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A letter from John Lynn - to you!


Jeff USAF RET
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This letter is from John Lynn.

:-)

Enjoy!

Dearest brother/sister in Christ,

God bless you richly in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior, our Mentor, the one whose perfect trust in his heavenly Father made it possible for us to do likewise and walk with him.

This is John Lynn, and I am writing this letter to anyone who is or was involved in The Way International, that is, those with "ex-Way vision." The Real Me, by the grace and mercy of God, is still standing, and more than ever "living in the eye of the storm." The first thing I want to say is, "I love you." The second thing is that, as it has for the past 16 years, my heart goes out to everyone who was ever associated with The Way. I think that we all did hear much of the Word "as it has not been taught since the first century." The problem was that we had an "absent Christ," and therefore, practically speaking, we were like a body without a head. I was only one of the "poor substitutes" that people looked to when they should have been looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank God that I was taught the inherent keys to the Word’s interpretation. They are still true, and they are what enabled me, along with my dear friends John Schoenheit and Mark and Karen Anne Graeser (and many others), to see the wrong doctrine mixed in with the right doctrine we were taught. If you are interested, we have a list of about 25 biblical subjects about which we believe the Word says differently than we were taught in The Way. What we believe the Word says about these can be found in one or more of our books and tapes.

Wrong doctrine always leads to wrong practice. I am more aware than most of the grievous abuses laid upon many of God’s precious people when they were in The Way . Perhaps you are one who was so abused. The point is that now the choice is yours as to how you see your past involvement in The Way. In our lives, we are not the sum total of what has happened to us, but rather how we have responded to what has happened. In that vein, "it’s never too late to have a happy childhood." What I mean by that is that you can ask the Lord to help you arrive at a healthy perspective of whatever happened to you. In his infinite resourcefulness, he can somehow turn it into something you can use to help someone else.

In regard to your involvement in The Way , you could choose to be a victim, but may I suggest that is not the best perspective. Frederick Douglas, a former slave and then an abolitionist in the time of the Civil War, once said, "The limits of tyrants are prescribed by those whom they oppress." I like to look at my time in The Way in a more positive sense. I want to "eat the fish and spit out the bones."

There are many things I could say here, but I’m trying to keep this letter as brief as possible. I know thousands of people who, in my opinion, have "thrown out the baby with the bathwater." They have spit out the whole fish because of some bones. I know many others who are "tired of the fight," that is, of "not fitting in" with traditional Christianity, primarily because they are branded as heretics for not believing that Jesus is God. In regard to that subject, I encourage you to read our newest book, titled One God and One Lord: Reconsidering the Cornerstone of the Christian Faith .

For 16 years now we have been helping people around the world, many who have never heard of The Way, move forward, most especially by getting Jesus Christ in the right place as Lord . Christian Educational Services is a full service ministry with a wide range of activities and materials for everyone. We are seeing people's hearts healed and seeing them come together to reach out to others in the love of Christ.

I encourage you to listen to or read for yourself what we have produced. If you like, we are most happy to send you a Christian Educational Services statement of beliefs, and/or put you on our mailing list for our monthly newsletter. Each letter has an order form listing all the materials we have so you can order anything you like. I also encourage you go to our website, which is located at: CESonline.org, and see what you think.

In closing, let me say that I honestly believe that Dr. Wierwille would be very proud of what we are doing. We have taken the keys to the Word’s interpretation that he taught us and we have used them to evaluate his own teachings, correcting those that did not agree with Scripture. We have never lost sight of the goal of moving the Word around the world. If that is still your goal, or if you think there is any way we could be of service to you, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Once again let me say that I love you. I wish that I could adequately communicate to you how thrilling life is when the Lord Jesus Christ is a daily reality. Understanding who he is as "the Lord" and living accordingly exalts both him and our heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus is the glue that can knit our hearts together so that we can enjoy the "camaraderie of the committed" and stand together for him.

Your brother in Christ,

John A. Lynn

317-557-3776

JALCES@aol.com

Please feel free to contact me!

:-)

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This causes theme song from CSI: to run through my mind. You know “Won’t be Fooled Again” by the Who. But this is about CES right? If you are interested in joining this "camaraderie of the committed" be sure to take JAL up on his suggestion to check them out and see how well they are applying the keys to the bibles interpretation and why they think VP would be so proud.

This is a document on their site: in reference to Jesus Christ the glue that knits them together and whom they stand for:

http://christianeducational.org/faq/v4i6b.pdf

I learned about it on this thread at LES

http://mail.bluzecentral.net/smf/index.php?topic=36.0

"Won't be fooled again!" - Fade to commercial ... icon_smile.gif:)-->

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I'm sorry... I can't even read this.

and the part about Dr. Wierwille would be proud" (!) I do declare, it makes my head spin.

Long letters are often a sign of neuroticism... and that's what this is.... fundamentalist neuroticism.

"the keys" work as well as they ever did, John, ..fine, for those who wish to remain in a biblicist fog

I just read Marcus Borg's "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time"...now there's a biblical scholar actually worth spending some time with. Warning, not for spiritually emaciated, no-fruit-of-the-spirit, nous in the sand Christians (New Knoxville style).

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"Isn't this the same old letter? I don't see a date?"

"This letter is new."

"I thought it looked very similar to this one posted here about a year ago that

had 'Revised March 2003' at the top...I think it's the same one..."

*links to identical letter, posted 12 months ago*

"That's the one!"

=====================

So,

isn't that functionally-equivalent to

"I was wrong-this is at least 12 months old.

It's new compared to the 'original', 1988 version"?

====================

I really think it's significant that the 2003 version of this letter-

the version 15 years after the 1988 version, has certain things identical.

Over 15 years later, he still left in

"In closing, let me say that I honestly believe that Dr. Wierwille would be very

proud of what we are doing."

Previously, GS'ers had some comments about this.

A pair of my favourites follow...

"Ok, so he was proud of Tick, proud of his boom-boom bus, and visibly proud of

his status as the 'man of God', #1 substitute for that absent Christ John Lynn

mentions.

Should the reader take this to be a posthumous endorsement of a philandering

sociopath, oh yeah, and cult leader?" "The reality is, Victor Paul Wierwille was a

seedy, sleazy, perverted, self-aggrandizing, thoroughly AND throughly

self-serving dirt baf, whatever he taught.Some of it had value, because, like all

counterfeits, it had to be close to the real thing. His odious approval in life,

AND from beyond the grave (what a laugh) is worth less than the bag of dirt he

was."

"To balance out the above,

Dr Wierwille's ministry also brought many people into a relationship with God and

through his ministry many people received eternal life."

Anything else I add to that will just be rehashes of one or the other.

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To all -- and it's just another IMHO, so you can "read" --For What It's Worth".

Jal, and CES have changed. Neither are the same entity that they were in times past. Both have grown, and both are realizing, and accepting larger responsibilities.

While I am not sure about the "vpw would be proud" statement, I can say that CES has done it's "homework". The ministry they used to be, well -- they are not today. What they used to teach, well -- they don't teach the same stuff these days. Some of the teachings ( www.truthortradition.com ) still sound like twi, but most have better explanations and scriptural reference, than vpw gave.

They have evolved from an "information" group, to the "full-service" outfit, that frankly, meets more needs, even internationally. But imho, they are still an "informational group" that can be counted on to dig for stuff, and present it to the public.

I am one of their (small) financial supporters (I don't give a whole lot, each month), but I believe they are doing what they can to further the cause of Christ (more than me, by a long shot).

All pages on any of the 3 CES sites, are printer friendly, and one is encouraged to do so. I believe the cesonline is less so, since it is more or less the "home site".

But the site www.biblicalunitarian.com

and the site www.truthortradition.com

are one's you can "tap" into, and see what they are up to, today.

What JAL wrote, be it from 1988, or present, is his heart today. It was posted from a site that all can access. We've been burnt, we've been thrown out, we've been considered "so much garbage". I see that in the letter, yet I also see the fact that we can accept another WAY, the original one -- Jesus Christ.

As I said -- this is just an IMHO. I want the fish, and not the bones. icon_wink.gif;)-->

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Hi Jeff...hope you're doing well. Tell John Lynn that he's welcome to come in here to "chat" with us anytime...of course, we are not sitting quietly in our seats, listening to him pontificate from a pulpit. He would be sitting at a normal table in a normal chair, here at the GS cafe. We are not his audience, but he is welcome to converse here like everybody who follows the rules. Same goes for Shoenheit and Graeser...but if they're looking for the "lost sheep of twi", tell em to keep looking...someplace else....Oh, they might rope in few strays, but they better be ready to face those who are not impressed with their "biblical research".

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quote:
I wish that I could adequately communicate to you how thrilling life is when the Lord Jesus Christ is a daily reality.

Yes, JAL, we know, we were all thrilled to have all those easy answers once ourselves.

And now, alas, we have to trudge through daily life like all those other peons... seeking what little light God grants to people without the "keys" to the perfect uninterpreted Word.

You know, I wouldn't trade in reality for all the illusions in Hollywood. Actually, I AM thrilled to be in a relationship with The One Who IS based on honesty and intellectual integrity rather than scriptural parlor tricks.

I know you wish you could show me how thrilling it is; that's the first step to getting into my life and wallet. No, thanks. Your Way is not my way. Why can't fundamentalists leave the rest of us alone? What bug is up their butt?

I know what they think it is. (love) but they have no self-knowledge... it's fear. If they can convince us, that's one more proof that their house of cards will stand (it won't).

If they are lucky it will stand till they die..then they will learn what the rest of us already know. There is no 'system' of truth wrapped up in brown paper (or India paper) with thin little red ribbons.

Ah, after all these years do I still need to express anger that these false teachers left me with? Or am I righteously angry, like my Lord was at the Pharisees? Is there a difference?

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Here is an article you might want to check out.

I have found it very healing and insightful.

It is posted in the doctrinal section.

I am glad I now know that Jesus is Lord (not God) but Lord. In ALL my days in TWI I can honestly say I never knew the Lord Jesus. John Lynn will be the first to tell you that as well.

Check it out.

icon_smile.gif:)-->

Who is Jesus? by John Lynn

http://gscafe.com/groupee/forums?a=tpc&s=9...552&m=569105224

icon_smile.gif:)-->

Much love to ya!

Jeff

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quote:
Originally posted by UncleHairy:

Hi Jeff...hope you're doing well. Tell John Lynn that he's welcome to come in here to "chat" with us anytime...of course, we are not sitting quietly in our seats, listening to him pontificate from a pulpit. He would be sitting at a normal table in a normal chair, here at the GS cafe. We are not his audience, but he is welcome to converse here like everybody who follows the rules. Same goes for Shoenheit and Graeser...but if they're looking for the "lost sheep of twi", tell em to keep looking...someplace else....Oh, they might rope in few strays, but they better be ready to face those who are not impressed with their "biblical research".


I agree they're welcome to join in as an active participant and

an equal.

(Of course, mine is only one voice in the gallery, also, so my

DISagreement wouldn't count for much. icon_smile.gif:)--> )

However, since many of us use screen-names, I've no guarantee they

don't already visit or post under a pseudonym.

I'm reasonably certain they already know this is not a good site

to do recruitment. (So far, only one person seems to disagree.) icon_smile.gif:)-->

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Maybe he just holding onto the Mog thinking, so one day he will be the man.

He had a preaty good letter going except the Dr. part and the I love u twice.

Seemed to me if he was in the know and not kissed the ring of TWI it would of saved a whole bunch of pain to lots of us. Where was you backbone and stood up for what was right then. And why would i think You would stand up now with ending your letter about Dr. Who the hell cares what a dead man might think. How about this for a wild thought What does God think?

Jeff you might be a fine guy. Thanks but no thanks.

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Yeah, I remember getting this letter in my email at one time (whichever version it was, 1.0, 1.2........).

quote:
I was only one of the "poor substitutes" that people looked to when they should have been looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I see, it's OUR fault.

So then, why exactly do we need you?

quote:
Each letter has an order form listing all the materials we have so you can order anything you like.

All for the low, low price of 19.95 (except where noted).

quote:
In closing, let me say that I honestly believe that Dr. Wierwille would be very proud of what we are doing.

I can see why you would think people who go to an exway site would take the opinion of a man who led such an 'exemplary' life. I don't know about you, but I have some difficulty with deathbed 'conversions'.

A person realizes he/she's going to die and suddenly, faced with the prospect of going to 'hell' renounces everything they stood for in life. This is why you seem to find a LOT of 'Christians' in prison.

Please forgive my cynicism (which, I believe, your 'book' implores you to do). Thanks, but no thanks.

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