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Date:         Wed, 27 Jan 1993 10:54:12 -0700
From:         "Steven E. Hoell" <seh@NEUTRON.PHYSICS.ARIZONA.EDU>
Subject: Re: prayer request for guidance

Kerry writes:

>Morning:

>The church I have been attending has turned out to be a cult.  Several
>former members and I are meeting this weekend with some others who
>have come out of similar churches to discuss what we (whether that
>means as individuals or as a group has yet to be determined) will
>do next.

>Essentially, we are talking about a room full of people absolutely
>determined to serve the Lord--and absolutely without a clue as to
>how He wants us to go about doing so.  I have a feeling this could
>be a very important meeting, and I would ask that you would pray for
>us, that God would be with us, work through us, speak to us, that
>whatever He's got in mind might be done.  There are some difficult
>issues for some of the members to work out, and I hope that we all
>together can help each other do so.

>I don't want to go into all the details right now.  Suffice to say
>that we recently discovered that, since we were still "converts"
>to the church and not fully received "members," the church held that
>we were not *Christians.*  In fact, *anyone* who does not belong
>to *this particular church* is held to be not a Christian.  And those
>who leave the church are believed to be "without the Spirit."

Hmmm. It would be interesting to trace the history of this church
back to its origin. United Pentecostal?

A couple of years ago I heard a mall preacher who said that you
couldn't be saved unless he himself baptized you. When I asked
him, "who baptized YOU?" his reply was, "John the Baptist!"

>Folks, let me give you a little lesson here.  I went to this church for
>two months, and in all that time, I never saw *anyone* pray, except
>over food (silent prayer).  Here's a little rule of thumb from me:
>"If they don't pray, don't stay!"  The other night when I and two of
>the other departing members met, we prayed together, and I don't know
>exactly what, but *something* happened.  I knew then that there must
>be something wrong with a church that has no spiritual power in it.
>We intend to pray a lot this weekend, and I don't know what might
>happen.

>As some of you may know, I used to be charismatic (in the religious
>sense, not the social sense :-) ), but lately I have questioned
>(thanks to church teaching) both the reality and the necessity of that
>experience.  Now...I don't know.

Well, we have a standard by which we evaluate teaching and
experience: the Word of God.

>And now I'm in a funny position with charismata, because I am not closing
>off the possibility that God may wish to act through me in this way; at
>the same time, I don't want to "think" my way into something false (if
>you know what I mean).  Add to that the fact that *all* of these people
>are coming out of a church that rejects such an experience + the
>(increasingly strong) feeling I have that I may this weekend do just
>that, and you have the recipe for one very weird weekend coming up.

Several people have recommended the book "Decision Making and the
Will of God" by Garry Friesen. I'm studying this now.

>Please pray.  I want to follow God, whatever that means, and whatever
>the consequences may be.  Pray for strength, guidance, and a clear
>leading, that we may all come back from Ohio with a greater understanding
>and stronger hearts for God.

>Love INC,
>         --Kerry
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