Daily Deprogramming

We are not left alone to carry our load.  Jesus is always there for us. He has also given us brothers and sisters to help us along lifes way.   Sometimes it is easy to forget that others have been given some wisdom, some understanding and truth in order to help check our own human impulses, and keep things right.   leaders often try to do it all themselves , and will not listen to another opinion.  Humility is sorely needed  in every corner of the church, even in the Pulpit.

 With  leaders who think themselves to be very wise it is easy  for them to think they know more about the “important”  spiritual things and leave all the other “lesser” things for others to do not being willing to listen to questions and criticism.  While it is true that some are more gifted in the lesser things,  they still can be blessed with a  wealth of wisdom and understanding, which is needed in the church.  

A good leader who is wise will look for God’s counsel  from within the body in the most unlikely places and from the humblist of people.  A one-sided listing  of the church can start out quite innocently.  There can be a serious blunder when the leaders think too much of themselves and refuse to listen to others who belong to Christ.  Their pride in their own wisdom,   and unwillingness to humble themselves, can  lead to disaster and shipwreck, especially in a church fellowship where the leaders have no one to be accountable to. Those who allow it are equally as guilty and responsible.

In the Anchor Missionary Fellowship church,  the pastor’s wife has all the control, and her teachings are never questioned.  In the end when I  finally told Ardith that she wasn’t all wise, and her judgments were not perfect, she was horrified  and offended.  I loved her enough to tell her the truth , but for twenty years I  had said almost nothing  contrary to her opinions.  It had to be shocking.

Yes, there are those of us who are very willing to do the lesser things, such as cooking and cleaning,  errands, and labors and let the seemingly more spiritually mature skilled one do all the spiritual work , and never raise an opposing opinion.  I was this type of person, whom even when something didn’t seem right in the church,   never raised an opposing viewpoint or question. I left it all in another persons hands. Now I realize that this was wrong. I was in agony at times, but said nothing, and it wasn’t fair to the other person.

We are called to help carry one another’s burdens in every way. When we allow one human person to continue to lead us without ever any controversy, never even making a suggestion, never questioning, we begin to build ourselves a god of sorts, whom we  listen to even against our better judgment. Over time our conscience becomes weak and seared.  When this goes on for many years, that god becomes a monster.  A monster we have helped to create,  by passively allowing a one-sided viewpoint to become  our determined purpose.  Those who  passively allow this and promote it are just as responsible as those who begin to crave the power and control, we have all given them.  To my shame and grief I fall into this category. I bear a heavy responsibility for the unhealthy fruit of the Anchor Missionary Fellowship Church.

The church was not designed to be one-sided .  It was designed that all would participate, all would contribute, and there would be Love above everything else. It was designed that all the many facets of Christ would shine and work together for the edifying of the Body of Christ.  Ardith said we would begin to experience the “gifts of the Spirit” , but it never happened because no one was free to  express anything. The Holy Spirit wasn’t free either.  Everyone was in bondage, passively following someone else other than Jesus, while thinking  that knowing Jesus was their determined purpose.  We followed teachngs and doctrines that were someone elses opinion. In many ways we did it to ourselves.

I believe an abusive church / cult  is formed when one or two persons who believe they can lead, take some authority, a  little truth,  mix it with a lot of pride ,  they  use these to take power and control over others; often given to them  freely by  unsuspecting ,unwary people who willingly, passively submit  themselves to anything the usually charismatic leader says, thinking they are doing the right thing. 

The followers love  the leader’s personal agenda  about Jesus which seems to be so right.  They hear what seems to be the deep spiritual truths  about “authority” and “obedience” and an unhealthy fear is produced, so the enemy deceives both the leader, and those who are led.  They come to be motivated by their fear, led by a false presumption.  While still sounding like the truth, deception has moved this church far from God’s agenda and into the leader’s own.  Then the enemy has full reign , and the church is under his control.

Today Ardith says, “Soldier, if you are asked today, are you able to state your determined purpose? Does your agenda take precedence over His?”   For many years I would have said my determined purpose was to know Him, but I lost my first love for Him trying to follow another person’s “agenda.”  When everyone in a church is following one person’s viewpoint, opinions, teaching, interpretation of scripture,  and “wisdom”, the church is ripe for a big deception and  catastrophy .  When a leader’s view of  which music is acceptable,  which books  should or shouldn’t be read,  and other areas that a persons own conscience should dictate, is  closely followed without question,  the perception and the conscience  has become dulled. 

They have created a door for the enemy to come through because everyone is passively following a fellow human beings’  onesided  opinions, rules, laws, thoughts, and have not used their own minds, hearts and consciences.  They go through the motions.  They  thus become weakened as to the Truth,  the Holy Spirit is quenched, and the enemy continues to fill their plate with all kinds of  spiritual teachings, but it  is a mixture at best , with stale teachings that sound true but  have  no power. 

I believe when the Holy Spirit is quenched, Love subsides , and has no where to live.  The church becomes cold and hard , but they continue to believe with their mind that they are ok.  The leaders own  own agenda has completely taken  precedence over His, but no one recognizes it.   The transition from God’s agenda to a humans was  accomplished  by the wiles of the great deceiver, the liar and slanderer ,satan.  A whole church can bite the dust , and be overcome by the enemy, without any resistance, continuing on their merry way thinking all is well. 

The deceived church begins to list to the side and move off course, instead of toward  the center. The fruit is not healthy when it is examined.   When one tests the spirits , there is no Holy Spirit power.  A reminder to all of us: We are all responsible to keeping a church healthy and clean before the Lord.  We are responsible for one another. We must speak up  when we see something that isn’t right in the leadership, if we love our brethren, and if we Love our Lord.  Speaking out, questioning is not wrong and can be a life saver for someone who is clouded by their circumstances, or their own  determined opinions.  We are all responsible and accountable to Him and to one another including the leaders.  None of us is perfect, or fully wise, we need each other.  We all need whatever wisdom, understanding,  truth,  grace,  encouragement ,  and love God Almighty has given to our brethren.  We are dependent on Him ,but also on one another as parts of the Body of Christ.

As a  dear lady of 103 once told me, “Listen and learn!”   She got saved at 102.  She was still “listening and learning.”  It was not too late for her at 103, and it is never too late with God. He does His best work when human beings think all is over and there is no hope.  This is why even though I learned the lesson of the need for speaking out and questioning way too late, I  now continue to speak out the Truth to my brothers and sisters.   I was passively foolish for a long time, but now that I know the Truth, I will continue to shout it from the housetops if need be to warn and  reach out in love to them.  My Lord loves them ,and His agenda of Love  now  truly takes precedence in my life!  When all seems lost He is still able to deliver His Own!