In Reply to: but what about.. posted by porceleindoll on July 27, 2003 at 00:25:31:
1. <u>Berg having some credit for the salvation of many</u>: Remember one of Berg's stories about a lady praying for bread? A man threw her a loaf just to mock her after she started giving thanks to God. He said, "Ha! it was not God but me". So she continued thanking God: "Thank you for the bread even if you used the devil to do it". Berg was being used to bring the Gospel and I recognize him for that, regardless of the real intentions of his heart. But in either case, he was not the end-time prophet, he was not even a prophet, he was not even a man of God but a salesman who had lots of snake oil. I have even wondered many times if he was really a man.
Christianity is more than just believing in John 3:16 or confessing with the mouth, the Sermon of the Mountain has some pearls: (Mt:7:21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mt:7:22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Berg will receive credit for what he did: "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Mt:18:6).
2. <u>Mormons</u> are not Christian just because they believe Jesus is the Son of God but that is not enough. The devil also beliefs, and trembles. The non-Christianity of Mormons is widely available in the Internet. I spent 2 years within their ranks and some in my flesh and blood family are Mormons to this day. As individuals, they are wonderful. Most of the Mormons I’ve met are some of the most upright (and uptight, sometimes) people I know. It is a perfect club I would like to belong to. Too bad they are not a club but a religion that engulfs one's soul and takes it to depths of peril. Even if they have and use Jesus in their literature and speech they not Christians.
3. <u>Fellowship</u>: I wouldn't accomplish anything if I didn't have contact with those who don't believe like me. Almost all of the people I have to meet every day would qualify as "pagans", one way or another. I see "fellowship" to mean more than just hanging out or having some sort of conversations or a friendly relationship. In my mind it is more like the warning of 2Cor6:14 to "not be unequally yoked together to unbelievers" (for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?), which is not necessarily just "worship" either but some sort of deep spiritual involvement that places one in the receiving end. The key to my interpretation is in the <u>unequal</u> involvement part we should not allow ourselves to be in with them.
Also, that is for person-to-person relationships, between individuals. Your original question was about The Family being a Christian organization. In that context, a Christian would do better not to get involved with a non-Christian organization such as The Family because how can an individual not be "unequally yoked" to them? In general, any individual, and a Christian in particular, would do well in realizing the distinction between person-to-person relationships and person-to-organization relationships.