I was raised in a Pentecostal Assembly of God church and schooled at a Baptist elementary school. Although both of these institutions were good, they embraced and taught many things that I have since found to be untrue.
I was well versed in Scofieldism and the end time scenario that he developed at the turn of the 20th century. It never made sense to me that Jesus talked about His “second coming again” and Scofield taught several returns of Christ. It made no sense to me that Satan would be locked up and then loosed for a time to torment mankind. It didn’t agree with what I believed the Bible taught about the character of God. Was He loving and forgiving or did He derive pleasure out of human suffering at the hand of Satan and his powers of darkness? I didn’t understand why no one really understood the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ and why pastors and Sunday School teachers stayed away from it. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Revelation 1:3, AV) So why wasn’t the church reading this book and getting blessed? And if the time truly is at hand, where did the thousand year reign fit in? That’s a pretty long time and it doesn’t seem to fit the “at hand” criteria. Finally, I couldn’t find any Bible verses to support the so called Rapture and the seven year tribulation period so freely taught in the Christian establishment churches. In my own church there were frequent discussions at the Bible study groups about the pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation and post-tribulation positions and which one was right. Yet the Bible clearly states, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33, AV) Where was the peace in the churches about this topic? Why was everyone having a different opinion when we are all supposed to be one? “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:3–6, AV)
Over a period of years God brought different people into my life to help clarify my confusion. These were people who did not fit into the church establishment crowd and who pastored small congregations and who had a good grasp of witchcraft, the occult and Bible prophesy. They taught me to read the Bible for what each word said and not to interpret verses from someone else’s perspective, be it pastor or televangelist or Christian author or family member. I discovered that the establishment churches were often social experiences rather than outreach ministries with disciples of Christ working for the kingdom of God. Potlucks and church picnics had more preeminence than street evangelism. As I moved from one town to another and had to change church homes, I found that I could not openly disagree with a teaching or a practice in the new church I was attending. Any attempt to discuss what was being taught there versus what was actually in the Bible was met with hostility. I was made to feel like a heretic and usually asked to leave. Although I have an extensive college and university background and a teaching certificate, who was I to question the pastor or Sunday School teacher? I was unhappy and wanted a church home and ministry and yet could not in good conscience sit under the authority of a pastor who was not preaching the entire gospel. To me it is a life or death responsibility to share the truth. People’s eternal destiny is at stake.
It took the death of my father to really release me from all the wrong teaching I had acquired over the years. When I was going through his personal effects I found tape sermons from Pastor David Meyer in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. For the first time I heard a man preach the Word of God with power and authority. There was no skipping through various verses to make a point. Verses were read in order and expounded upon so that there could be no interpretation other than what the writer of the Bible book was saying. The scriptures came alive and I began to understand prophesy and end time events and to see the true church as God intended it to be. Pastor Meyer’s church attendees were free to ask questions and were respectfully given answers. He teasingly reminded the listener that he was not a noted speaker. His comment meant that he did not preach using notes but was always led by the Holy Ghost. He would often start with a sermon topic and change to another topic because God wanted someone to hear His words at that particular moment. This man was humble and was never worried about church attendance or numbers. He was never worried about finances and trusted God for everything. He laid hands on and prayed for the sick and they were healed. He had visions and dreams that came to pass. He loved people and he loved God. He could be trusted to preach and teach God’s Bible truthfully. He changed my way of thinking, of reading the Bible and of understanding it. He embodied the church as written about in the book of Acts. I was no longer confused.
Pastor Meyer is with the Lord now and I do not attend an organized denominational church. There isn’t one in the town where I live that teaches the whole Word of God. These churches teach the doctrines of their particular denomination. I have Bible study with whoever God brings into my life. I meet on Sundays with a small group of families that rent a hall and seek to learn the Word of God. It is enough. I have learned to slow down and read the Bible one verse at a time and ask myself, “What is this really saying?” I have learned to ask God to show me what I need to know. As I started to read in the new year the book of Genesis, I began to write down what I was understanding in a day-planner. When I went back and read what I had written, much of it surprised me. I have read the Bible cover to cover each year and yet never grasped the complexity and at the same time the simplicity of God’s Word. These writings are the content of this web site. I hope to go through the entire Bible one verse at a time and share what I believe God has shown me. The whole process will take a lot of time. Won’t you join me?