Pastors

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At 11:10 AM 2/9/98 -0700, Bro Bill Clifton wrote:

<snip>

>The church I was attending (UPC) has spilt and now we are forming a
>church and have applied for a second UPC work in this area (100,000+
>people). We have been told that the odds are against us for political
>reasons. But we have decided that no matter what we have sound doctrine.
>We will not vary if the UPC is our affiliate or not. But some fear they
>will lose their salvation if we are not UPC.  

Boy!  When I hear a comment like that, it makes me wonder what
some folks base their salvation upon.  Do some really think that 
they'd be lost if they are forced outside the organization that 
brought them the truth?  I can see a warm spot in their heart for
the organization, but not absolute dyed-in-the-wool-gotta-be-one.

Two points:

1) To me, that reflects the attitude of many in the church that think
they have (the church and the organization) an exclusive lock on
salvation.  Adopting that kind of attitude, I imagine, would eventually
lead to organizational bigotry/dogma/etc. because saints don't see the
other organizations as equal anymore, but as lessor bodies of saints/folk.

2) This also shows the muddying of the lines between "oneness apostolic
christian" and being a part of the organization.  Folks can't distinguish
between the two because they equate their salvation with their own 
organization as *the one and only way* to go.   It's through this mindset 
that churches mass produce little sainted-clones ... lacking individuality.
It's in this sense that "apostolics" are made and not "christians".

In a way, maybe it's a good thing for the split so that people can be
brought the error of their attitude by facing it in it's reality.  There
needed to be a *checkup* from the *neck-up* to get the head back on straight
once again.  There surely is emotional pain and suffering right now.  

Maybe this will be a *growing* pain to be respected much like the stress 
of a tulip bulb as it goes through the dormant/dying stage as it progresses
through fall and then winter.  Realizing that the tulip bulb needs the
stress of being frozen in the ground before it can bring forth new life.

A time of pruning and pain must be realized before propogation can occur. 

Bro Tyler 
--
Bro Tyler Nally <tnally@iquest.net> <tgnally@prairienet.org>

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