Dear Friends,
I turn 24 today, and the Lord has granted our
family a great gift of humbling, brokenness, and hope in the sovereignty of our
Lord over His church this morning. Many of you have seen dad’s recent face
book post regarding my interaction and
respect for the Church of Wells. Thank you to all who have prayed for our
family. I must briefly convey, in my own words, that my wholehearted
desire is to honor my father and mother, and to submit to them in the
Lord. I am eternally grateful to all who have encouraged me to honor my
parents. My parent’s grief had been primarily the private nature
of my communication with the elders of this church. The complexity of the
situation I faced, involving my own family and a few dear friends,
and an overwhelming attitude of displeasure, initially, towards
the church from those around me resulted in my going out on my own to
discover the truth from these elders who ministered to me in love and
integrity. It was never in my heart to dishonor my parents, and my
parents and I would be willing to share the nature of the situation
to all who would desire to know. I do not seek to justify my behavior, but
rather do entrust myself to the righteous Judge, whose favor I seek.
It is a true statement that from my experience with the elders, I do
regard them as my own Biblical authorities, but this does not eliminate
the presence of my parents as God-given authorities. I will submit to my
parents in the Lord with God’s help. By God’s grace my dad, who now has a tremendous
weight on him, has expressed a desire and begun to take steps to carefully
search out this Church. I do not have all the time I desire
to elaborate on the Church of Wells, but below is a brief summary of
my convictions regarding them.
Miraculous & Violent Opposition
Since my interaction with the Church of
Wells was discovered, I have received the most violent opposition that I
have ever received particularly from those closest to me. It is
miraculous in the sense that, I feel that were I under physical attack by a man
or fallen into some sort of gross immorality the “protectiveness” or opposition against me would have been far less. I
am astonished to see my beloved hear of but a few words on this
incident, and immediately their “concern” flares up and their admonition,
yes genuine admonitions, are intensely spoken aloud. The moment you
hear of this church, there is an almost gut reaction, that “bad feeling”, about
the church and my private interaction with them. There has been an
instantaneous negative response from most of you before you have carefully searched
out the matter. The Lord and my parents know the role for you to warn and
protect me, and yet, never before have I been so quickly and thoroughly
opposed by all of you. It is indeed miraculous. My only desire,
by God’s grace, is to follow my Lord and align my life with His Word, and
many have fallen away from me along the way, and now what I face has been
excruciating, yet, I will not deny the
conviction of my soul. For your sake I say that if I be wrong in
what follows, then may the Lord discipline me in His justice and
mercy, but please know that I believe I would die for my convictions
about the Church of Wells. I love you all so much.
Due Process
I discovered the Church of Wells a few
months ago through a dear friend, and was incredibly blessed from the
start with the sermons and writings that I heard. Before the Lord, the
sermons I heard were, to me, the most blessed sermons I had ever heard,
filled with love, power, conviction, and a complete portrayal of the
Counsel of the Word. Joyous edification was brought to my soul through the
resources on the church’s website. However, in due time I started to read
internet slander against the church, most of which I did not believe,
because it was from ungodly sources, carnal men, those whose “god is their belly, whose glory
is their shame, and who mind earthly things ” (Phil 3:19). The
comprehension of the tremendous reproach and slander against this
church created a great burden in my heart for their vindication. I would
pray for the church with tears and groans for many hours, and
it became a constant burden that I believe the Lord Himself
had given me. Many of you may ask, “Why do you care about some
random church that you do not know anyone from?”
And to this I would respond that as I seek the heart of God in prayer and
look to see where His countenance is turned, I believe that the heart of
God is towards these people and His countenance is turned towards them. They
are of great significance to my Lord, and thus my heart joined this church and
my countenance turned towards them.
With time, I became good friends with
some people who had come out from this church, and I heard many more
accusations against the church: namely that they preached wrath and not love,
that they had ungodly zeal, and that they cut ties with their families. Since I
trusted these friends, I believed their witness and my attitude towards the
church changed, my burden waned, and I ceased to pray for them to the
degree that I had previously. During this time, I believe that a Spiritual
plague came over me. I had sinned against the Lord in failing to follow
Biblical due process. I was not the only one who committed this sin, but
rather, countless God-fearing regenerated saints now condemned to various
degrees or ignored this church, specifically because of their own failure to
carry out due process.
What is due process?
In order for us to believe a report concerning another
(church/elder/individual/circumstance), even that of a Godly person,
the matter must be established by Biblical standards:
1. With two or three witnesses
“This is the third time I am coming to you. In
the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” (2 Cor 13:1)
“At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to
death.” (Deut 17:6)
“Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or
three witnesses.” (1 Tim 5:19)
2. With careful searching and examination
“He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour
cometh and searcheth him.”(Prov 18:17)
“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of
kings is to search out a matter.” (Prov 25:2)
3. With the exercising of Spiritual judgment
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world.” (1 John 4:1)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thess 5:21)
“13 Which things also we speak, not
in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.14 But the natural man
receivethnot the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto
him: neither can he know them,because they are spiritually discerned.15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he
himself is judged of no man.16For who hath known the mind of the Lord,
that he may instruct Him? but we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor 2)
I erred greatly in believing
the reports I had heard, simply because they were from people whom I
considered to be God-fearing saints. For me to respond in my own heart to these
accusations to the extent that I abrogated much of the God-given love,
burden, and regard for this church was wicked. It was no different
than putting a person to death on the account of only one witness. Furthermore,
were I to spread the reports I had heard, though many of you would
consider me to be a genuine saint, that would not give you any reason
to believe my report.For though I believe that I fear the Lord by
God’s grace, I had neglected due process.
The Spiritual plague that came over my
soul could be characterized by a constant anxiety and discomfort in my
heart, and an inability to pray as I ought. There was also a great sorrow over
considering that these people, who were so devoted to the Word and zealous for the
Gospel, could have drifted away in certain ways from the Lord. There
was uncertainty in the midst of this sorrow, because deep down I was not
fully convinced of the reports I had heard.
Furthermore, if these people are of God,
if I know God, by nature of my standing in he Lord, I hear them; if
we hear not the people of God, we are not of God. This is the very means by
which we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6)
If the church of Wells and the elders from there are of God, it is
a terrible offense to cast them off or even to ignore them, when they
bear the reproach of the Gospel. If these are indeed precious saints, a
city on a hill that cannot be hidden, for me to reject them or
disregard them is terribly unworthy and detestable to my Lord.
“None have followed this [due process] as they ought, but those that have are with us in
heart unto this day (as far as my memory goes)” -Sean Morris
Persecution
The Church of Wells is buried under heaps of
slander and accusation, and I am convinced that few saints, if
any, have followed Biblical due process. For this reason, the church
receives defamation and
persecution not
only from the carnal world, but from
the regenerate! Saints propose that this
church cannot possibly be in right standing with God when other noteworthy
saints have rejected them. Saints render that the church is being persecuted for their unrighteous zeal and “extremity” rather
than for the sake ofrighteousness. Indeed, this is what I myself had
believed for a time. But let us consider the state of reproach that the
Scriptures teach that all obedient saints will fall under. Yea and all
that will live Godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution (2 Tim 3:12).
Paul described himself and the apostles as those set forth as last, as
appointed to death, made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels,
and to men, fools for Christ’s sake, weak, despised,
naked, buffeted, being reviled, but blessing, being persecuted, but suffering it, being defamed, but intreating,
made as the FILTH of the world, and the OFFSCOURING of all things unto
this day. (1 Cor 4:8-13)
Christ promised His disciples that they would be hated by all men for His sake
(Matt 10:22).He
told us not to think that He came to send peace on earth: He came not
to send peace, but a SWORD. He came to set a man at variance against his
father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter
in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. (Matt 20:34-36)
Christ Himself grew up before God the Father as a tender plant, and as a root
out of a dry ground: He had no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see
Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid
as it were our faced from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him
not. (Is53:2-3)
“As many were astonied at Thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:” (Is 52:13)
Dear friends, do WE bear this reproach. Is our reputation
slandered? Are we the scum of the earth? Are we hated by all men? Do we follow
in the footsteps of this Man of sorrows, Whose appearance was marred more than
any man? Do we carry the Sword of His Word that kindles fire upon the earth? If
not, how can we, according to Scripture, commend ourselves in His sight?
As I read and hear the slander and
observe the attitudes of the world towards the Church of Wells, I see near
perfect parallels between these and the above descriptions of the
inevitable persecution of the saints that the Scriptures describe. These
people have no reputation. They have no standing in any religious circle
or community. They have no title or fame. They are not honored. They
are often ignored. They are, truly, the offscouring of the earth. I have never,
in my whole life, seen a church bear the reproach that this church bears
for the sake of the Gospel. I know that the reproach itself does not prove
that they are of God, but it ought to make us tremble in fear. They
bear such reproach in the name of Christ, and we do not…
Furthermore, if these people are indeed
suffering reproach for the sake of the Gospel, and we choose to
disregard them, and place them in mental categories of unworthy,
reprobate, extreme, or cultish, we are in direct disobedience to the
Word of God which tells us to remember them that are in bonds,
as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves
also in the body. (Heb 13:3) It is of utmost necessity that we determine, using
Biblical due process, if this church finds favor in the eyes of God. We
CANNOT remain in a state of uncertainty. This church is alone bearing the
reproach of the Gospel, and if we have believed various witnesses, and if
we have believed falsely about them to the extent that we forsake them and
fail to regard them as suffering for the sake of righteousness, we are
severely in the wrong. Thus, dear friends, I encourage you to examine this
church carefully. Do not believe every report, but use Biblical due
process to discover the Truth. Specifically, hear the witness of the
elders and those in the church in addition to other witnesses. Examine the
fruit of their lives. Examine their doctrine. Determine if their lives and
reputation are in accordance with the lives and reputation of the New Testament
church saints. Try their spirits with Scripture. Make Spiritual judgments with
the Spirit of God within you and the Mind of Christ that has been granted
to you. CAREFULLY SEARCH OUT THE MATTER. Judge not according
to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (John7:24).
My Own Convictions
My private communication under difficult
circumstances with those at the church of Wells, specifically the elders, was a
part of my own careful searching out of these matters. Below is a
brief list of my former concerns and how, before the Lord, I feel
that the Church is vindicated in all these points.
1. Preaching wrath and not love
I encourage you to hear some of
the ferry/university/subway Gospel preaching from this Church from the
bottom of the homepage of their website. You will find that their Gospel
preaching is filled with zeal, the Word, tremendous love, and sincerity.
Furthermore, if you hear the internal teaching at the church, you will
find a remarkable emphasis on the love of Christ, a glorying in the atonement,
and a complete devotion to the whole Counsel of the Word of God. To understand
the heart of their preaching
2. Cutting ties with family
In my conversation with the elders, it is
evident that though many saints have believed that this church cuts off ties
with families, it is often the case that the family cuts off ties
with the individual who is a part of the Church because of their own
resistance to the Word of Christ. I have seen deeper love within
individuals of thisc hurch for family members than I have seen perhaps anywhere
else. They love, pray for, and entreat their families with the Gospel with
great burden and longing. Please
3. Cultishness
Many assume that the Church of Wells
believe themselves to be the only true saints in the world. I found
this to be false. Personally the elders have accepted me as a saint in
spite of my evident weaknesses. A message I received from an elder: “Words
cannot describe the love I have for all the saints scattered on the
hills…” They truly do love and long for the remnant all over
the world. Indeed many of the saints who are sources of great slander
against them are still regarded in their minds as precious saints who have
failed to follow Biblical due process. Their community exhibits a simple desire
to conform their lives to the true Word of God, a desire which is
altogether absent most everywhere.
4. Undue authority from elders
In the many accounts that I have
heard from the elders regarding their exercise of authority within their
church, I identified no instance in which a righteous and
loving judgment was not made. In my personal interaction with them, they
guarded my heart from exalting them, and turned my gaze towards the
authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike many other Godly men, these elders
did not glory in their flesh to any visible degree, but were willing to
forsake the “pulpits of the world” as they stood against wickedness, false teachers, false doctrine, and false
perspectives within other people whom they regard as saints. I must also
convey that the unity of spirit, mind, and heart that I observed within
the three elders far surpassed anything I have seen. There was no human striving or selfishness among them, but they subjected
themselves one to another in the fear of the Lord.
5. Unwillingness to admit their own sin
In my interaction with the elders, there
was an exuberant humility, brokenness, meekness, and servitude towards all
men. They elaborated on circumstances in which they subjected themselves one to
another in the fear of the Lord and their open confession of sin before the
congregation. One elder, Ryan Ringnald, accounted weeping with great
fervor in repentance on multiple occasions.
“Truly, we do often confess to God – “O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are
not hid from thee” (Psalm 69:5)!
– but if God took away my sins, if God took away
my foolishness, I am assured, on the contrary as mine accusers, that the
reproach of which I now bear, and the suffering, and the danger, and the infamy, would not decrease but INCREASE!”–Sean Morris
6. Personal mistreatment of individuals who left the church
I have heard many details regarding
certain individuals who have left the church and presented accusations
regarding their own exiting experiences. I do not seek to go into detail,
but again encourage you to hear the witness of the elders on each
particular circumstance.
7. Ungodly Zeal
Please read my blog article, “O Man of God,
Be Zealous”. In summary, the verses below I believe precisely characterize
the zeal which I observe within the Church of Wells.
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew
My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Is 58:1)“
Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and
cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.” (Jer 48:10)
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” (2 Cor 6:17)
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and
stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not!” (Matt 23:33-37)
8. Dangerous Doctrine
I encourage you to carefully examine the
doctrine of this church from their sermons, writings, and manifesto.The Lord has brought me to the
point of agreement with this church’s view of eternal security by the
conviction of the Word by the Holy Spirit. Please see my letter, “The Perseverance of the
Saints”. PLEASE read the elder, Sean Morris’s, book, “The Condescension of God” and examine the doctrine in light of Scripture. I have read his stunning work and
was blessed and edified to submit to the sovereignty of
the Lord and with a gratefulness of Christ’s mindfulness and love for my soul. This book is hidden treasure, I
believe worth more than the writings of Godly men of the past few centuries
combined, and a gift from the hand of God to our generation. The
doctrine of this church may seem extreme, but compare them with Scripture. The
Scripture is extreme, dear friends. I believe with all my heart that the
doctrine of this church is in line with the Word of God. Multiple
reports from those from the church and those who left the church indicate that
the church community is filled with tender love one-to-another, great devotion
to the learning and teaching of the Word, and great conformance of the
life to the Person of Christ.
Understanding our Times
With great sorrow I could write
a large amount on the state of our present day As I have sought the
heart of the Lord in the past months, I see that He is tremendously
grieved with the reign of wickedness, even among the regenerate. The wickedness
of the unregenerate is apparent to many of us. We see the downfall of the
remains of justice and Truth falling to the ground with
lightning speed. “None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they
trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth
iniquity.” (Is 59:4)
But the more horrifying state is that of the people of God. They are in
a state of spiritual slumber. The walls of the temple of His house
have been torn down. Carnality and lukewarmness reign. The Word of
God is “sealed” in many ways, that is, we do not understand the
full Counsel of His Word. Confusion and deception are rampant. Young men
and women faint and stagger in this famine of hearing the Word of the
Lord. The great apostasy is on the onset and numerous souls are drifting
away, perhaps unto damnation, unless He reveals His mercy that
they repent. Professing “Christian” systems have a form of Godliness
with a simultaneous tolerance of wickedness, rejection of a
wholehearted seeking of the Lord and the outpouring of the Spirit, and a
reliance on man-made wisdom, protocol, doctrine… There are few true
shepherds, elders, or overseers who truly watch over the souls of the flock of
Christ. I could elaborate quite more…
Sword Between Brethren?
One of the very unique attributes of the
ministry of the Church of Wells is that it often brings a sword of
division among the regenerate! Many use this attribute as means to disqualify their ministry
assuming that such discord among brethren cannot possibly be from the Lord. But when we consider the state of the
people of God,namely, that many are fallen into a state of slumber,
passivity, and slavery to sin, we may readily understand why the Word
of God would bring a sword between unrepentant regenerate people and
repentant regenerate people. Even during the early days of the Corinthian
church, Paul states that there must be also heresies among them, that they
which are approved may be made manifest among them (1 Cor 11:19). The
Scriptures tell us that the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times,
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils (1 Tim 4:1).
As the Sword of the Word of God is delivered to the people of God,
they will be unified in the bond of peace ONLY as they heed the voice of
the Lord unto repentance and resulting obedience. When the regenerate
refuse to repent, they cannot but be at enmity with the people of God who have
sided with the Truth. The people of God are united in the bond of peace
precisely because they have conformed their lives to the Word of God and
the Image of Christ. But when hardness of heart and unrepentance is
present in the midst of our gatherings, yes, there will be division.
“14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice
standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot
enter. 15Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth
from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was
no judgment.” Is 59
A Warning
There is so much more I would like to say
to you, dear friends, but I will close by saying that I believe with all my
heart, as a result of my careful searching out, my seeking of the Lord in
prayer, and my searching of Scripture, that the Church of Wells with their
elders, are of God. I believe I would die for that
statement. Furthermore, if these people are of God and
speak by the Spirit of God, and we choose to resist them, to slander them,
to ignore them, or to disregard them, we will find ourselves resisting the
Word, Spirit, and work of our very Lord. We will find ourselves slowly
drifting away into a state of Spiritual deception and complacency. And as we
seek to justify such wicked behavior and to condemn the doctrine and
practices of this church, we will find ourselves twisting and arguing away
the Counsel of the Word of God. Far be it from us to falter in this way!
O
dear saints, you must determine if the Church of Wells finds favor with the
Lord.
Beware of Satanic masking of
the truth.
Love in Christ,
preethi
