Posted by Farmer on January 27, 2011 at 15:15:15
In Reply to: Re: Long road since leaving in 1972 posted by Alias Hannah on January 27, 2011 at 09:44:42:
Yes...you put it very well...how our relationship with the father happens to be theeeee example...the extent of love and patience the Father Son and Holy Spirit have with us...the guiding, teaching is amazing to me...and you too I can conclude...
Well, it's so true...and thanks for opening the the discussion about organized religion in such a humble way...I also was too critical of anything besides COG...it's not that they thought/think to be the only Christians...but simply the most obedient and best...the wonderful " little fold /army of David"...you hear it so often, you start believing it.In addition to that, many a church/congregation could also do better by sticking more and also literally to the written Word of God....I must admit, that I am a bit sobered up about the whole subject: church-history...it's amazing how much we Christians got off the track in all periods of history.I guess it's learning by doing...and doing things also the wrong way.
The time of the apostles is past and it has become a bit of an authority-problem since then...but even in the early church-generation, they had problems of accepting the godly apostolic counsel...quite something....afterwards they generated/created a hierarchy I am very doubtful about it's scriptural correctness...I prefer the teaching of the priesthood of all believers even if there is sooner or later emerging in a local body some type of eldership...brethren who are tried and proven...but I do have trouble with the paid clergy...it has become a fixed system I am not too happy with.I don't mind to pay heavily for a very good book ...that's also Galatians 6:6 applied...that scripture I used extensively aforetimes as an excuse to live off the Gospel-spreading..the COG-way
Before I forget...thank you for the encouraging words...but you know Hannah...we also get, what we deserve...the Lord doesn't change...HE's eternal and ever righteous...so when you get trained the wrong way...part of the blame is with the false teachers and another with oneself, by surrendering to them.I and all the others got polluted by Berg e.g with this one-wife doctrine...Berg and COG missed the whole point about the beauty of marriage, how it symbolises the unity...becoming one with Jesus as He is also very much one with the Father...that unity husband/wife is an extraordinary "invention" of God... outlined very much in Ephesians 5...especially 22 onwards...as you know
Any leader, person who wants to break down this order installed by God has to live with the consequences and they are tough...
Since teachings of COG/TFI are that much haywire/unscriptural...distorted...then hitting the reality of the Word is like hitting the concrete floor.He helps us up...but the initial wounding/breaking is quite an experience...later the healing sets in...
So all the adultery...divorce...patching families...is just a human idea.Frankly I thought it to be altruistic on my part, sanctioned by God...because of the "good idea"...but it's very short of the very best and that is godly marriage of which there is less and less in the world today...not just a fault/sin of TF
You touched a very important subject...that of shame and hate in TFI...something which they can use easily against you at will...scriptures out of context can also support that.But it's great, that people have been seeing through that scheme and also posted
here about it...quite helpful to see how it worked with others..I see everything more and more under the scope of the "trichotomy" body soul, Spirit....and although we have to leave the body behind or for the last generation receiving a transformation the moment HE comes for His bride...nevertheless it's not about mistreating your body...to become "more spiritual"...neither in abusing your body for experiencing too many a passing pleasures and thereby abusing it...becoming useless for better tasks while still here...it's a lot about temperance...the right balance....also to forgive ourselves...even as HE forgives us...sometimes very hard...since we want to be better and also pleasing HIM
I leave it here for the moment, pardon me...as I am a bit in a hurry and I rather not write in a hurry...but I am very happy you joined the boards...with all your experience...it's a big enrichment...I hope and pray the retreat is a wonderful experience for all of you over there.
One more thing...in 1996 the book outside the Bible which impressed me then the most or helped me very much and gave me some vision back, was the biography of Hudson Taylor...I think he was methodist as well.That impressed me very much how he and G.Müller trusted so much the Lord for the funds of their divine projects....that's the example.
Greetings, prayers and much love in Jesus name for you sister...