Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Some brothers, however, refused to leave without an "escort."
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If you mean shown where the door is I understand "escort" Previous to my LC experience I was in another setting I was told that my wife and I were servants of Beelzabub by the pastor and his coaster wife after they had stayed up praying all night about us. My wife sobbed uncontrolably as the spirit with in me was jumping up and down with joy. As I was going WOW! inside this is what the religous leaders said to Jesus. a few weeks later when I stood up for us against the pastor and his wife and 15 elders at a meeting where we were falsly accused of things I knew were not true. Again my wife was sobbing but the co-pastor wife spoke a little too much and some of the truth slipped out. Upon realizing his wife had mispoke he told us we knew where the door was. Praise the Lord! I didn't let it hit me in the butt.
My point is from my experience this happens all over the place not just in the LSM situation. I met a man who had been rejected by the Reformed Brethren Church here over 45 yrs ago,, When I met him he was about 75 and living in a small house big enough for 1 person that he had built next to the home he had shared with his wife and 7 children before he questioned some of the things that the authorities in the Reformed Brethrens doctrine. They proceeded to inform his wife that if she was intimate with her husband she would go to hell. So she kicked him out of the bedroom. Then they told her that if she ate meals with him that she would go to hell. You already can figure out what happened. Then she was told if he had a relationship with his children then they would go to hell. So he built a tiny house just for him next to his home, wife and kids and he suffered for the next 40 yrs being reject by them. Of course the wife benefited from the approval of her stand from the church as they also rejected him for 40 yrs.
He went to the church leaders and begged them to allow him to have his wife and family back, they refused. He went to Reformed Brethren Churches all over the USA and Canada looking for someone to help but they refused as they didn't want to get involved in a local matter. He went to the courts legally to try to get his wife and family back they refused to rule on the matter as they felt that this was a church matter and didn't want to mix church and state. He protested to the point of getting arrested and put in jail for trying to get support and understanding from the community for his plight. He did get his story in the local newspaper.
He showed me and gave me a book he had authored about his story which I still have. The book is not distributed yet as his wish is that it be distributed after his death. I admired this man for suffering so long and enduring so long, without the affection of his wife, children and community for 40 yrs. He still loves his wife and desires to be with her. At that time I shared Christ with him and talked to him about having fellowship with us in the LC. He asked me a few questions about us and I figured out these were the questions that applied to the doctrines that he believed and were what the Reformed Brethren Church believed and I figured out after how they had mistreated him he still believed in their belief system and in his heart he still viewed himself as a Reformed Brethren. He never did come and meet with us. Jesus said if they don't receive you to shake the dust off your sandels and move on. I used to think this was applied to those who didn't believe the gospel, now I am considering if it doesn't apply to those who put religion and their work above their compassion and love for all the members of the body. I have been treated like a leper, called Beelzabub, quaranteed, seen people act like they are demon possesed. Lord Jesus I think I need a new pair of shoes!