Any ideas on how to get Pope Francis to read these posts?

Edit: Please change "unexplainable" to "inexplicable" in the above post. Thank you. Sorry.

FCSLC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Edit: Please change "unexplainable" to
> "inexplicable" in the above post. Thank you.
> Sorry.

Which reminds me...I'm sorry I blamed you for John's death. I don't think you were totally responsible.

Quote changedagain:

“Which reminds me...I'm sorry I blamed you for John's death. I don't think you were totally responsible.”

-----------------

I’m guilty. If only I had gone ahead with that necessary lobotomy; none of this would have happened.

RE: Another reason the members of TLWF obey their leaders.

RE: Another strong hold and front that has bound the people so that they are obedient to their leaders and the leaders obedient to G&M in the wrong that they are led to do to their members .
----------
I don't know if you remember the many messages that John Stevens brought on submission and divine order.

I believe those messages John brought helped lay the foundation of the churches thinking so that all were taught to respect and revere God in the choices of God among us, in serving God with one another, as a body of believers in Christ.

This is why when a ministry was set in as a ministry - even though as a ministry he was not fully mature - the people were to pray for him as a ministry - and believe for him to become mature in the things of the Lord. He was going to make mistakes along the way but all were to continue to pray for those serving in the ministry and to show respect for these men as ministries..

The stories John expounded on, out of the O.T. were about the choices of God standing. God chose Moses and Aaron and when the people doubted God's choice of Moses, and there was conflict about who was to lead God's people then the rods of Moses and Aaron budded - but the rods of those who were challenging Moses & Aaron remained barren. When Korah and those who were with Korah thought they were just as qualified as Moses to have a say , when they challenged Moses when a division arose between Korah and Moses - the earth swallowed up Korah and the camps of those who were one with Korah in the rebellion of Korah - and also Miriam, Moses sister got caught up in the middle of the controversy which was taking place between Moses and others challenging Moses' decisions and she was stricken with leprosy. When she repented she was healed of leprosy. And there are other things that John brought to the attention of the members out of the O.T. so that they would support and bear with the ministry - of those who were serving, as ministries among us.

And John taught that being a ministry was not about having a position or a place over one's brethren but the men were not mature and they did not really understand what it was to really serve and to help one another in serving in the ministry - they heard but they did not hear and understand - and so they in their immaturity built and took places of having a position of authority over one another as ministries in the church and this is how a high-archy developed among them in how they related to one another as ministries.

And you may also remember that John instructed the members to pay their taxes and if they had any tickets to pay them, also that they should get out of debt and to stay out of debt, that they were to owe no man anything except to love one another and he also brought messages out of the N.T. teaching us we were to respect those who governed us in our nation that we were to obey the laws of the land and that we had no reason to fear these men for they were also accountable to God who had appointed them and chosen them for service, for our protection.

Regarding Moses, the very lives of that people was dependent on their obedience to Moses according to what is written in the Scriptures - the people were to obey Moses in all things - so you can understand how TLWF has also come to believe that they should obey their leaders in all things.

It took me many years after I had left the church to realize that we don't have to follow the lead of some one who is leading us to do wrong.

Moses struck the rock in anger - instead of speaking to the rock- as God told Moses to do - and for this reason Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land with the people. Moses disobeyed God.

So the obedience of the people in TLWF entails far more than what meets the eye. And these are just some of the things that I have pondered over the years in trying to understand the why's - of so many things.

My hope is for the all of the members - that they will seek God and find the answers for the division that exist between themselves and those outside the church, who are trying to reach them about some of the wrong thinking they have - and I believe that when they hear the voice of the Lord in His Word, written in the Scriptures, that they will turn their hearts to God and as a result of finding Him in His Word , then they will no longer hurt their members or participate in destroying the lives of their members, with their religion. And they will themselves end all of the wrong kinds of relationships they have with the ministry and with one another.

Invisible wrote:

“I believe those messages John brought helped lay the foundation of the churches thinking so that all were taught to respect and revere God in the choices of God among us, in serving God with one another, as a body of believers in Christ.”

“The stories John expounded on, out of the O.T. were about the choices of God standing.”

“So you can understand how TLWF has also come to believe that they should obey their leaders in all things.”

-------------------------------

It’s so true; all the programming----enough to put any ‘Twilight Zone Episode’ to shame. It takes years of study, re-thinking and the use of “outside sources” to break the spell; and what a strong spell it is!!

Somewhere in Pauline theology it says, “Called as a slave-----go ahead and get free if the opportunity arises and you so desire.” The idea set forth is: “freedom is desirable for those who want it.”

Nehemiah (with Ezra the scribe) had the charge from the Persian Emperor Artaxerxes to restore Israel after its destruction and they chose to do it by gathering together all the various writings from the tribes and putting together a coherent book (The Old Testament); the ‘glue’ whereby they could rally “all” the people. Of course submission, obedience and unifying themes had to be emphasized to accomplish their charge, especially in the “small” dog eat dog world of that time. Other books are mentioned in the O. T. but are excluded for some reason; perhaps they had no political value.

During Pauline times, the Roman Empire had control of a vast area, providing the umbrella for the early church to operate. The church didn’t need its own ‘submissive private army’ to protect itself.

Today, our world is a dot in an infinitely large universe, and our universe is one of an infinite number of universes. Holding to extreme submission, obedience and thought/action servitude to a privately owned church is to ‘throw to the wind’ all rationality when considering all the possibilities that exist for us in ‘infinite existence’.

God, however defined, is big, very big. There is enough room for each of us to operate and dream as we please. I was doing just fine in the “Walk” until the shepherd chose to deny me and others any space at all. Ridiculous!

The idea of a rebellious spirit (oh, so evil, wrong, contaminating and scary), has been and is used by every controlling human to ever come along. It’s so lame and bogus. If the God of infinite existence is threatened by such a puny, minor thing, He doesn’t deserve His position.

Have you noticed how scary it is to post anything contrary to “Walk” teaching? My bet is that there are subconscious levels yet to be rooted out and liberated. One of the reasons I like to use the more crazy terms is simply to shock my own conditioning.

(Un-churched and still getting free from the restrictions of bibliolatry)

Excellent posts lately. Thank you to all.

I recall that the worst thing a person can be accused of in the Living Word Fellowship was having a “critical spirit”. That is, anyone that questioned something was considered to be under satanic influence. Anyone speaking up was labeled as “critical” and of course, this was the same as the “sin of witchcraft”. This is a clever way to shut down any opposition to the tyranny imposed on the sheep by the leaders. I’m sure the LW sheep have been told to not read the Rick Ross forum or the FactNet archives. ….or they might open up to that same, satanic “critical spirit” and start thinking for themselves. That can’t be allowed!

For those of you still in the fellowship that are reading these posts secretly. You are probably reading this because something drew you here – like a sense that something isn’t quite right. Don’t tell anyone you are here, or you might freak-out your shepherd or DR. And my advice to you is to go out and do your own research. Read everything. Educate yourself. Find out for yourself just why the Living Word is called a “cult” by the vast majority. Maybe you need to decide if you want to take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill. : )

One other thing I might add. We have all seen how other Christian ministries have hob-knobbed with Gary and Marilyn over the last 10 years. They come in and out of the LW scene. People like Bishop Key, Mahesh Chavda and recently some Brazilian Catholic leaders. These other church leaders have met with G&M and given a casual nod to them. G&M grab that and run with it, saying to the sheep “See, the Christian world accepts us. We are legitimate.” I have learned that is was only lip service on the part of those leaders. In those circles, it is considered “professional courtesy” to not criticize another ministry that is supporting you. So they don’t “go there” about the doctrines that they disagree with. A mutual “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” policy is in place. So these guys don’t say what they really think about the LW. Bishop Key started to speak up. Remember the message from him “You’re Ripe, Don’t Rot”. After that, the relationship with him and G&M started to break down.

2014 will be an interesting year.

To share some of my thoughts,

RE; Freed to think

Seeking truth, is one of the attributes, of having the freedom to think, for your self..

Free thinking, is one of the things that we begin to do, after we are no longer tethered in our minds to some one else's program, agenda and thoughts.

When we begin to want to know the truth, we begin to examine what we have believed - to know if what we believe is the truth.

When we find what is better than what we believed, we let go of what we once thought. Deciding what to keep and what to throw away is another step in becoming free and we move forward.

When you believe you have to think and believe what some one else tells you to think and believe - you don't really understand that your thoughts are not your own - you only think that those thoughts are your thoughts. You're existing in some one else's world of thought.

Christ died to set us free, to live the life that God gave us, as a " free " gift - from God. Life is a free gift to all men , that we received from the day, we took our first breath, to cry.

.....Come drink of the waters of life - without "cost."

We don't have to pay anything to learn from Him but when men teach you their way and you give yourself to living your life by their thoughts , there are many costs attached to learning from them.

Matthew 11;28 - 30 Come unto Me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me. for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

You won't find His ways or His Words beating you and you will also find His words liberate you from thinking and believing that you have to take a spiritual beating or to carry the heavy loads men place on your mind and life, by the things they teach you, and require of you to live - for them , your life..

From the internet:

“To Be A Christian” is an excerpt from To Every Man That Asketh, pp. 13-14: Copyright © 1959 by John Robert Stevens, revised 1971 by The Living Word. All rights reserved.


JRS: “To be a Christian, as I understand Christ, means…………”


-------------

It cannot be said any plainer, “as I understand Christ,” means John’s understanding.

“To be a Christian” is impressive and compelling. But, is it the “Only Way”? It’s the way John chose to serve, but is it binding upon everybody?

If it’s the only way then I’m screwed. I can’t be saved. I’ll just have to admire the wonders of the heavens and the depths of greater things beyond the grave that are most likely unimaginable from my assigned place in hell. It’s not in me to serve in the manner described in, “To be a Christian.” I will never qualify. I can be forced into it, but I wouldn’t be happy. I know by experience-----I quit the “Walk”.

So, now we have a reject (myself), assigned to hell but still dreaming about heaven.

My only hope is when the keepers of hell realize they have a prisoner “getting off” on heavenly dreams that they kick me out of there too.

Whoa, now we have a double reject, and even worse, a double reject heretic who posts too much on the “The Cult Education Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults, Controversial Groups and Movements.”

Heretics have no shame.

Heretics can hope and dream for things that are heretical, it’s their way.

[Un-churched, unqualified and looking for the impossible: A happy ‘no strings attached’ way to experience God]

FCSLC – the heretic.

I think all forms of heresy are welcome here. The ideas presented in "To Be A Christian" are noble indeed. I'm pretty sure most of us have fallen short of that. I think it was also the foundation for creating a "high-demand" organisation that asked too much of it's congregants. It was presented to us that the Gold Standard of discipleship was to lay down our lives (without questioning anything) to Christ and His representatives. And that's the start of the slipery slope to a very real hell.