There are hundreds of millions of people around the world that claim to be Christians. There are also thousands of religions and denominations that claim faith in Christ. There are also thousands upon thousands of conflicting doctrines that are preached and taught around the world. Con artists and religious hucksters have seized upon this opportunity to make a fortune off of the spiritually starved and blind masses who are convinced to follow them. In the midst of all of this confusion the truth is staring everyone in the face in all of its simplicity. It doesn't have to be broken down by a theologian. The world has spawned endless versions of the truth and many people go from church to church looking for someone to break it all down for them. Is there such a thing as a healthy church? Is anyone sincerely sharing the truth without using the gospel and the people of God to get rich? How is a person supposed to find God when every church has their own way, their own path, their own doctrine and their own agenda? It may seem like a daunting task to sort out truth in the midst of a church world that is laced with hypocrisy and legalism, but don't let this overwhelm you.
The ntcc and many cults like them imply that they are the only ones on planet earth that know the truth; but they have deceived thousands upon thousands of people, infecting them with their toxic and venomous doctrines that exclude many sincere seekers of God. They will tell you that a Christian is someone who is Christlike. But what do they really know about being Christlike? Did Christ ever tell people that if they didn't pay their tithe to him that they were God robbers? Did Christ ever gather the people that were following him together and take up offerings? Did Jesus ever tell people not to bring the poor and homeless to hear him preach or to be healed of their infirmities? Did Jesus ever tell people to dress a certain way if they wanted to be a Christian?
The ntcc knows little to nothing about following God. The only thing worthwhile that they can teach you is how NOT to be a Christian; and that lesson is often learned over the span of several years - not by listening to their words, but by observing their lives. If you want to know what a Christian is you would be much better off going to the source. The bible is broken down into two testaments. The Old Testament gives us a history of how God dealt with people prior to sending His son to die for our sins. The New Testament tells us how Jesus lived and died for us, and what we must do to be a Christian. The New Testament is a guide that explains what Christianity is all about and is rooted in simplicity and common sense. You will not find thousands of different ways to be a Christian in the bible. The most popular and quoted scripture in the bible, John 3:16 and its partner Romans 10:9, are simple and easy to understand:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [Jhn 3:16 KJV]
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [Rom 10:9 KJV]
So why are there thousands of denominations all of which claim to follow the truth? People have added to and taken away from the simple and plain truth; so that they could profit off of people that want to be Christians. Why does this happen? Because people feel like they need someone else to teach them Christianity. Because they don't know about Christianity, they consider anyone that stands behind a pulpit to be an expert in all Christian matters. People feel that the only way to know God is to follow someone else and to attend their meetings and support their programs. It's all about money and commercializing the church. The ntcc and its splinter groups, to include Ashmore and Denis, all have an agenda; and they are very secretive about their true motives and their financial aspirations. If you ask them where the money goes, they get offended and defensive; because the money is their god. They make their living off of their ability to con people out of their money; so it doesn't matter how much they preach Christ crucified, how many pray at the altar, or how many lives are changed. To these religious hucksters true 'success' in the ntcc and other cults and 'churches' is measured by how many tithe payers they have. "Period!"
Jones and his wife were seen several times in the Columbus area; and they were asked if they lived down there now. When asked this question, Jones' wife didn't answer, but looked at her husband; and he said no. Later it was found out that Jones bought a house in that area; and that he was using semantics in an all too familiar ntcc-way to be deceptive. Perhaps he doesn't live in Columbus, GA, but he lives in Phenix City, AL, across the river. Why are they afraid to be truthful? What are they trying to hide? When Kekel was asked by Bruce Smith about inappropriate premarital behavior with Tanya, he answered, "We never went there." Why do they use these types of weasel words when asked a simple question? When Kinson was confronted about leaving his wallet in a whore house, he didn't deny it. He didn't say, "No, absolutely not. I never stepped foot in a whore house and never left my wallet in one." Kinson in a weaselly way, responded: "It's not fornication if you use a condom." and "I've never slept with anyone other than my wife." What? We aren't talking about a snooze.
The ntcc leadership are masters of manipulation and deception. They are liars; and they are also thieves who cheat people out of their money by condemning them with twisted scriptures about Old Testament tithe. I watched a little bit of the Benghazi hearings where Hillary Clinton was being asked about the four Americans (the U.S. ambassador, the U.S. Information Officer, and the two former Navy Seals who died trying to defend the Americans and the Embassy, but were all killed while Hillary watched on T.V. and did nothing to help them). Several times Hillary was asked yes or no questions; but she refused to respond with simple yes or no answers. She would try to insert something to try and make herself look good rather than answering truthfully; and she did so several times, in a very slick and sleazy way. Some on the investigating committee wouldn't allow her to get away with her weasel words. Bush Sr. once said, "Read my lips, No new taxes!" and compromised by raising taxes. This kind of behavior is commonplace among politicians and religious leaders. They feel they are above the law or untouchable.
So what is a Christian? Open the yellow pages and find the section that lists all of the churches in your area. Close your eyes and point to any one of the hundreds if not thousands of churches that are listed. Go to that church and there is a 99% chance that they will treat you nice; and they will eventually try to get you to be a part of their program; which often includes you opening your wallet and giving large amounts of money to them. They will teach you why their denomination is right and why all others are wrong. If you are unlucky enough to find a manipulative cult they will try to convince you that they are the only ones on earth who are preaching the truth and that if you want to make it to heaven, you will have to obey all their rules. In a cult like the ntcc you will find greed, you will find child molestation, you will find rape, you will find abuse, you will find lies, you will find cheating, you will find hate and you will find yourself broke and destitute of a normal life.
Or you could just read your bible which will tells you that a Christian is one who lives for Christ. A Christian is one who loves his brother, loves his neighbor, loves the poor, loves the blacks, whites, Puerto Ricans, sinners and saints, and that loves the Lord with all their heart and soul. The just shall live by faith. Open your bible to Mathew, Mark, Luke and John and you will find out how Jesus lived; and if you try to emulate the life of Christ, and live by His words, you can't go wrong. You don't need some preacher to introduce you to his program and try to tell you that you have to do things his way to make it to heaven. I don't care if you are a woman that wears pants and make up. If you love God and love your neighbor as yourself, you will fulfill the definition of a Christian. Jesus never took up offerings. Salvation is a free gift. The Pharisees were all about money and outward appearance while Jesus set the example of love by preaching and living a life of love. Jesus wants you just as you are, not as some preacher wants you to be. If you want to know what a Christian is and if you want to be one, don't trust some snake oil salesman with your salvation. Don't trust a religious hypocrite. Don't trust some religious nut case that wants you to get a vasectomy. Don't trust in a doctrine or a denomination. Don't even trust me. I'm not trying to get anyone to follow me or give to my cause. I would love to see you find freedom from religion. Trust in God and you will not be led astray. David was being hunted down by Saul about 17 years after he was promised to be the King of Israel. He and his men had their city burned and their wives and children were carried away by the Amalekites. He was greatly distressed and the people were talking about stoning him. David didn't run to Davis or Kekel to find the answers; but he encouraged himself in the Lord, got his family back and received God's promise a few days later. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your life; and to some degree you are also responsible for the life of your family. Your Christian walk is yours to deal with and so are the blessings and the consequences.
We are not saying that you should or should not attend church anywhere, but we are saying that you can't rely on someone else for your salvation. We believe that the bible is correct in Mathew 24:24, where Jesus said: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." We also believe Mark 7:7 to be true: "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." David was too busy running for his life to attend church on every Sunday; but he was not too busy to worship the Lord and pray. While God's plan is simple, some make it hard by enforcing the letter of the law on others. Jesus died to free us from the ordinances of the Law and the Old Testament. He paid the price. You can't tithe your way into heaven. He died so you wouldn't have to. Jesus doesn't demand perfection, in fact he is our perfection. Jesus doesn't expect us to be like someone else, he wants us to be ourselves. People have made salvation and Christianity much harder than it has to be. When people add to or take away from God's word, they do it because they want you to be a part of their program which is designed to benefit them. They wouldn't have to add anything or take away anything if their interest was in pleasing God and being a Christian. You can make Christianity simple as it is written or you can make it more difficult. People make it more difficult because they don't want to follow God's simple plan. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Everything else will fall into place if you keep these two simple commandments. And if you mess that up you can still go to the cross and ask for forgiveness; because that is also part of being a Christian. Jesus did everything else for you; so all you have to do is Love Him; and if you do this you are a Christian.
29 comments:
I once asked this pastor:
"So you mean to tell me that all those people that are in the hospital working or the policemen or the people at the airports etc, etc, are in trouble because they are not in church?"
In the world of ntcc if you are not in church when they are having church you are forsaking the assembly of yourselves together, you are putting other things before God.
How could this world function if everybody was in church, I mean, it boggles the mind.
One day in Heaven we are not gonna have need to stop at the restaurant on Sunday or buy gas or whatever we do on Sunday but in the mean time there needs to be people that have to stay away from church to meet the needs of those that go to church.
Not sure there is any such thing any longer...
Well then, the Hunts were right, let them rather have a milk and toast religion.
And the beat goes on.....
Anonymous said:
"How could this world function if everybody was in church, I mean, it boggles the mind."
DNA said:
Very good comment. It all boils down to the fact that we were manipulated to believe that anything they said came directly from God. It is preposterous to think that choosing a profession that makes you miss an ntcc cult function is going to keep you out of heaven. They absolutely taught that and if you had any aspirations of attending their brain washing academy in Graham, you would could not have any type of Job that interfered with the entire cult's list of mandatory functions. If you were in one of their satellite brain washing centers, i.e., a Servicemen's home or a civilian 'church', you would get jacked up if you volunteered for anything that conflicted with the ntcc cult schedule. They don't care one iota about your career advancement opportunities or education except when it has an impact on your ability to pay tithe. Then there were many exceptions that were made. For instance if you were in a Servicemen's Home and you were required to participate in a field exercise, you were allowed to do so because that was a pre-existing requirement prior to your voluntary spiritual and financial imprisonment in the cult. They always do what is in their own best financial interests. If you are in a civilian work and you have a career in a hospital or in an industry that requires you to work during cult brain washing functions, you will be allowed to do so, but when it starts interfering with your willingness to allow them to manipulate you, they will jack you up for loving a career more than their false gods that they serve.
The ntcc god is not the same as the God that we read about in our bibles. The ntcc god is more concerned about the ntcc programs and your financial gifts that are so often appropriated towards the wealth of a few nepotistic individuals that say they are apostles, and are not, but are liars. Liars have much to hide and that is why the ntcc leaders are not transparent. They will not let you know what they are doing with your money, and they will not answer direct questions with direct answers. If you want the truth, don't ask them, because they are incapable of being truthful. If you don't believe me, try asking Kekel to explain how he became filthy rich running a non-profit organization. Ask him where he got the money to live in a mansion, to furnish that mansion, to buy all of his expensive musical instruments and his expensive cars like the $250,000.00 McClaren that many don't believe ever existed. Of course Kat's kid's had to be lying about that because Kekel would never buy such an expensive car with your tithe dollars, now would he? Actually Kat's kids were not young children when this revelation was made known but they were pretty close to adulthood if not already adults and they had no reason to lie about Kekel bragging about his 1/4 million dollar car purchased by brain washed suckers.
Nobody really wants to believe that Tanya is actually Davis's daughter either. She was adopted, right? After all it's pretty common for missionaries in the Philippines to adopt a half Filipino/half American baby that they prayed for while watching their birth. We wonder why Tanya never did a search for her biological American Father. She did a search for her mother and you can see that document by clicking the link on our sidebar of our blog entitled, "Who's your Daddy". Perhaps she never searched for her biological father because she knows who he is. The ntcc was always tight lipped about Tanya's 'adoption' the same way they were about Davis's so called degrees. Nobody knows what shady institution gave Davis a degree because he probably never really got one. Liars they are. People in the ntcc are so gullible. They refuse to question anything because they are walking on egg shells and they don't want to be jacked up or looked at like someone who won't get with the program.
Don, very interesting subject. "What is a christian"? the reality of the answer in the NTCC relies upon what the leadership says about you. If you are accepted by them, then you are a christian, if you have quirks and rub them wrong for to long or have your own opinion then you are rebellious and of course gonna "split hell wide open", as they say. The psychology to play the people is all wrapped up in relying on a scoobie snack in order to believe they are saved and a christian. If you get enough scoobie snacks then you are living the dream as "christian" while all the free thinkers, those with opinions or differences struggle to find the good graces of the leadership. Those who build into their salvation the need for NTCC to validate their christianity are cutting themselves short. I love the fact that my salvation is dependent on Jesus and my trust in him alone as well as my commitment to him alone. Not everyone out grows the NTCC, some remain babes for decades as they either become more like Christ or more like religious self appointed Lords of God's heritage. If NTCC would of kept Christ at its center and core, then as an organization, could of done great things for God. In my opinion, they are coasting on yesterdays sincerity and commitment. What is a Christian? It is not someone who has at their core a commitment to an organization but one to Christ and this commitment to Christ works far beyond the borders of the NTCC and they do not have a monopoly of Christianity though they think they do. If you are really free in Christ you could walk up to Mr Kekel and respectfully say "I am a Christian with or without you and with or without this organization". If you cringe to say such a thing then you need to die to religion and learn of Jesus.
Precisely Bryan Hill!
The class of 2015 consists of 10 women that will never do anything for God but keep silent in the church and obey their obnoxious husbands and five men that will try to emulate Kekel who has never pioneered a church in his life. These five men will be sent out by Kekel to either start churches or be helpers under some abusive jerk who also seeks to find approval from Kekel. These five have probably already left their nest and are hoping to set the world on fire. We wish them good luck, for they are going to need it in the ntcc. Luck is about the only thing they will have going for them as they are expected to dig out a new generation of tithe payers. They will be judged by their ability to do three things. Money, Numbers and Loyalty are the three attributes of a successful ntcc minister. Money hinges on numbers. They will be expected to establish some real estate and convince people to come and hear them preach. They will be required to give a weekly report stating how many prayed for Salvation and the Holy Ghost. They will be required to send in personal tithe, pastor's tithe and church tithe.
Meanwhile Kekel having assumed the role of Davis will be living large in Graham and deciding who to match make with the ntcc female graduates. Since the ntcc has been providing it's ministers with a revolving door of marriage and divorce there will be plenty of single adulterous preachers looking for their second and third wives. Davio Tieman Jr. is among the eligible bachelors that is looking for his third wife. I wonder if Regina Olson and Davio will end up courting each other. Regina might be a little old for him. I doubt Papa Olson would allow his daughter to stoop that low. Davio Jr. has actually been looking for a new wife among the members of his Parents church in Pasedena Tx, where he resides after failing in his second marriage and in the ministry that he was given. He seems to be a chip off the old block, which would be his mother who 'wears the pants' in that marriage. She used to conduct the 'fellowship' while her husband holed up in his bedroom 'studying for messages'. Maybe if I would have slept with her that morning when she came down to my bedroom in the Servicemen's home, I would have been counted worthy to marry Ange back when we were in our twenties. I guess I just need to get over it and stop being so bitter. Davis told me that he felt that what I went through with Nichelle Tieman was mutual while what I went through with Rudy and Hummel was not of my own choosing. He was right about that but knowing that Ange still had feelings for me, he match made her with Eric Barden after she had rejected several others on the ntcc match making wall.
So, am I really bitter? Not really. My story has a happy ending. I got what I wanted in the end and if I would have married Ange while in the ntcc, we probably would have ended up divorced or lifetime cult members. Should I just "let it go"? Poor Nichelle Tieman. Why can't you just forgive her and move on with your life. Actually, I have forgiven her in the ntcc way. Davis always said that he forgave but never forgot. Should we forget? Has she repented or asked for forgiveness from God and attempted to make things right with me? She got caught. I was the one that repented. I asked God for forgiveness and I forgave Nichelle decades ago. Forgiving and forgetting are not the same. She hasn't stopped manipulating people and because of this, we don't feel bad about doing the ntcc masses the service of exposing her for what she really is. Neither do we feel bad about exposing the rest of the ntcc hypocrites that use people more righteous than they are to obtain wealth and power.
Many think that we are filled with prejudice against those who have wronged us and that we need to allow God to heal us. Jesus never stopped warning people about the Pharisees and the hypocrites. The words "Pharisee" or "Pharisees" appears 89 times in the gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. We all know how Jesus felt about the Pharisees. Did he forgive them? Yes, of course. Did Jesus ever stop preaching about their hypocrisy? Jesus must have been very bitter according to the ntcc sympathizers. Maybe Jesus just needed to allow God to heal him from his prejudice so he could move on. I don't think so. Jesus spoke against the Pharisees because they needed to be exposed for their hypocrisy. They were claiming that they were of God but they were doing things that were contrary to God. He preached against their religious hypocrisy much more than he preached against drunkards, adulterers or sinners combined. God hates those who claim to be Christians and treat others contrary to the way Christ treated people when he lived among men.
The ntcc treats people opposite of how Christ treated others. Read your bibles and you will find that Jesus never said that children hinder the work of the Lord. He never required men to get vasectomies and he never told women that they were fat, he never made racial slurs towards Gentiles, he never ridiculed people for what they wore, (except for the Pharisees who dressed in Swedish knit single breasted suits with wingtip shoes and paisley ties, oops, I meant to say long robes and broadened phylacteries), He never preached against devil stirrups, war paint, pants, shorts or facial hair on men, He never required women with little hair to ware wigs for testimony sake, He never begged for money from the pulpit so he could buy himself a mansion while all of his poor followers got poorer and he never told them not to bring homeless people to church. Jesus loved people and set an example for all Christians. He healed the poor and mended their broken spirits. He didn't look down on the people that followed him, but he made them his equals and gave them the love that he had for others. In the absence of this love you will find religious hypocrites just like the ntcc leadership. The ntcc are just like the Pharisees that Jesus spent so much time preaching against because they misrepresent God and cause others to stumble and fall.
What happened to the members at the pasadena church?
the late Briggs was running a fairly size membership there, as for david jr. being single again it's too bad for his little daughter, those little kids are the ones that suffer the most. Wow!
Anonymous said...
What happened to the members at the pasadena church?
DNA said:
Most of them probably went back into "the world". The ntcc doesn't keep many of their sheep. When one gets lost, they say, "leave that man, (or woman), alone, if they want to serve God they'll come back on their own", and if they ever do come back they get plowed instead of loved and they are history. Keeping people is not one of the ntcc's strengths. If you do not pay your tithe, you are useless to them. If you are not loyal to their man made doctrines and outward standards, they have no need of you.
The ntcc are not looking for huddled masses, they are looking for tithe paying suckers. The ntcc is a family owned business and real estate holding company. They are running a big time scam and if you are not willing to shut off your brain and become a sucker, you won't last long. The type of scam that they are running only succeeds in the presence of many suckers. Pyramid schemes only work when people are convinced that they are part of something really big and they are willing to buy into a program. They are part of something really big but it's unlikely that they will ever benefit from it because less than 1% of the suckers that sign up for a pyramid scheme ever make enough money to survive and many of the ones that do are barely scraping by. That's how it is in the ntcc, also. There might be a lot of money in the organization but a very few benefit substantially from all of the giving. Everything rotates around countless sucker's ability and willingness to give liberally. If you don't have money, you are useless to them. They won't give you the time of day. If you question their doctrine they will beat you down. They don't care about people at all, unless it profits them to do so.
Briggs had a following but as with the rest of the borg, people leave in high numbers. As long as there are suckers in the world, organizations like the ntcc will find them and exploit them. All of us were suckers and we freely gave not knowing where our money was going. I was probably one of the biggest suckers that they ever reeled in. I gave tens of thousands of dollars to them thinking that it all was going to lost souls. The lost souls would come out to church and many were included on the church reports as being saved or filled with the Holy Ghost. 99% of them wouldn't last a year. The Tiemans and others just like them love to tweet and Facebook about how many souls were saved because of their great preaching, but you never hear about the ones they run off. Their reports should read like this: "Tonight we destroyed three families, ran off two men and a woman, insulted ten people who weren't dressed according to our standards and laid guilt trips on the rest for not giving enough, but three people prayed for salvation. We are winning"! What good does it do for someone to pray for salvation if they are going to be driven away from God when they outlive their financial usefulness? The reports of people saved and filled with the Holy Ghost are just eyewash to cover up what the organization is really all about. They want people to be oppressed. They know that families are being destroyed and wedges are being driven between couples. They know that people are being jacked up and plowed for not giving enough. The only numbers they care about can be found in the plus column of the church ledger.
I recall somebody preaching about how that :
" the grave has the doctors mistakes but hell claims the preacher's mistakes"
Every guy that stands in that pulpit will have to give an account for the people they ridiculed, belittled, found fault , etc. etc.
What is a Christian you asked?
Such a sobering thought. I've experienced love and understanding and help from the rutgut sinner next door who drank everyday but helped us load our stuff to move to yet another city.
I got help from the unchurched, those we were taught to reach out because they were on their way to hell and yet they, those "sinners" were kind to me and family to get us on our feet again!
What is a Christian ?
Is it the way you dress or attend church or tithe or soulwin?
You may post pictures of how many people attend your church or how many events you do in your church.
Post pictures of holding babies showing love & smiles, celebrating birthdays but in the back of my mind is the thousands of people that were left behind because of our inability to really be a Christian to them.
What about those that were the preacher's mistakes? Can a post on facebook or a positive thought on your twitter bring them back?
Almost everyone who has spent any time in NTCC has had the disquieting experience of being treated better by "sinners" or "compromisers" than by the "men of God" who populate the borg leadership. It happened to us numerous times, and it always created severe cognitive dissonance. My brain was screaming out that something didn't add up, but it couldn't be heard through the wall of denial. Once my car broke down, and a charismatic dude at work cashed in some certificates of deposit so he could help me out--and I didn't even ask! He had shaggy hair and once I saw him drink a beer, but that guy showed more love to me than the General Board combined. When we broke down on our way to Philadelphia, people couldn't understand why we didn't just call the church that was sending us there for help, and we didn't really have any good answers as to why that wasn't an option. You're on your own with this bunch--about all you can expect is a phony "be ye warmed and filled," but don't expect them to lift a finger to help make that happen.
vic said
You're on your own with this bunch--about all you can expect is a phony "be ye warmed and filled," but don't expect them to lift a finger to help make that happen.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with that statement. I have been focusing more on whether or not I am actually living the Christian life according to Jesus, not NTCC. It's not all that hogwash about having your fork on the right side of the plate or dressing as to not upset some pre-concieved idea of what you think others think, nor is it keeping a bunch of rules and calling it good.
Being a Christian is first realizing how unlike Christ we are and then daily striving to walk with God thru His Grace (I know, it seems a contradiction to "strive" and then thru "Grace"). In the NTCC, everything is defined for you already, your opinions are given to you thru the psychology to play the people, your doctrines are given to you by the leadership. In short, you are owned by those who rule over you to the point of relegating Christ and Christianity to the NTCC model.
When I left in 94, it was to follow Christ the Savior of my soul. As I am now so much older and still seeking to please the Master in my relationship with Him, I see such a need for those old sobering words to come into focus once again; "above all else, I must be saved". Yes, I still disagree with how the NTCC hijacks your walk with God and I stand behind all my statements, but I am so aware of how far from being like Christ I am. It is actually painful to come face to face with your own sinfulness as a believer. In NTCC, you can assure yourself that since you followed all the rules, payed tithe, went soul winning, didn't miss a service and even got a scoobie snack that all is well. Not so when you have cleared the table and set down with Christ and got real about motives, secret bitterness and sex fantasies as well as the music you choose to listen to when nobody is around. When it is just you and God and not the Lords of God's heritage vying for submission, you can hear Him say "quit talking to these certain people at work" or "start eating less at the table" or "give that homeless man a hundred dollars" or "tell your wife she is right" or "don't move to that state or read this part of the bible" or "go to this church" and "now stop going to this church" or "love this person by not condemning him while he smokes a cigarette or a joint" - Anything not done in faith is sin. "Many shall say to me in that day,Lord, Lord have we not etc...We have all heard this verse over and over but check out what Jesus said, he said "I will confess unto them" that He "never knew" them. Whether you are in or out of a church, it really doesn't matter when it comes to taking the time to listen to Jesus NOW. Many will be faithful in religion to one day hear Him confess unto them that He never knew them. It doesn't have to be that way. Put Christ first now, not men or religion or money or fame of pride but Jesus Christ first NOW and listen to what he has to say about you.
This sermon clip of David Wilkerson is one of the most sobering sermons I have heard, I have to recommend to all.
LOVE YOUR GOD TIL THE LAST BREATH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBgasOffUAg
Excellent post Brian!
Mark Breaux
Bryan Hill said:
" It is actually painful to come face to face with your own sinfulness as a believer."
DNA said:
First of all, great comment and thanks for making it real. We were all conditioned to not speak of such things. After all we were taught to be perfect as Christ is perfect. We sin because we want to sin and so on. The ntcc has adapted a Pharisaical attitude that they personally have overcome sin and that by their own resolve and strength, they have defeated sin and because of that, many like Davis can not remember, (or don't care to recall), the last time they sinned. They also walk around with their heads in the clouds as if they were they only ones on the planet who have conquered sin and in their reveling they look down their noses at the rest of humanity. They wouldn't dare speak of such things as you have in this last comment because they deny that they have sin and they hide their dirty little secrets behind a slew of man made ordinances that are outwardly convincing. People in the ntcc are taught not to question or challenge their ntcc hirelings and lords so they assume that they can obtain the same perfection that these self serving masters have supposedly achieved. They are forever trying to work their way into heaven and in the process of this labor they forget the whole purpose behind what Jesus did on the cross for them.
I was sincere during my tenure as a "ntcc Christian". God was real to me and I really spent a lot of time trying to fit God into my life within the constrains of ntcc requirements. There was a constant struggle for individual achievement. Successful Christianity in the ntcc was not the same as the examples that we read about in the bible. Old Testament and New Testament examples all showed that people in spite of their faults had faith in God and accomplished great things. Their sins and shortcomings were not hid from the readers of God's word. Abraham lied. Jacob stole through deception. David murdered and committed adultery, but he knew how to repent. Peter denied Christ. All forsook Christ. Only Davis and the ntcc leadership seem to be the only "Christians" on the planet that do not admit to any sin. When you find yourself in a group of self righteous people like this, it wears you down. We were all worn down and distressed in our souls because try as we may, we were attempting to be live by the letter of the law rather than to allow God to make us into what He wanted us to be. Our focus was not on love or compassion to others, but it was on money and numbers and trying to find acceptance among the ntcc elitists.
Successful cults achieve their goals by making their subjects believe that they are part of an exclusive group of true believers. They enlist you into their personal army and you end up fighting a war of attrition. They wear you down through sleep deprivation and constant assaults on your personal character and lack of dedication. When you get the right amount of sleep your mind is much sharper and your body is healthier. In the ntcc, I learned to function on less than five hours of sleep per night on a regular basis. When you have to fulfill military obligations and ntcc obligations it is impossible to achieve success without sacrificing sleep. Recently I have learned that I have sleep Apnea. This condition caused me to have events where I would stop breathing in my sleep. Ange would constantly try to wake me up so I could start breathing again and she often feared that I would die in my sleep. She timed me once and I went 1 minute and 30 seconds without breathing. This condition was accompanied by a whole slew of other health issues. I went to the hospital and had a sleep study done and they found that I was having 81 events per hour while I was sleeping. These events took place throughout the course of the whole evening. That means that I would stop breathing 81 times in an hour. When I got this sleep study done I was wiped out. Completely and totally worn down and unhealthy. I was barely functioning and had a really hard time breathing. They found enlarged lymph nodes between my lungs and heart and had to take biopsies. Fortunately I didn't have cancer but the anesthesiologist told me that I had severe sleep Apnea and needed to get it checked out.
They began treatment for my sleep Apnea a couple months ago and now I'm sleeping right and feel so much healthier. My mind is a lot sharper and I don't forget important things as much. If you listen to any of the Podcasts that we published on our blog you will hear me struggling to breath. Now my breathing is much better and so is my quality of life. I'm not perfect by any means and I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I've been given a new lease on life. I'm making much better dietary decisions and feeling really good for the first time in decades. I'm saying all of this because I know the effects of sleep depravity. In the ntcc we worn down in a way that we were not able to think or make rational decisions. I'm sure Davis and Kekel were able to get their required amounts of sleep because they had a bunch of servants doing everything for them to include cleaning their houses. They would wear you down until you either submitted to them or dropped out of the race. That is not Christianity.
Don, I appreciate your up front and non religious (non-fake) view of yourself and others. one factor that was missing while I was in NTCC was the whole being vulnerable disposition. There was always an expectation of projecting a victorious attitude to the detriment of plain being fake. Once I put on my Monday night report these words (or close to it) "Sometimes I think I cannot make it and if it was not for relying completely on the finished work of Jesus Christ, I don't know where I would be". To my shock I got a response from Rev. Olson reprimanding me as he said "brother we do not do that here", and "it is up to us to be victorious and if were not then something is wrong with us". Well, I was shocked that I was being plowed for resting on the finished work of Christ. Yes I do understand that we just can't float down stream and live for the devil, this addresses his second statement. It was quite a long time ago and may not have the exact words but the whole spirit of it cannot be mistaken and that was one of being chastised for making the statement I made. Being a Christian means being vulnerable and up front with our deficiencies as we lean on Christ more then we lean on ourselves.
"It's not all that hogwash about having your fork on the right side of the plate..."
Fork goes on the left, you sinner.
The left side is the right side. The right side is the wrong side. It doesn't matter what side you put the fork on, I'm still going to eat my french fries with my fingers. If you don't like that, you can go soak your head in a bucket.
Jk, all in fun. I can't believe we were so caught up in frivolous legalism.
Interesting Don what you said about sleep deprivation. After 72 hours of no to minimal sleep one begins to hallucinate. After 24 hours sleep deprivation one becomes much more suggestable and critical thinking skills deteriorate. That is why in Basic military training one is sleep deprived. The military wants you to be able to react without thinking. This is vital in combat. It is also what mind control groups, cults, etc. use to brainwash individuals. I saw obvious signs of sleep deprivation with brainwashing going on at the soilder's home all the time. I witnessed a sleep deprived member drive to church and sit in the driver's seat bewildered on how to turn off the car. I saw members sit and blankly stare into space as you talk to them. I saw one have a full blown break down... all done in the name of Gawd.
I dare one NTCC elitist come on this blog and say otherwise. The stuff you have done to destroy lives is beyond dispicable. You have created more atheists than saved souls. You vipers of the devil will pay, be it here on earth or in eternity, you will pay...
"Jk, all in fun. I can't believe we were so caught up in frivolous legalism."
Yeah, I was joking too; just tweaking Bryan's nose. Forgot to put my name on it.
We were not only sleep deprived, we were ODing on caffeine. I drank at least a full pot every single day; probably closer to two, for years. Coffee's great, but being a total java junkie can be problematic. There was no way to get everything done without some chemical help. These same coffee crackheads claim to be anti-drug, but they're just being hypocrites.
Anonymous said:
"What is a Christian you asked?
Such a sobering thought. I've experienced love and understanding and help from the rutgut sinner next door who drank everyday but helped us load our stuff to move to yet another city.
I got help from the unchurched, those we were taught to reach out because they were on their way to hell and yet they, those "sinners" were kind to me and family to get us on our feet again!"
DNA said:
1 Tim 1:15 "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
I think the ntcc's definition of a sinner is anyone who is not part of their own religious hypocritical group. Paul considered himself the chief of sinners. He didn't say of whom I WAS chief, but whom I AM chief. How do you know who is a Christian and who isn't? The ntcc will argue that they are fruit inspectors and they use their outward standards of appearance and obedience to false doctrines to measure themselves and others. If you pay your tithe, you are a Christian. If you wear devil stirrups you are a sinner. If you attend their cult meetings and functions every day of the week, you are a Christian, according to them. If you wear shorts you are a sinner.
I think this deserves a closer look. This comment by anonymous shines a pretty bright light on the ntcc and it's hypocritical leaders. Time for a new blog post.
I struggle with the whole tithe topic. I really don't know what to believe. There isn't a lot said about it in the bible. What is the point of Malachi chapter 3? Since being out it is something that troubles me. This chapter gets preached a lot even in other churches.
DnA, regarding your last comment...Reevaluate your position. It has been long established that the only NTCC definition of a sinner is one who doesn't pay tithe. "If you pay tithe you will be called brother, if you don't you won't."
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