Doctrine and being surrounded by sound believers…

The Scripture-twisting comes pretty easy once you are amidst a group of people whose doctrine is skewed.

I was a Catholic……..rejected that nonsense by beginning to read the Bible for myself and had (by 8 or 9 years old) seen through it by the grace of God.

Went about my life growing in God, rejecting Hagin, Hinn, Bakker and the whole lot. THEN……..met some folks whom I would become close to over the next several years. Became “one of the gang”, and a part of their larger community of friends. Oh…….they were all WOF, BTW.

I Began going to their church. It scared the Netherworld out of me. But they and the pastor explained it all in their peculiarly eisogetical way. I ignored the impulse to flee, after all, these were my friends. I loved them. Maybe I had been wrong all along.

To make a long story short, I became a youth pastor after a few years, then the senior pastor saw the success I was having and suggested I go to Rhema Bible Training Center in Oklahoma.

So I went. Graduated in 1995. Came back to South Florida and became Associate Pastor of 2 different WOF churches. Also directed the adult training classes and curriculum as well as teaching.

I preached in many other congregations as a guest, preached on TBN (fortunately, not often enough to necessitate the investment in the TBN Pimp’Do), and became generally applauded and put on a pedestal as an “Up and Comer”.

The “bad company” absolutely corrupted good morals. After a while, you become acclimated to the culture, jaded to the excesses until they seem normal, brainwashed to believe the whole schpiel…….though I was never really comfortable with the things I saw (thanks to the Holy Spirit for not giving up on me!!).

I never bought into it entirely, and that caused a lot of friction between the other pastoral staff and I after a few years.

Finally, after seeing the church run with the “Holy Laughter” nonsense, and refusing to participate in it anymore, I had to leave. I was accused of causing division by the senior pastor. I told him I believed he was leading the congregation astray. I left.

After that, I found that beside the money, beside the loss of friends (which was wrenching), the loss of the ADULATION was very difficult to deal with. It’s more intoxicating than any of the more tangible perks.

Having hundreds hanging upon your every word, being feted and admired, having your counsel sought - it’s easy to believe after a while that you really are something special. And once you begin to believe that, all manner of excesses can be rationalized. Soooooo seductive.

Now, no longer in ministry (heck, having a devil of a time finding a church that deals with doctrine correctly for that matter), no longer the “anointed teacher” so sought after,no more $100 dollar handshakes, no longer adored but rather reviled by my former “friends” - but finally at peace. No more nagging doubts, no more wondering at my motives. No more grasping to BE somebody.

It’s a seductive trap my friends and how I wish something like this site had been around to help me back then. It might well have saved me over a decade of involvement.

I do have some sympathy for the Pimps because I know how one can be sucked into it. But if the Holy Spirit isn’t convicting them like He did me, then they’re not saved at all to begin with. Those are the pure Pimps, the hucksters for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever and ever.

And for those who are being convicted, they have a way of escape, and sites like this can be used to remove them from their isolation and allow them to see things that no one in their circle will ever dare tell them.

Posted by Melvin Jones on Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006 at 10:45 pm.