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Post by nathanb on Nov 1, 2007 23:16:16 GMT -5
1) Nancy wrote: Yes, Nathan, I have read your account of your testimony on your Topics in the Bible website. I was smiling as I read on your last post here about the peace and joy you know, and first knew, when you responded to God's Holy Spirit versus what you had experienced in the religion you become a had become a part of prior. Peace and joy are fruit of the Spirit and not really knowing you I still can see love shining through what you write when you post. And yes I can see other fruit as I read of your experiences. So that makes me glad. It must have been absolutely horrible to have felt like Legion! How good it must have been to have been delivered from that. To me, beholding fruit is how we recognize the Spirit in each other and then know fellowship when that happens. ~~~ Nathan: Thanks, for your kind words, Nancy... Now, I know a little of Legion experienced what was like to be possessed or controll by demonic powers! Oh! what a joy to be FREE from that dark side and be with Christ. We read after Legion met Christ how he sat at His feet with a peaceful mind.2) Another thread of thought is being posted re: whether we should believe we are the only ones that are right. We just know and understand that God's Spirit will not be the author of chaos. And while we cannot really know where another is in his/her journey as far as knowing God, and we cannot judge anyone else's motives, we can recognize whether or not the spirit in them is in agreement with the Spirit that we know is from God. ~~~ Nathan: Yes, I agree. God knows His own chosen ones. We don't have the power or the mind of God to say who are SAVED or NOT. Each must work out his/her own salvation.3) There are MANY spirits. Satan is the great COUNTERFEITer. I have heard it mentioned that each religion has its own spirit or god. They may even in their BEING believe that they are AGAINST Satan. Someone did mention just the other day, whom I trust, that Satan will use those who aren't aligned with ANY god especially in the last days as he fights his greatest battle to rid the earth of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Could they be the tares among the wheat that Christ speaks about? (Matt 13.) Serious to think about... ~~~ Nathan: Satan convinced 1/3 angels from heaven to follow him to rebell against God and that's a lot of evil spirits to be at his disposal... An Army of evil spirit to be at his command.
Satan has sowed his tares among wheat! Judas, Satan put thoughts in Peter's head, false apostles and false brethren existed in the days of Peter and Paul.... and in every generation! even TODAY! it's happening right now.
Jesus said, Ye shall know the false prophets, teachers by their fruits.... actions, words, characters,
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Post by nancyeinspahr on Nov 1, 2007 23:55:09 GMT -5
Nathan, I really like being reminded that after Legion met Christ He sat at His feet with a peaceful mind. What a privilege we have! Am thinking now of the words Jesus said: "Come unto me and I will give you rest." nancy
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Post by nancyeinspahr on Nov 2, 2007 12:55:25 GMT -5
Nathan, I am thinking further about your testimony. How finally Christ through the Holy Spirit was revealed to you. I am amazed that you you first believed in Buddha. God through His Spirit kept working with you because you were honest and in earnest. You truly felt your need of help! And you kept seeking. Quite amazing that you should have had the belief you had in Buddha clarified for you by the dream coming to you in the night. Buddha saying: "What Christ has offered to you is better than I can give to you." And your connecting to what he had told his disciples that: "I (Buddha)am not God but I am still searching for Him." You then kept begging for help from the true God even though you had been very impressed with what you thought Buddha had done for you. And then you found that group on campus who in simplicity were studying the Bible led by 2 of God's servants. It wouldn't have been so dramatic as Buddha or the other religion whose god sent you false spirits which overwhelmed you. But in quiet simplicity you were led to Christ and had the experience of being born again of HIS Spirt through obedience to His prompting and leading. Thanks for sharing your experience. nancye
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Post by nancyeinspahr on Nov 2, 2007 14:02:44 GMT -5
By the way, I don't mean to say that what we believe is a a "religion" per say when I've used the term "that other religion" ......... Am thinking of the verse in James 1:27 that says: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
That's quite a mandate and the last part of the verse is impossible without the help of His Spirit even though a person by nature might be a very good person. Good or not so good we still need to be born again of His Spirit. We cannot carry out John 13:34: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; (AS) I have loved you, that ye have love one another" on our own.
Just some thoughts. nancye
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Post by nathanb on Nov 6, 2007 9:45:22 GMT -5
1) Nancye wrote: Nathan, I am thinking further about your testimony. How finally Christ through the Holy Spirit was revealed to you. I am amazed that you you first believed in Buddha. God through His Spirit kept working with you because you were honest and in earnest.
~~~ The Holy Spirit goes to and fro the whole earth the last 2000 years searching for honest, sincere, seeking souls and show them Jesus Chris as the Lord God Savior, the Truth, the Way to Salvation.
Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you: Seek! and ye shall find; Knock! and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone! that asks receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7,8)
Thanks, goodness for the Holy Spirit, who is still seeking for honest, sincere, and seeking souls today as He did 2,000 yrs ago.
2) You truly felt your need of help! And you kept seeking. Quite amazing that you should have had the belief you had in Buddha clarified for you by the dream coming to you in the night. Buddha saying: "What Christ has offered to you is better than I can give to you." And your connecting to what he had told his disciples that: "I (Buddha)am not God but I am still searching for Him." You then kept begging for help from the true God even though you had been very impressed with what you thought Buddha had done for you.
And then you found that group on campus who in simplicity were studying the Bible led by 2 of God's servants. It wouldn't have been so dramatic as Buddha or the other religion whose god sent you false spirits which overwhelmed you. But in quiet simplicity you were led to Christ and had the experience of being born again of HIS Sport through obedience to His prompting and leading. Thanks for sharing your experience. nancye
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~~~ Thanks, for reading my experience how I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord God and Savior.
It was quite an amazing experience because NOT too many Buddhists come to Christ in the world. Viet Nam and Thailand are about 90% non-Christan religion. Mostly Buddhists countries only 1 or 2 person people professed in Thailand and some in Viet Nam.
I am very thankful that God saw my "Legion" predicament and heard my cried for help from the bottom of my heart and led me to the workers.
It is so sad how many ex-2x2s believe our fellowship is a CULT, and claimed it's a false denomination and God is NOT in it. Many exes have encouraged different friends to leave it.... I am so greatful for my experience and many different of the friends and workers testimonies have proven otherwise.
I Prayed and asked God to show me whether the workers are His servants. It was so awesome when God revealed to me about Leo Stancliff and Larry Taylor are His the true servants of God so it was alright for me to TRUST at their Gospel message.
In 1978 I was attending the workers' Bible studies one day I was watching Television document/movie about Paul's life and ministry... and at the end of the movie Paul walked with another man preaching the Gospel to different places. It made so clear to me!... That just like Leo and his companion!
I have kept in touch with uncle Leo until the day he died. Larry T. is preaching in California now. I can say there are indeed the servants of God after all these years.
I had 8 wonderful years in the ministry (USA). The experince has proven to me that the workers' Itinerant ministry and the fellowship is from God by the godly fruits which I see in the lives of the friends and the workers. The friends and the workers are NOT perfect people. They have problems, struggles, faults just like the rest of the world but things eventually work out at the end. God is not finish with any of us yet. Once He has complete the work of Christ in ourlives then He will call us home/eternity.
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Post by silverlady on Nov 7, 2007 4:39:31 GMT -5
Nathan, on your website I can find your testimony, but I don't read anything of the time when you were Buddist or much of your experience in finding truth, as Nancy mentions it. Can you direct me where I can find this part of your testimony as I am very interested in reading it. Thanks for your website (a lot of work!) -- very interesting and informative! sl
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Post by nathanb on Nov 7, 2007 10:55:09 GMT -5
Nathan, on your website I can find your testimony, but I don't read anything of the time when you were Buddist or much of your experience in finding truth, as Nancy mentions it. Can you direct me where I can find this part of your testimony as I am very interested in reading it. Thanks for your website (a lot of work!) -- very interesting and informative! sl Good to see you posting! Silverlady. Thanks, for your kind words. Yes, I thought these historical document facts through down the ages will give the readers a better view, understanding of God's Truth and Way through down the ages.
Go to Ex-Pentecostal testimony again it is on the FIRS half of the page of Nathan and Minh's testimonies on part III. I will try to high lighted in red on these interesting parts on my testimony later.
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Post by nathanb on Nov 8, 2007 0:55:45 GMT -5
Nathan, on your website I can find your testimony, but I don't read anything of the time when you were Buddist or much of your experience in finding truth, as Nancy mentions it. Can you direct me where I can find this part of your testimony as I am very interested in reading it. Thanks for your website (a lot of work!) -- very interesting and informative! sl Hi Nancy and SL,
I just posted Ernie's testimony on Ex-Catholic testimony on part III on my website. He was a Catholic Priest who professed a few years ago at Parma, convention. His testimony is very interesting.
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Post by silverlady on Nov 9, 2007 5:22:22 GMT -5
Hi Nathan! Thank you so much -- I found it easily with your guidance -- very interesting! I love reading our friends' testimonies -- I haven't finished but look forward to reading more -- am getting sleepy and must go to bed! Have the workers here for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the info re the ex Catholic Priest's testimony -- will read for sure!! Take care, sl
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Post by nancyeinspahr on Nov 10, 2007 1:09:29 GMT -5
Nathan, I, too, am appreciating the testimonies you have posted. Thanks for posting Ernie's. The language of the Spirit certainly does stand above the the language of theology and when believed and accepted bears good fruit! Inspiring, validating to read. N.
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Post by nancye on Nov 10, 2007 13:01:04 GMT -5
continuing re: Ernie's testimony........ I love how he realizes that it wasn't intellectual reasoning any longer but rather revelation from God Himself that was the answer. Just as Peter received when Christ said the "gates of hell could not prevail against" that........ And Ernie said he was in a gospel mtg and "by the foolishness of preaching"after all those years when he understood for himself: "How that by revelation he made known to me the mystery of Christ, as it is revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, the manifold wisdom of God......" I think now of Colossians 1:25-29. Eph 3. Ro 16:25, etc. Quite amazing!
In summation he could say: "For me the revelation was "seeing" the mystery of the fellowship of love and truth and of the Way and the ministry of Jesus and that Stan (the worker speaking in the mtg the night he became convicted of what he had to do) was doing what Jesus sent the apostles to do, and that that work was still going forward today."
He expressed that he came to know (he "saw") that the "glory" that Jesus said He had shared with His Father before the world began was "love". And about Jesus giving that glory the Father had given Him to US. I like the following which he stated too: He said he "saw" John 17. "The love which makes us who we are." "The commandment to love as Christ first loved us and proved that love in the crucifixion..... The reality of the truth and of the love in the family of believers; the real presence of Jesus in the breaking of the bread-the recognition of the Body of Christ and the unity of loving the brethern and the real meaning of what we are to do in His memory." That would have been a new and different understanding from what he had known as a Catholic priest in Catholocism's ritual of celebrating the same. We're glad for revelation that comes that is not of the flesh.
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Post by nathanb on Nov 10, 2007 17:35:54 GMT -5
continuing re: Ernie's testimony........ I love how he realizes that it wasn't intellectual reasoning any longer but rather revelation from God Himself that was the answer. Just as Peter received when Christ said the "gates of hell could not prevail against" that........ And Ernie said he was in a gospel mtg and "by the foolishness of preaching"after all those years when he understood for himself: "How that by revelation he made known to me the mystery of Christ, as it is revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, the manifold wisdom of God......" I think now of Colossians 1:25-29. Eph 3. Ro 16:25, etc. Quite amazing! I keep in touch with Ernie. His testimony is truly Amazing! how Patience our God is. I see him at our convention almost every year. The last time I talked to Ernie, who said he'd love to write a book like the one written by Cornelius J. (0ne of professing friends in Canada) "The apostle's Doctrine and Fellowship."
It would be interesting to read his book if he ever decided to write one.
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Post by to nancy on Nov 29, 2007 12:57:33 GMT -5
=nancye board=]continuing re: Ernie's testimony........ I love how he realizes that it wasn't intellectual reasoning any longer but rather revelation from God Himself that was the answer. Just as Peter received when Christ said the "gates of hell could not prevail against" that........ And Ernie said he was in a gospel mtg and "by the foolishness of preaching"after all ow that by revelation he made known to me the mystery of Christ, as it is revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, he became convicted of what he had to do) was doing what Jesus sent the apostles to do, and that that work was still going forward today."
He expressed that he came to know (he "saw") that the "glory" that Jesus said He had shared with His Father before the world began was "love". And about Jesus giving that glory the Father had given Him to US. I like the following which he stated too: He said he "saw" John 17. "The love which makes us who we are." "The commandment to love as Christ first loved us and proved that love in the crucifixion..... The reality of the truth and of the love in the family of believers; the real presence of Jesus in the breaking of the bread-the recognition of the Body of Christ and the unity of loving the brethern and the real meaning of what we are to do in His memory." That would have been a new and different understanding from what he had known as a Catholic priest in Catholocism's ritual of celebrating the same. We're glad for revelation that comes that is not of the flesh.
thanks for posting ! otto
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Post by time to be honest on Nov 29, 2007 14:22:40 GMT -5
The Waldenesians like NAthan says, is nothing to do with and was never anything to do with our group. It is misleading to suggest so. We want to stop people misleading people into thinking that this group is any different to any other group in that it goes back to Jesus. Many are leaving because their eyes have been opened to the truth that our meetings were started by a man the same as any other group. We have to start being honest. We have many good qualities and do ntohave to mislead. The Waldensians are still going to day. Of course, the Gospel has always been alive through out the centuries. The Gosple never died out, but our group was started the same as other church groups.
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geoff
New Member
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Post by geoff on Nov 29, 2007 15:39:45 GMT -5
"time to be honest" says the Waldensians are nothing to do with us, and that seems right, but I do not remember Nathan saying that.
If we are supposed to be a breakaway from the waldensians, when did we break away? Who were involved in that breakaway? Can anyone name one of those involved?
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