Pastors

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At 05:11 PM 2/9/98 -0600, Bro Thorn wrote:
>>At 11:10 AM 2/9/98 -0700, Bro Bill Clifton wrote:

>>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. 
>>Bro Tyler 
>
>Bro Thorn: Brother Tyler, I have never seen a split in any church that the
>people felt the freedom to fellowship and worship in any new group formed
>from it.  

Initially, I'd think that probably is the case.  I think any fellowship
gained from the split will probably be stressed to begin with.  I also 
would imagine that a church that's recently gone through a split is 
hurting enough to probably not seek after fellowship right away anyway.

If they realistically look at where they've come from- and where their
goals are taking them, they should come to realize that there is such a
thing as "organizational afterlife".  Just because it's a *habit* to be
in a particular organization doesn't mean salvation ends when one is not
in the org anymore.  Which was what Bro Clifton had said some were saying
when he said that there were doubts about their own salvation apart from
the organization that the church split from.  To them, it was a thing of
*pride* to part of an organization.  I think it's the *pride* that the
Lord is dealing with them about.

>I also don't know any Holiness preacher that believes they have a
>lock on the salvation plan of God and if this is where my posting has led
>that brings out this sort of accusations, I'd say it was nazism. Don't that
>end the string? 

Nobody has been called a Nazi.  We're talking about folks thinking their
salvation is in jeopardy (or ruined) because they are no longer part of 
a particular organization.

With preachers (on organizational salvation) ... maybe not.  But with the 
saints, it's a different story. I've seen different preachers *sell* their
particular org's from the pulpit like a vacuum cleaner salesman sells
vacuum cleaners and all of the different attachments that go with it.
Because of the marvelous sales job done on the saints, the saint becomes
bias in their beliefs in their perception of their organization and others.
 Let's admit it.  There are folks that are dead-set against stepping foot
into another org's church.  There are many people that would use the phrase
"I wouldn't be caught dead in a
*fill-in-the-blank-other-oneness-org-of-your-choice* church."  I also
wouldn't be surprised if some would even say they wouldn't be caught dead
in a church other than the one they are in right NOW!  It's all a matter of
pride.

God has a way of re-arranging the priorities.

Bro Tyler
--
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