I know what you are talking about. I often wondered what happened to the Beatitudes? Were they cast aside for a man's interpretation of Joel's army. It seems to me that the authoritarian structure was a set up for bullies. An old friend of mine once lived in the Blix house until she didn't comply with the rules regarding the purchase and storage of her canned food. As I remember the story her dismissal was kind of like Joan Crawford's primal scream in the movie Mommy Dearest...."NO WIRE HANGERS EVER!"

It's really shattering when you discover that the trusted ones who were leading you in the charge to overthrow Babylon are actually Babylon themselves. It's like trusting a policeman and then discovering that he is a dirty cop and has just sold you out. The LW leaders do these kinds of things. These aren't the acts of Jesus. These are the acts of men and women drunk with power.

lily rose wrote: "I often wondered what happened to the Beatitudes. Were they cast aside for a man's interpretation of Joel's army?"

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Yes, continually, they’re preaching it as I write this!! Under the umbrella of “Joel’s Army” every demon and foul spirit gets a free license to run roughshod over the meek, the innocent, the downtrodden, the gentle, the peacemakers and those who just want the truth.

I hate church. “Do-it-yourself” bible reading and spirituality is the way to go because the jerks are eliminated; especially hierarchical jerks who insist on blocking your direct access to God.

FCSLC according to some old posts from Larry Bobo a number of folks who left had not re-attended church. I have often thought that if I tried sitting in a pew with those on the platform looking down at me and maybe just one of them would try to tune into my spirit, I would lose it. Maybe that kind of reaction will eventually go away.

I've been pondering Palefaces insights on hubris and power becoming like an addictive drug for leaders. Once at a union meeting I said something that caused those at the table to applaud. My first applause and I remember liking it a lot. I read that the feeling of power has an effect on the brain similar to cocaine. After power abuser Eliot Spitzer was brought down, Jay Leno asked him how he could have been so stupid? Spitzer replied, "Hubris is terminal." Absolute power didn't corrupt Jesus, he put off absolute power to give his life. Many of us have recalled the red flags regarding power that gave us some angst but that we ignored because we entrusted ourselves to man, something Jesus said he wouldn't do. Many of the red flags were the lack of empathy, the lack of caring, the lack of compassion. In spiritual leaders the lack of these Christ like traits also corrupts. Many of us have seen it play out as Changedagain has pointed out that within the ministry, empathy became frowned upon. How can that happen in a Christian church?

lily rose. I always detested the “spiritual pros” who seemed to be bored with their own personal worship of God but instead were busy analyzing our individual worship of God. Why were they intruding into that which was none of their freaking business anyway? Perhaps they had lost their first love and had to suck it from the ‘Babes in Christ’ who still possessed their pure first love.

You wrote: “I have often thought that if I tried sitting in a pew with those on the platform looking down at me and maybe just one of them would try to tune into my spirit, I would lose it. Maybe that kind of reaction will eventually go away.”

I plan to keep that very reaction. When somebody lands on my spirit my first reaction is, “Get the hell out/off.” Then it’s, “What do you want?” Then, perhaps, if there’s some value on an equitable basis, I might allow some sort of exchange.

Is it bitterness or maturity??

I'm still dumbfounded by the amount of anger and judgement that was ministered from the pulpit throughout my years in TLWF, and the accompanying insistence from the ministry that the congregant have a "right spirit" while being beaten. I always felt the proper order should have been:
1. the ministry stops abusing (disguised as discipline/teaching) the congregant
2. the congregant begins trusting the minister
Note: a functioning system of checks and balances would have stopped all this nonsense in its tracks.

I remember asking a local pastor about the workings of something regarding the "Fred" and "Ethel" projects. It was a simple and honest question. He looked at me (a bit irrated) and asked in a probing manner "Why don't you trust me?"

It was a cheap shot, designed to shut me up and make me go away, condemmed for having the audacity to ask a question anout the corporate structure of the church. They'll say their books are open for review, but that's just lip service.

It would be good for all of us to stand back and re-evaluate our time of involvement in TLWF. It takes a while for a tree to grow fruit. As Jesus said, you don’t get good fruit from a bad tree or bad fruit from a good tree. Probably all of us were after a deeper walk with God and a deeper walk with one another in the beginning. So many now want nothing to do with God or other Christians. That’s not God’s fruit – that’s evidence of the enemy at work. Obviously, we are never to allow men to take the place of God or we will end up with exactly what happened. Those lessons are not only valuable for us but also for other Christians. We can save others many years and many wounds if we are faithful to speak up. On the other hand, our spiritual life is dependent on loving God and loving one another. The fact that we were wounded under a lie does not invalidate the truth of God’s word. We overcome by continuing to walk on and being careful to be led by His Spirit. Jesus’ commands provide incredible life and safety – and they are eternal – no need for a new twist by the Deceiver.

You may have heard of Ravi Zacharias from his involvement in the book The Kingdom of the Cults. His Let My People Think broadcasts helped me in clearing the air so I could return to my first love and continue to walk on. I noticed that the first broadcast I heard a few years ago and that kind of turn things around for me, "The Uniqueness of Christ in History" is available for free download at www.rzim.org. (P.S. This guy will even answer audience questions.)

Larry Bobo, I'm going to go ahead and disagree with your statement that those who want nothing to do with God or other Christians is evidence of the enemy at work. I don't think I've even heard anything like that since I was in the cult. So I'm not sure what anyone thinks the devil is up to these days since we are no longer trying to wrestle the kingdom of God into existence, but I guess I assumed we were all through blaming stuff on him. Every ex-walker has arrived at different philosophical conclusions since leaving. There is simply no preferred or prescribed religious directive that anyone needs to follow. None. Everyone chooses his own path and his own heartfelt reasons for doing so. There isn't only one right way. Implying that someone's conclusions were even minutely directed by a devil seems to me to lightly dismiss one's capacity for intellectual thought and free will. Just sayin'.