Paul writes Pam and tells her that she is long on what is wrong, but short on what is right, and that such a diet is not life-giving. Pam is offended and disagrees.
I’m not sure where you got my email address. But this is to notify you that I would not be interested in being included in your email list. Thank you for removing my name.
Pam Dewey
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They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength
They shall mount up with wings as eagles (Isa 40:31)
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Visit Pam’s “Field Guide to the Wild World of Religion” website
http://www.isitso.org/guide
Hi Pam,
I found your address while doing some research on the web about the accuracy of Hal Lindsey’s predictions and interpretations of Scripture. When I found your site, I appreciated the thought, clarity of expression, and effort that went into it.
One thing in particular and of note about your site is that you are long on defining what is wrong, but short on defining what is right. I understand you wish to leave that between God and the reader. However, the very purpose for which God raises up His ministers is to address what is wrong by giving people firstly what is right, without prevarication or opinion. That is the nature and substance of a true ministry from God. I do not see that you recognize or acknowledge this, or would know it if you saw it. The way you address things leaves it at every man for himself. That is not enough or the way of the Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep. Men are responsible to listen to those God sends as though it were God Himself in Christ that appeared before them. Consider the words of our Lord and Savior:
“Behold, your house is left to you desolate: and truly I say to you, You shall not see Me, until the time comes when you shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35).
If someone like Paul, or John the Baptist, or any apostle or prophet of God came to you today, you would, push come to shove, lump them in with your cults. I would be glad to be proven wrong in this, delighted in fact.
We have a ministry and calling from the Lord Jesus Christ, as others like those I just mentioned have had, and are not ashamed or afraid to say so. This is why I sent you an introductory letter to The Issues of Life, so that you might also hear what the Lord is giving us today.
You do not, however, recognize Him coming in others, in the flesh here and now. This is because you are worshipping a historical Christ. This is not good enough, Pam. You know Him after the flesh:
“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more” (2 Corinthians 5:16).
I submit to you a writing from our website, called Are We a Cult?, which should be of interest to you.
We welcome your correspondence and scrutiny.
Paul Cohen
Paul: Hi Pam,
I found your address while doing some research on the web about the accuracy of Hal Lindsey’s predictions and interpretations of Scripture. When I found your site, I appreciated the thought, clarity of expression, and effort that went into it.
One thing in particular and of note about your site is that you are long on defining what is wrong, but short on defining what is right.
Pam: That is not the purpose of *that particular* site. It is not an evangelism outreach.
Paul: I understand you wish to leave that between God and the reader. However, the very purpose for which God raises up His ministers is to address what is wrong by giving people firstly what is right, without prevarication or opinion. That is the nature and substance of a true ministry from God.
Pam: That may be the nature of a true ministry, but not necessarily the nature of ONE tiny portion of a ministry represented by one website. You know absolutely nothing about what I do with the rest of my time. 🙂 And you know absolutely nothing of how the Field Guide came to be. You could have asked, instead of jumping me, but you seem too eager to try to “set people straight” to listen first.
Paul: I do not see that you recognize or acknowledge this, or would know it if you saw it. The way you address things leaves it at every man for himself.
Pam: No, if a reader is honest, and he or she has been trapped in a group, which is hampering their ability to seek for God and listen to Him, because the group or teacher has been using deceptive or abusive methods to keep them in spiritual bondage, it will not leave him “every man for himself.” It will set him free for him to be in GOD’S hands, for Him to reach him and draw him to Himself. In part through the efforts of evangelism. Which is done by myself and others in many other ways in many other places. I have received many emails from people who have been to my site who have been helped by it to get free and begin seeking a one-on-one relationship with their Savior instead of one mediated by other men.
Paul: If someone like Paul, or John the Baptist, or any apostle or prophet of God came to you today, you would, push come to shove, lump them in with your cults. I would be glad to be proven wrong in this, delighted in fact.
Pam: I would be glad for you to give any evidence you are *right*. 🙂 Do you really believe that Paul would exhibit the characteristics of a Benny Hinn or an Ellen G White? I don’t.
Paul: We have a ministry and calling from the Lord Jesus Christ, as others like those I mentioned have had, and are not ashamed or afraid to say so. This is why I sent you an introductory letter to The Issues of Life, so that you might also hear what the Lord is giving us today.
Pam: There are many, many, many thousands of folks sending out what they believe the Lord is giving them. I do not have the time to investigate all of them. Although you would likely be astonished at how many of them I do receive information from and cooperate with. I participate on seven internet forums and receive numerous email newsletters. One person can only absorb so much information without overload. I read hundreds of messages every day, and respond to scores. You did not give me any reason that I ought to include your newsletter in that overload. And this email you sent me does not convince me of that either.
After getting your original offer, I did a search on your name and Victor’s name on the web. I only found them together twice. Am I correct in assuming the web-based portion of your ministry is just getting off the ground?
Paul: You do not, however, recognize Him coming in others, in the flesh here and now. This is because you are worshipping a historical Christ. This is not good enough, Pam. You know Him after the flesh.
Pam: See, this is why I have a problem with the kind of unsolicited messages such as yours. You know NOTHING about how I worship, nor how I know Christ. You are jumping to conclusions. And are totally condescending to someone you don’t even know. This is *not* the way of Paul, John the Baptist or Jesus. It is possible to speak what you know without lumping others into a “strawman” of your own making.
For instance, there is a “rebuttal” of an article that Victor wrote about Xmas on one website. I see that Victor (and I assume you) are against the celebration of Xmas, noting that folks would be worshipping Jesus “after the flesh” if they kept Xmas. I am assuming perhaps you have lumped me in with those folks.
If so, you would be incorrect. I have not observed Xmas since 1965. And you are welcome to read why in an article I wrote back in 1990 that is on one of my OTHER websites.
http://youall.com/oasis/reason1.htm
In fact, you are welcome to read a whole lot more about what I DO know, if you’d like. It’s on my Oasis website.
http://www.youall.com/oasis
Perhaps you might find that you are not the only ones who may have some of God’s truth. 🙂
Paul: I submit to you a writing from our website, called Are We a Cult?, which should be of interest to you.
Pam: I had a look, and I see there are likely other subjects about which you’ve jumped to conclusions about me. For instance … is all flesh good for food? I don’t think so … and haven’t, for instance, eaten pork or shellfish since 1965. Why?
http://www.youall.com/oasis/unclean.htm
Perhaps you might find it of passing interest that I also keep the weekly Sabbath … both physically, and with the True Rest found only in Jesus. And no, I am not a Seventh Day Adventist. Nor am I affiliated with any historical “denomination.”
Just in passing, I note the following in the essay on your site about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
“I know those who have the Spirit and those who don’t, in other words, those who are His and those who aren’t by whether they ‘hear’ me or not, by whether they understand me in the basics of the things of God or not (I John 4:6). “
You SEEM to have jumped to a conclusion about whether I have the Holy Spirit or not–NOT based on whether I “understand you in the basics” … since you didn’t even dialogue with me yet. But rather based on some incorrect conclusions you made about what I MIGHT know or not know. You have accused me, a complete stranger, of “knowing Jesus after the flesh.”
This does not give evidence of maturity in the things of the Spirit. It does, as a matter of fact, SEEM to give evidence of arrogance. I am sure that is not your intent, but it is how it comes across.
I hope this is not the way you usually attempt to operate in your Gifts. You seem very zealous and sincere. I commend you for that. But it might be good to temper that with more patience in dealing with strangers. 🙂
Pam
Paul: Pam, I will follow suit and reply within the letter as you have, this time with text in blue. Your reply is still in orange print and my original letter is left in plain black.
Paul #1: Hi Pam,
I found your address while doing some research on the web about the accuracy of Hal Lindsey’s predictions and interpretations of Scripture. When I found your site, I appreciated the thought, clarity of expression, and effort that went into it.
One thing in particular and of note about your site is that you are long on defining what is wrong, but short on defining what is right.
Pam: That is not the purpose of *that particular* site. It is not an evangelism outreach.
Paul: I was not thinking that you were presenting yourself as an evangelist. However, I understand and accept your point that the web site in question is not such an outreach. As I mentioned at the outset, I appreciate much of what you have presented there. If we could start again, what I would like to say here, and want to emphasize in this letter, is that the Kingdom of God is not in meat or drink, whether physical or doctrinal, but in the fellowship of walking in the light as He is in the light. That is Jesus Christ come in the flesh.
There is certainly a connection between doing physical things as a result of walking with and believing on the Lord, but there is no guarantee that because we do certain physical things, or believe certain doctrines, that we are walking in the Spirit or with the Lord. As exhibit “A,” we have the Pharisees, who had many correct doctrines, and did many correct things, but did not receive or believe on the living and present Son of God. They denied Him and sought for His death, to protect their own form of godliness and righteousness, which was based, after all, in letter, on the Scriptures.
Paul #1: I understand you wish to leave that between God and the reader. However, the very purpose for which God raises up His ministers is to address what is wrong by giving people firstly what is right, without prevarication or opinion. That is the nature and substance of a true ministry from God.
Pam: That may be the nature of a true ministry, but not necessarily the nature of ONE tiny portion of a ministry represented by one website. You know absolutely nothing about what I do with the rest of my time. 🙂 And you know absolutely nothing of how the Field Guide came to be. You could have asked, instead of jumping me, but you seem too eager to try to “set people straight” to listen first.
Paul: Pam, get this: You are saying that I don’t much know about you, so how can I be making any conclusions about you; yet you don’t know what I know, so how can you be making any conclusions about what I am doing? The truth of the matter is that I know far more about you than you realize. The problem, or obstacle, for you in understanding this is that you are looking at things from an earthly plane. While I know full well you will acknowledge there is a spiritual plane, you have not entered into that dimension to walk in it or understand it yourself. What I know about you is not gained from reading your materials alone, but from reading your materials and knowing the Lord Who is with me, and has exercised me in the discernment of the spirits of men.
His purpose in doing this is not for me to “jump” people, unless speaking the truth straightforwardly is “jumping,” of which Jesus, John the Baptist, and the apostles all are guilty, as is recorded for us in Scripture. Stephen “jumped” the crowd he was speaking to and was promptly stoned for it. According to your reasoning, what gave Stephen the right to conclude what he did about where those people were coming from? What did he know specifically and individually about them? But he knew them after the Spirit. The only right we have, which is more of a duty and responsibility, is to believe and speak the truth for God’s sake, and thereby for the sake of all. The “jumping” done by the saints, by the Lord Himself and in my letter here to you, is for good, not evil, and which you ultimately will find to be right on mark.
Paul #1: I do not see that you recognize or acknowledge this, or would know it if you saw it. The way you address things leaves it at every man for himself.
Pam: No, if a reader is honest, and he or she has been trapped in a group, which is hampering their ability to seek for God and listen to Him, because the group or teacher has been using deceptive or abusive methods to keep them in spiritual bondage, it will not leave him “every man for himself.” It will set him free for him to be in GOD’S hands, for Him to reach him and draw him to Himself. In part through the efforts of evangelism. Which is done by myself and others in many other ways in many other places. I have received many emails from people who have been to my site who have been helped by it to get free and begin seeking a one-on-one relationship with their Savior instead of one mediated by other men.
Paul: Many people leave abusive organizations and are anything but free. Many of those you have reached with your information, which I fully acknowledge has truth and can be helpful, have not been set free at all. Yes, they may have left the organization, but within them their sin nature has not been dealt with. That is what is needed for salvation. That is why I write you, because you are falling short of salvation yourself, and need to know it. I say that not based on what doctrines you believe, or practices you maintain, but by an inner knowledge and revelation of the Lord, which you lack, and need to have.
There was a woman who came to us from the House of Yahweh. She came out of the group as a result of those things we told her that made it clear that the will of God, and His ways, were entirely different than the House of Yahweh’s ways. However, coming out of the House of Yahweh was not enough. Leaving the false is never enough. There must be an embrace of and cleaving to the True, which is the Lord Himself (not doctrines). This woman was not willing or able to obey the Lord in those things He specifically required of her, though in some instances she would be, at her determination. However, it is a matter of all being laid down, the will and right to oneself above all.
One may come out of the harlot church, Mystery, Babylon the Great, but what is needed is that the harlot church is removed from within the person, otherwise he or she takes that false church and its spirit, even its false doctrines, with him or her. What is needed is God’s miraculous deliverance. We speak His Word of Truth, which begins to effect that change, if the hearers believe.
Victor saw this woman from House of Yahweh in a vision wherein she held a heavy chain in her hands, yet was declaring that she was free. Clearly she was not free, nor did leaving the House of Yahweh deal with her independence from God. That was not enough, neither is the keeping of the Sabbath, nor eating clean foods, nor so many other ordinances, which she presently keeps. The rich young ruler kept all those too. The Jews kept those while taking down the body of Christ to keep the Sabbath. They hurried to keep the Passover, while they removed the Lamb of God they had slain!
It is error to think that if people do this or that, no matter how good or necessary this or that may seem, they are saved. Salvation comes by enduring to the end in the taking up of your cross and following Him through death and resurrection. Only those who have gone on that path themselves, and are sent by Him to minister in it, can help and guide people in such a way. We are of such. That is not to say that there is not a place for what you do.
Paul #1: If someone like Paul, or John the Baptist, or any apostle or prophet of God came to you today, you would, push come to shove, lump them in with your cults. I would be glad to be proven wrong in this, delighted in fact.
Pam: I would be glad for you to give any evidence you are *right*. 🙂 Do you really believe that Paul would exhibit the characteristics of a Benny Hinn or an Ellen G White? I don’t.
Paul: I do not question that you can recognize some of the false, as many also can and do, many of those not even professing any faith whatsoever. What I am saying is that you do not recognize the true, which is essential for salvation.
Paul #1: We have a ministry and calling from the Lord Jesus Christ, as others like those I mentioned have had, and are not ashamed or afraid to say so. This is why I sent you an introductory letter to The Issues of Life, so that you might also hear what the Lord is giving us today.
Pam: There are many, many, many thousands of folks sending out what they believe the Lord is giving them. I do not have the time to investigate all of them. Although you would likely be astonished at how many of them I do receive information from and cooperate with. I participate on seven internet forums and receive numerous email newsletters. One person can only absorb so much information without overload. I read hundreds of messages every day, and respond to scores. You did not give me any reason that I ought to include your newsletter in that overload. And this email you sent me does not convince me of that either.
Paul: It does not matter to us whether you receive our letters, for our sake. It does matter to you, because while there are thousands who give things they believe the Lord has given them, there are precious few who are sent by Him. You recognize that some are false, which is perhaps more than Billy Graham would publicly acknowledge, but, again, my point to you is that you do not recognize the true. There was only one Lord Jesus Christ in His day when He came to be sacrificed for us. What good would it do to recognize and declare that the Essenes and Sadducees were wrong, if you did not recognize and follow Him?
There were about 400 prophets that the King of Israel brought before Jehoshaphat when requested that they inquire of the Lord. Then the King of Judah asked if there was not a prophet of the Lord besides, that they might enquire of him. Why do you not recognize, as did Jehoshaphat, whether one is sent of God or not?
Pam: After getting your original offer, I did a search on your name and Victor’s name on the web. I only found them together twice. Am I correct in assuming the web-based portion of your ministry is just getting off the ground?
Paul: We have not done any linking to search engines, and can’t say what we will do there in the future. It is up to the Lord. We have been sending The Issues of Life going on a year, though the site has been operative for several. He will send the word forth to all places it needs to go. We are committed to speak and believe what He gives us, by His grace and power.
Paul #1: You do not, however, recognize Him coming in others, in the flesh here and now. This is because you are worshipping a historical Christ. This is not good enough, Pam. You know Him after the flesh.
Pam: See, this is why I have a problem with the kind of unsolicited messages such as yours. You know NOTHING about how I worship, nor how I know Christ. You are jumping to conclusions. And are totally condescending to someone you don’t even know. This is *not* the way of Paul, John the Baptist or Jesus. It is possible to speak what you know without lumping others into a “strawman” of your own making.
For instance, there is a “rebuttal” of an article that Victor wrote about Xmas on one website. I see that Victor (and I assume you) are against the celebration of Xmas, noting that folks would be worshipping Jesus “after the flesh” if they kept Xmas. I am assuming perhaps you have lumped me in with those folks.
If so, you would be incorrect. I have not observed Xmas since 1965. And you are welcome to read why in an article I wrote back in 1990 that is on one of my OTHER websites.
http://youall.com/oasis/reason1.htm
In fact, your are welcome to read a whole lot more about what I DO know, if you’d like. It’s on my Oasis website.
Perhaps you might find that you are not the only ones who may have some of God’s truth. 🙂
Paul: I think that I have already answered these things, Pam. We do know and see you. It does not surprise us at all, with your background, that you practice the things you do. It would be expected. We are not unfamiliar with Armstrong, or many other things. We are not judging you according to the appearance, however, but righteously, according to the Spirit.
Paul #1: I submit to you a writing from our website, called Are We a Cult?, which should be of interest to you.
Pam: I had a look, and I see there are likely other subjects about which you’ve jumped to conclusions about me. For instance … is all flesh good for food? I don’t think so … and haven’t, for instance, eaten pork or shellfish since 1965. Why?
http://www.youall.com/oasis/unclean.htm
Perhaps you might find it of passing interest that I also keep the weekly Sabbath … both physically, and with the True Rest found only in Jesus. And no, I am not a Seventh Day Adventist. Nor am I affiliated with any historical “denomination.”
Just in passing, I note the following in the essay on your site about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
“I know those who have the Spirit and those who don’t, in other words, those who are His and those who aren’t by whether they “hear” me or not, by whether they understand me in the basics of the things of God or not (I John 4:6). “
You SEEM to have jumped to a conclusion about whether I have the Holy Spirit or not–NOT based on whether I “understand you in the basics” … since you didn’t even dialogue with me yet. But rather based on some incorrect conclusions you made about what I MIGHT know or not know. You have accused me, a complete stranger, of “knowing Jesus after the flesh.”
Paul: I would not call it an accusation, but rather an observation. We do not condemn you for this. We have also known the Lord after the flesh. Paul wrote that though they all did, they should not know Him this way any more (2 Corinthians 5:16).
Pam: This does not give evidence of maturity in the things of the Spirit. It does, as a matter of fact, SEEM to give evidence of arrogance. I am sure that is not your intent, but it is how it comes across.
Paul: We have been accused of being arrogant. Men also found fault with Jesus for the things He said of Himself and for His confidence in God as He expressed it to others, often in telling them things they did not like to hear. We do not, as you say, intend to come across that way, but we do come across that way to some because we speak from God. The natural man perceives it as an affront, particularly the religious man who has taken the throne of God as spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2. There can only be one authority, and when God speaks, the authority of the man of sin is automatically judged. It cannot be any other way.
Pam: I hope this is not the way you usually attempt to operate in your Gifts. You seem very zealous and sincere. I commend you for that. But it might be good to temper that with more patience in dealing with strangers. 🙂
Pam
Paul: I am zealous, sincere, and, above all, right, Pam. I think you can see here that I am also patient. I have not told you there is a lack in your life in order to condemn you, but because you need to know, and I am willing to yet say more, if you have the heart for it.
Paul
“There is certainly a connection between doing physical things as a result of walking with and believing on the Lord, but there is no guarantee that because we do certain physical things, or believe certain doctrines, that we are walking in the Spirit or with the Lord.”
You are incorrect in your evident assumption that I think that there is any guarantee connected to doing physical things or believing certain doctrines to walking in the Spirit. You know nothing about my walk, you only think you do. You believe you have revelation knowledge about me. But we have a problem … I also believe that I have revelation knowledge. And it is contrary to yours. One of us is in error. You think it is I, I am convinced it is you. Thus we are in a stalemate.
“It is error to think that if people do this or that, no matter how good or necessary this or that may seem, that they are saved.”
Of course it is error. You seem to think I do not know that. Which tells me again that you are jumping to erroneous conclusions.
“Salvation comes by enduring to the end in the taking up of your cross and following Him through death and resurrection. Only those who have gone on that path themselves, and are sent by Him to minister in this, can help and guide people in such a way. We are of such. That is not to say that there is not a place for what you do.”
Again, you know nothing of “what I do.” Except the little bit you’ve seen on the Net. And thus you continue in jumping to erroneous conclusions.
Thanks for the sincerity of your input. But I guess you’ll need to shake the dust off your feet.
I am convinced that you have not, in any way, “judged righteously,” but rather by appearances and false assumptions. Including false assumptions about yourself. You are mistaking your own assumptions for “revelation.”
May God open your eyes some day to see that.
Pam
Hi Pam,
I would like for us to continue this conversation. By no means am I writing you off, and I am willing to hear and understand the things you may be able to share with me in order to enlighten me. However, if you do not wish to continue, that is your decision. As for me, I am not satisfied that this is a good conclusion.
More importantly, though, what does the Lord have to say? Is it the way of the Lord for us as Christians to depart on such terms? Is this how His body is supposed to relate to one another? If you think that I am not part of His body, then it is perhaps understandable to walk away. But if you cannot, or do not have sufficient revelation to conclude this, should you be “wiping the dust” from your feet now?
Please note what I did say to you, and what I did not. I did not say you are not a believer. I did say that there is more to the walk in the Lord Jesus Christ than what you presently preach and practice. If this is not true, then apparently I am the one missing something, and the one who is possibly in need of help or at least correction. If, on the other hand, I am correct, then there is much more for you, much more which is good and will eventually be the cause for much rejoicing. Either way, you certainly have nothing to prove to me or anyone else. You also have nothing to lose if you consider that what I say might be true. Think about it, would it be bad if you found out there is more to the walk of faith than what you have experienced?
I am telling you things that I see can help you. Perhaps there is a better way to say them, or a better time. However, I must say that I also feel a sense of urgency from the Lord that now is the time to say the things that are hidden, to bring all things to light, as He gives us the opportunity and inspiration to do so.
What do you say, Pam?
Paul