Greetings from a young person currently in the LC

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by BJS03

However, this year, I started having doubts again, and I went back into this forum to read some interesting threads periodically. It wasn't until this past month that I've been browsing on this forum regularly, and a week or so ago, I found out about Jo's open letter to the saints along with other info on this website that crashed my world. I never knew that there would be this many problems in the LC, and I have lost a lot of faith in the LC, specifically LSM and brother Lee. Now I'm reconsidering if I want to be a believer or if I want to leave this LC entirely for good.

Whelp, theres a part of my recent bio. Thanks for being open to new members like me .

Welcome to the forum and thank you for being so honest and open.

First thing that really hit me from your post was "I have lost a lot of faith in the LC". Why would you have faith in the LC? Is that a thing? I have faith in God, in the Lord Jesus Christ, in prayer, in the word, but not in the LC.

I would strongly encourage you to cut the cord between being a believer with "faith in the LC". The Lord told us to beware of false prophets. Why would he say that if there wasn't a real threat? Guard your heart. My faith in the Lord is not dependent on WL, I had faith in the Lord prior to ever hearing about him, he had nothing to do with my faith or my walk.

[Raptor]

Hi, I encourage you not to lose your faith in the Lord Jesus because of any person, church, movement, group, teaching, circumstances, etc. We all have had different experiences in the LC. For me, after 34 years, I can finally see that it is a big mixture, with good and bad, but for me the foundation of the Recovery has lots of the bad, so I am not meeting anymore. Each one of us has to make choices.

But I encourage you not to throw out the baby with the bath water. Especially not throwing out the common faith, that is, what we believe in as christians: the Bible is the word of God, there is only one God, He is Father, Son and Spirit, God became a Man in Jesus Christ and died for our sins and was raised on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of God. When you believed in Him, He forgave your sins and you were born of God having eternal life. One day Christ will come back.

I encourage you to take it easy and little by little just read the Bible, no commentaries, no footnotes, nada. Just go before the Lord, into His presence, confess any sins and read the Word in His light. Ask Him to guide you, ask Him what the verses mean. You don´t have to start with anything heavy like Numbers or Hebrews.... jajaja. Maybe start with the gospels....even ask Him which book to read.

He will not let anything separate you from His love.....so I encourage you to do the same.

Romans 8:38,39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Raptor

But I encourage you not to throw out the baby with the bath water. Especially not throwing out the common faith, that is, what we believe in as Christians: the Bible is the word of God, there is only one God, He is Father, Son and Spirit, God became a Man in Jesus Christ and died for our sins and was raised on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of God. When you believed in Him, He forgave your sins and you were born of God having eternal life. One day Christ will come back.

I encourage you to take it easy and little by little just read the Bible, no commentaries, no footnotes, nada. Just go before the Lord, into His presence, confess any sins and read the Word in His light. Ask Him to guide you, ask Him what the verses mean. You don´t have to start with anything heavy like Numbers or Hebrews.... jajaja. Maybe start with the gospels....even ask Him which book to read.

Probably the best advise ever given on this forum! The only thing I would add is that you need not worry about throwing out the baby...THE BABY IS THE WORD OF GOD AND THE "COMMON FAITH" as Raptor has described above. EVERYTHING ELSE is under suspicion as being the bathwater. We were NOT "left as orphans" - God has provided us with his Word and with his Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is not only "the life-giving Spirit", He is the "Spirit of Truth" who is here to "guide us into all truth".

Take care and take heart BJ! The Lord is with you. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Greater is He that died on the cross and rose again and stands as our great Advocate before the Father. Greater is He that boldly proclaimed "I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH!". Greater is He that proclaimed "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me!" Greater is He because it is written: "Let God be true, but every man a liar".
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[theLCfurry]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Welcome to the forum and thank you for being so honest and open.

First thing that really hit me from your post was "I have lost a lot of faith in the LC". Why would you have faith in the LC? Is that a thing? I have faith in God, in the Lord Jesus Christ, in prayer, in the word, but not in the LC.

I would strongly encourage you to cut the cord between being a believer with "faith in the LC". The Lord told us to beware of false prophets. Why would he say that if there wasn't a real threat? Guard your heart. My faith in the Lord is not dependent on WL, I had faith in the Lord prior to ever hearing about him, he had nothing to do with my faith or my walk.

Well basically I thought before back then that the LSM was a good organization and that the leaders were awesome, but basically after finding about the pedophile DayStar and Phillip Lee scandals I lost my respect for them. That's what I meant by faith in the LC

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by BJS03

Well basically I thought before back then that the LSM was a good organization and that the leaders were awesome, but basically after finding about the pedophile DayStar and Phillip Lee scandals I lost my respect for them. That's what I meant by faith in the LC

How well do you know LSM and the leaders? I knew them quite well -- BP, RG, KR, and EM. I served in LSM for a number of years. I was in Houston when they started printing for LSM, I was in Irving when we built LSM center, I was in the FTTT. There were many wonderful saints whose service was unto the Lord. That said it has forced me to reassess a number of very difficult verses. The Lord's word to Sardis about the possibility of a believers name being blotted out of the book of life for one. Think about it, what is the worst sin that WL and LSM committed, they tried to blot certain saints out of the kingdom. The Lord said "with what judgement you judge you shall be judged". Sardis is the last gasp of the church before it becomes Laodicea.

I think Ohio mentioned my talk with EM. When I was in Houston EM gave me his old car to use. I felt I had a debt to him and going to him and speaking the truth about this, that to my opinion, was the repayment of that debt. He appeared remorseful, he explained that he did what he did to please WL, he was a young brother just appointed as an elder, had a family to consider. At that point I felt he might actually repent. And then he asked for the envelope the letter I gave him came in. That is when I knew there was no repentance. He thought the envelope might lead him to some saint in the LC they could discipline.

[theLCfurry]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

How well do you know LSM and the leaders? I knew them quite well -- BP, RG, KR, and EM. I served in LSM for a number of years. I was in Houston when they started printing for LSM, I was in Irving when we built LSM center, I was in the FTTT. There were many wonderful saints whose service was unto the Lord. That said it has forced me to reassess a number of very difficult verses. The Lord's word to Sardis about the possibility of a believers name being blotted out of the book of life for one. Think about it, what is the worst sin that WL and LSM committed, they tried to blot certain saints out of the kingdom. The Lord said "with what judgement you judge you shall be judged". Sardis is the last gasp of the church before it becomes Laodicea.

I think Ohio mentioned my talk with EM. When I was in Houston EM gave me his old car to use. I felt I had a debt to him and going to him and speaking the truth about this, that to my opinion, was the repayment of that debt. He appeared remorseful, he explained that he did what he did to please WL, he was a young brother just appointed as an elder, had a family to consider. At that point I felt he might actually repent. And then he asked for the envelope the letter I gave him came in. That is when I knew there was no repentance. He thought the envelope might lead him to some saint in the LC they could discipline.

Actually, I dont know the leaders Maybe RK because he was speaking in some of the conference messages, but I definitely do not know any of them at all personally. Also if I was ignorant sorry about that. I still dont know about many things about the LC and LSM in general, so I have to do a lot more research on them.