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| Another shocked person learns what it is really like in "My NTCC" |
This recent review was left online at Insider Pages by a person identified as "DA"; and, no, it is not Don Ange :o) Click Here To Read It There
I had a local NTCC pastor and member come to my door and invite me to a service. They seemed nice and I said I would attend. When I arrived at the service, all seemed well. The church building was very simple and small with about 30 congregants in attendance. My first clue that something was amiss was that the pastor said that he "felt" the holy spirit leave him and that if the rapture had occured that day that he would have been left behind. (I believe that one's salvation is not based on feelings or works.)This Recent comment, dated March 13, 2013, is very telling of what many normal people go through when they attend an ntcc church service. I can relate to DA's comment about the altar call in which it was stated that the assistant pastor came over and browbeat him/her to get right with God. I remember being taught by ntcc pastors to "work the altar"; and that always involved making new people admit they were lost. If they said they were already saved, we would ask them questions to make them feel uncomfortable. The goal was to get people to acknowledge that they were sinners and get them to pray for salvation so that the ntcc pastor could add them to the weekly report. The weekly report required pastors of local churches to inform their leaders how many people prayed for salvation, attended church, and how much they gave in offerings and tithe.
The next odd thing that happened was that there was no sermon but an altar call in which almost everybody went forward. I chose to remain in my seat ( I also didn't feel the need to raise my hands during the singing) The assistant pastor came over and browbeat me to "get right" with God. I was truly shocked and very uncomfortable. He proceeded to lecture me about sin, sin, sin. I asked him if he has ever lusted after a woman. He said (with a straight face) that he did not because he was married. I had been involved with other churches that were "sin conscious" rather than "Christ conscious" I felt like getting up and leaving right then but stayed to the end. A couple of people came up and shook my hand to welcome me in a cursory manner, but no more that that.
When I got home, I did some research on NTCC and came upon massive amounts of information.
All I can say is that I feel like I dodged a bullet and am grateful for all the early warnings. Thank God for the internet (what they call the "sinner-net") and the many unfortunate people who have been ensnared in this "church" and have now come forward to warn others. My hat is off to you for sharing your experiences.
Summing up this "church" in one word : CONTROL
Making people feel uncomfortable was a common occurrence in the ntcc; and the pastors of those churches would always attribute the uneasy feelings of their 'guests' as guilt from God. "God is making you feel uncomfortable." No; what's making them feel uncomfortable is the hypocritical atmosphere they stepped into when they crossed the threshold of your 'church'. They see a bunch of people dressed like Pharisees in religious apparel expending all of their energy trying to convince newcomers that they are lost and need what only the ntcc can give them. (Exclusivity - a hallmark of cults.)
We must say that we too are glad that DA dodged the ntcc bullet! And we also are glad that the word is getting out. People are getting smart and researching the ntcc before allowing themselves to be brainwashed into becoming cult members. DA is one person who will not have to contribute his or her life earnings toward making the ntcc leaders more filthy rich than they already are. Thanks, DA, for your contribution. Your testimony may save someone else an eternity of grief.
The Internet is NTCC's worst possible nightmare because it gives people the ability to be in contact with other former members from around the world either simultaneously,or individually. It gives people the ability to be in contact with each other very inexpensively. I remember a time on the old Factnet forum while Mike Kekel and a few others from the Church (Some of which are not there now) would come out and routinely try to defend the practices of NTCC. Now, you hardly hear a peep out of them. The "Blog Site" that Mike has up is by invitation only and is heavily moderated. Anyway, I'm glad that people are now able to read about NTCC on the Internet, and make the determination NOT to go there and save their(and God's)time,and money, as well as a lot of sleepless nights and time at the altar praying over things and being convicted about things that aren't even in the Bible. Now they actually have options. We will never know how many people have been discouraged from going to, and/or being a part of NTCC due to things that have been written or said on the WWW but I'm thankful. As I've said before, I would like to see NTCC change. But if that time never comes, I would look forward to seeing the doors close for the last time, and the money cow dry up. Depending on my schedule, My wife and I would make a special trip from Arizona just to watch the doors close. I would look at this a a historical event, and would make sure to take video's of it. I'm sure that there are probably people saying "Mark, just get a life", But I can't go back and get all the Tithes and Offerings or the time that was spent there that was GOD'S time and money that was used in many cases for people who live an opulent lifestyle and care little if anything about me, or my soul.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work out here. Don & Ange. I know that you-all put a lot of time, and effort into these threads, and I always try and comment on them whenever I can. I will say, that I'm a bit disappointed that people don't comment more than they do, and at the lack of participation by some people. Anyway, keep up the good work and God Bless you all. I know, I know, that saying is such a cliche in NTCC, but I really mean it.
Thank you Mark. We do appreciate your participation and contributions to this blog. There is not as much activity in the form of comments on this blog as there was on Chief's or GS/DS's blogs but there are lots of people reading it. We also appreciate all of those who read, and who spread the word.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has been a nightmare to the ntcc. When FACT/Net and the blogs came into being, people began to call the ntcc leaders out. Many have shared their true stories on the internet and these testimonies have exposed the ntcc for what they are really all about. The ntcc has raked in large amounts of money over the years by causing folks to live in fear, and controlling every aspect of their lives while isolating them from common information that could set them free. Now all they can do on the internet is create a glossy picture of how great God is blessing them. They measure the success of their Christian lives by how much attention they get from their pastor. They truly set men up as idols in their lives and they worship them. These men that they praise so much have inherited the false teachings of RWD and they constantly regurgitate the false doctrines that they were taught.
It is our hope also that the doors will one day close and the ntcc will stop using people, but they are just one cult out of many that manipulate folks for their own financial gain. If the Government were to use the same scrutiny on cults like the ntcc as they use on businesses, the ntcc would be fined and no longer allowed to operate as a non profit religious and charitable organization. CEO's of businesses have been hauled off to jail for less, but the government is friendly to anyone that claims to be a church.
It's all right to say "God bless you". The meaning is diminished in the ntcc because there is little Christianity to back up the words. Ntcc preachers will say God bless you, and then get up and humiliate people for not dressing according to their standards or not giving enough money to support Kekel's or Davis's Opulent lifestyles. We like that word, so we repeated it. Opulent: a : having a large estate or property : wealthy . b : amply or plentifully provided or fashioned often to the point of ostentation. Seems to sum up the ntcc fairly well. God bless you, also Mark, and we really mean it.
There is only one google review on ntcc in St. Louis and this is an excerpt from it:
ReplyDelete" We truly love our church. The pastor and his wife greet you as you walk in. They really show love and concern for everyone who walks in through the doors. They are down to earth, easy to talk to and will answer any questions that you may have."
These are talking points and things that every church should do. Wow, they greet you as you walk in; I think I'll surrender my paychecks to them for the rest of my life. They will answer questions, really? Perhaps you are not asking them the right questions. Try asking them to show you one place in the New Testament that tells you that you are required to give them 10% so that the founder and his beloved family members can live lavish lifestyles, while you have to shop at Kook stores. Try asking that pastor that greets you at the door with a smile on his face how many homeless people in his community he has helped by providing food or clothing or shelter for them. Try asking them how many times they have seen Davis or Kekel knocking on doors and visiting people. Ask that Pastor if he is a servant of all. Does he really help his church members or do his church members shine his shoes and wash his car and take him out to dinner every Sunday. What does he do to serve his community and his congregants?