prayer and proof read my resignation letter

[Roy Coates]

I need prayer and some proof reading. I have been talking with the pastor about these things but have not be able to actually say "I quit" yet. Until this morning when I was invited to a meeting to hear a speaker. I looked into it and saw the same thing I see with the others, not much good. I was so inspired to write the pastor I wrote the attached letter and would like others to look at it be fore I send it.
.....E,
I have spent the last couple of hours looking at Sergio's information on the web, as I have made it a custom of mine to look into those you speak of or invite to speak.

I am not qualified to teach you or any body else at the local church. It isn't about what I see or don't see. Is is about honoring the Father and His son Jesus.

Just as I was called to you and your ministry by the Father, I am being called away. Not to a building, denomination or christian religion, But to Him. I am not sure of my purpose yet as I am sure it will be reveled in His time.

I need to pass the prayer service onto the next person and will continue until that position is filled. I will be honored to continue to care for the grounds as long as you will allow.

The reasons are many and very difficult to put in words. I love the people and you too. I just don't believe orthodoxy christainity is not filled or fueled with faulty translations, misinterpretations, and doctrines of men. Infallible Scripture is true statement, infallible bible is false. This all started as soon as Jesus left and as grown like a weed since.

The devil told the lie in the garden "you shall not surely die" and orthodoxy believes that lie today, that the soul is immortal. Orthodoxy teaches hat we circumvent judgment at death and either go to heaven or hell instantly. Paul told us that our only hope was for the resurrection of the dead. But with orthodoxy we don't need to hope for that resurrection. True that we will put on immortality, not until the resurrection of the dead and judgment day.

It pains me to write this, I am not sure why. I believe the Father is in control of everything or sovereign. I have prayed and studied and prayed some more for guidance in the truth. I question everything, I understand a little. It is not you or Sergio or Dave or Varner etc.... All are good men walking in the direction called to walk in. Either I have been sent "a strong delusion" or you have.  Either way God the Father has sent it. So I embrace it as His will and His way.  13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil 2:13 (KJV)
Peace,
Roy

[NoviceBeliever]

Roy I know from some of your previous posts that God has been working on you for a while to this end. I pray for you! NB

[larissa4676]

Roy,

What a wonderful letter. At least through these eyes. My prayer is for your continued strength in the Lord, in His Word, and in His Will for you.

Remember that they will not "buy" your truth as you don't bare their "mark" and do not be discouraged.

Above all...Love.

Larissa

[Roy Coates]

NB. True it is a work in progress, I have been waiting on the Lord, this morning I was inspired to write that and send it. Thanks for the input, thoughts and prayers.

Larissa. Thanks for your kind words, thought and prayers too. It is liberating all ready.

Peace

[Ninny]

Roy that is an absolutely beautiful letter! No one should be offended by it, but I would think love and respect you all the more! You are a very gracious person, a God person!
Kathy

[Marlene]

I agree with Kathy , Roy

God Bless
Marlene

[Linny]

Roy,
I couldn't respond to you on FB but wanted to here. I have such sympathy for those of you who have had to come out of Babylon leaving behind loved ones.
I realize God spared us this as He moved us away from our closest friends (that we still have OUTSIDE of church) into a church where He did not allow us to make any friends. Believe me we tried. But we spent 3 years in a church becoming more and more disillusioned and hurt. So when He took us to BT, we were THRILLED to leave-no pain.
All of us here are on a different path and each experience He puts us through is for an individual purpose to grow us in His perfect way.
I am sorry for this current trial you are in but am confident that it will bring you closer to Him and be a blessing to you in the end.

Bless you, Lin

[southland]

Hi Roy,

I was in pentecostal churches on and off for about 10yrs, its wasn't hard for me to turn my back on it and walk away, but like Linny said we are all on a different paths, I also didn't make many friends, and tried everything to fit in.
I feel for you bother you've obviously have strong relationships in that church (please correct me if wrong on the point).
I feel inspired by your letter, and hope they are too!

Bless you

Matt

[gmik]

Great thread.  Hope it helps you Roy.  God Bless you!!!

[Roy Coates]

Thanks all for the support, input and prayer. The pastor does want me to honor God no matter what,  even if he thinks I am wrong. He as asked some questions I feel to gain an understanding. My email crashed after I typed 2 or 3 pages of responses, Hmmm God at work? of coarse it is God at work.  I don't want to or think I can change him or the church for that matter. I do want to help him understand. Worst thing of this all is my wife as suddenly claimed the importance of the family going to church. I told her I can do it for the family and for her. She cant attend due to her work. Her mother attends a catholic church. She allows our daughter(my step daughter) to attend church with her grandma in exchange for attending with me. I have to force my one son still at home to attend and so I don't make him go. I don't she the logic in the "family needs to attend" when the family doesn't attend now. Social gathering is important, true enough. My plan was to take our daughter on a walk in the park, hunting and fishing while we talk about God and or to God. But I will honor my wife too. She is just freaked out cause it seems so foreign at the time. God has control, His will not mine will be done

[bunnylife]

You letter is so beautiful full of kindness and love. It is an inspiration to me as I have a very good friend wanting to know why I left the church and that it is scripturally wrong to do so. Even though I haven't been in ministry for quite awhile, your (God's) words say it just right.

As someone else stated on here, we are all on unique paths to Father God. Mine was being sick so often kept me out of church, sometimes for years. I only had the Father and His Son Jesus to depend on... to grow spiritually. I didn't make hardly any friends there either. I tried but it just didn't happen. When out sick the last time, I wrote them looking for a way to attend church but it fell on deaf ears. This is God's doing. Ironically, when I finally find away to go to church and was in the process of making friends, Daddy God pulls me out. 

I am glad to hear that your pastor wants you to honor God, even if he thinks you are wrong. I will be praying that your family will be drawn to God into His will. His will be done.

God bless you,
Bunni

[hillsbororiver]

Hi Roy,

It was inspiring to see you follow through in the faith of your convictions, yes you have received another blow by your wife's reaction and I won't suggest you make this a point of conflict between you and her at this time. The one thing I will suggest is that you witness to your children the "really Good News" of Christ and open their hearts to the Love and Mercy that is the essence of our God.

Perhaps when they have questions in regard to how the message of the church differs from what the bible really teaches you could direct their questions to your wife, from that point perhaps you all can have a home bible study to sort it all out.

You have entered a trial of faith and perseverance, you and your family are in my prayers.

Peace,

Joe

[Roy Coates]

Thanks again for all the beautiful repplies. The issue with my wife got worked out last night, at least for now. She was "appalled that the family's spiritual leader would do such a thing" I countered with, "you feel and say that I am the spiritual leader then why don't you let me lead?" Well her response was lead...but...(then some words of caution). In a way Joe I had already done what you suggested. All is well with my pastor. He sends some questions to my cell phone, One of today's was an attempt to use "forsakesake not assembling yourselves" and told me that my leaving the church was not of God if I left and did not join another. I was waiting for that as I have heard him teach on the subject. I told him that I could not respond via text messaging. Later  when I got home I  cut and pasted one of Ray's studies to an email. I am fighting back the "what will every body think" feelings and pressing on. God is right here, right now and always guiding me, you and them. Problem is they just don't know it. Peace and Grace to all, Roy

[larissa4676]

Roy,

I pray that God continues to give you strength and encouragement.

Larissa

[9440geoff]

Hi Roy,

It's a good letter and obviously prayerfully written. Your heartfelt feelings are apparent.
The only comment I would make is that I feel your letter should be sent, or at least read out to the whole church.
My prayer is that the Lord would show you soon where He wants you to be, as a family.

Geoff

[Kat]

Hi Roy,

Leaving the church can be complicated, especially when we have family who are habitual church goers.  They only know what they have been taught and they as I once did, they believe that church is where you go to worship and show reverence to God.  I think that your pastor was only making a veiled attempt to say the right thing when he said you should honor God no matter what.  We know "forsake not assembling yourselves" means with people of like mind, so you really shouldn't be at church then.  I believe your pastor is just trying to get enough info from you to prove you wrong.  Discussing this with him will probably go down hill fast, as he has far too much to lose to believe this.

From what I've seen it seems that these church people will write you off pretty quick, once you stop attending.  I think your wife's (and everybody else's) reaction is because she can not possibly believe you are right and all the churches are wrong and she thinks the church is where you have to go to worship. She can't understand you are not leaving Christ, but this organized (miss-organized) religion.  You will just have to use a lot of tact with her, which it seems like you are. I will pray for your family.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Marky Mark]

Hi Roy,

Leaving the church can be complicated, especially when we have family who are habitual church goers.  They only know what they have been taught and they as I once did, they believe that church is where you go to worship and show reverence to God.  I think that your pastor was only making a veiled attempt to say the right thing when he said you should honor God no matter what.  We know "forsake not assembling yourselves" means with people of like mind, so you really shouldn't be at church then. 

I believe your pastor is just trying to get enough info from you to prove you wrong.  Discussing this with him will probably go down hill fast, as he has far too much to lose to believe this.

From what I've seen it seems that these church people will write you off pretty quick,

once you stop attending.  I think your wife's (and everybody else's) reaction is because she can not possibly believe you are right and all the churches are wrong and she thinks the church is where you have to go to worship. She can't understand you are not leaving Christ, but this organized (miss-organized) religion.  You will just have to use a lot of tact with her, which it seems like you are. I will pray for your family.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

Kat,your quote kind of reminded me of Rays paper on What Is The Gospel Of The Kingdom? Here is an excerpt.

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=49ik9j5ouaeln6kjqep2vv9m31&topic=6142.0

WORKS TO BE SEEN OF MEN

But I want to zero in on one thing though.  Just this one requirement for entering the kingdom, just one.  Of course if you qualify in one area perfectly, it would cover other areas.  But I want to just cover one area, because it was specifically mentioned several times in connection with, either being in the kingdom or not being in the kingdom.  Just one requirement.

Mar 1:15  ...repent ye, and believe in the gospel.

Mat 5:20  ...except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Your righteousness must FAR exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  But there is one giant sin that will keep you out.  There is one thing that Jesus said about the Pharisees, something about them, the way they always were, they way they operated, the way they did and thought and so on, that He just berated. 

Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms (your good deeds - works) before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
v. 2  Therefore when you do your alms, sound not a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.

Do not do good to show off, do not do good to be seen of men, do not do good to have your flesh glorified - puffed up - pumped up.  God says that you will have no reward, that is your reward.

Let me tell you honestly.  I don't want materialism.  It's not that I wouldn't enjoy having it or I can't appreciate it or any of those things.  I do and I can and I probably would, but I don't WANT it.  Because I fear that it would interfere with my spiritual growth and I could even be turned away.  Now I wouldn't have said that twenty years ago, no.  I would have said bring it on Lord.  I don't want it now, I don't want it anymore, I don't want it.  I do want to wear nice clean clothes, but I don't need to have a ton of them and they don't need to be the Reitz Carlton, designer everything, it just doesn't have to be.

So don't do your deeds to be seen of men, because then you have your reward.

Now in Matt. 23, He makes a very  profound statement.  He mentions this over and over.  But here He says something a little stronger yet.

Mat 23:1  Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples,
v. 2  saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat:
v. 3  all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.
v. 4  Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
v. 5  But ALL their works (how many of their good deeds?  ALL) they do to be seen of men, They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
v. 6  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
v. 7  greetings in the marketplaces (to be seen of men),
All their works, I don't think Christ was lying... all their works.
Read chapter 3 and tell me that one of these people are going to be in the kingdom of God.  Some of the works could be good works, it doesn't matter.  If you are doing it to be seen of men, if you are putting back the flesh that you was suppose to have cut off.  If you are struggling to come back to the surface of that baptism in Jesus Christ and you say I've been down there long enough, I want to come up and dry off, I want some of this flesh back.





Peace...Mark

[G. Driggs]

Kudos to you Roy, seems you have taken that first BIG step by sending that letter and obeying our Lords words.

Exo 8:21  Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

In no way to try and scare you, but to encourage you. Once again, good job my brother!

Praying for your strength, courage and faith.

Peace & Love, G.Driggs

[bambam]

Roy, you are an inspiration.:-)  Well, God working in you that is.:-)  I have many fears about talking to my husband about all of this, and still have yet to even try.  But I am happy for you-even though this is the narrow road, and bumpy too.  But alas, God is in control.  Thank you for sharing all of this with us!

Beth

[Roy Coates]

Geoff, letter was sent and reading it to the church is a great idea I will consider.

Kat, you hit the nail on the head. As our talks continue I see exactly what you thought may be happening. A great man, but blinded noon the less.

Everybody, thanks for the thoughts, prayers and feedback it is very helpful.