I thought a few statistics might be worth inserting here to explode this myth that is being perpetrated.

 

Our internet chats rarely attract more than a dozen people each week, usually half that number. We have never asked or suggested that anyone should ever 'join' us let alone visit our so-called 'compound' because our goal is not membership statistics but bringing souls to Christ so that they can lead a life steered by Him in His freedom (of course that is hard to explain to a brainwashed atheist who sees religion through stereotypic lenses). The one person who did visit our home briefly did so at his own insistence and has equally freely returned to his home country. Of our regulars, nearly all have stayed with their denominational groupings where we naturally bless them. To be sure we point out errors we believe that their churches may have. We never pressurise them to leave them. Indeed, we are encourging one regular to attend an evangelical Protestant Bible School with no connections to us whatsoever (and would doubtless me hostile to us were it to know of our beliefs).

 

This whole slander campaign will collapse because it is built on air. The harm these people have done will pile up on their own heads.

 

Here's another site: http://www.studylight.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=70814

About this: http://www.studylight.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=70814

 

I can understand this reaction. I felt the same way about a year ago, when I first came to know this ministry, and read something they had posted on Wikipedia, which wasn't even trying to make it all look so very wrong and horrible (although it did have a subtle agenda). I can only imagine how freaked out I would be if Mr. Concern's website was up and running in July 2005. In this case, this lady knows this ministry having Mr. Concern as her only reliable source... and she's inevitably concerned herself. I can't blame her. However, for Mr. Concern, I'll quote some scripture:

 

 

Maybe he should be more concerned about this one.

Mr. Concern has no self-declared morals and as an atheist-on-a-mission to 'rescue people from religion' (the 'opium of the people', no doubt) wouldn't care about Yah'shua's words anyway. His comrade-in-arms (Ross & Co.)  is more than willing to kidnap people, brainwash and force them to recant their beliefs by force so he is guilty by association, his distancing techniques notwithstanding. This is a man not interested in the truth or people, like Ross himself, who, when psychoalysed, revealed disconnectedness from people's feelings.

 

For one, he has happily recruited as one of the contributors of his site a polygamy-hopeful man associated with 'Christian' militias (who are prepared to insurrect violently against the government, who don't register their children's births, etc.) who has boasted in front of many people, as well as leaving a written record of the same, of his intention to purchase (with money - he stated the 'price' which these women's father was selling his daughters for) a few extra women for himself from said militias. We have had his tearful wife, whose feelings he has trampled all over, coming to us for ministry and help. When we told him that his conduct was reprehensible, along with his demeaning attitude towards women, he left our association in high dudgeon breathing threatenings of revenge, insisting that his wife could either accept his intention to force new wives on her, or leave, even when she was pregnant!

 

This ministry does not recruit for polygamy wannebees - we merely want people informed of the biblical teachings so that they can be prepared for it when Yah'shua returns. We believe it will be the majority practice for Israel but not the world (which we believe will be monogamous) once a certain level of spirituality has been attained. We accept polygamous groups coming from cultures where it is practiced and normative (such as Africa) and the occasional family from other cultures where it is plain that all the parties involved want it and love it, and no one has been coerced against their will. We are totally against the spirit behind the so called 'Christian polygamy movement' which is fuelled by men's lust and power drives. Mr. Concern's co-writer is one such man. It was our total rejection of his spirit that caused him to turn against us and give Mr. Concern his 'objective' fuel.

 

I could give information on the others who are 'stirring his pot' but I only refrain from doing so because there are confidences involved. Unlike Mr.'Concern' (what an oxymoron) I do have principles. What's ironic is the paranoia he accuses me of he has himself fuelled in others who have complained as a result of his misrepresentations. But I doubt he has a conscience or could care less because he has an atheistic anti-religious agenda.

 

A time will, however, be coming when may well expose Mr. Concern's 'informants' but not until he has enough metaphorical rope to hang himself with, unless he chooses to do the honourable thing and repent, and our clients agree. Not that I think we need to and I would personally rather that they came to a knowledge of the truth and found freedom - that goes for Mr.Concern himself too.

 

We in any case leave this matter in Yahweh's hands and get on with life. There will always be people who are waylaid by deliberate scare-stories, which are then propagated around the net by cyber gossip and sensationalist journalists only interested in making a scoop; there will always be those who don't want to know the truth (because then they become responsible for the conduct of their lives, and most don't want to be), and there will be those driven by dark urges who just want a kick out of rubbishing people. We have to live with lies and malicious intent because these things will always be in the world. Those who want to find out the truth can, the rest must believe what they want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The link of this latest post is quite funny - reminds me of an episode from a Jeeves and Wooster series in which some local villagers have this superstition about 'Bog men' who once a year drag people down to hell if they are caught outdoors. The story is hillarious because the village is visited by some black-and-white minstrels (I know, I know, totally politically incorrect now). When the villagers see them they think they have been visited by Bog Men and are in panic all night. Even the police get into the act (they are equally as superstitious) and end up arresting all of them.

 

The 'link' is, of course, Mr. Concerns brilliantly accurate website. I'll not comment on how "horrifying" it is to have a female Holy Spirit who is our Heavenly Mother - I guess the woman must be terrified of mothers or something (of course not - she's just been brainwashed into the notion that God is all-male, reinforced by threats of Catholic/Protestant anathema if she dares reject the 'historic creeds' of trinitarianism like the Athanasian Creed - never mind what the Bible actually teaches). Anyway, if she wants to believe in an all-male heaven that's up to her. Not quite so sure what's terrifying about having a Heavenly Mother along with a Hevanely Father - I was always taught that you need both to have a Son. Our 'twisted God' is right there in the Bible, not the Babylonian version redressed by the RCC:

 

I don't know where she got the idea that we believe that Mormonism has the truth but with occultism added. We have consistenly taught that the entire foundation and spirit of Mormonism is false. But then it's obvious she has never read our anti-Mormon website at www.nccg.org/LDS-Page.html but would rather believe all of Mr. Concern's spew.

 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to add - we do not believe the Ruach is a "created being", nor the Son - we believe that Father, Son and Holy Spirit have always existed and were and are and always will be Deity. We believe that the Ruach is derived (not created as a creature, more like an extension) from the Father and the Son from the Father and the Mother. Before they were derived they were always there in the Father, just as Eve was always in Adam. The derivation from Adam (who was created) of Eve is a shadow of how the Heavenly Mother came from the Father, being made in their likeness. The Elohim is self-contained - all that came from the Gohdead were created, namely, angels and man. No part of the Godhead was, or can be, created.

I think the reason most people are afraid of a female Ruach is because they are afraid of descending into goddess worship (not that we worship Her anyway). However, no one I know of is able to answer how the Hebrew El Shaddai is both a masculine and feminine word.

 

Sincerely,
Derek

Correction: No one I know of outside this group.

I guess we are more simplistic here. We read what the Scripture actually says and let is speak for itself. All we have to do is look at every single reference to the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) and write down what we observe. And this is what we observe:

 

1. The Ruach is always, without exception, female in Hebrew and the older Aramaic;

2. There are 7 Ruachs;

3. The Ruach is directly linked to Wisdom (Hochma) in the Wisdom Literature who is always female;

4. The Hebraic version of the New Testament also describes the Ruach as female, harmonising the Old (obviously She can't suddenly change gender just because the Greek for Ruach - pneumos - is male).

 

I therefore take the word of Paul (Rom.8:16) in the Aramaic Peshitta to be good:

 

Adhsm ajwr yhy

 

which in English reads:

 

 

That is our unapologetic testimony here and people must choose to believe what they want and take responsibility for that. And our personal revelations, visions and experiences aside, we have no choice to believe what the Word of Yahweh clearly states.

 

Shegal Shalom!

I confess I have also taken the approach Miriam has taken.

Yah'shua isn't recorded as making this a clear and evident thing either while on earth, or through his revelation to Paul, nor in the Revalations to Yohanan.

While I believe it very well makes sense the Ruach haQodesh is female, I do not make a doctrinal issue out of it simply because Scripture doesn't. Is it because Scripture writers assumed we know? I can't answer that because I don't know that either.

So I'm quietly trying to accept the work of the Ruach haQodesh, loving all aspects of Elohim while trying not to get all wrapped up in doctrinal issues that could possibly cause my brother to stumble. We have so much to do, so many lives to reach. I just went to a synagogue last night, and I so feel for these people. It was rather much like a Lutheran church I was at many years ago. So much ritual, so little life. Yet the spark of belief is there. We must reach these people and release them to life

Scripture does make reference of Her.  Proverbs 3:13-19 (NIV) says: "Blessed is the man who finds Wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for She is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.  She is more precious than rubie; nothing you desire can compare with Her.  Long life is in Her right hand; in Her left hand are riches and honor.  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all Her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who embrace Her; those who lay hold of Her will be blessed.  By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place;". And Proverbs 8 is a long discourse at the 22 verse you see Her mentioning Her part in creation, 22"The Lord brought me forth as the first of His works, before His deeds of old; 23 I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.  24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; 25 before the mountians were settled in place, I was given birth, 26 before He made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world.  27 I was there when He set the heavens in place, when He marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when He established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when He gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep His command, and when He marked out the foundations of the earth."  Of course by the time you get to verse thirty She's made masculine.  Yah'shua often times didn't even explain things to His disciples because He expected them to see what was evident.  He would even ask them "...Do you still not understand?" Mark 8:21.  Obviously somethings He expects to be able to see, especially when we are suppose to be looking through proper eyes.