Hello mate, good to hear from you
Good
*Many sincere people, who really care about the Lord.
I disagree with the above because the following scriptures comes to mind,
Mat 15:8 "'This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
Mat 7:20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
The love of the LORD is not there except for a few who are ‘on the edge’ as Pr P would say, or maybe very ignorant members who are not clued up to the doctrines of TRF and just go on in simplicity of the joy they received. This is very difficult in most cases because there is a serious lack of real support, a void of love and an obvious lack of joy.
*A willingness to help those in need, in a material sense as well as spiritual.
There is no willingness to ‘help those in need’ there is merely a strong attempt to bring people in line with accepting what Pr P decides with the support of the silent ‘yes men’ of Europe. You said it yourself before about them not wanting to talk about so many other biblical issues, which they are uncomfortable discussing. Their simple motto is’ get in line or get out’. You either go on wilfully ignorant just to remain in TRF, or you stand up for God’s word and get out of there.
*Immediate baptism by full immersion, not waiting months and taking lessons beforehand, lie’ some churches do.
There are plenty of churches out there that do the above and also display the fruits of the Spirit, which TRF does not.
*A genuine love of scripture by some, not all.
I disagree with that because the general line was to focus on the ‘Gospel message’ and not ‘hang your hat’ on other biblical issues, which were not ‘salvation issues’. There are many examples of this and as soon as you leave TRF and read your bible, you will realise there is so much more in there, than the repetitive militant Jehovah’s Witness style attack on the very few scriptures used by TRF. Did you ever give a talk? They soon shoot you down if you delve into things they don’t like, be it a black and white shut down, or an attempt at a subtle rebuttal. Oh, how the ears were closed.
*Nothing too over-emotional, like in some churches, where it's more about getting an emotional high than getting to know the Lord.
The above is very subjective and because of this it is difficult to make a comment. There is almost a complete void of anything in a TRF meeting in Holland, Yorkshire or Manchester. Having been to a northern England ‘prayer meeting’ I was in absolute shock at how miserable people could be, especially when they believe they are at the pinnacle of what the Spirit has to offer. A Dutch meeting is incredibly morbid, which I experienced after a German camp. The Dutch leadership act far stricter when the other Europeans aren’t around ‘feel at home’.
*Things are done orderly, no one falling on the floor or mass hysteria.
Again, the above is a subjective because you would have to understand what is ‘decent and in order’ to begin with. For example, lifting hands, dancing ‘swaying’, and other things. Well, let’s look in the bible,
Psa 150:3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
Psa 150:4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
Psa 150:5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Psa 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
Do you honestly sense any of the praise declared above in a TRF ‘chorus session’?
Psa 63:3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
Psa 63:4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
1Ti 2:8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
1Co 14:15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
TRF declare that in Jude ‘praying in the Spirit’ means speaking in tongues. Well if this is their conclusion, then using their own logic, they must allow singing in tongues, but they call declare it as ‘indecent’
*The Holy Spirit is talked about as a person, not just God's influence or force.
In TRF he is essentially a ‘tongues’ and little more is spoken thereof. Never once did I hear a talk on the Godhead and the triune nature of our Creator in the Father, Word and Spirit. There is an incredible amount of scripture for a clear grasp of what God wanted us to know; yet it is an issue, which they do not like to discuss. I dare say it is because He is not the one they are seeking.
*Healing is talked about and happens. Not so in some other churches.
The meeting I attend now (not TRF) is full of healings, miracles and God’s love. I was close to tears at a recent testimony meeting, hearing how God has changed the lives of my fellow brothers and sisters and how joyful they were and sang praise to Him. A bus smashed into one girl when she was walking across the Zebra crossing. Her head smashed the glass at the front of the bus and the bus launched her forward and then drove over her legs. She was covered in blood and in intensive care. The first thing she said when she saw her granddad was ‘pray for me’ and can you believe she had no broken bones at all, nor any glass in her face or body. She was completely healed in a speedy recovery and the doctors could not believe it. They gave all glory to God. I could tell you many more things that would make you praise our Creator.
*Being able to talk openly about how other groups don't base their teachings on the Bible and why.
I doubt the above simply because they do not know what the others believe. Half of them don’t even know what TRF belief because very few issues are discussed. They talk about Catholicism and then, ‘Pentecostalism’ but the way they go about it is quite ridiculous. The ‘Pentecostals’ are classed as one group and they like to use some American ones who run up walls and so forth. It’s typical slander techniques of going for the most extreme cases and then labelling all as being like that. They don’t talk openly about their own doctrines, so it is highly unlikely they do the same about others.
*How there are some genuinely good and loving people there, who are always rejoicing in the Lord.
Hmm, which group were you in? I saw maybe 5% of people actually rejoicing and the rest were either miserable or hopping from one step to another so as not to offend the hard-line TRF philosophy.
*An emphasis on preaching the gospel, as in the Bible.
The emphasis was on wearing a shirt and tie and getting to every single meeting/outing. If you didn’t do it, you were an outcast.
Bad
*The people who give talks are amateurs, who go over the same topics over and over again, without much variation. Most common themes: The Lord's imminent return, the need to preach the gospel, Acts 2:38.
Exactly.
*Little said to encourage people to live righteous, exemplary lives.
Exactly, but the reason is they have no joy or understanding of the fruits of the Spirit.
*Shallow understanding of the Greek and Hebrew texts.
Hence the weird doctrines
*Young children expected to pray to 'receive', when they don't have enough knowledge to really understand.
Spot on
*Feeling under pressure to do a 'spiritual voice gift' in meetings and how they're done in King James English.
And they are just the ‘same old’ or a re-hash of the previous 10 years of ‘gifts’. Often used as a chance to have a go at a person behind the smokescreen of a God-given revelation, which is merely there own presumptuous declaration.
*The amount of gossip among the 'youngies'.
It’s everyone, not just youngies. They gossip because it’s all they have. The joy of the LORD is not there, so they keep themselves busy.
*How some people are openly repulsed by homosexuals/transexuals/transvestites, etc. But all sin is equal in the eyes of God, so what's the big deal, compared to other sins such as vanity?
We are told the wages of sin is death, and death entered the world when Adam sinned. Because we are all descendants of Adam, we are all born sinners because we have inherited the fall from our forefathers. The creation groaned, hence the decay of the present world and the entropy law, which affects everything. For this reason, Jesus was the only possible atonement for God’s righteous judgement that the wages of sin must be death.
All sin is equal in this respect that without Jesus sacrifice, we would all be doomed to perish, but the bible does clearly show that there is greater/lesser suffering for differing deeds.
Luk 10:12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
And there are plenty of other examples. Homosexuality is declared as wicked in many scriptures, so it would be folly to treat is as a ‘light’ sin. ‘Be holy, as I AM holy’
*How you're not encouraged to seek the truth for yourself, but force-fed information.
But you get plenty of double-speak, which says do it, but don’t.
*Many of the people 'brought up in the Lord' are clearly brainwashed and don't know how to think for themselves, but rely on the constant advice of the oversight.
Exactly. Brain-washed mind-controlled and the techniques used are identical to the Jehovah’s Witnessed. I should know because I used to be a JW and then ended up in TRF until I finally understood God’s grace after leaving TRF.
*People equate being in the Fellowship as being 'in the Lord' and those outside are seen as 'not in the Lord', or walking 'disorderly'. This is not true.
Yes, and the fat people seem to have a real jealousy towards those of us who are slim and go to the gym. Jealousy is rife in there.
*Some of the choruses make me cringe.
The choruses represent their philosophy. No melody / no harmony in the body itself. Same old songs / same old talks over and over again. Monotonous hand clapping / robotic acceptance of doctrines delivered.
The songs were awful, but the core of this is because they do not have the joy of the LORD; therefore what do they have to sing about?
*If you miss a couple of meetings, it's red alert, unless you've got a very good reason.
Yes, already an outcast
*A lot of people don't love the Lord, they're just afraid to leave cos it's all they know.
Exactly, they never knew the LORD, so what are they holding on to? Come out of her and find God’s people.
*How pastors like you to discuss any major decisions with you before you make them, so they can advise you on what you should do... i.e. whether it'll fit in with what the Fellowship is doing.
This is normally written in the Pastor’s handbook. It might as well be called the book of Mormon. Anyone would have thought the Bible would be enough! Pr P self esteemed infallibility is dangerous.
*The same cringey lingo throughout all fellowships, e.g., "And all the people said...", "in the Lord', "in the world", etc.
So much for traditions and rituals: ‘Oh bless the LORD, oh Hallelujah, oh praise His Name’ ‘thank you thank you thank you, thank you (ultra high pitched voice). And many other empty phrases, which are used be others copying the oversight and never connecting with what they are actually saying.
*How a lot of people act just as "worldly" as anyone who's not a Christian, just without the swearing, smoking, sex, drugs and drinking. Anyone can abstain from these things, doesn't make them more spiritual.
Spot on
Col 2:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—
Col 2:21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"
Col 2:22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)--according to human precepts and teachings?
Col 2:23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
*How people who have studied Theology or know a lot about the Bible are seen as idiots compared to someone who's been taught the RF doctrines.
Exactly.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
*How there are never any clear answers to the tougher questions of the Bible.
And even when they do have answers they are wish washy and clearly unscriptural.
*RF doctrines are seen as more important than scrutinising the Bible for the answers.
They don’t want you to search for anything and if you do find something, they try to explain it away with incredible stupidity
*Some people have clearly been hurt by the RF, and that's not good.
Many people. I just hope that when they left, they found a place of true Christian worshippers.
*Works are emphasised more than God's grace... i.e. once you've done the 1-2-3, you have to do works that please God to "earn your salvation", so to speak, or you'll lose your salvation. Fair enough, I don't agree with eternal security, but works should be the result of a love of God, not fear of the oversight or fear of going to hell.
Exactly.
You want to leave TRF and find somewhere teaching scripture accurately and where the fruits of the Spirit are clearly seen in action, not just words.
Jesus loves you.
