In Reply to: greetings posted by Acheick on October 21, 2003 at 22:34:03:
Greetings very much replied..Thank you...you know,
I am wondering though, whether I`ve got things so much on my chest still, to have to cough it up,
so to speak...to yell it -out... ; )
Meaning, I personally didn`t receive too many illtreatments on a personal basis, that it knocked me for a loop, it`s rather the words, the teachings, which had a negative grip on me, so it`s what you refer to with: "continuing in their
wrongdoing"...yes, that bugs me...granted, if you make a survey over all the christian denominations
in the US, let alone in the whole world, ranking from the fundamentalists to the charismatic move=
ments, you can be super busy, claiming that so and so is wrong or right...not to speak of comparing
the religions & I am surprised to learn, that many, who have left the family, got with their
"faithship" in deep heavy waters & it seems almost
like they`re being thrown overboard...that really
sadened me...honestly...I guess the best is to faithfully pray for those, we always considered sheep...I think we were likeminded & other than somebody said on the board, I don`t think you can
really say enough: I love you, I miss you, sorry for you etc...it can of course become inflational, no value behind it, when you sense, it`s not really meant (Could that be said though, we didn`t feel loved of others in the family??.Even the sinners, said Jesus, do good one to another)...maybe, that`s what the person here had in mind...I just wanted to say, there are really very precious people here on board, & one thing we had in the family the gift for, is to find always someone else in the world through
witnessing, being very similar to us...lost sheep...well, the problems with the "shepherd"...the
good one, Jesus, we let in our hearts through prayer & the other one we almost seemed to have worshipped , even if he insisted, that he didn`t want that.Well, let`s give him the benefit of the doubt, but there was a way, where the enemy could
attack him & that was a craving for sex...I think it has to do with a strong desire to be fulfilled,
to be satisfied, which only doesn`t last too long...
I mean, as wonderfully God created sex & meant it for our enjoyment in marriage, why does one have
to hunt around for more...I figure, then someone must not be content & I guess Berg often acted, as if he was the gift of God to women...he pretended, he didn`t get much out of it in the old days, but
did it rather to please the women...well, did Mene ask for it???...I think he had the "gift" to sound
highly unselfish, when it was his own craving,
most likely...In any event, he didn`t think that
Paul was right, so that was his main problem: I am
the prophet, I am not bound by the old word, by some mere apostle, who suffered heavily to get
the good news out...
In addition to that, he overlooked, that the NT speaks not of eros, rather agape & so he got us in a mess ; b u t weren`t we supposed to be the
sexy generation, was that a main weakness also in our flesh?..I could think so...it`s rather typical
of charismatic movements (their divorce-rate seems
to be also fairly high, from what I observed)...
So indeed, it`s the teachings, which I could &
should bark against...other family members, like I said, did me little or no harm in those 16 years within the family...In a way I feel everbody,
especially leadership, was heavily misled...but no
matter how far astray you go, I think the good
Shepherd is very well able & willing to meet you, when you`re ready...The parable of the sower
always impressed me very much...with some the Words of God get picked away by the enemy...we
wouldn`t be the first people, having listened to the devil instead of the Lord & I should say not all was bad, otherwise, how could it attract others, it was a mixture & to me it was really comforting, after I realized, how I got the beautiful idea of marriage, it`s paralleling the
upcoming marriage with Jesus (now we`re "merely"
engaged), so perverted & screwed up, that Christians before us in Corinth & Thyatira etc.
had also very heavy problems along the line...
Any Bibledictionary can confirm, that templeprostitution was common in those days, before so also among the heathen in & around Israel, being finally copied by them... they didn`t stay seperate anymore, they became one the wrong way...
Why should we also expect to be so much more enlightend & faithful than the early christians,
if anything it should not be really easier today...from that viewpoint, can`t we forgive ourselves, knowing that God did through Jesus
Christ -- no matter what sin, except for the one -- & also being afraid, not to forgive others their sins & it doesn`t say in the Bible only provided, when the person sees the light & then the error & sin of his to ask your pardon...then of course too, but not only then (Mk 11:25)...
I must say, except for Menes testimony, the court
case & some testimonies about the Victor programs,
I am not so familiar with what all the Teens had to go through...I hope to catch up...The reason, why I "preach" forgiveness...rather bring to remembrance - the subject has been on the board somewhat, I understand - is, because it does us ourselves g o o d ....it has a healing effect, probably more than anything else...
Back to your line:
I wonder if I could`ve been wronged, if I were
right all the time in the family, right with the Lord, although I wanted to...having been born in
the Lutheran church, my verse I claimed at the feast of "confirmation" was Romans 8:28, that was with 14...I wasn`t really converted though, next also not born again...however with some faith in a
God above.
In that perspective I have little problems with the problems I had with the family, there`s really nothing left, as far as I am concerned, certain hangovers
I confessed 3 years ago in a dialogue with a
dear Christian girl from Switzerland, who replied on a want ad of mine in a christian magazine & the
dialogue was really eyeopening...that`s where I first went into the internet,to the pages of Sam &
others to familiarise myself with more recent info of the family...I mean the Lord really pulled me through the wringer in the eleven years, I remained over a long time a bit too "neutral" towards the family...something you can`t do, Jesus says so...& it wasn`t by no means easy, but if you
learn very valuable lessons, don`t you sell all you have (I am paraphrasing now), to be able to pay for the fees required for attending those
"teachingclasses"...well, you "sit in class" (you walk through life) & the Lord gets home one lesson after the other...therefore I have hope also for others in & out the family...
I hope more & more will see, that you cannot be
an adulterer & whoremonger & claim to be a part
of the body of Christ...Isn`t it amazing, in a
FSM pubbed in geocities, a former Teen , 2nd generation, father of then 6 children, tells Peter or so his trials about sharing...& oh how loving they deal with him...same procedures as usual...
they try to get a victory over the flesh in a way which is not the Lord & eventually will be miserable, cause they don`t believe the Word, they don`t have to have a victory over something which
is (to my understanding) a natural, builtin resentment, in line with the Word of God...
Peter had jealousy problems & now he "helps"
someone who doesn`t believe, what God tells us through Paul...Paul explicitely warns, that such
- & others -will not inherit the kingdom of God...
1.Cor.6:9 etc
For me that was heavy stuff, although I had read
it many times before in the family--doesn`t apply to us, we`re not meant, we do things in love--when
I got hit by it later, out of the family...I thought, thank God for the chance to repent!!!!
After a wonderful Christian seminary in Switzerland, led by a worldwide-travelling Indonesian evangelists, who lives more by faith than anyone I encountered before - too bad, I did`t meet him earlier, but that´s wishful thinking - I also felt, that I should really repent & be baptized, a sign of wanting to start
aright & allover, so to speak...& with all that, I want to say, the family plays a super little role in my life now...I`ve been to some congegrations &
many times I have to explain, who the COG are or were...I learned much more about deception...as
a youth I wondered how the generation of my parents could be deceived by Hitler...well, I didn`t do much better, I got deceived by someone
claiming to be some kind of prophet...
Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to sift you as
wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith faileth not & when thou art converted, strengthen
thy brethren...That verse spoke so loud to me today...I think that`s a calling for those of youoperating journeys (God bless you) and participators, to help people getting converted,
who are in the family...Simon was a disciple
(Christian, Acts 11:26) of Christ with some
deceptions, denials, problems with Paul here & there, yet Jesus prays, intercedes for him...I really love that & that`s why I say, there is hope for the family...they might get sifted & attacked in or out of the family, but I believe you can`t fall too deep so that His hand couldn`t reach for
someone in need...Like in the parable of the sower, on hard ground, His Word cannot grow...He does the breaking up in His time, that`s my conviction, seeing also, who already left...Let`s
hope & pray for conversion...with the many temptations He can make a way of escape...we were,
they are tempted with wrong teachings ...
May be we turn out to be a blessing to some searching sincerely. Thank you for this opportunity to share things... Jürgen