Hello again to all the GRC members logging on.

As I said in a previous post, if you know the group you're in has really gone wrong, taken a wrong turn, you may be thinking to yourself that if you just hang in there and try to ignore the unbiblical practices and ideas around you, that God will do something, so you won't have to.

I hope you can see that that thinking is a real cop out.
As a follower of Christ (I trust that that is what you still want to be)you are supposed to stand for the truth, and that does not mean that when you know your church and your leaders have really and truly gone wrong, that you remain silent and do nothing, justifying your silence by saying it's all up to God.
 
 But I've learnt that some of you are justifying your inaction because of the way you understand a certain scripture, and of course Noel has taught you to understand that scripture in such a way so that he can lord it over you.
The scripture is about where King David was being oppressed unjustly by King Saul, and David wouldn't do anything against Saul because it would be wrong to "touch the Lord's annointed". Noel has made you think that that passage means that if your God given leader, or pastor of your church, goes wrong,then you musn't resist him, fight him, or confront him.

So you're thinking that just as David wouldn't openly fight against and overthrow Saul, so it would be wrong for you to openly confront Noel and others.Just like David did regarding Saul,you musn't "touch or smite the Lord's annointed", but like him, wait for God himself to do something.

David had the chance to kill Saul, but didn't, because he was the Lord's annointed.

 Can you really apply that to yourself and Noel or Tony Addison?

( I don't mean literally kill Noel of course,but as Noel himself has put it, it means you shouldn't rise up and challenge your pastor).
 
David wouldn't harm Saul, because he was the Lord's annointed,meaning that he was the legally appointed King over the nation.He was the lawfully authorised political leader of his nation. David was not going to be involved in political assination, he was not willing to overthrow the lawful government through armed revolt and murder.
 
As far as the people of the nation of Israel were concerned,Saul was their rightful and lawful King, and if David had killed him and violently replaced his government with his own, the people would not have accepted it.
 
There's a big difference between a King of the ancient nation of Israel and a pastor of a Christian church. Or there should be.
 
You are not to regard Noel as a King over Israel!!!!!

He's not a King over you, as Saul was over Israel,

The New Teatament tells you that a church leader is not allowed to act like a King over the church. He's not to "lord it over"you, he's not to have unquestioned authority over you.

 The passage about Saul and David is about KINGS, not about pastors of the church.
 
Noel has twisted that passage so he can have unquestionable authority over you, just like a King, and if you honestly think he is wrong in the way he acts or speaks, and try to tell him so, or others, he will point to scriptures in the N.T about murmuring and complaining, and silence you.

Well, he is also using those verses about murmuring in a wrong way, out of context, because if you honestly believe that your church leader is seriously going wrong, the N.T indicates that you CAN confront and challenge him about it.
 
Go to Acts 11 verses 2 and 3.Peter had been led by God to enter the house of a non Jew, Cornelius.It was believed among Jews at this time, that they should not be friendly with pagan Gentiles, with all their idolatry and paganism, so entering the house of a pagan,and sitting down for a meal with him was considered unlawful.
 
Apparently, many in the church at this time(the entire church was made up of Jews)believed that,so when they heard that Peter had done that,not knowing that he had been led by God to do it,they thought that he'd really done something very wrong.

When Peter came to a meeting of the church it says "those of the circumcision contended with him". Take note of that.It wasn't just the other Apostles who "contended" with him, it was the Jewish members of the church, so called "laity",the people of the church, the members.
 
In the church of the Bible, if "ordinary"members thought that an Apostle had done wrong,they had the freedom to confront and challenge him.

Notice Peter's reaction to their criticism, he didn't tell them to shut up and how dare they tell him he had done wrong,he didn't rebuke them for murmuring and complaining and causing division and trouble in the church, no, "But Peter explained it to them...".

He patiently addressed their concerns.
 
Even an Apostle, personally chosen and taught by Christ himself, can be confronted and criticised by the members of the church, if they think he has done wrong.
 
You know you can't do that with Noel, but the big question is WHY CAN'T YOU DO IT? Who says you can't do it?
  

The New Testament says you can.
Look at Galatians 2.Paul saw influential men in the church going wrong, how did he react? Verse 5 "To whom we did not yield submission even for an hour...".

Paul could see that if those men had their way, the blessing and freedom of the Gospel would be destroyed in the church, so he just wouldn't go along with them, even for one hour.
 
Noel has destroyed the freedom and blessing of the Gospel in your group, you know that, but how long have you continued to submit to him?
  
One day? Two years? Eight years? A lot longer than one hour!!

Noel does not run his group like the "church of the Bible".

He has made you all regard him as a King ruling over you.
 
It truly is  shameful and degrading, that you continue to submit to such a man, when you know how wrong he is, it is personally degrading for you, to have to act like a servant towards a despotic King, who can't be questioned.
 
How do you do it?

How do you live with your conscience?

Why do you remain silent before such an arrogant man?