Ask The Pastor
May
1, 2005
>
Question:
>
>
don't know if you can write me back.
Yes, I can write you any time. Feel free to communicate
with me. I will try to answer some of your concerns.
>
I read your experience on the spiritual abuse web site and I
guess
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even if I don't hear from you I will feel better to just be
able to
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talk with someone who knows.
I am happy to help you if I can. It always helps to share
your concerns with someone who understands. Lois Gibson is a
good friend. (She is the owner of Spiritual Abuse.)
>
I've been in the upc for 10-close to 11 years. I am losing it.
My
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husband is going for his license -so you see - I am stuck.
It may seem like you are stuck but keep in mind that time
is always on the side of truth. The Lord is going to help you.
Believe me, I know. The fact that you are writing me is a
witness that the Lord has plans for you. I may be able to play
just a small part.
>
I can deal with holiness, but I don't always like it. I
am
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faithful. I'm like Paul-a pharisee of the pharisees. But I
dont want
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to be a pharisee.
You are at a crucial place for facing the future. Many UPC
folk don't realize that they have taken up the mantle of the
Pharisee. It is truly sad to see this.
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For the last several years i have been trying to come to grips
with
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the incessant teaching that without acts 2:38 people will be
damned.
>
Never do we hear that Jesus made salvation possible for us.
And if we
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do it is always predicated on whether I am living a
"saved" life.
I am happy to see that your eyes have been opened to the
truth of salvation. The UPC Acts 2:38 teaching is very
misleading. They never teach it as it should be taught. (That
is, in its full context.)
>
Don't get me wrong, I don't do any of the activities I'm not
supposed
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to - except unforgiveness. I cannot get past the last several
years of
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built up hurt. And so I know it's all futile for me. I'm going
through
>
motions.
You are not alone in this. I get a lot of communications
from UPC people. Your story is becoming more and more common.
But I think this is a good thing. Although you are hurting
now, the hurt will be tended to by the Lord. My wife and I
walked the same trail many years ago. And the Lord is using us
now to help others make the transition out of the UPC bondage.
>
I could go on and on about how many times people have preached
"for
>
me" -- they never said it but in a congregation that is
small and
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mainly elderly you kind of get an idea. I could tell you of
being
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called on the phone and being told in advance what they were
going
>
to preach on (after a church vote where I dissented).
Very interesting but not surprising. UPC folk can be pretty
mean at times, especially if you don't measure up to their
expectations. This is true with all works-righteousness
religions.
>
Of how they married my sister to a man - knowing that he was
running
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around on her even before the marriage (we did not know) and
then
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when she married him and he was running around on her during
the
>
marriage they told her if she divorced she could never
remarry-and
>
that she should get a private detective.
You sister had every right in the world for a divorce.
Adultery is what breaks the marriage covenant. Of course I
can't speak to this too much without knowing more about. In
any event, your sister most surely could be married again.
>
A few years later,after a child was born, they told her she
could
>
leave--that he had slept with this woman while they were
engaged. Why
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did they make my family jump through all of these unecessary
hoops and
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30,000 of legal fees over custody?
Wish I could help you with that one. But you know your
family as well as anyone.
>
Of dreams people had concerning me--let me reiterate--I do
what they
>
want--I also teach sunday school and lead youth. Why can't
people
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leave me alone? I have tried in the last several years to
be
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the "sane voice" of Pentecost, I ha
Your post cut off at this point, so I don't know what else
you wanted to say. Let me know if I can help you further.
Perhaps just having someone to talk to will help a lot.
Blessings,
Buddy
Bro. Buddy Martin - Ask
the Pastor
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Lawrence "Buddy" Martin
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org
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