In Reply to: Re: Great, wise, patience-proving post of yours OT2 posted by Farmer on January 18, 2010 at 09:42:01:
Farmer:
Patience-provoking...hmm. I'm reminded of the verse Philipians 1:6, where it speaks of God working in us in a soemwhat continuous manner, even when we do noy perceive His work of grace AS continuance. yet it is, like the almost cliched "Footprints in the Sand" poem. HE is very patience, and I hope to be learning that more.
He is always there, and pro-actively participating in our lives. But, it DOES go much faster the more we seek to actually cooperate with Him.
It was hard for me to admit that a part of the "hook" to be in the cult in the first place was the heavily-spouted "hatred of the system churches"--about which I was ACTUALLY completely ignorant. Berg just knew how to use the sin of "pride of life", of which he had a practiced and endless supply to
1. Punch all the buttons of those desperately seeking to be "hip" from a soft & ignorant mostly middle class background.
2. Involve those at the highest levels of the cult in such egregious sin, such as incest and Luciferian-like spiritual, center-of-the-universe blind arrogance as soon as possible, so that they couldn't easily defect back to normal society, or even their own right minds. As rank-and-file, I am thankful to have avoided that one.
"Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD" speaks for itself in volumes. He is NOT like TF. Period.
People who "separated themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit" were NEVER superior Christians because they merely lived communally with TF, or any other group.
God even mercifully honored the faith of the baby Christians in TF for a while. When the rebukes from God came for individuals came, some obeyed and left. Some didn't. Then provision was cut off, and Berg turned to pimping, and other forms of phoney merchandising to make up for the monetary shortfall, and the love of filthy lucre took over completely.
Since my exit long ago in mid-'74, I have learned amply of the real Jesus, in a way that 1 John speaks--"you have no need that any man [in particular] teach you, but that anointing will teach you...and you know that no lie is of the truth. The same chapter speaks of a spiritual maturity, where God's TRUE Word in deeply within your heart as a beleiver, and that through Christ you havev overcome the evil one.
Despite any other weaknesses in my life, those things are true, in MY "Journey", if you will. I make no apology, in the sense of being overly "direct and/or personal", as you wrote. I have learned that'd not fruitful, as a rule, and MUST be Spirit-led, kind, and very respectful, with a LOT of listening and understanding.
Similarly, I cannot fo discernment. It does exist, even though imperfectly, in spirit-filled Christians. And, Scripture does say we will, and must, thus "...judge rightesous judgement>>"; we must say whether or not things or people POSING as pertaining to "righteous judgement" ARE SO , or not. It is a heavy responsibility. It is WHY I left the cult, and warned others to do the same, as well as I could at the time, and have continued to do so at every opportunity.
Romans chapter 1 says that people KNOW that they are "without excuse" about God. While still alive, they have something of a conscience, corrupted or not, till their dying breath (Heb 9:27).
But "all truth is God's truth", and "real science points TOWARD God, not away from Him"
Chaos theory is crap. God created a sensible universe, even if it IS fallen (and cursed twice!!!)
OT2