John Robert Stevens was constantly saying that MINISTERS ( I prefer the non-chick LWF word of mininstry) but he always said Living Word pastors and elders etc., had a COMMISSION, rather than a POSITION. The point being that "Babylon's leaders were in it for the money or the glory or the power, but Living Word's leaders were commissioned by God because they were so spiritual. But look how that all turned out.

Sorry to repeat what I said about the Parousia, I meant to tell about something else, I had posted that earlier but it wouldn't work because there was some sort of hack alert thing going on. I'll think of it later. Something they were big about in Living Word that was just an obvious mixup if people had read their bibles. Of course there were lots of those.

Point being, if people don't just concern themselves with being in service with their bibles with them, with a bought in Living Word store bible cover, and if they ever opened their bible, of course, having to be the NASB, had to be NASB, nothing but, they might find SOME truth, if they opened it and read the parts that were left out of the sermons, the they would know better. For instance, even reading casually Romans 8, where they get the eternal life without Christ illusion, they would find in that chapter enough info to realize neither them nor their pastors should be falling down drunk. There is too much about living a spiritual life to miss it in even a casual reading of Romans 8. Oh well.

Apostle Dog Wrote:
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> lily rose, also remember JRS always talking about
> how the word "parousia" meant spiritually present,
> but not physically present. That is the basis of
> the belief by many in Living Word that Christ
> would come forth in the church, in them, that is,
> but not necessarily literally or physically.
> Well, if you take a look in any Greek to English
> interlinear bible, you will see that the word
> simply means PRESENCE OR PRESENT. Paul says that
> he would like to be PRESENT (meaning phsically)
> but he could not be at that church at that time.
> Don't remember the verse, but you can find that
> easily enough. The same word is used in Greek for
> peresent, parousia (I probably spelled that wrong)
> but that Greek word means either physical
> presence, OR spiritual presence, just like the
> English word does.
>
> Another LIVING WORD theological breakthru, shot
> down.


__________________________________________________________

Thanks for repeating about the parousia as I kind of missed your point the first time. I remember when I was in the Walk I bought into it. It was heady stuff; it promised spiritual superiority to all previous generations on the earth. Now I realize it was more about elitism and now I see it as just another subtle deception.

lily rose Wrote:
>
> Thanks for repeating about the parousia as I kind
> of missed your point the first time. I remember
> when I was in the Walk I bought into it. It was
> heady stuff; it promised spiritual superiority to
> all previous generations on the earth. Now I
> realize it was more about elitism and now I see it
> as just another subtle deception.

Lily Rose, elitism is nothing unusual with any rogue religious leader, I have been hooked up with others besides the Walk. Any time that someone believes they have an extraordinary vision, that they are as you say, elite, they go off on their own and do not accept any "covering," as was constantly talked about by JRS when I was in it. Everybody had to have a covering, except him, and it's like that now, the dynamic duo don't believe they have to account to anybody either, because they believe they ARE the covering. Illusions of grandeur. It' easy to start a cult if you have charisma or if you were hooked up to someone with charisma and sort of inherit their mess. It can be done, if someone believes they are special enough that what they do is never going to be answered for. Trouble is, everybody has to account for their lives.

I really wish that when the Walk changed from JRS to the Hargraves, in other words from the Walk to the Walk, the Sequel, I wish I had stayed in contact with many of the people that I just didn't think of contacting before everybody disbursed. I don't know what happened, all of the churches east of the Mississippi, most of them, just disappeared I think, I think they "got a word" to get closer to Mecca (California or Shiloh) so they could be controlled better. But anyway, if anybody knows about something like that i would like to hear about it. In the mean time, I hope many of the posters here would come back, just as Larry Bobo and many others.

I would love to talk to some of the X members in email.

The Living Word was not unique in one thing that happens too often among churches. Also the situation that I am going to discuss is explained away as if God would approve of it, which He does not. What I am discussing here, is the thing of the pastor needing a "spiritual wife." Seems like pastors are so misunderstood and under so much strain "protecting the sheep," and "killing the wolves" and their wives, the wife of their youth, just doesn't understand them and support their ministry as they should. It's pretty common, so the Walk is not much different there either than "Babylon."

Two people are wrong there, the "spiritual wife" (*adulteress) and the "misunderstood and unappreciated shepherd" (adulterer). I know what I am talking about. When John Robert Stevens went for the bait, lots of the "under-shepherds" followed along. In fact, there seemed to be an atmosphere just ripe for that sort of thing in Living Word.

I met lots of people though, in my travels, churches that were on the up and up, pastors that had a heart after God, and "sheep" that were full of love and fully dedicated. It makes me sad that I was one of those wolves that called good Christians "old order." I recall once going to a church for what in my area we called "regionals." I don't know if they were all over the walk, but we would meet several churches of the area for a weekend for meetings and the "shepherds" would have a beer barrel and often something to smoke after, (often before) the services. As soon as I arrived I "felt the vibes of a religious spirit" just because the people there had made us a good meal and were warm and gracious rather than cutting edge, cold blooded Walkites. I told the other "shepherds" as they arrived and we all headed to the bar for an hour or so before the services, so we could "rebuke the religious spirit."

Sometimes it really takes one to know one. I don't know how much JRS knew of what was happening on his watch, and maybe that could be part of why the current regime wanted people pulled in closer instead of being spread out like we were when there were I guess an estimated hundred churches. JRS didn't go visit a lot of them when he went on his little walk-about. I don't think he even knew there were churches in every State in the South, I don't think he had much of an oppinion of the South anyway.

That's why I didn't want to make a judgement about how much of God was in what JRS did, because as for me, there was so much false, I think it outweighs anything that might have been real. Like JRS used to say, all it takes is 1% rat poison in 99% wheat, that makes a deadly mix.

I made the mistake of joking about a newly commissioned pastor downing copious amount of alcohol during a service, insinuating that perhaps it might affect his capacity to steer the sheep in the right direction, and Gary--not amused--told me he would kill me if I didn't support this minister. Well, that settled that. No more religiosity from me!
"WE CURSE THE UPTIGHT, RELIGIOUS SPIRIT OF THE SADDUCEES AND PHARISEES, LORD!
F*&K THEM!!"

I agree and I think some of the sexual revolution of the 60's in the world carried over into the 70's in the Walk via our angst over having a religious spirit. I think JRS tried to curb some of that thinking that if it feels good do it by telling us that if you do it you also form a bond with that person (bad transference). That wasn't much of a concern to the young people at the time.

When I was at Shiloh a member told me that when her sister came to join the church she had relations with 3 elders and ended up marrying one of them and apparently it wasn't a big deal to the pastor who had his own problems with drinking. On the other hand, I heard from a pretty good source that JRS was disciplining a SLC pastor for an affair. Another friend of mine was concerned at her marriage check out that JRS would pick up that she slept with her fiancé. He didn't pick it up. Also, I remember getting some of my worldly friends to come to service by telling them about our freedoms. That was before I learned the harsh truth about authority and control by some pastors and elders that trumped any illusion I had of freedoms. By that time I too was drinking not quite a 6 pack before service just so I could look like I had a right spirit.

My point is, for the most part, it was really a carnal atmosphere. And even the kingdom we were pulling down for the most part would have been a carnal kingdom where we rule and take dominion over the world and even the animals and sea creatures are tame and under our subjection. ha! ha!

So changedagain, during the walk sequel, were things as carnal as the 70's?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2015 06:59AM by lily rose.

lily rose Wrote:
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> By that time I too was drinking not
> quite a 6 pack before service just so I could look
> like I had a right spirit.

I know you didn't mean this to be funny, but it struck me as hilarious.
Question: Why are you drinking that 6 pack?
Answer: So I can appear to have a right spirit when I'm in church.

Lily Rose said:
I agree and I think some of the sexual revolution of the 60's in the world carried over into the 70's in the Walk via our angst over having a religious spirit. I think JRS tried to curb some of that thinking that if it feels good do it by telling us that if you do it you also form a bond with that person (bad transference). That wasn't much of a concern to the young people at the time.

Lily Rose, like on a lot of issues, JRS might should have listened to his own tapes, I think both him, and everybody in the Walk would have been better off had he not formed that bond with the Lamp of Israel.