The UPCI Needs a Healer

[rgcraig]

Originally Posted by rkentsmith

And so now....

1567 hits later.....

558 responses.....

58 pages....

And....

The UPCI is still in need of healing.....

God Bless all you folks today.....

[timlan2057]

Fixed it for you.

Originally Posted by rkentsmith

The vote didn't go MY way so I'll get all "spiritual" and imply, if not outright say, that those who disagree with me and my buddies need some sort of "healing" as if they "backslid."

Of course I wasn't anywhere NEAR saying the UPC needed a healing 15 years ago when all those guys, many who helped forge the UPC in its infancy, left over the Affirmation Statement but hey, consistency was never one of me and my buddies' strong points.


RKS

[rkentsmith]

Originally Posted by timlan2057

Fixed it for you.

Again an example of needed healing

[Michael Phelps]

I keep reading this thread, and something just doesn't seem right.

All these posts over a man-made organization needing a healer, but I read very little about the world needing a savior.

Folks, whether the UPCI exists as it did 40 years ago, or any variation thereof, or even if it stops to exist, the world still needs a savior! And, in my opinion, if what happens in the UPCI affects our evangelism efforts, our focus is on the wrong thing, and WE need a healer.

Sorry, I'm in the preaching mode here, so I'll just keep going.

This is a perfect example of how inbred we've become over the years. We dress to make our peers happy. We preach messages that keep the saints satisfied. We sing songs that our members like. We don't let people on the platform that might offend the tithe-paying saints. We won't evangelize certain areas of our cities, because it might offend the pastor across town. We don't bring certain preachers in because we're afraid that we might be called before the board.

Folks, does any of this seem a bit askew to you?

I lived it for years! I know what it's like to preach to the same group of people week after week, and it becoming increasingly harder to keep them happy. I know what it's like to suffer persecution because I preached something that made someone uncomfortable.

And, here we are, saying that the "organization" needs a healer!!!!!!

WHAT ABOUT THE LOST? WHAT ABOUT THE WORLD?

In my humble opinion, we've shortchanged the world many times in order to keep the organization happy.

Maybe it's time that we put our focus where it belongs?

[timlan2057]

Originally Posted by Michael Phelps

I keep reading this thread, and something just doesn't seem right.

All these posts over a man-made organization needing a healer, but I read very little about the world needing a savior.

Folks, whether the UPCI exists as it did 40 years ago, or any variation thereof, or even if it stops to exist, the world still needs a savior! And, in my opinion, if what happens in the UPCI affects our evangelism efforts, our focus is on the wrong thing, and WE need a healer.

Sorry, I'm in the preaching mode here, so I'll just keep going.

This is a perfect example of how inbred we've become over the years. We dress to make our peers happy. We preach messages that keep the saints satisfied. We sing songs that our members like. We don't let people on the platform that might offend the tithe-paying saints. We won't evangelize certain areas of our cities, because it might offend the pastor across town. We don't bring certain preachers in because we're afraid that we might be called before the board.

Folks, does any of this seem a bit askew to you?

I lived it for years! I know what it's like to preach to the same group of people week after week, and it becoming increasingly harder to keep them happy. I know what it's like to suffer persecution because I preached something that made someone uncomfortable.

And, here we are, saying that the "organization" needs a healer!!!!!!

WHAT ABOUT THE LOST? WHAT ABOUT THE WORLD?

In my humble opinion, we've shortchanged the world many times in order to keep the organization happy.

Maybe it's time that we put our focus where it belongs?

Carl Ballestero has been invoked as a "prophet" as to where the UPC is today.

I have nothing against Ballestero; the old "AMF" school of thought at least attempts to be consistent.

However, from my perspective of 35 years in and around the UPC, C. H. Yadon's diary entry in October 1992 is far more prophetic:

What a shame we could center a conference on an issue so small and divide

the fellowship with carnal contention when we could be out where the real conflict is.

Internal strife arresting our time and attention when the real battle lines of our day are not being touched by us, but others.

[Barb]

Originally Posted by timlan2057

Carl Ballestero has been invoked as a "prophet" as to where the UPC is today.

I have nothing against Ballestero; the old "AMF" school of thought at least attempts to be consistent.

However, from my perspective of 35 years in and around the UPC, C. H. Yadon's diary entry in October 1992 is far more prophetic:

What a shame we could center a conference on an issue so small and divide the fellowship with carnal contention when we could be out where the real conflict is.

Internal strife arresting our time and attention when the real battle lines of our day are not being touched by us, but others.

Tim, that's what I'm screamin'...Bishop NJW said, "Some battles are worth dying for."

I ask again and again, is television the battle folks are willing to die and separate over?!

Makes no sense...

[Michael Phelps]

Originally Posted by timlan2057

Carl Ballestero has been invoked as a "prophet" as to where the UPC is today.

I have nothing against Ballestero; the old "AMF" school of thought at least attempts to be consistent.

However, from my perspective of 35 years in and around the UPC, C. H. Yadon's diary entry in October 1992 is far more prophetic:

You know, the UPCI was never meant to be an "organization", it was meant to be a fellowship of like minded brethren. And some of them didn't even agree on the doctrinal points, but they still fellowshipped!!!!!!!

The "organization" was formed to provide funding for missionaries, provide fellowship for autonomous pastors and their congregations, and to be a think tank for evangelism efforts. Now, in many places, it's a governing body, telling the members what they can and cannot do.

I would certainly hate to be the pastor who pastors a church of 100 in a city of 100,000 and have to explain to God why he fought so hard to keep another Apostolic pastor from starting a church in "his" city.

I would certainly hate to be the pastor who has to stand before God and explain why he wouldn't let a God-called evangelist preach in the church he was pastoring who could have preached a message that would reach souls, all because he didn't like the color of the man's shirt.

I would certainly hate to be the District Official who voted "no" to let a man go into a city and start a church because the official had a friend who pastored nearby who was threatened by the prospective pastor's ministry.

I realize this may sound like I'm bashing the UPCI, and I'm not, because I was raised in it, and licensed with it for years.

All I'm saying, ladies and gentlemen, is that an organization is not going to reach the lost. Men and women are going to reach the lost. And if the organization begins to hinder that effort, then we should have the integrity and courage to walk away from the organization - plain and simple.

I'm not advocating the dissolution of the UPCI, nor am I advocating just walking away because every little vote doesn't go your way. But, if a man or woman truly believes that the organization is going against what God has called them to do, it's time to walk away from it.

Didn't Peter, himself, say "Who are we going to obey, men or God"?

[rgcraig]

Good preaching MP - - any ideas how we can get RKS to read it.

[Sister Alvear]

I know people on both sides are hurt and as long as organizations and cliques exist that will happen. My husband is a wise man he does not involve us (his family) in these things. Color of cards mean nothing to us...we look at the person...

[Michael Phelps]

Originally Posted by rgcraig

Good preaching MP - - any ideas how we can get RKS to read it.

Lol, I put it out there - its up to the congregation to respond!