I had sincerely hoped justice would be done now, not reserved for later. And I will continue to plead to that end. Regardless.
Along such lines, though, given there's now been public discussion (denied as truth) with one of the members, it seems fitting to discuss the cultic nature of my previous church, here, as well. Hadn't gone quite so far as all that, up to now, as confronting individuals privately is supposed to be a thing prior to public disclosure.
And, yes, there's the matter of going to the "head" of the organization as part of the private confrontation--yet, much lesser matters were attempted and scoffed at, mocked, and derided in the past, so without the Lord directly leading (which I made very clear to Him I would indeed go, if He willed it so, upon initially discussing reason for leaving)...then, what's done is apparently sufficient. For now, at least.
Given the person confronted and discussed with at length, there is a very, very minor possibility that the matters disclosed may not quickly make their way back to "headquarters," but they may. Either way.
They are a cult. Cults depart from the Spirit of Christ, in essence and effect. He warned us there would be many false prophets in the last days. And that's not, as is often contemplated, a matter of having an individual message awry, but a matter of gauging fruit as a whole.
Whereby is another matter of necessary distinction. The world sees "fruits" which are not fit for God's use as yet amply sufficient to thrive on. Fruits of the labor of man. Fruits of the strength of man. Fruits of man's own understanding and efforts, as distinct from reliance and waiting upon the Lord. All, seen still sufficiently good to be considered righteous.
I mean, seriously--if an external appearance of "good" were sufficient to gauge the effect, then charitable efforts of the Gates Foundation could equate to godly fruit.
But what is good?
What did Jesus say is good? He said God, alone, is good. So if there's good fruit, it's that which is of God, not of man. To put succinctly, at least. And yet without great consideration of external attributes.
What's the source, though, and unto what end?
If the rich man was a fool to choose to labor at the harvest and increase the storehouses, that more could be brought in...all the while yet lacking sincere knowledge of God, then what is the message to those who also call themselves laborers?
If you look through Christ's teachings, His parables--He spoke to and of those who considered themselves servants of God. Then, so that parable speaks, as well.
Not to those who don't know Him, in name, calling Him Lord.
Store up grain for yourselves, then. Amass wealth per fields being harvested--white, ripe for harvest, He said...
...but what is the treasure being sought?
We can't barter our time and efforts for godliness. We can't trade in our skills toward better crowns. If we manage to do something which is good, then it's done of God and through Him, by Christ's own Spirit at work in and through us.
Paul called us to live as such, that it's not we who live--in truth, for those who have died with and in Christ, no longer do live unto ourselves. Christ lives, His life in and through us--a resurrected spirit, born anew by His loving sacrifice and work, even coming to indwell and guide and sanctify.
He works out the vestigial remnants of sinful passions, as we draw nearer in spirit, further divided from the inclinations of the flesh. Not that the battle ends, this side of eternity, but...we are empowered to overcome, now, in Him.
It is supernatural. He takes the lead, we submit, we surrender, we follow.
And He works all those things.
Even as He calls us to participate, then still, He has given us the desire to do so.
Our hearts were turned against Him, before He did His work of regeneration in us.
There is mystery, of how He calls all and yet not all come. Of how He commands all to repent, and yet not all do. Of how we are dead in sin, prior to life in Christ, and yet He bids us come, nonetheless.
Yet goodness and mercy are His. Grace and peace issue forth from Him.
Rejoicing.
And all the world works at odds against Him, yet claiming to strive after happiness and peace and life and hope, when those things do not exist apart from God's grace unto us. So, there is some confusion about what it means to have good fruit. Especially called to lives of private worship and devotion and obedience.
Another matter of consideration regards the "flavor" of the fruit, as one evangelist has put it--"a complex flavor, single fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
Not condemnation. Not anxiety. Not envy. Not bitterness. Not discontent. Not disdain. Not self-exaltation. Not arrogance. Not pride. Not self-assurance. Not lust or greed of the eyes nor the flesh. Not duplicity. Not mockery. Not self-seeking. Not covetous of worldly mettle or esteem.
He has to work these things. We can't.
That's where things get a bit convoluted, perhaps. We're told to press on--adjured to strive toward godliness. Yet, all in context of knowledge that salvation is not of works but a gift received through faith, by grace...and, furthermore--in context of being told that our sanctification proceeds no differently than did our salvation.
In fact, Paul called the Galatians foolish to expect that salvation proceeded any differently--as though, somehow, they could muster up the means to work it out themselves, in their own strength and by their own understanding. Of human efforts.
And to the Corinthians, through Paul our Lord did briefly express grief that they would be so easily deceived as to wander from purity of devotion to Christ, thus being led astray.
We can't commend ourselves, even. And even viewing ourselves through the light of Scripture, we only see so much as He reveals at any instance--so, what then is there to boast of, still? None of us can claim inerrancy or righteousness of our own, so to adjure to any work other than to trust Christ and look to Him for salvation and sanctification is to preach a different Gospel, the fruit of which is discord and jealousy, anxiety and duplicitousness...and all the rest fruits of the flesh!
Jesus gives faith, by grace unto sanctification--or none actually arises.
He gives faith unto salvation, or we would not receive.
And, again, every man is given a measure of faith.
But yet, He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy.
I don't pretend to understand this.
But to forget that sanctification is a gift of God, come by grace and received through faith, so easily and completely? We all do forget and all would forget...except He's faithful to preserve that which He has called Beloved.
So, yeah: Fruit. He said we'll know by the fruit.
And, beyond merely a church, there are some whose teaching--though it seems seamless and without expository error, being so steeped in research and gauged against the wisdom of the ages as to be presented with confidence in its theological soundness--yet works anxiety, inspiring self-fixation (despite overtly claiming to direct to Christ), inciting comparison against brethren (even as warning not to), and exhorting unto self-reliance and reliance upon others for discernment and application of Scripture (rather than upon God). None of which are exhortations come of the one, true Living God, our Christ Jesus.
This, no matter international reach and prestige, but perhaps unfortunately arisen as a consequence somehow thereof?
Praying the Lord would have mercy.
Will continue praying He will have mercy.
On all of us.
God is merciful, through Christ--otherwise we would have no hope.
And, yet we do have hope.
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