Date Posted:11:23:53 02/03/05 Thu Author: PECAS Subject: Re: a kid changed..... In reply to:
jim
's message, "a kid changed....." on 23:15:36 02/02/05 Wed
Jim,
I read your testimony. I am encouraged that God has blessed you to come to Christ with your sins. I am happy that you have a desire to live for God's glory rather than your own.
I want to discuss with you some of the prayer topics at the end of your testimony.
"Dear Lord,
Help me to follow you unconditionally. Help me to seek your kingdom before all things. Help me to never think like a pharisee. And help me to realize that I am not here for man’s glory, but to give you the glory. Help me to have the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. Have mercy on this sinner.I pray all this in Jesus Name, Amen"
From my experience of almost eight years in UBF, your shepherds, fellowship leaders, and/or chapter director will use your prayer topics to manipulate you into obedience to them rather than God.
1. Help me to follow you unconditionally. UBF equates following God unconditionally with attending every worship service, testimony sharing, prayer meeting, seasonal conference, one-to-one Bible study, and mission trip without fail. In addition, fishing and having desire to meet some predetermined goal of one-to-one Bible studies per week. For example, if you miss a testimony sharing to visit a family member, you will be rebuked by your shepherd as not follwing God unconditionally. Your shepherd might say that you are family-centered, accusing you of caring for your family more than God.
2. Help me to seek your kingdom before all things. Seeking God's kingdom will be equated with absolute obedience to your shepherd, fellowship leader, or chapter director. If you do not agree with some direction given by your them, then you will be rebuked for not seeking God's kingdom. They will accuse you of following your own ideas. There will not be an opportunity to seek God personally through the Holy Spirit.
3. Help me to never think like a pharisee. If you do not follow the directions of your shepherds absolutely they will accuse you of being like the Pharisees who went their own way and disobeyed Jesus. Yes, your shepherds will ultimately reveal that they want you to obey them as if your were obeying God.
4. And help me to realize that I am not here for man’s glory, but to give you the glory. Your shepherds are likely to use this for your marriage. They want you to marry by faith to a woman (perhaps from Korea) that you may have barely met or will only met a few times before marriage. This will be defined by your shepherds as giving God the glory. If you oppose marriage by faith you will be rebuked for seeking your own glory. You will be rebuked for having lustful, selfish desires of the flesh. Your shepherds will also use your sinful past with woman to encourage you to not to date or have any relationship with women outside of UBF. Further, if you find a female within your chapter that you are interested in, your shepherds will automatically state that you are simply giving in to the lustful and sinful desires of your past. They will admonish you to repent and pray that you can marry by faith in UBF. This means that you will allow your shepherds to provide the woman you should marry.
The assessment given is based on my experience in UBF. The ultimate goal of the UBF leaders is to convince you that you will only fulfill these prayer topics if you obey your shepherd(s) absolutely.
Jim, I pray that God be with you. I understand your position. I enjoyed the Bible study, testimonies, and conferences when I first started in UBF. Unfortunately, reality will soon set in that UBF shepherds main priority is that your obey them.
