AN OPEN
LAMENT OF “www.thechurchofwells.org”
May the LORD have mercy. I have recently gone
through the content of www.thechurchofwells.org, “Discerning the
Church of Wells”. LORD have mercy. It seemed necessary to my soul to
openly proclaim that I am grieved, yes, even ashamed, at the behavior of those
herein who have made themselves to be judges of this matter: HeartCry, Paul
Washer, Marc Glass, Mack Tomlinson, Greg Gordon, Matt Slick, Andrew Rappaport,
Tony Miano… I am grieved at the author of this website, who lacked the audacity
to name himself/theirselves, as well as the individuals whose public statements
are portrayed. I need not even bring up some of their names (e.g. liberal authors Sonia Smith and Leah Caldwell, Wikipedia) for “what have I to judge them also that are
without? Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God
judgeth…” (1 Cor 5:12-13).
Firstly I am grieved at the conglomeration of spirits that do speak in the
statements and articles presented there. Paul Washer, HeartCry, and the rest
who acclaim the true Gospel, have you not purposed long ago not to forge
alliances with the wicked? Have you not regarded the terrible holiness of the
LORD, whereby darkness and evil, and all who reside in such cannot enter His
presence for they would be destroyed by the far off rays proceeding from the
brightness of His appearance? Mr. Tomlinson, would you let Andrew Rappaport,
Matt Slick, or Tony Miano speak at an I’ll Be Honest Conference? Matt Slick,
would you let the authors of the Wikipedia page or Sonia Smith speak at your
church? HeartCry would you openly declare that the Groves are certainly
converted and honest individuals? Have you not purposed, I’ll Be Honest
Community, to come out from false Christianity, to be separate in holiness, in
doctrines of true conversion, and prayer for revival? I’ll Be Honest Community,
when have you ever referenced the heathen to declare something assuredly to the
remnant and the world? When have you ever chosen to partner with any and every
source and witness available…and simply to justify an unjust condemnation? I am
ashamed. I love you all. The LORD knows that I (and the brethren here many of
whom do not even know you personally) do bear you upon my heart continually. I
will not rest in the travail of my soul until the LORD Himself has chosen to be
finished with you or He delivers you safely to His heavenly Kingdom! If only
you had video footage of our prayer meetings, the hours of weeping and agony
that we have before the LORD—grief that is not self-derived, but granted by the
Spirit, who reveals the deep things of the heart of God. The grief is over your
backslidings, over the darkness that is coming over you even as you continue to
reject us. How will you hear His voice? How will you feel His pleasure? How
will you be received by this King when you have chosen to behave in this
foolish manner, when you refuse to even meet us and speak to us, when you make
statements assuring the world that Leonard Ravenhill, Rolfe Barnard, and
Charles Spurgeon would certainly not approve of our doctrine or practices and
that they would not worship with us? What exactly have you done? You have
openly declared that we are wolves in sheep's clothing, that we are not
converted, that we are trying to promote our “error-filled cause”. You accuse
us of cutting ties with our families, and yet you have cut ties with us in the
name of a righteous separation. But you have not even spoken to us! You believe
Greg Gordon who had a personal experience with “two young men” from our church.
You believe the online community of slander initially instigated by less than
10 parents, mostly mothers, who have slandered us unrighteously. How will you
stand before Him? He that is
first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him (Prov 18:17). The simple believeth every word:
but the prudent man looketh well to his going (Prov 14:15)
That be far
from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked,
that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen 18:25)
Blessed is
the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way
of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Ps 1:1)
I
committed your same error in the past: I believed the reports of a few
witnesses and concluded that the Church of Wells was extreme, unrighteously
judgmental and zealous, that they were simply young people filled with a zeal
that lacks knowledge and that they had a pride about themselves…exactly as your
website does seek to portray them, I once believed this. For I had met several
people like this in the past. I believe I know exactly the type of brutish
young men that you are seeking to present our elders as: those who love power,
who lack the Spirit, who are zealous, but have no brokenness or prayer life, no
true nearness to the sweet presence of the merciful LORD Jesus Christ, those
who are not actually living off of the fountain of life through the abiding
presence of the LORD of the Gospel of grace, those who refuse to consider that
they may be wrong in any sense. The LORD knows what you are trying to present
them as, and you likely believe in your conscience that they are such. But as I
have stated before, I could not continue in my steadfastness before the LORD
and in a pure conscience. For I had been foolish to believe these things
without even speaking to them, without even hearing their witness. You have not
met them! You do not know them! How is it that you claim to be wise, a
Spiritual shepherd regarding what the remnant ought to do concerning us, when
you do not speak to us? You have not even reproved us to our face. You say you
know of “so-and-so” who has? But have you? The pastors will wholeheartedly
speak to any of you in the proper environment where a Biblical hearing may be
had and truth may prevail. We desire to speak with you, to even host you in our
homes, and give you our best Spiritually and physically, if only you may
understand the truth of the presence of the LORD with us, and His truth with
us, not that we may be affirmed, simply, but that you may not proceed into deep
darkness, that you may not continue in your doctrinal prison of Calvinism, that
you may not be deceived into rejecting the LORD Jesus Christ, who is Himself
eternal life, through the doctrines and traditions of men.
I
was once a Calvinist, a very strong one, as were our elders and many of the
brethren here. I understood all the logical connectedness and complexity of
TULIP. I refused to be taught by anyone who was not a Calvinist. The thought of
falling away seemed highly heretical to me. I was like most of you. However,
you yourself, Mack Tomlinson, have stated somewhere that you held to the belief
that there were many Arminians in church history who are to be had in honor as
true saints though they differed on matters of predestination, eternal
security, etc. Charles Leiter even mentioned that he has invited Arminian
pastors to preach at his church. So clearly, you are not writing off ALL who
believe in falling from grace as most certainly heretical and unconverted. [ I
must note, in case any of you were unaware: we do not call ourselves Calvinists
or Arminians. We believe in predestination as well as in the possibility for
true saints to fall ultimately from grace. We do not believe that man has a
free will]. But for reasons you state, you believe that we, specifically, have
heretical beliefs, that we do not even believe in the true Gospel, that we are
somehow trusting in our works and not in Christ…
It
appears that some of your main charges against us are that we “cut ties with
families” and that we are unrighteously judgmental and proud. Greg Gordon
describes how the young men he spent time with would not hear any counsel. Even
if that were true, though everything I have experienced indicates otherwise,
could you deny that if a young man were truly anointed of the LORD, that any
old man’s counsel could deter him? You reply that you could not deny it but that
we are not anointed of the LORD. But have you
spoken to our elders? Would it not be your basic human benevolence to meet with
our elders even if you feel in your conscience that you must reprove them? Do
you not desire to hear them out and see for yourselves if they have the Spirit,
or if the Spirit would convict you by them? Is this an error in judgment that
you can afford to make? Oh may the LORD trouble your souls night and day if
indeed we be of the LORD!
He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that
despiseth you despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me despiseth him that sent Me.
(Luke 10:16)
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
(1 John 4:6)
4 Therefore the
law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass
about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. 5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously:
for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be
told you. (Hab 1:4-5)
In great
hope that you may understand or at least reconsider, I feel that I must bear
witness to a few things that I have witnessed here: specifically the prayer
meetings, and the personal lives of the elders.
There is a notion among you that we lack brokenness, contrition, poverty of
spirit, the heart of prayer to kneel before God. To the contrary one of the
greatest blessings of this church is the prayer meetings. There are corporate
weekly prayer meetings, and impromptu house meetings and smaller gatherings in
addition. The prayer meetings start out with brief exhortations and updates
from the elders and a few hymns are sung to prepare our souls to worship.
Immediately the meeting begins. They are usually between 5 and 8 hours long.
And they are glorious. The vast majority of the brothers and a good number of
sisters pray, sometimes once, sometimes 4 times, as the LORD leads, and oh, I
cannot describe in words how they do pour out their hearts as wax in the
presence of the LORD! It is as in my own personal prayer times, when I am very
filled with the Spirit and enabled to pour out my heart to the LORD, but these
brethren have learned to do this corporately. There are many tears and many
burdens. The burdens vary from world-wide broad prayers for the LORD to revive
His church and save His remnant and judge the wicked with the WORD of God that
men might repent, fear God, and give Him glory, to specific burdens such as for
HeartCry and Paul Washer, the I’ll Be Honest Community, the blasphemy of Joel
Osteen and Benny Hinn, and for family members. There is not one of the brethren
who is not broken-hearted over a lost/falsely converted family member [why is
it so strange to you that we have falsely converted family members? I’ll Be
Honest Community, this should not be strange to you!]. Mothers will weep and
cry out for their unsaved children. Often we will cry out for the Spiritual
burdens of each others’ souls, for particular backslidden souls among the
remnant, who once were with us, but have been subverted by Chris Faulkner or
Christine Major and a few others [you can contact us if you would like more
details about the truth concerning the one-sided tale of these individuals].
Often there are spontaneous givings of praise, thanksgiving, and glory to God.
The brethren groan and cry and wail before the LORD. The elders and brothers
are often face down on the floor. Tears and mucus covers the floors. Sin is
found out. Brethren weep in repentance over sin, over transient backslidings,
over slothfulness of soul, and over abating of zeal. I have never seen anything
like this! I have never even heard of anything like this! And how the LORD does
come near and reside with us, and the convicting Spirit, and His all-surpassing
peace, and His outpouring of charity…how He does fill our heart with a holy
vengeance against the stumbling blocks of His bride! And then our God rides
through the heavens in His majesty to save His anointed people, granting the
requests of our lips. Many miracles have happened: God has miraculously
sustained us financially. Brethren who were told by doctor specialists that
they could never have children have multiple arrows in their quivers. Many who are sick are prayed for by elders and brethren and healed as
the LORD wills. Of utmost significance, gates of spiritual iron are opened,
bars of imprisonment of souls are cut asunder. Men fall on their faces and
repent. Oh how the LORD has heard our prayers are turned the hearts of many whom
we have cried out for together. Since I came here last November, this has
happened more times than I can remember. And many of these brethren are with us
now!
Regarding the personal lives of the elders, I am acquainted with all three, but
my husband’s more of course. I wish you could see and behold what I do dear
saints. You hear fiery preaching on our website, and indeed our elders preach
to us with the fire of God not only on Sunday assemblies but throughout the
week in weekday meetings, prayer meetings, and one-on-one, or in small groups
in less formal settings. They are filled with exhortations, reproofs, and words
of counsel for each of the brethren. They watch over souls with the utmost
diligence, for their LORD is Christ, not fame or rising prominence among you
all as you deem. You do not see the nights they spend up with saints struggling
with sin. You do not see my husband face down on the bedroom floor mourning
before the LORD until sunrise. You do not see him praying and weeping with me in
my arms to the point of exhaustion that God would make him His worthy servant!
You do not see Ryan Ringnald pleading with saints and sinners with Scriptures
and abounding love for hours daily! You do not see Jake Gardner leaving the
comforts of his family and home to check on the welfare of a fainting saint in
another state and having his family vacate their home and stay in the room of
another brother’s house so that a brother’s wife and children from overseas
could join him in the comfort of a his home. They do not even have cars.You do
not see them on their knees, laboring in prayer, in WORD, and doctrine for your
sake. You do not see their meetings together, the three of them, crying out to
the LORD against false prophets, crying out for empowerment and anointing that
only the LORD of hosts can give! We elders’ wives often have to remind our
husbands to eat and to sleep! They are spent for the LORD! And you would deign
to call them prayerless proud young ignorant zealots! LORD have mercy!
You think they are youthful and unlearned. Dear saints, I have spent years
laboring in the presence of God to find out the nature of the soul of an
anointed man of God, and I had largely chosen to remain with the ancients. But
these three elders…they are elderly in their souls; they are no fools in the
sight of God! Oh would you ask your God!?
Divers weights are
an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is
not good. (Prov 20:23)
Keep thee
far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I
will not justify the wicked. (Ex 23:7)
It
is an abominable thing which you have done. May the merciful LORD help you
repent. We are here for you dear remnant. All that we have is yours. If the LORD
desires that our blood be shed to show you the extent of our love for you, even
as we do judge your wickedness, may He make us faithful, worthy, and bold to
die the martyrs death for Christ's sake!
Finally ready yourselves, beloved Calvinists, for your wall daubed with
untempered mortar, UNCONDITIONAL ETERNAL SECURITY, to be rent and broken!
Indeed within the cleft of the Rock of Jesus Christ alone is eternal security!
10 Because,
even because they have seduced My people, saying, Peace; and there was no
peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered
morter 11 Say
unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall
be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy
wind shall rend it.12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall
it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?13 Therefore
thus saith the Lord God; I
will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an
overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume
it. 14 So
will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and
bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be
discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof:
and ye shall know that I am the Lord.15 Thus
will I accomplish My wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it
with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither
they that daubed it; (Ezek
13:10-16)
Please
see the Church of Wells' Response to the Remnant:
www.thechurchofwellsresponds.com
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