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[geokuhns]

I need some help on this one. I have read Ray’s “Who is the Beast” and “The Beast Within” Part XIII and Part XIV of the Lake of Fire series. I have read both twice. In them Ray states that we must “Repent of “… leaving your FIRST LOVE.” He speaks of leaving our first love several times in both reports. My question is what is our first love? Please clarify for me. Thank you.

[Kat]

Hi George,

When we are in the church we are introduced to Christ and you are taught about the person Jesus.  I can remember having a real joy when I came to a understanding of just what Christ repersented.  As the years go by and we get bogged down in playing church and keeping the traditions of man or leaving the church and going back into the world, that to me is losing your first love.  If you are one of the fortunate few God will drag you out and back to Him (John 6:44).  So to me our first love is when we first come to Christ and believe He is the Son of God.

Here are a couple of emails I found.
 
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,7112.0.html --------

Dear Heather:  My "First Love" was my first desire to repent and come out of this world and follow God's way, which I then deserted to a large extent and went back into the world, and then repented and returned to my First Love.


http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,7618.0.html --------

Many have left their initial belief and acceptance of God and Jesus and have gone back into the world with a spiritually-minded vengeance!  Thankfully, God recalls some out of that condition, as He has done with you.  All we who have "left our First Love" have similar feelings about how stupid, and selfish, and carnal we became.  But it is good to feel guilt and shame. These emotions help to continuously keep us from committing the same sins or to the same degree.  We have to "COME OUT"  of Babylon, and then we need to "STAY OUT."  And the staying out is often as difficult as the coming out. The more we spiritually grow and understand, the more we see our shortcomings.  It is good that God does not show us all of our sins all at once--it would be so over-powering and shameful, that we would have trouble facing another day.  Glad that you have seen the Light.

God be with you,
Ray 

[Samson]

Dear Brother George,

                             I think Kat answered your question more than adequately with her response
                             quoting Ray and presenting some of her experience. I can vouch for this, feeling
                             a great joy when first involved with my life long denomination, but as time went
                             by, there gradually developed a feeling of disallusionment towards that Religious
                             establishment leading to my subsequent defection.

                             My mindset at that time(2004) was if they aren't teaching the Truth, I might as
                             well go at it alone, just read the Scriptures and I was determined not to be
                             misled, again. Although other Universalist Type teachers initially stimulated my
                             interest in pursuing a definitive belief structure, it wasn't until being exposed to
                             Rays material that a Geniune joy and interest was in my heart. I returned to my
                             first love.

                                                          Kind Regards, Samson.
                         

[dogcombat]

To sum it up for you George.  Leaving your first love is so easy, even a child can do it.  And EVERY Child of God WILL.  Until God DRAWS you back (John 6:44)

Ches

[geokuhns]

Thanks for your input Kat. I think I’m getting the picture. Does this make sense?

I was born and raised Catholic. Then I left that church to join the Worldwide Church of God. I left the WCG after 12 years and followed no one for about 25 years. Then I followed the A.E. Knoch group (Jeff Priddy) for about 5 years until 11 months ago God led me to Ray Smith.

Does leaving the Catholic church constitute leaving “my first love?” Or does leaving the Catholic church, WCG & Jeff Priddy combined constitute leaving “my first love?” I know that all those years (30 years) prior to Ray I was seeking the truth. But I do know that I was unconverted during that period. Since studying what God has revealed to Ray I feel converted now. I feel that way because I now can resist evil where before I could not. I attribute that to the power of the Holy Spirit that God has influenced my mind with. I certainly could use more of that power.

I am just blown away with Ray’s understanding of Revelations. At first it seems so foreign to me because all of our lives we read only the Hal Lindsay’s of the world and their interpretations. When I first read Ray’s report on who the Beast was I said “Are you kidding me?” But the more I read and started putting the pieces of the puzzle together I began to understand. I still said “Are you kidding me” but only because this understanding was so beautiful and completely opposite from the worldly view. I’m glad it is up to God to convert people because if I tried to convince people of my views they would want to send me to the “funny farm.” But I stand ready to give an answer when appropriate with the hope that is within me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

[aqrinc]

Hi George kuhns,

Happy new year to you too. It is a wonderful thing when we first see where we have come from
to get here. Even more wonderful is when we know Who (Jesus Christ) Is Bringing us to this point.
Yet a Greater wonder is when we know that He Will Bring each and every human ever born to this
point and way beyond in due time.

Romans 11:33:
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  how unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Ephesians 3:8:
To me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to make known among the
gentiles the glad tidings of the unsearchable riches of Christ,

All Praise and Honor and Glory To GOD and Our Lord Jesus Christ.

george.

[Kat]

Hi George,

Does leaving the Catholic church constitute leaving “my first love?” Or does leaving the Catholic church, WCG & Jeff Priddy combined constitute leaving “my first love?”

Those churches were not your 'first love' Jesus Christ was.  As I look at it, we lost our first love in short order, at least I think I did. 

I was raised in the Baptist church and quite attending when I was a teen.  I do not think I really knew Christ while there at all, because I did not take a serious interest in religion.  But as a young adult I became interested and attended a Baptist a few times, but I heard Herbert Armstrong on TV and that began a 15 year journey with WWCG.  I was seriously seeking and that was when I really understood something about Jesus.  That to me was my 'first love.'  I left WWCG and went to a Baptist church for 10 years.  But I had left my first love way back in WWCG when I was trying so hard to keep the letter of the law and man made traditions of the church.

Now I put my faith and trust in the sovereignty of God, I know there is nothing I can do, it is all the spirit within.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Ninny]

Hi guys!
It is amazing how we have all come out of something! I was a Seventh Day Adventist for 20 years!  I have been on journey of discovery ever since I left. I guess I was on that journey when I went there, too.  I cannot tell you of the number of times I heard and read those words, "Come out of her my people..." The Adventist Church identifies Mystery Babylon as every other church Except the SDA church (Actually beginning with the Catholic church they call it 'the Mother of harlots')! I am thankful that God has called me out of that mindset!! He has shown me a much better way! It is astounding when you really begin to understand the scriptures! I still have LOTS to learn
Thanks to everyone who helps me understand.
Kathy

[judith collier]

It was always awful with no one to explain to me why---Since I returned to Jesus (rather He called me) then why did I leave the church,(what was wrong with me and was it I was just destined to be unfaithful?) I get mixed up on these conversations but that Babylon conversation----I remember the Spirit calling me Israel and it took me a long time to figure that one out, then most of my friends were becoming Zionists and I tried to tell them of the heavenly Jerusalem but no one listened so I figured I had no right to quote scripture since I seemed to mess it up. Boy, it's nice to be here!! Judy

[Marlene]

Hello, My first love was when I was a child and I had not believed the lies of Mystery Babylon. Then, I grew up and had a life of sin. I then repented, but thought I needed to get into a church. The church is good for the milk, but not good for meat. I never felt like they were right on everything, but little did I know that I began  to believe a bunch of lies. When, I was a child I just saw God as Love. It was all in his plan that we take the journey we take. Now, I am where he wants me. I am in the spirit and whole truth. I have dis-owned the Babylon teachings. I am in the race and only he could have placed me there. Now, I am learning with others who are in the same race.  Truth truly sets you free from the false teachings. I still love all who are lost in it. But, I now know that it is of him. I do not worry about there safety. Its just wonderful knowing that this hard life we face here is not forever. It is more wonderful to know Hell is a lie of Satan. I thank God each and every day of showing me his truths and giving all you forum members as Brothers and Sisters to share our problems and also mainly to edify each other with our gifts the Lord has given each of us.

In His Love,
Marlene

[winner08]

Hello everybody: I have what seems a very different story concerning first loves. I went to catholic school for the first 4 yrs of my life. This included my baptism, communion and my comformation. All the while going to Sunday school every week. After the 4 yrs I started public school. I really haven't belong or been to a church since. That said I still studied read and learned on my own. I never stopped thinking about God.  Now and then I would pop in maby on a Easter sunday with a friend I think one time I did a midnight Christmas mass. That was it. Most if not all of my adult learning's of Christ has been, must have been guided by the Holy Spirit. How else could I have gotten here? This is where my questions lies. I was too young to even know what or who God was in grade school. Who, what, and where is my first love. Did I even have one. If not where does that leave me in regard to first loves?? Oh yea, I did do alot of reading with the Armstrong's booklets and magazines. They almost had me, then along came Ray. 

[Jackie Lee]

I at one time watched Garner Ted Armstrong on television pretty regular.
Is this who you all talk about as the Armstrongs?

[Kat]

Hi Darren,

What my understanding of 'first love' is, when you first come to an understanding of who Christ is... basically the Son of God that came in human form and died as a sin offering.  Whenever you came to this understanding and for most that would have been in church, but maybe you came to see this in your own studies.  But it was whenever you first came to know Christ as the Savior and found joy in that.  So whatever age and where ever you may have been does not seem to matter so much, but that you did come to believe that Christ was the Son of God. 

I was a young adult and even though I did not know the truth at that time I was very happy to understand that Christ was my Savior.
But after the joy of finding out about Christ at first we all lose this 'love' in one way or another.  Either the church overshadow this with their own doctrines or we get lose in the cares of the world, but we do lose it.  Then at the appointed time God draws us back to Him, it's only a few in this age, but eventually it will be all.

That how I see it, I hope that it helps. 

mercy, peace and love
Kat

p.s. Jackie Lee, Herbert Armstrong was the founder of WorldWide Church of God, Ambassador College and the Plain Truth mag., Garner Ted was his son.

[winner08]

Yes Jackie Lee: Ted Garner Armstrong. I started watching his TV programmes also. I thought this man was great. I thought I had found the truth in his teachings. Now I know I was deceived as well as millions of others. In say that, I would not have found Ray's site as I did. So I guess I  Ted was an instrument of God that lead me to Ray's teachings and the real truth. Just another step in the ladder that lead me here. As y'all would say I am where I am at this time and place because it is God's will for me. It could not have gone any other way.

[Jackie Lee]

Thanks Kat and Darren,
 When I left the church the first time when I was young, I had thought I was going to hell, that was what I had been taught.
I remembered the empty feeling of thinking there was no hope for me.
Then when I returned to the church in the 80's and remained there until 2000, I knew then I was called out of the church for good.