yellow/boulevard-press sort of sensationalism...although the way I got robbed in the Philippines of some goons could be part of some gangster movie...or how I had to hide on the house- roof in India from the eyes of the "fish" of my ex fiance...a bit strange nowadays to look back to it...we heard about your "personal catastrophe" first through the infamous Mo-letter...I think you said something later here on the boards...I am not sure, whether it'd be helpful to say more on your side??????
You know, it's very often the charismatic movements from what I read and observed...who scrutinize their members in case e.g they are sick or in any trouble...the curse causeless doesn't come (e.g. Prov.26:2...OT!!!) and so one has to be prepared for some casting out of devils...be it in the case of any "normal sickness" or whatever...I know that for sure from at least one group...but the pattern often is similar...a Christian is either blessed/protected or...
Mind you...I also "screen" my life where what went wrong or what is wrong...I don't feel getting blessings if I am too blind & lazy towards the truth...in any event I think it pays to get to know from God through His word or whatever, why things have become "unexpectant"...
But for Berg to spout off the most stupid reason...failure in tithing...is just horrendous...that was just may be the thing on his mind for else he didn't know you well...except longdistance through reports (and the non-existant direct channel to...)
OT again:
Job 3:25 King James Bible
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me....that is also used at times...again it is OT
(it's decades since I read that IRFers letter & I don't remember all the "arguments" in it)
In a way TF was super legalistic....law's of Berg (not even Moses falsely called)...put together at leisure
This is where it pays to listen/read to the diverse schools of interpretation...because in at least one "school" you learn, that you cannot just take things out of context and apply it at free will....TF does...but very wrong..f u l l y once recognizing this almost prime evil in TF interpretation...one can go on & rectify what is to be rectified.
I somewhat sympathise with you, of not fellowshipping anywhere, cause flaws you have in about any movement...on the other hand I really wanted also some better contacts for my children...for I don't find it ok, to just leave the kids there to try everything out in the world...be it drugs & whatever so called liberties....some things are just a sugarcoated poison under the disguise of so called freedom....and often the result cannot or hardly be rectified...drugs come first in mind....but as I went to the congregation where I am now since 9 years...I also realised how I benefitted myself...because fellowshipping happens to be a NT-normality...others might even profit from my being there.I won't become a member in any church again, for that I would have to compromise too much & opposing their mistakes just seems too much (groups resist change it seems to me, also for the monetary reasons many compromise), but affiliation with people in the vicinity seems right to me....some travel for dozens of miles just to find the perfect congregation...hard thing anyway, I suppose....the basic message has to be right...I figure & the other disagreements I somewhat have to swallow....
So unless you live in the deepest boonies with no village in the vicinity, I think it could be worth a trying for you????Sometimes it helps, to read as much as possible about a group/congregation & their standing....but in many/most cases I'd say that they are healthier than what TF is...definetely.
Down at the bottom is a link about what Ed Priebe once wrote about tithing...I read it many years back & came myself before reading it to the same conclusions...When we stopped tithing 1992...the EURCRO-idiots...no better way of calling them...had the audacity to complain, that we didn't have witnessingstats...in the middle of shifting, total new area/country & town...no lit...no steady job etc....we had sent them a huge amount after our transition to Germany from our "landing funds" and all they did was pointing out their idiotic rules...For the first time I felt like shaking such stupid labourer at his collar...if need be...their stupid pubs we didn't need anymore either...so good riddance of ultimate rubbish....every now & then you run into "churchy" folks who claim, that one should tithe...seems pretty liked as an idea.
Just ask "your friend" (really a friend???), for what temple/house of God he's tithing...what is equivalent to the meat?...all I know is, that the Bible /Word is available since soon 2000 years for free (or some rather small amount for printing costs)...so what temple & meat are they talking about?And since TF loves so much Maleachi 3:10...What about Maleachi 2: 13-17???...God hates divorce...that by the way is stressed also in the NT...the tithing is not part of NT-teaching...the temple got destroyed!!You didn't tithe then?!...well...tell "your friend" that it wasn't mandatory to tithe....you can, if you want to...to some organisation of your choosing, but not as a NT-duty....I think, it could be a "ministry" of yours...to become an expert about tithing as a subject and shove that idiocy of TF and others down their email-addresses...may be there is hope for some others...May be there is something more to be added to Priebe's article...I read it fully many years back....but I think it's perfect for starters...If I had any "friend" like you do...I would hold him a sermon & kindly ask him to give in or move "back" & you move on...this is my stance not to budge to any TF-idiocy, friendship or no friendship...with friends like these???...just remember what idiotic channel it originated from.My stance after TF was/is to question about everything they ever taught...if by chance they do something/teach something which is Christian mainstrem...fundamental...fine...all the better...if not it goes into the garbage bin!!!!
IS TITHING SCRIPTURAL
for New Testament Christians?
Ed Priebe