Bearing Witness While Leaving Babylon
Dear IWWB,
The Lord has been showing me that he is in control, and that’s how I found the website. I am honestly seeking to understand the truth. I have been in fellowship with a group for the past 30 years that although is unorthodox still has some things which are not true. I do believe I am being called out of it which is strange because they believe in coming out of her my people, also. I do not want to teach and I understand the truth of women not teaching, but it does say they can ask. I do have questions but not to debate or contend. I would love for someone to help me understand how to leave the fellowship. I understand that many will believe I have been blinded and that’s OK, but I do not want to hurt or hinder the young people, or anyone.
Please believe I am sincere and help me. The fellowship I have been with do not believe in tithe, and they believe in overcoming. Still, I can see how God has worked things and it seems inevitable that I will leave. I appreciate how busy you are and thank you for your time. Also I thank God for leading me here as I have prayed so much for God to give me eyes to see and ears to hear. My desire is to follow Him and I know He put that in me.
Thank you for all your hard work.
T____
Hi T____,
Thank you for your question, and thank you for your dedication to the word of God. You are willing to let God be true and every man a liar, and with that spirit, you will definitely be “coming out of Babylon.”
Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
You tell me :
“I have been in fellowship with a group for the past 30 years that, although is unorthodox, still has some things which are not true.”
“Things which are not true” are what scripture refers to variously as ‘idols of the heart’ and ‘heresy’ coming from ‘false prophets.” Having believed and taught such false doctrines for many years, I will be the first to say that your friends’ deceptions are very likely not intentional. It is, nevertheless, a “trespass against you” which you are scripturally required to address in a scriptural manner.
The scripture which guides our actions at a time like this is Christ’s admonition to ‘go to your brother’ himself and let him know why you have come to this point in your spiritual walk.
Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
It is a tall order to tell your teacher that he is wrong, and I hope that you have no illusions of converting anyone, but you must bear witness against the falsehoods which you have come to recognize as the voice of “another Jesus.”
2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
You cannot simply walk away after 30 years of fellowship. You are scripturally admonished to be a witness against the doctrines which God’s Word has shown you to be false doctrines. If you have not yet seen these truths in God’s Word, then you do not yet really have a grasp of God’s mind. But if you have been given eyes that see and ears that hear, then the fact that you were shown those verses of God’s Word on iswasandwillbe. com, or from any other source, is totally inconsequential. The message is what matters. It is not the messenger:
1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who [ is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Do not even think about going to your pastor or to anyone else until you have your facts straight. Know God’s Word for yourself, then bear witness to that truth.
But a ‘witness’ and a ‘teacher’ are not one as the same as any judge in any courtroom will tell you. The woman at the well and Mary in the garden both witnessed for Christ, but neither of them were teachers “in the church” as so many who cannot accept God’s Word want you to believe. What the Lord wants you to do at this point is to do what the woman at the well did and tell your friends to “come and see a man…” That ‘man’ is “the word of God.”
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Both men and women are to bear witness to the light, so know the light of God’s Word, and you will be an effective witness.
The very best thing to do is to write a letter expressing your love for all you have come to know, and at the same time, tell them why this love you have for them necessitates that you separate yourself from the doctrines of the church. Be sure to explain that the only way that you know that you love your brothers is if you obey God’s Word. This is a very important part of understanding what the Bible means when it talks about the subject of brotherly love. Here is the verse which makes this point so clearly:
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
Tell these brothers and sisters that you cannot claim to love them while you are ignoring God’s commandments. Then you must take the time to carefully explain how the doctrines of the church are breaking the commandments of God.
Take all the time you need to express and explain your reasons for being drug by God Himself out of the fellowship of this church.
This may be the hardest thing you have ever done, but it will be but the beginning of your preparation to make many hard decisions.
God is not calling followers of man. He is calling His elect to be leaders of men, and the role of a leader is to make and execute very hard decisions.
I hope I have said something that will give you some guidance at this difficult time of your life. You said:
“I do not want to hurt or hinder the young people, or anyone.”
I am sure you mean every word of that, but the worst thing you could do is to fail to take a stand. Your stand for Christ and His doctrine, will embolden those in whom He is working, and those are ‘hurt’ will be only those who cannot receive the Truth.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike
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