The Way. It Was.

[John Lynn]

The Way. It was.By John A. LynnIn the interest of truth, both small “t” (the facts about The Way International) and capital “T” (the Word of God it taught), I am compelled to propose why I think The Way International was (past tense), from a certain perspective, one of the most significant movements in the history of the Christian Church. I do so for the benefit of any graduate of the “Power For Abundant Living” class who still wants to live for the Lord and who may have been unduly discouraged, either by his/her own experience in The Way or by the ensuing barrage of negatives from other ex-Way saints about what was wrong with The Way.Given that I was one of the top ministry leaders from 1967-1987, I speak with experiential knowledge. Furthermore, I have spent the past 21 years continuing to dig into the Word of God along with knowledgeable Christians, and, in the process, re-evaluating everything we were taught. I speak with great thankfulness for the truth I heard in The Way (hereinafter TWI), with no doubt that God led me to it, and then away from it. And though I left with some wounds, I also took with me the resources I had been given that enabled me to be healed from those wounds and help others do likewise.I speak so that you can know “the rest of the story,” as opposed to all the disparaging things that have been said about The Way through the years by the media (much of that false), other Christians (much of that false), and disgruntled former followers (much of that true, some of it false). My purpose is to set forth a much more redemptive view of The Way than what I have thus far read from others with “ex-Way vision.” In some ways, this is a sequel to my March, 1988 letter in which I blew the whistle about what was then going on in TWI. (http://www.swiftlynx.com/beyondTheWayInternational/)Yes, there was more doctrinal error than I ever realized while I was in TWI, and there was corresponding practical error that became more evil than most of us involved ever imagined. Yes, many precious people were terribly abused. Yes, there was dishonesty about Scripture, there was plagiarism, and there was rampant sexual sin, all of which contributed to many people choosing to turn away from God and His Word. And as I realized these things, I did speak out about them, both publicly and privately, from 1987 until about 2000, after which TWI had marginalized itself in Christendom.Perhaps worst of all, a golden opportunity to make known the Word of God, as it had not been known since the first century, was squandered. I will elaborate upon why that is true from a doctrinal standpoint, but when else in the history of the Christian Church has there ever been such a cadre of thousands of young, energetic, enthused, biblically knowledgeable, logistically equipped, organizationally backed, diverse, multi-lingual, mobile, available, and committed-to-“It-is-written” men and women with leadership qualities who were willing to go anywhere and spread the Word? Certainly not often in the past 2000 years. Thank God that many of these students of the Word became teachers themselves, and were thus able to recognize the errors that crept into TWI.The Way. It was. What was it? First and foremost, it was, from about 1955-1987, the only place I know of where anyone could hear the amount of truth of the Word of God that we heard. Why? In large part because God led Victor Paul Wierwille to the work of E.W. Bullinger, whose approach to Scripture was virtually unique. That is what allowed Wierwille, and thus TWI to an even greater degree, thanks to the quality men and women with research ability whom it attracted, to put the Word together like it had not been known since the first century Church.The sad thing was that I, and many others, became too proud of our knowledge, and failed to couple it with enough of a humble, heartfelt desire to obey God and become like Jesus Christ. We became too arrogant toward other Christians, thinking that our study of truth somehow made us more “approved before God” than they. To a degree, we became more like hearers of the Word than doers, and often deceived our selves. BUT, the antidote to that is not to throw out the baby with the bathwater, because without knowledge of truth there can be little practice of it.Why did God have a need for The Way International? Actually, He didn’t. But He did have a need for any group of people who would make known what, or close to what, the Apostle Paul taught once the whole of what we now read in the Church Epistles had been unfolded to him. Why was there such a need? Because true Christian doctrine had all but disappeared from the spectrum of Church history by the 4th century. It was then that the Roman Catholic Church began based upon a bunch of fables mixed with Christian verbiage, established a monolithic ecclesiastical hierarchy, and for more than a thousand years dominated the European religious landscape, killing countless dissenters and for the most part silencing the rest.When Martin Luther came along (1517 was when he nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenburg), thank God he did recognize justification by faith rather than by works, but what we today refer to as the “Reformation” of the Roman Catholic Church was very limited in scope. Much of the Roman Catholic doctrine was assimilated into Protestantism and is still being passed along as Christian groups continue to split off from one another. In a nutshell, that is why even the independent church in your neighborhood today most probably believes that there is a Trinity, dead people are alive, God is in control of everything that happens, the Four Gospels are written to Christians, water baptism is relevant, and maybe even that the Bible is not absolute truth.I don’t know where else we could have heard the “package” of biblical truth we heard in TWI. Admittedly, most of the major doctrinal components of that package were being taught by some Christians, with varying degrees of accuracy, but none that I know of put together as many into a package as TWI did. Let’s begin with what I mentioned about E.W. Bullinger’s contribution to TWI, which was HUGE, because his basic approach to Scripture is what facilitates one being able to discover its inherent keys and utilize them to derive the Author’s originally intended meaning.TWI taught us to approach the Word with the “It is written” conviction that it is what it says it is, and that it cannot contradict itself. That alone is enough to at least identify error about the Bible, and the keys to the Word’s interpretation we were taught enabled us to understand it, take its truth into our hearts, and apply it on a daily basis.Given that the identity of Jesus Christ is the world’s biggest deal, I would have to say that chief among the wonderful biblical truths we heard in TWI was that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (not God), the Man who mediates between God and men, and that the Trinity is a pagan fable. Some ex-Way saints now say this distinction is not that important, but I assert that God thinks differently, given what He says in His Word (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:3 and 4). Yes, TWI failed to teach us that we can have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, but there were not too many other places where we could have heard that Jesus is not the “eternally begotten” Second Person of the Trinity.I’d have to say that the next most important biblical truth we heard in TWI was what we then called the “Mystery,” and, correspondingly, what parts of Scripture are written to Jews, to Gentiles, or to Christians regarding either the past, the present, or the future. For the record, we have since learned that “Sacred Secret” is a more accurate way of rendering the Greek, musterion.Ephesians is the apex of the Church Epistles (the primary curriculum for Christian living), and it clearly shows that the Body of Christ (the “one new man” of Chapter 2, verse 15) is the most unique group of people who have ever lived, chiefly because of the permanence of our salvation and our holy spirit equipping. 1 Corinthians 2:8 chimes in with the monumental (and generally overlooked) truth that had Satan known the Sacred Secret, he would not have crucified Jesus!In terms of biblical error that is practically debilitating to one’s quality of life, I see nothing more important than knowing what Scripture is written to whom, when, and in particular what is written to us as Christians today. The Church’s failure to understand this central truth has led to its trying to live in accordance with directives pertaining to other people at other times. It is only in the Church Epistles that a Christian finds his true identity “in Christ,” as well as his true Hope. Simply put, the Word of God will never fit together without contradiction if one does not understand the “administrations” therein, and in particular this current “administration of the Sacred Secret” (Eph. 3:9).Yes, there are quite a few Christians who have a “Dispensational” view of Scripture, but the vast majority of them fail to grasp that Jesus is not God and that he did not know the Sacred Secret. Most think that parts of the Four Gospels and the book of Revelation speak of the Christian Church, but that is not the case. The Gospels record the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ’s first coming to the earth to Israel (his suffering), and Revelation records the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about his second coming to the earth to Israel (his glory).Another major truth we learned in TWI, which is unknown to most Christians, is that of the Giver and the gift, and, correspondingly, that speaking in tongues is available to all Christians because it is a manifestation of holy spirit, not a gift. We also learned the indispensable truth that speaking in tongues is the only absolute proof that one is saved. How many tens of thousands of people did those truths alone set free?TWI also taught us that death is, in fact, the end of life, and that our true Hope for new life in the coming age is to be raised from the dead and meet the Lord Jesus in the air prior to the Tribulation (the “time of Jacob’s trouble” – Jer.30:7). What percentage of Christians do you think know this? Although TWI failed to teach us that Paradise (the new earth), not heaven, will be our everlasting home, thank God we learned that resurrection is much more than an incorporeal “soul” once again getting a body.And TWI pointed us toward an understanding of the figures of speech in the Bible (thanks to Bullinger), of which little is known in theological circles. This included the figurative language in the Old Testament that helped us see that God is not responsible for evil or suffering, nor is He in control of everything that happens.Like I, you may know of some ministries that do teach some of these truths, but I submit that until 1987 there was nowhere other than TWI to find all of them taught as accurately as they were there. That is why The Way International stands out on the spectrum of Church history as an amazingly significant Christian movement.As far as I can see, TWI was also about the most disparate dichotomy of good and evil in the history of Christianity. Like the wheat and the tares growing up together, tremendous truth and egregious evil shared the ministry platform. Many people look back on their TWI experience with nothing but thankfulness, while others rue their free will choice to stay involved as long as they did because of the abuse they suffered. Some have been stymied by self-condemnation due to the abuses they themselves committed. No doubt there are also many who recognize that they heard the Word like they never had, who have allowed the Lord Jesus to heal any wounds they suffered in TWI, and who have since experienced spiritual growth far beyond what they ever imagined back in “the good old days.”I hope you are in that last category, and if you’re not, you can be. Even if people badly abused and disappointed you, you can turn to the Lord Jesus, he who is The Way to wholeness in all categories of heart and life. His love and truth will heal your heart and help you forgive and move forward with him toward the same goal you once had. You have a ministry in the Body of Christ, and he who is the Head longs to help you fulfill that calling. It was neither your heavenly Father nor your Lord who hurt you, nor does whatever happened to you change anything the Word says. God’s promises are still true, and they are yours for the believing.The Way, we were. If you once sat through PFAL, you heard the Word of God taught more accurately than the vast majority of Christians who have ever drawn breath. As a fellow PFAL grad, I identify with you, and have an affinity for you and a desire to encourage you to take advantage of the truth you once heard, if you are not already doing so. Along with me, you will one day stand before our precious Lord Jesus Christ, who will reward you according to how you have lived your life as a Christian. In essence, he will ask each of us something like this: “What did you do with what you knew?”[For a detailed list of biblical subjects I think TWI mishandled, see the following link: http://www.christianeducational.org/25diffTWI.htmIf you would like to discuss with me about what I have written, please contact me at [e-mail]]

[Stephen Kingsley]

John Lynn and his blog friends.

Please bear with me. I must add something to this discussion.

I wasn't saved by an accurate knowledge of the Word, or the knowledge of the truth. I couldn't have quoted single verse. I was saved by Jesus. I had nothing to do with it. When I was a boy I attended a Baptist Sunday school and heard a few Bible stories, including the one about Jesus dying on a cross and being raised from the dead on Easter. Years later, when I asked a twig coordinator how I could be saved, he read Romans 10:9 and 10 to me. Then asked, "Do you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead?" I was really quite surprised when I looked into my heart to discover that I had a very certain knowledge and belief that God raised Jesus from the dead. I answered YES, confessed Jesus as Lord, and my life changed. God forgave my sins and gave me the gift of everlasting life through faith in Christ. He did it all and he gets the glory.

How does any of us believe with such certainty upon someone we never met or in a supernatural event (the resurrection) that we never witnessed or have any proof of? Simply by the grace and power of God. The resurrection of Christ is central to knowing his identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. That we know this in our knower is itself a miracle. That's how Peter knew who Jesus was, by a revelation. See Mt. 16:16-18. This knowledge of Christ and the faith it gives is the foundation upon which the Lord is building his church. It is so secure that not even the gates of hell can prevail against it. Think of it. God took that little bit of Bible I heard as a boy and infused it with such life that by the time I was asked about Jesus later, it was all there in my heart, rock solid! There's nothing uncertain or ambiguous about it whatsoever.

Even with all his depth of study, Bullinger (thanks Steve B.) said "This knowledge of God is to be obtained, not by reasoning, but by revelation; not by intellectual attainment, but by God’s gift."

It's good to work to know our Bible's well and understand all that it says, but thankfully our salvation and eternal security isn't based on such extensive knowledge (given our disagreements, thank God!). Truly, we are "kept by the power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:5)." There's rest in him: his accomplishments, his grace, and his power. This is that "simplicity in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3)" Paul was afraid we'd be subtly removed from.

As far as our knowledge of the Bible and our ability "to determine truth from error," it's all good as long as it glorifies God and supports the preaching and teaching of the Gospel (the person of Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection). When we get too far lost in straining at details we inevitably end up "doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings (1 Tim. 6:4) ..." A bit of ambiguity is honest concerning the deep things of God. Honestly, we're finite beings who were lost in sin and by God's mercy and grace, got saved by no work of our own. I don't know everything, but I don't have to. My God knows it all and he has me (and us all) firmly in his grip.

[John Richeson]

"I for one refuse to live that way. I'll do my best to learn and live by the standard Jesus held fast and exemplified: IT IS WRITTEN."

John, I say good for you. I think you have some valid points. As I see it, as long as a minister or believer is not causing harm to a fellow brother or sister then who am I to condemn their belief? Not me.

In the past, long after you were gone, there was indeed hurt and pain caused by those who practiced legalism and did not even know it. As they "spititually" hit us over the head with their bibles they truly believed in their terribly wrong and legalistic doctrine. Meanwhile all we got out of it was a migrane headache. I am not implying you are doing this. I am talking about a totally different context and environment. You wouldn't have believed it!

Therefore it takes time for some people to sort things out after a "spiritual car crash". For some I honestly believe it can take decades. Some may never sort it all out and may have permanent injury. I think we still need to remain supportive of one another in spite of it.

Ambiguous? Maybe.
Doubt? Yes at times.
Adrift,,,,,yeah...sometimes.
Alone and up the creek without a paddle. No!!....Never again......because we have each other to cling to and talk to and reach out to. How cool is that? When I feel need for rescue in some manner in my life I have awesome people I can talk to. IT HASN"T ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY. Some were cast out and abruptly lost all contact with loved ones. That must have sucked.

May we never turn our backs on each other again regardless of our current status of belief. We have seen too much of that in the past. That kind of behavior is far more hurtful IMO than not having a firm foundation on ones belief system.

[John Lynn]

Dear Gig People,

Brother Steve, once again you are completely ignoring what the Bible says. Countless verses exhort us to KNOW God and to KNOW the truth. Jesus is our supreme example, and never did he say anything like what you, and others on this blog, are saying. In fact, he said just the opposite (John 8:31,32).

I fear that too many dear brethren who once heard great biblical truth have drifted from it into the realm of ambiguity. Furthermore, they are trying to justify that ambiguity as humble while saying that those who proclaim to know truth are arrogant. Let us remember that the Devil's first recorded words were, "Did God say...?" He at once assaulted the Word of God, and he has never relented. Without it, life is meaningless, because no one can be sure that the opinion he holds is right.

If we have no standard by which to determine truth from error, we are adrift in the proverbial sea of speculation, or up a certain creek without a paddle. I for one refuse to live that way. I'll do my best to learn and live by the standard Jesus held fast and exemplified: IT IS WRITTEN.

Luv!
John

[Frank Abissi]

I can't tell you how many times just today I checked my gig line, not to mention how many millions of times over the years I have checked it. I have a gig line obsession. is there a support group for people like me?

[Davis Crowell]

Hey John Lynn! Took a job yesterday which will get me to Indy on ocassion. I looked on your page on this here site Richeson put together and I saw that's where you abide I am so lookin' forward to seein' you!

I read your every word you wrote about youself, I read what others had to say to you and I gotta admit some people "flat out" love your butt...it also appears as I've seen on this blog that you have, for a lack of a better phrase "met your match"....Hey in a good way!.....No really!...I'm really enjoying this! ...You know why?.....
cause we will either become nastier and nastier and "take our ball and go home" or we will honestly shelve this in our minds and act civil to one another.

As I do and I know alot of folks also do here, we look forward to opening up this site, seein' your face( with that world famous smirk ) and salavate on either what to say or what not to say. You my friend have brought to this site alot. Do we agree with you deep down inside?...perhaps...perhaps not. But thanks!...Hey! Don't forget I will ever be grateful to you for exposing my mind to the "gig line"...but seriously.... you did show us much more and thanks!

[John Lynn]

Hello Steve and Dan, and all other bloggers.

I just read your post, Steve, in which you said that I "seem to have shown ZERO capacity for reflection and intellectual honesty about my writings and teachings," and accuse me of arrogance like that of David when he was blinded by his lust and sin. Then I got to your comment, Dan, comparing me to the evil and hypocritical Pharisees whom Jesus addressed in Matthew 23, and your statement that I don't know the Bible very well.

Steve, did you not read what I wrote to Steve K. and to Dan? I certainly did consider what they said, and found it wanting compared to what the Word says. The Trinity is an insane proposition with no biblical basis, is it not? I explained briefly where the pacifist position is off track, and, as with other subjects, pointed you to a more thorough exposition about them, which of course you may not care to read.

I hope you recall my asking readers to dialogue with me in the Word if they took issue with anything I said. That might require some time, but is it arrogance to say, "The Bible says thus-and-so..." if in fact that position is biblically sustainable? My posts were peppered with Scripture, and none of it yanked out of context. I continually tried to show you why I believe what I believe--from the Word. Of course you may choose to look at the Word differently--no problem, but rather than take potshots at me personally, why not engage me with biblical arguments?

Anyway, thanks for caring enough to get involved. I believe that you too are searching for truth and want to live accordingly. Dan, I guess I am blogally challenged, for I had no idea I could delete your posts, but your commendation is not unwarranted, for I wouldn't anyway.

In Christ's love,
John

[Davis Crowell]

Yea!...We forget how much God is willing to pour out to all of us as we are humble, compassionate and loving to all. I'm listening to Lisa Tracy's songs Mike posted on his page. Now there's someone He has/is pouring out a "boatload" on/to.

[John Richeson]

"This knowledge of God is to be obtained, not by reasoning, but by revelation;
not by intellectual attainment, but by God’s gift."

Now that is just cool. Steve, will you put together a class on that or write a thick book about it?



Sometimes I think Bullinger was God in disguise. Then someone will write "Bullinger is Not God"

[Steven Budlong]

As this discussion seems to wind down, I thought I would add this, which was written over 100 years ago. It speaks as if it were written yesterday:

from "The Knowledge of God"
by Dr. E.W. Bullinger

“It is quite one of the “signs of the times” that the Godhead is becoming a
subject of discussion; and the doctrines connected with the Trinity and the
Virgin birth, are considered as open questions, not affecting the standing or
faith of a Christian. But there is another question which lies beneath this.
The real question is: How many of us really know the God whom we
worship? Is it not the case with very many that it is “ the unknown God?”

The true knowledge of God lies at the foundation of the revelation of the
Mystery. Hence it is the great keynote of the Epistle to the Ephesians; and is
the link which unites the three Prison-Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, and
Colossians), and binds them to the Epistles to the Thessalonians where, in
that typical Church (1 Thessalonians 1:7, RV), we see the wonderful effect
produced by the true knowledge of God in heart and life.

In the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and Corinthians it is the knowledge
of man which is made known; but in the Prison-Epistles it is the knowledge
of God which is revealed. In the former three it is man, and how he is
justified. In the latter three it is God, and how He is revealed.

Hence, one of the blessings enumerated in Ephesians is that God “hath
abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto
us the mystery ( or the secret) of His will”; which means His secret purpose
(vv. 8, 9): and the measure of this blessing is declared to “according to His
good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself” (vv. 9, 10).

This knowledge of God is to be obtained, not by reasoning, but by revelation;
not by intellectual attainment, but by God’s gift.

[Dan Haas]

Thanks, Steve. For me, that was one of the really good things John said in his original blog. I commend him for recognizing that and admitting. From there, I look in the mirror, since I see the sense of it... he was right, and it was true about me. It's something that needs to be torn out by the roots, and yet it seems to keep springing up again like a weed. The last thing I want is to pray the Pharisee's prayer, "Lord, thank you that I am not like that other man....." I consider the words of Christ in the Gospels as addressed to me.... for me, it's the sinner's prayer.... "Lord, be merciful unto me, a sinner!"