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johniam

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Everything posted by johniam

  1. CG has something in writing that says there's at least 16 things where VP was wrong about something. The big one being that fear is a law. SIT would definitely be a step in the right direction, but so would reading the bible.
  2. quote: In twi, the "Keys to Walking By the Spirit" included one that claimed that "Speaking in tongues daily is requisite to revelation." In other words, if you want revelation from God Almighty, you need to SIT first. The only explanation I ever heard of that was that, if you want God to speak to you, you should be speaking to Him. During Living Victoriously VP said "Spiritually I've seen 4 things in life: religion, no religion, corrupt religion, and true Christianity. Still rings true for me. One consistent symptom of religion is what I call gymnastics. These are activities, practiced or refrained from, that are supposed to help maintain God's presence in your life. God actually does not require these things. I'm talking about things like saying grace before a meal, not working in or out of the home on Sundays, etc. If someone wants to do things like that, no big deal, but God doesn't require them; He loves us no matter what. In twi, we were definitely guilty of stuff like that. Dan Moran's song comes to mind...when I wake up first thing in the morning I begin with perfect prayer, open up my bible and read, etc. At my wow training we immediately had a believer's meeting upon waking up. Jeez, we were practically still asleep. So sit is required to get revelation??? God spoke directly to Samuel when he was a child. He wasn't sit. God, or an angel told the magi what to do when they got to Jerusalem. They weren't even jews. I have listened to a few of LCM recent teachings. Another thing that rings true is Rom 11:29 the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. If LCM ever had a God given ministry, then he still does. He does still believe AOS is super relevant. His average teaching time is an hour and a half. He'll ramble, too. He'll tell you what he is going to address, then he'll say an aside lasting 10 minutes or more. He doesn't sound disorganized; he's just trying to put his point in perspective with maybe too much added info. He still has as much conviction in his voice as he ever did and he sounds more relaxed. I'm glad Leah is posting here. That means something. The first time I went to Emporia was March of 1978. It was when VP taught the red thread. At one point LCM and Donna walked past me. Donna was holding very tiny Leah.
  3. One thing about making sense of the bible was addressed by twi. If it was possible to go back in time and talk to bible times people and you tried to tell them about the internet, they wouldn't have a clue what you were talking about. Couldn't even conceive it. In a similar way, there were things in bible times about which we would have no clue...unless somebody explained it. Who knew that the eye of the needle was a door? Who knew that a bottle in the smoke was a body sized animal skin canteen being routinely dried off? Learning about Orientalisms and other things did help us make more sense out of the bible. I don't see the bible as an instruction manual. It is God's word. God told those people what to write and they obeyed Him. It always makes sense when properly understood. For us, salvation by Jesus Christ is easy to understand. Not everybody has the same interest level, but like any TV lawyer might say, "It's a good deal: take it!" Howie Mandel, too.
  4. quote: In twi, the "Keys to Walking By the Spirit" included one that claimed that "Speaking in tongues daily is requisite to revelation." In other words, if you want revelation from God Almighty, you need to SIT first. The only explanation I ever heard of that was that, if you want God to speak to you, you should be speaking to Him. During Living Victoriously VP said "Spiritually I've seen 4 things in life: religion, no religion, corrupt religion, and true Christianity. Still rings true for me. One consistent symptom of religion is what I call gymnastics. These are activities, practiced or refrained from, that are supposed to help maintain God's presence in your life. God actually does not require these things. I'm talking about things like saying grace before a meal, not working in or out of the home on Sundays, etc. If someone wants to do things like that, no big deal, but God doesn't require them; He loves us no matter what. In twi, we were definitely guilty of stuff like that. Dan Moran's song comes to mind...when I wake up first thing in the morning I begin with perfect prayer, open up my bible and read, etc. At my wow training we immediately had a believer's meeting upon waking up. Jeez, we were practically still asleep. So sit is required to get revelation??? God spoke directly to Samuel when he was a child. He wasn't sit. God, or an angel told the magi what to do when they got to Jerusalem. They weren't even jews. I have listened to a few of LCM recent teachings. Another thing that rings true is Rom 11:29 the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. If LCM ever had a God given ministry, then he still does. He does still believe AOS is super relevant. His average teaching time is an hour and a half. He'll ramble, too. He'll tell you what he is going to address, then he'll say an aside lasting 10 minutes or more. He doesn't sound disorganized; he's just trying to put his point in perspective with maybe too much added info. He still has as much conviction in his voice as he ever did and he sounds more relaxed. I'm glad Leah is posting here. That means something. The first time I went to Emporia was March of 1978. It was when VP taught the red thread. At one point LCM and Donna walked past me. Donna was holding very tiny Leah.
  5. A friend of mine got one. He has lived at that address for 40 years. Sounds VERY desperate to me.
  6. quote: And at least Roy has the common sense to start his own thread unlike others who like to hijack and drag threads off topic on purpose to try and make these forums boards a mess. NOW he wants decent and in order. How convenient. quote: After what you all have done to my 'yet another take' thread, you have absolutely no standing to accuse me of "dragging threads off topic". Really???? Speaking of which. Fourteen posters have done the 626 posts in that thread. In order... Nathan Jr. -135 Old Skool - 128 Mike - 95 Chockfull - 75 Bolshevik - 69 So_crates - 28 Waysider - 21 Johniam - 20 (8th place. Is that a new beginning?) Twinky - 15 T Bone - 11 Rocky - 10 Wordwolf - 9 Oldiesman - 8 Charity - 2 Charity is last. How appropriate. You want me to get back on topic? You first.
  7. btw, how do you know it's off topic when you haven't even read it??? Mommy, mommy, Johniam called me a jerk.
  8. quote: And at least Roy has the common sense to start his own thread unlike others who like to hijack and drag threads off topic on purpose to try and make these forums boards a mess. After what you all have done to my 'yet another take' thread, you have absolutely no standing to accuse me of "dragging threads off topic". Really???? Roy's thread is about 'a fool'. Just exactly how did I take it off topic. What I posted compliments the thread if anything. Nathan. You leave ME alone, JERK!
  9. quote: If Christ Jesus is at God's right hand, and God is everywhere, where is Christ Jesus? At God's right hand, not everywhere. quote: If an A/V guy is sitting at the right hand of the music coordinator, and the A/V guy is absent, mustn’t the music coordinator be absent also? They're both absent to anyone not in the same room. Only God is everywhere.
  10. quote: Roy didn’t do anything to you, John. Leave him alone. Idiot! That was a response to OldSkool.
  11. If that's how serious you're going to take me, then that's how serious I'm going to take you.
  12. quote: If Christ Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, and Christ Jesus is absent, God must be absent, according to this logic. This glassy eyed clown thinks he understands logic. God isn't absent from anything; he's everywhere. Christ is absent from us. He said it is expedient that I go away. If he went away he is absent. His power isn't absent, but he is. We don't know him after the flesh, remember? Y'all have a nice Christmas.
  13. quote: Start a new thread rocket scientist. Threads are how to keep discussions focused on a certain direction. Like this one?
  14. quote: Are you stoned, or retarded? Retarded! I'm not posting against flesh and blood, am I? johniam data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201024%201024%22%20style%3D%22background%3A%2362c48b%22%3E%3Cg%3E%3Ctext%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dy%3D%22.35em%22%20x%3D%22512%22%20y%3D%22512%22%20fill%3D%22%23ffffff%22%20font-size%3D%22700%22%20font-family%3D%22-apple-system%2C%20BlinkMacSystemFont%2C%20Roboto%2C%20Helvetica%2C%20Arial%2C%20sans-serif%22%3EJ%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E Author Posted 13 minutes ago btw I posted a teaching in the open forum on year2027's thread called a fool. You want something else to make fun of? C
  15. btw I posted a teaching in the open forum on year2027's thread called a fool. You want something else to make fun of? Check it out.
  16. quote: Lately, I’ve wondered: Is TWI embarrassed that Mike and Johniam are defenders of the cult? Why hasn’t TWI tried to stop the crazy train? Are you stoned, or just retarded? Didn't you read my post where I said I chose my marriage above the ministry that taught me the word? I also said that IMO they made shipwreck of their faith. You call that "defenders of the cult"??? What are they going to do to stop me??? Order a hit??? Take another prozak!!!
  17. No, you don't have to do 4 hits of acid to read this. One will be sufficient. Please turn to...... Isaiah 35:8 - And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. Every other place the word 'fool' is used as a noun, it's something nobody wants to be, however HERE it appears to be OK....? Once upon a time I heard someone teach on this verse. In some Spanish translations the word for fool is torpe (pronounced tor pay), which means immature, still learning to walk. This sounded plausible, but later it was confirmed. At the last job I had in Michigan, I worked with a guy from Mexico. He brought his bible to work every day, read it during break, even lunch break. I got along with him fine, so I asked him about the verse. He looked it up and sure enough, the word is torpe and it does mean what I was told. The guy said the Spanish word for 'fool' is tonto. I googled torpe and that source said it means clumsy, awkward, bumbling. That describes a toddler, not a fool. From here, we'll see 2 more places where the word 'fool' is used, then 2 godly examples of how to respond to it. Now turn to..... Romans 1:22 - Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. I'm attempting to establish a biblical definition of 'fool'. This describes people who think they are wise in rejecting God's word, when they are not. Everybody behaves foolishly at times. It's part of the sin nature, human pathos, whatever you want to call it. When the bible calls somebody 'a fool', it means the person has made a habit of behaving foolishly about SOMETHING. I've been guilty of that, yes, even as a believer. How wonderful it is that God,s word faithfully gives us every possible option to avoid foolish behavior. Now turn to..... Proverbs 26:4,5 - Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. / Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. I once read a commentary which said these verses contradict each other; no they do not! We're not robots; we can walk by God's spirit; we aren't limited in how to best respond to other people. One notable difference between the 2 verses is the use of pronouns. Verse 4 - answer not a fool lest THOU/ verse 5 answer a fool lest HE. Two different pronouns. If you do what verse 4 says, then your priority is to protect yourself. We sure need to do that. There are people who think religion in general is evil, or, at the least, a bad choice. They'll gladly preach that gospel to you whether you need it or not. If you do what verse 5 says, then your priority is now to try and reach out to that person and give him/her a chance to refrain from behaving foolishly. Now let's look at the Lord Jesus Christ doing each verse. Turn to.Luke 15. This is the chapter about the so called 'prodigal son'. Even non Christians are familiar with this, so we won't look at every verse, but I want to highlight some things. Luke 15:1,2 - Then drew near unto him (Jesus) all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. / And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. There are 3 points of view here. Jesus, who represents God, the true forgiving Father, the publicans and sinners, whose reputation was questionable, but who desired to hear the word of God, and the Pharisees and scribes, who were self righteous and judgmental and critical of Jesus for speaking to the publicans and sinners, whom they thought were not worthy. THESE are the fools Jesus is going to answer according to their folly. Jesus then gave them all a full meal of truth. First 2 appetizers, a short parable about a rejoicing shepherd who found that which he had lost, then another about a rejoicing woman who found that which she had lost. Then the main course. One reason I chose this scripture is because the Pharisees and scribes' folly is actually stated. Luke 15:7 - I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance. "Just persons which need no repentance"???? Wait a minute! Eccl.7:20 - For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. If one doesn't sin, one doesn't need to repent. Jesus knew that! Jesus wasn't shy about reproving and confronting people, even some high profile people, but HERE, He's playing along with them...humoring them...answering them according to their folly. Those Pharisees and scribes foolishly thought they were just persons which need no repentance. Jesus feigned concurring with this..."Oh, yeah, just persons which need no repentance. I can relate. (wink, wink)." Luke 15:11,12 - And he said, A certain man had two sons. / And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. Again, there are 3 points of view; a forgiving father, a younger son, and an older son. The father represents God, the true forgiving father, the younger son represents the publicans and sinners, and the older son represents the Pharisees and scribes. If the parable had continued, the next thing would have been the older son's response to his father's reproof. It does not say what the Pharisees and scribes' response to Jesus' reproof was, but at least they got a chance to refrain from foolish behavior because Jesus 'answered them according to their folly'. Now let's see Jesus Christ 'answer not a fool according to his folly'. Mark 11:27-33 - And they come again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple there come to him the chief priests and the scribes and the elders / And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? / And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. / The baptism of John, was it was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. / And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? / But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people; for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. / And they answered and said unto Jesus, we cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. Mark 12:12 - And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people:for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and theyleft him and went their way. Those chief priests, scribes, and elders weren't too happy with him.This scene continues in the same tone all the way to verse 34. Titus 1:9-11a - Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers. / For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: / Whose mouths must be stopped .- If someone, even someone with authority and influence, is speaking against God's word and God's people, then God wants their mouths to be stopped. Mark 12:34b - And no man after that durst ask him any question. Their mouths were STOPPED because Jesus 'answered not a fool according to his folly'. I'd like to close in... 1 Peter3:15,16 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear; / Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. We all have the spirit of God. We can have the same impact Jesus had on earth. We are blessed. Show original message Reply , Reply All or Forward
  18. quote: But seriously, please allow me to do a little fine tuning on just one sentence. This one: Just because you won't forgive someone for something doesn't mean your whole life and walk with God are totally flawed. Please tell me what you think of a few tiny changes: Just because you won't forgive someone for some things, doesn't mean their whole life and walk with God are totally flawed. What do you think of that? It's the inverse, yet, still true. Nathan Jr. is not very forgiving (Romans 1:22).
  19. quote: One of the things "they did to him" was give him money to live on. Reportedly, at some point, about $60k/yr. Another thing "they" did was divorce him. But if you like what he has to say, then enjoy. An update. This morning I listened to part of another teaching. It is called 'discerning of spirits 2' and it's 2 hours 10 minutes long. I listened for just under 1 hour. The first teaching I listened to he one time called himself an athlete of the spirit and that was it. This time he spent many minutes talking about it. There are many activities that could be compared to walking by the spirit, but none of them are emphasized in the bible. The three that come to mind are athlete, soldier, and farmer. Yes, 'we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spirit powers, etc.' IS an athletic reference. The word DOES also refer to soldiers of the Lord (to be a soldier). Both Paul and Jesus equated their walks with God to husbandry. What those three activities have in common is they are ongoing. If you make your living doing any of those, it's non stop. Farmers get up pre dawn and work their butts off. Athletes are constantly training, even in their off season. Soldiers must get more intense training than anybody, but most military activity is preventative. Athletics is routine, but it's entertainment. No matter how big a fan of any sport you are, you can always push the pause button as needed. Farming is the most routine of the three. Everybody has to eat. More people would connect to farmers of the spirit than the other two., but "Farmers of the Spirit" just doesn't have the 'made for TV' veneer that AOS did...I guess. I agree that it is significant that soldiers kill their opponents but athletes only compete with them, even though soldiers do a lot more than killing. There are perfectly good ways that athletics can be compared to a believer's walk, but LCM just went too far with it. Even real athletes need time off, breaks, etc. They're not in competition 24/7. Athletes of the spirit in TWI WERE! After football and hockey games the players shake hands with and even hug opposing players. The whole analogy is not air tight. Making it 24/7 is what caused the cheerfulness drain, as Mike put it, and the openly judgmental behavior that cropped up in twigs. I was just as guilty of that as anyone; that's what the ministry had become. LCM still buys into it; loins, heart, and feet - the whole song and dance. He really is easier to be entreated than he was 25 years ago, but I'll probably listen to one more teaching and be done with it.
  20. quote: What do you know about medications for depression? It seems maybe not much. SSRIs (very common type of medications for depression and anxiety) don't make people look or act like zombies. Never took any of those; don't plan to. I had 2 friends who were prescribed a generous amount of them, and died prematurely.
  21. quote: can really see your points on ego trip accusation vs. jealousy as a motivation from the accuser. I'm sure that NOBODY who ever taught from behind a podium was ever on an ego trip, right? lol
  22. quote: I'm not sure if you knew about what Craig is doing today or even interested but there was a thread awhile back on his most recent teachings and here is the webpage. I'll check it out. I can't help comparing him possibly with King Saul; when he was little in his own sight he was OK, but once he became the mogfodat....not so much. OK, checked it out. I am pleasantly surprised so far. The last time I heard LCM teach was more than 25 years ago. He said things like "This is gonna be done right if I have to run every fellowship in the country!!!" He was always talking about "contaminated believers" to the point of obsession. Not so much anymore. He is no longer shackled by the time constraints of SNS nor the pressure of being prez of TWI and its legacy. His words sound a lot more relaxed and measured. I've listened to 2 of his teachings, each just under 2 hours long. He doesn't have to censor himself, either. Didn't drop any f bombs but used the word 'a$$' in several configurations, usually in support of saying what walking by the spirit is not. He seems to believe that his being kicked out of TWI presidency and whatever else they did to him was a violation of covenants of salt from both his ordination in 1974 and his installation as president in 1982 and he considers those people as dead to him. No interaction and doesn't even pray for any of them. This has got to be talking about current TWI people. His perspective on "contaminated believers" HAD to be affected by all that. He believes he has been betrayed by those he trusted. He can be just as blunt as ever, but he sounds a lot more like he's his own man now. I still believe his increased influence at that time led the ministry awry, but I'm going to listen to more of his teachings. He really doesn't sound like somebody who is heavily medicated for depression like I've heard here. He lives in Kentucky now.
  23. quote: Thx John, I believe I still have it on audiocassette someplace. I'm not sure if you knew about what Craig is doing today or even interested but there was a thread awhile back on his most recent teachings and here is the webpage. I'll check it out. I can't help comparing him possibly with King Saul; when he was little in his own sight he was OK, but once he became the mogfodat....not so much.
  24. quote: No. What I am saying is that the truth of the WORD will make them free, and that the UGLY FACTS of the ministry will heavily distract them from the truth. I'm sure glad I didn't know about VPs sexcapades back in the day. You don't think this ever happens in mainstream churches??? Peoples' sins do not delete Christ's accomplishments. Adam's sin DID delete original paradise, but not in the grace administration. We're all going to be at the gathering and we'll get eternal rewards for anything we've done that pleased God; we won't get rewards for anything we've done that didn't please God. Only Jesus always did those things that please Him.
  25. Ed McMahon. He was a perfectly marketable television personality. He proved that on Star Search and Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes, but when he was with Johnny Carson, he sublimated his ego, personality, whatever he had to give, to make Johnny look good. He wasn't a clown or a bumbling sidekick, he was just like Johnny's 'doulos'.That's what it was like being a musician in TWI. I've gotten a lot of different input about music. Sang tenor in choir 7th grade thru high school, took guitar lessons for 2 years, was in a music school for 2 semesters, even took a class in south carnatic Indian music at another school, plus you get a lot of tips etc. just by playing with other musicians who are better than you. However, about performing, only one source of input, namely TWI. In TWI, God is the 'star of the show'...ALWAYS! If the person running the fellowship thinks you made God look good, you're OK; if you start rocking out and get on an ego trip, not OK. I heard VP once told Joyful Noise he'd rather work with the devil himself than with a musician. Ted Ferrel once posted here that whenever he was accused of being on an ego trip, he felt the person accusing him was on a jealousy trip. In that Steven Seagal movie 'Under Siege' miss July said she did not date musicians...(awww). I have sensed jealousy from some people before, during, and after TWI. I couldn't play a lead guitar solo to save my life, but I can play songs like Classical Gas and a big chunk of the first part of Jethro Tull's 'Thick as a Brick'. If you can entertain people well, then you're going to get positive attention that is ongoing. That's what makes some people jealous. People who seem to have the right combination of looks and personality to be attractive to many of the opposite sex are often targets of jealousy as well. Last week at the fellowship I attend I got to play 'It's gotta be God' and later this morning I will play 'Oh, the price he paid'. A man's gift can make room for him.
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