Greetings everyone:

Not ready to share my story yet, but I have REALLY enjoyed everyone's posts here. I'm still attending Turning Point, but I am praying about leaving. Honestly, I don't have liberty from the Lord to leave -- at this moment. That could change in 5 minutes. However, while I'm still there, I'm praying fervently that God would -- like Daughter of Dorcas so eloquently stated in one of her posts -- return Mike to the person who made the enemy cower in fear. I YEARN for Mike to preach the MEAT of the Word. To go through the Bible verse by verse -- not preach his pet topics. With this in mind -- a friend sent me this You Tube video of Kirk Cameron interviewing John MacArthur. John has a program on KGNW called Grace to You. He is a WELL-RESPECTED Bible teacher and authority on scripture. He has written a book called HARD TO BELIEVE. I think you will find this compelling as John MacArthur speaks to every single complaint/concern expressed in this forum. Jesus is NOT a genie in a bottle to make us prosperous -- HE IS THE SAVIOR! Oh for Turning Point to be a church that preaches the undefiled blood of Christ -- Christ crucified to be our savior -- not our magic genie! At Turning Point I have NEVER heard a sermon about my savior's BLOOD and what that actually means for me.

[www.youtube.com]

Oh God! Have mercy. Turn the heart of Pastor Mike back to preaching the undefiled gospel of Jesus Chris crucified. The savior!

Thanks everyone. I'll be lurking still

Welcome, Wondering.
I'm glad that you have come out of lurkdom.
Do you mind if I ask what you mean by "I don't have liberty from the Lord to leave -- at this moment"?

Welcome to the forum - Brokenhearted, I don't want to speak for WonderingNow but I can speak for myself. I feel that God may be using me in a way I don't see or comprehend. I have a peace with staying and until that leaves I will stay. I know you didn't ask, just this was an appropriate time to share that.

Welcome Wondering,
I listened to the you tube interview. It was good, need to listen to the other ones..

Outreach

Attender,

That makes sense. I just ask, so that people will think about their reasons, and those reasons may be perfectly valid (it's not my place to judge). I just know that I'm having a hard time *trusting* my own discernment (after my experience at TP). Honestly, I'm not sure right now that if the Lord instructed me to do (or not to do) something that I would recognize His voice. We've been taught at TP to do the last thing we heard the Lord tell us, and for many people that means that we belong at TP....but for my family, having the Lord reveal the issues at TP WAS His way of telling us to go....it wasn't a vision, or a dream, or an audible voice (which are heavily relyed upon at TP). I understand that this may not be true for everyone, but I think that it at least needs to be considered.............

I to listened to the interview from the link Welcome Wondering posted. While I agree with just about everything Mr. McArthur said, I feel that the scripture quoted by Kirk Cameron was valid. God does want us to have an abundant happy life in whatever circumstances or trials we find ourselves in. I am sure that children, family, grandchildren, and good friends are a special gift from God to bring happiness and an abundance of joy into our lives. I don't think abundance has to be about $$$$$. It can be as simple as a smile and a hug from a spouse when you haven't had the best day in the world. You can take a five dollar casserole to a potluck with friends and have hours of abundant joy and laughter while you fellowship. Abundance isn't always about $$$$$. But in this time and place, an abundant life is always, it seems, equated with a bank balance. I am quite sure that all of the religious immigrants that immigrated to this country to seek religious freedom felt they had found an abundant life when they could live and worship according to their beliefs even though they were barely getting by. I think it is time we think of abundance as counting our blessings. If you think about abundance that way, then at least for me, it isn't about money it is about the people in my life that make it rich and abundant.

Daughter of Dorcas

Quote
tpcwocattender
Welcome to the forum - Brokenhearted, I don't want to speak for WonderingNow but I can speak for myself. I feel that God may be using me in a way I don't see or comprehend. I have a peace with staying and until that leaves I will stay. I know you didn't ask, just this was an appropriate time to share that.

I am intrigued by this statement. Persons with peace. If there really is a deep abiding peace then why spend time searching, investigating, and posting? These actions dont speak to peace. They speak to uncertainty and unrest.

Quote
TurningPointReject

Quote
tpcwocattender
Welcome to the forum - Brokenhearted, I don't want to speak for WonderingNow but I can speak for myself. I feel that God may be using me in a way I don't see or comprehend. I have a peace with staying and until that leaves I will stay. I know you didn't ask, just this was an appropriate time to share that.

I am intrigued by this statement. Persons with peace. If there really is a deep abiding peace then why spend time searching, investigating, and posting? These actions dont speak to peace. They speak to uncertainty and unrest.

My point was simply that I have peace that for right now I am to stay. My honesty was that I don't know why. Maybe God is using me and I don't even know it. Uncertaintly comes from not feeling like I am doing was God is asking me. Unrest would speak to an issue with undecision. I am certain I should be here and I am trusting that if and when I do go God will let me know and that gives me peace. I think it is ok to asks questions, that is all part of the process of decision making. In this case God is a third party to my decision making and who I am looking to for help. He has been and will continue to be faithful to me prayer to not leave me hanging. Who knows, today may be the day I go?

Does that help?

I can think of two good reason to stay and that is to tell as many of our brothers and sisters at TPWOC to read the Forum and to fight for truth against all the false teaching before you walk out and never come back. If you stay without a fight for truth then you will have to live with yourself when Pastor Mikes empire tumbles. Ask for Gods Holy Spirit to give you courage and boldness to confront and speak out against all the false teachings and help those who still Worship Mike and Cydni!