One of the favorite scriptures in Church of Christ is Acts 2:38 ...
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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This scripture is often quoted and printed on their literature and written on their walls.
But here is the way they quote this scripture.
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Acts 2:38
Do you notice something missing?
They left the second half of that verse out:
Acts 2:38 ... "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
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My cousin said they know this is wrong, but they can't change the wrong for "it might hurt the faith of the old people" ... if they correct the wrong.
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My favorite aunt was a very devout Christian ... a godly woman ... a life long member of Church of Christ.
Before she died she said to me, "I know things are wrong at the Church," but she stayed there anyway.
God gave me the following dream:
In this dream, I went into a room and saw a long row of baby bassinets. I walked down the row, looking at the babies. Their faces and bodies were horribly deformed. At the end of the row stood my favorite aunt. She was a grown woman but on her face were horrible spots and blemishes.
I knew God was showing me the spiritual conditions of the church ... many are still babies though they should be mature ... and some are terribly deformed "babies" ... and others are spotted and not perfected in the Word.
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Heb. 5 ... 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
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I Cor. 3 ... 1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
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I was visiting my favorite aunt and the Holy Spirit said to me, "Tell her about being taken into heaven."
I certainly didn't want to do that! It has been my experience that Church of Christ members do not look favorably upon "supernatural" experiences, although much of Paul's life showed supernatural experiences, even Paul's conversion is "supernatural". Acts 9
But Holy Spirit told me to tell her and I told her.
After I was born again, I was asleep in the night. I was "transported" into heaven. I knew I was with God, with Jesus, with Holy Spirit (though I saw no images, it was an experience in the spirit). At that time, I was "merged" into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God, God and Holy Spirit witnessing.
A few days later, the exact same thing happened again to me in the night.
After that, I was "on fire" for Bible, for Word of God.
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As I told this story to my aunt, a "dreamy" look came on her face and she said, "Something like that happened to me once, and it was all golden."
Revelation 21 ... 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
... 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
But this aunt who knew things were wrong at her church stayed there among the corruption at that church.
She told me once she asked Sunday school teacher if they could study Psalms. He replied, "But that is so long." She said to me, "So what?"
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You must not stay in a church group where scripture has been changed to another doctrine ... or where scriptures are deleted.
You will be affected by the wrong.
I Cor. 5:6 ... Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
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In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
A meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."
There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was coming directly toward us!
The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us!
I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!
I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.
As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me too.
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God was showing me the anarchy that was already going on in our church groups.