Questions are asked by folks coming out of CiM (the Church in Marshall):
Can I trust a church again?
How do I heal the pain?
My child is struggling?
Am I really in a war?
I want to help answer these types of questions.
I recently (June 08) discovered why I sometimes have failed to help some people be healed or why some people have failed to be healed from Randy and CiM. I found this answer from an article by Michael Barrett on his website. For those who don’t know who Michael Barrett is, he was a former elder at CiM. You can read more about him here:
http://kingdomgospel.wordpress.com/excim-elder-info/michael-barrett/
The article I am discussing is called, “Healing the Brokenhearted“, and can be found on Micheal’s site, here:
http://www.citychurchla.com/city/healing_the_brokenhearted
I will post some of it here:
If you are broken hearted, any thing I share here may not have lasting value if you are crushed. Read all of Michael’s article and learn more, from the link above. And seek getting your heart mended, thru Jesus, counsel, help. Contact someone you can trust or even me if needed.
I also suggest reading my page “Has the Church Failed?” here:
As that page answers the technical questions of what authority and security does the church possess in not failing, where it fails, where it does not. This is reference to the universal church not CiM, but I speak of local churches as well, but not specific ones, but generally.
Reading that before continuing here will help tremendously.
Knowing that men can fail in the church, makes it so much easier to accept what Randy and the elders have done wrong without blaming God, or rejecting His plan. This will bring comfort as we can stand assured and secure on God’s word, not feeling like your in the cross hairs of abuse or danger.
But we must also realize there is an enemy out there after us, and thus we are always in some danger, but protection is also given to us in Christ. To learn more about that protection and why bad things do happen please read on my F.A.Q.’s page about 1/4th the way down on the page the answer to this question (look for this question):
Q. Why do bad things happen? Accidents, death… does God kill?
Found here:
So we are in a war. But we are not fighting against men, but spirits, demons.
Eph 6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Randy and CiM had taught me to be a hunter of men, but Jesus taught His disciples to be fishers of men. This is a revelation and change that may be needed after leaving CiM. We are to woo people to Christ, not manipulate them, give them the cold shoulder of “resistance”, or hunt them with the prophetic sword or bow. This also doesn’t mean we are doing what Randy is calling being politically correct and celebrate people’s sin and become friends with those in morale decay. There is a balance.
Rom 2:4: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Being kind and a witness is our method of leading folks to Christ.
What about children who are hurt? This must be dealt with line upon line. We must explain that God may have called us to CiM for a season, but we stayed too long, or that we made a mistake in going at all. God did not error. I cannot decide for folks which is the truth on that issue, whether they went by mistake, or stayed longer than God’s will. God wanted me there, but I stayed too long.
Next we must explain to them what I shared above, that the world is not perfect, because of the sin of Adam. And that means churches aren’t perfect. That does not mean that God doesn’t provide help. Here we may have to explain our own failures, by confessing our disobedience to God or His principles, and submitted to man instead. It is important to do this, so we can rest in our confidence in God, and give hope to the wounded. I was guilty of man pleasing as well.
Teaching our children the ways of God next would help restore peace and assurance, remembering the warfare we do fight in spirit, and thus the importance of being diligent in following God.
James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Time in prayer, with God, and in God’s Word will eventually bring healing to the soul and spirit.
Forgiving is absolutely necessary.
Why should someone’s mistake done to me or others, cause me to be bitter and lose God’s blessings. Randy and other ministers of God, have taught me that not forgiving others keeps you hurt and away from God, and does not keep them in any pain or judgment.
Math 6: MKJV
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Some may say the use of this scripture in such a manner would mean I am preaching the loss of salvation. No, I am not. Just some of God’s blessings are lost. We do not obtain heaven by being sin free (no Catholicism here).
Why let someone who hurt continue to hurt you? Forgive them and let go. Now, there may be times where you forgive and shouldn’t forget. If someone physically abused you and you knew he had done so to others and had not changed, and then knew someone who was going there, you should perhaps warn them for their safety. There are times where we must remember someone’s actions to protect others. Or perhaps for other reasons, but never for negative purposes.
Please note, Randy has never physically hurt me or anyone I know. Though he may pose a physical endangerment to those he takes camping and on boat trips by going where he shouldn’t and exposing folks to this error giving place to satan for accidents to happen.
Do you want to see Randy come down? Do you want to see him fall? You need to pray for your enemies and love them is what Jesus taught.
Mt:5:44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
How can you get better if you are getting bitter? Bitterness will take away your betterness, you need to repent, and forgive him and them.
If he has attacked you. Love him and pray for him. This former man of God will not succeed and he knows it. The days of his glory are done. God used him, and may still use him, but not to the success he hoped for, or to the degree he was used in the past.
I wish to admonish those once again who have been there and feel hurt. If you are bitter and negative, I believe that you are forgetting much what you learned. Forgive. Do not forget the good things, the good teachings.
Trust in God.
