Debp

Yes, I did wonder if some of the members rejected the leadership saying that the founder, Armstrong, had been wrong.

I read several years ago that this cult is no more... the leadership realized that the founder meant well but the founder was horribly wrong in his teachings!! I can't recall their current name exactly but it has Grace in the church's name. I stumbled upon a very good Christian message on their website....and was stunned to realize they were formerly WWC of God! I was happy to hear the above...I had an aunt who was in it.

Brother, the above posters gave you some good counsel. I wonder if the following would help you. It's from a classic book called The Three-fold Secret of the Holy Spirit. I read it in the early 1970s and it helps simplify our walk with the Lord. #1 - First we must repent, with faith. #2 - Second we must surrender (or yield) ourselves to Christ with faith. We can do this by reading the Word and seeking to walk as the Lord teaches us. #3 - Finally, have Christian love with faith. I like the above due to the simplicity of explanation.

Even though you have really tough work...I still believe in loving our enemies as the Lord taught us. Hate only hurts us. Pray for those that mean to hurt you. God bless you and keep you safe.

I think it's ok for you to continue to try to find a car. The Lord give you and your wife peace in this situation.

Yes, I am familiar with Dr. Walter Martin....his Kingdom of the Cults was used in personal evangelism class. Also, I agree we should love homosexuals just like we love any of our neighbors. As you understood, JohnD, I was not against them coming into church to hear the Word of God...rather I was against a pastor promoting the gay lifestyle as being alright, and leading many in the congregation to think it is acceptable.

Johann is a man...he was married to my friend Yolanda. She lives here in Los Angeles and the cult sent him to England. I don't know if he is free to leave or not. But the strange doctrines do make it a cult.

My Christian friends mainly live out of State so we sometimes talk on the phone, etc. I did go to Bible College in the early 1970s. Also, I am caring for my 87 year old mother who is home bound but she is a Christian so we can talk, etc, about things. I help moderate at another forum so have a few good friends there. The young Koreans were extremely nice...but I am 67 and they are in their 20s. Also, I know the leadership at that church would not allow them to be with me since I am not going there now....went there for 3 years until I got ill in January. (Doing much, much better health wise now! Thank God! Maybe God's way of getting me out of there?) One of the young Koreans gals stopped attending that church and started a church in her house which she rented with other girls. They rent in a poorer area so they can invite their neighbors (mainly Hispanic) to attend church in their house. The same young lady also ministered in the slums of Brazil for about a year. A very nice young lady... P.S. About the two liberal pastors (one gay and the other saying the Bible has been proven wrong), I did confront them about these things.

Yes, I remember the hippie communes, etc., of that time. Also, there was a big Jesus Movement, too. I was reading about the 12 Tribes on the website and recall it started as a church with a leader. Too bad they had to depart into added beliefs, etc, as the cults do. Many people might like the lifestyle, more or less a simple one it seems. At least when Johann got drawn into it, they were raising their own cattle and vegetables, etc, near San Diego. But the strange doctrines are no good!

Yes, that's them...I had no idea they were all over the world! My friend, Yolanda, said they make alot of their money from delis which are mentioned at the websites. She was married a long time but her husband left her for the cult... P.S. It is not the black cult....my friend's husband is Swedish! Very blonde!

I wonder if he has ever truly been born again. If you have a godly senior pastor, I think he should talk with this youth pastor privately, to see if he is a born again Christian. Or if he has fallen into the flesh somehow, hopefully the senior pastor can help him to recover with the Lord's help. Can you voice your concerns to the senior pastor or other leaders?

Yes, I definitely believe in the body of Christ being worldwide, born again believers....not the church as we usually think of it. After a few years after the liberal pastors, I happened across a Korean "church" that was Bible believing (I live in Koreatown area).... mainly all nice young people in their early 20s. However, I noticed the leadership seemed somewhat legalistic but I would overlook some things. Whenever they finally got plans together for membership, I did not feel led to join...and the pastor accused me of sinning against God's Word because I wouldn't join them! Then he said they wouldn't serve me communion because he didn't want me to drink judgment on myself!! I have always taken communion reverently and have examined my heart before the Lord before doing so. I told him this and said I'm part of the worldwide body of Christ. But he said I would have to become a member in order to receive communion from them. In a way I think this experience affected me more than the liberal pastors....because you don't expect to be treated like that by someone preaching the Bible.

Thanks to all of you for the input and support...it meant alot to me. I guess I just needed to talk about it. Actually both of these pastors were older men. The one who said the Bible was proven wrong is even older, in his mid to late 60s. I didn't want to sit under his sermons after that. The other pastor who eventually came out as gay....I could never understand what he was trying to say in his sermons! Now I know why! My mother couldn't understand his sermons either and we have both heard many sermons in our lifetimes. I am 67. Although the churches were denominational, many previous pastors were excellent! One told in a sermon that he was converted while sitting in class studying for his doctorate in the ministry!! His professor made a remark and Dr. K. said he was instantly born again! Another pastor, Dr. H., was in the circus as a child and young person...his mother committed suicide and he was born again while grieving her death. He told that in a sermon. Dr. S., he is ordained Presbyterian and always put something interesting into his sermons you had never heard before! He taught the Bible each Sunday...was so sorry when he left. There were other good pastors, too.

Has anyone heard of this cult? Yolanda (who we are praying for in the prayer section), her husband left her a good many years ago to join the 12 Tribes. At first he was in the San Diego area with them...they live like the Amish, raising cattle and food, the women all sewing their own clothes. I recently asked about Johann and got an email from Yolanda that the cult sent her husband to live in England, not sure how long he has been there. She finally had to give him a divorce. Anyhow, have you heard of this 12 Tribes of Israel cult?

Just curious about the spiritual condition of churches in your area? In my area I have experienced some sad things happening in neighborhood churches. One church I attended for at least 30 years had wonderful pastors. Then they brought in a pastor who was a missionary with his wife in Mexico, so he could reach out to the Hispanics in our area. That was fine, but after awhile, this pastor started to promote the gay agenda from the pulpit! And alot of people in the congregation didn't really know the Bible or they just listened to what he was saying as being right. After awhile they started to sing two crazy "gay" hymns! That was the final straw for me and I left that church...they later became a "More Light" church (supports gay agenda). Years later the pastor wrote everyone a letter that he was gay, he divorced his wife, and he eventually married another man! After a brief stint in secular education, he became an Episcopal priest. After leaving the above church, I went to another neighborhood church. Again, the pastors were great....very good sermons! I loved the reverent worship service. But the congregation kept getting rid of the good pastors! They finally got one from Texas....at first he preached on general topics so he wasn't showing his true colors then. Finally, in one sermon he said a Bible verse was wrong! I was shocked! I approached him about what he had said in the coffee hour. He told me, "Oh, the Bible has been proved wrong in many ways by science.". I stopped going there after that statement. Now and then I went back to see if he had changed...but he was always making another strange remark about Bible believing Christians, etc. One sermon he did on wisdom, he said it came from life experiences...no mention of God! So of course, I didn't go back there. There's more...but will just leave you with the two above examples. Are some churches getting crazy in other parts of the USA? Or is it just my neighborhood?!

You have quite a lovely way with words!

If you have trusted/believed on Christ as your personal Savior, then you are forgiven and cleansed from all sins. 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Also, remember we have the imputed righteousness of Christ...He took our sins and gives us His righteousness. So please don't be worried about minor things that are not actually sins.

Pray, ask the Lord for forgiveness and ask Jesus Christ to help you...ask Him to deliver you from these evil forces. After that, seek out a loving church with a wise pastor where you can hear God's Word preached. Also, being in the fellowship of believers will help you.

Above poster has some good things to consider/answer. I think it is wonderful that your girlfriend is godly! I don't know your age, if you are considering marriage...but if you care enough for her and she is godly, that sounds good. Again, it might depend on your age and experience. Also, if you were to marry, do you feel you could help her with the decision making...that is, would she be receptive to your input?

Hi, welcome. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Realize that this woman no longer has any power over you. You are covered by the blood of Christ, and Christ is stronger than any evil spirits.

I also believe Catholics can be saved if they are born again....truly trusting in Christ alone as their Savior. However, since alot of the Catholic church's teachings are wrong and can mislead people, it would be best to leave that church and seek a loving church where the Bible is taught. But I guess they need to see the need to leave it themselves...

All of the above posters have given you great counsel. Be yourself, God loves you unconditionally. We all grow spiritually at different rates so don't compare yourself to others. Keep walking with Jesus in your daily life, and you will grow accordingly.

I agree you need to get rid of anything pertaining to voodoo or the occult. Then seek to saturate yourself with the Word of God....have a daily quiet time of reading the Word and prayer. Play some hymns....the old hymns' words are so full of meaning. Are you going to a good church to hear God's Word preached? Do you have some Christian friends that are walking with the Lord?

Yes, I think so....the Lord must have been speaking to my uncle's heart that night.

I have had a few occurrences from the Lord, although I don't throw these types of things around lightly. I'm just a regular Christian... somewhat quiet in my faith. But I want to tell about my uncle Danny. He was saved as a young man but as he went through life, he didn't go to church, etc. But the night before he died, he went in to take a shower. He told his wife that he wanted to be clean when he met God! And several hours later, he passed away! This made quite an impression on his wife, daughter, my mom and me....maybe others that heard it (he lived in another state). I thought it was so amazing that he knew he was going to die that night!