The story so far

By Drew

People visiting this site may be curious as to who I am and why I have involved myself in 'pleaseconsider.info'.

Let me begin by giving a short account of my past, this will help explain some of the reasons why I am here.

Where it began

Almost as far back as I can recall, I had a consciousness of God, but my relationship with him was not especially close. I went through the normal ups and downs of growing up. In mid 1989 (age 23), during one of those questioning times of my life, a good friend became involved with the Revival Centres International. From the very beginning, when she shared her experience with me, the focus was unashamedly on tongues and the Holy Ghost. In February 1990 I was baptised in water and soon after received the gift of tongues, though it was not expressed in this manner at the time. At that stage, I had been instructed to see this experience as representing salvation itself, nothing less.

As most are, I was made to feel welcome and part of the group. I became very close with a number of people, strong friendships were forged and my involvement in the work of the church increased. I was very happy with both my surroundings and my experience and almost all my time in the RCI was enjoyable (if not a little too busy). I was married in 1992 then began my leadership role as a youth group team leader, progressing to house leader, then in 1998 became a pastor and moved to the Gold Coast to look after a small assembly.

It was at this time that I set about to 'tidy up' my beliefs and refine a few of those loose ends, some of those scriptures that just didn't seem to fit my Revival belief system. I fully intended through this exercise to become an RCI 'defender of the faith', an apologist for the cause, if you will.

Things didn't quite go as planned.

During this time of study, the enormity of the whole situation also took on a greater reality for me. As a pastor, I became aware just how much control, we as oversight, had over people's lives. Many people were almost totally dependant on their leaders for guidance and advice. I began to see more and more, significant problems that had, and were, occurring for some due to the real-life application of RCI policy. These included coerced marriages, permanent assembly expulsions, and other general disciplinary measures. Some men had a huge amount of control in determining people's futures and a number were simply not qualified for this responsibility. Any system that allows the concentration of so much power to a relative few, should be seriously questioned.

These things began to weigh heavily on me.

One aspect of my focused studies involved listening over and over again to the New Testament on tape. It was during this continuous pouring over the NT, and gaining a better overall perspective and 'feel' for the New Testament Church, that more questions were raised than were answered.

There were many issues, but the main ones that created a conflict with my then belief system could be best summarised as follows:-

1. Listening to the NT Apostles over and over again just did not sound like what I and the RCI proclaimed.

2. Speaking in tongues held no prominence at all in the NT church and was never esteemed in the manner it is in Revivalist groups. I also became very cautious about the universal and unquestioned acceptance that all Revivalist's tongues were genuine, dare I say it 'pentecostal', especially as the fruit of the spirit was obviously missing in some 'spirit-filled' lives. I also began to question the 'process' that many people had to go through before tongues came.

3. A detailed critical study into the British Israel theme seemed to place it about as far from the NT narrative as one could get.

4. The RCI aspect of sin and the preaching by some leaders that 'they don't sin' simply did not match the NT narrative. I came to see that this view was a very dangerous position to take and produced a limited and 'boxed' concept of sin. A number in the assembly were living under condemnation as there was no clear way forward for any sin committed 'post-tongues'.

5. A number of key Revival support scriptures had obviously been interpreted wrong.

As I studied in more depth, I still hoped that the RCI and my then beliefs were somehow right, but eventually I had to concede that they were not. Not only did I believe we had a number of the incidentals incorrect, but I began to suspect that we even had the fundamental message of salvation wrong, it was this that caused me the greatest initial concern.

I still remember the time when that realisation hit me, it was a sobering moment. From that time on my conscience simply would not let me rest.

I approached my oversight with some of my concerns, knowing that the moment I called tongues into question, I would likely seal my fate as far as my future with the RCI was concerned. Certain subjects were simply taboo, and tongues was, and is, one of them, especially for a pastor. By the end of the first meeting, I was out of fellowship. Given the opportunity, I doubt I would have remained within the group in any case, but I was told I could no longer stay if I continued to hold the understandings I had developed.

The parting was as amicable as could be, and I understand why the Pastors concerned had to take the course they did.

Throughout my studies, my wife had been my proof reader and was well aware of the doctrinal problems that concerned me. She also attended the meeting I had with my senior oversight to hear both sides, her path and outcome took a similar direction to mine. Many of our friends, both members and oversight, ceased contact with us and a number of our attempts to simply continue some friendships were not well received. Departure from a group such as the RCI is a difficult situation, if you try to continue contact with your friends you are often seen as 'divisionary' or a 'wolf after the flock', however, if you don't pursue friendships then those you love and care for think that you have simply left them......dammed if you do, dammed if you don't.

As mentioned, our departure from the RCI was as amicable as could be expected under the circumstances, but it was extremely painful. For both my wife and myself, the RCI was our life. Between us, we had a total of around 25 years of dedicated fellowship and service. All of our friends, a number of family, and almost all our memories were tied up with the group, it was by far the hardest decision of our lives.

We lost it all and literally had to start again, but God is faithful.

Why this site

Christmas 2000/2001, when we left, was our darkest hour. Since then we have continued to grow and God has been a wonderful comforter. When we left, we never went after anyone to try and convince them of our views, I even turned away a number of people that wanted to hear more of my story, I was simply not ready. Over a period of time however, we came into contact with many current and former members of the RCI and RF and it became obvious that while some people had been 'out' for a number of years, their lives were still on hold and they had had trouble moving on, both personally and spiritually. Indeed life had (has) been put on hold for a number even within the fellowships. Sadder still, some considered throwing it all away. Now while we have suffered significant personal distress and sadness through the separation from our friends and those we love, spiritually we have grown stronger, as has our relationship with Christ. This prompted me to consider our journey after leaving the group, and why we did not seem to suffer a number of the problems that others had.

Everyone is different, but I believe there are several factors that contributed significantly to our spiritual stability and peace. One help was a balanced fellowship where we could sit back, take stock, and regain our Christian objectivity. However, I think that the greatest reason of all, from our perspective at least, is that we were able to untangle the scriptural web that is the Revivalist doctrine. For this reason, it is my hope to pass on some of that information to others to help in their own situation and perhaps help to initiate some change of practices within the groups concerned.

The intent of this site is not and never will be, to try and pull down any person or group. Rather, it is to help build, in whatever form that may take. My prayer is for a change in the direction these fellowships take, a direction that I would see as a more biblically correct application of the Word of God.

Revivalists are a people of the 'Word'

The Christian gospel is a simple one, and by the grace of God, easily grasped. People may rightly ask then why we need to present so much information on the Revivalist understandings if the Gospel is so simple?

This is easy to answer. Revivalists are a people of the 'Word'. They get at least three talks from the Bible every week, often in depth, with scripture after scripture dissected and presented in a very specific and directed manner. These beliefs are so heavily ingrained in the conscious, it is difficult for many to take a step back and objectively examine them. When people leave these groups, some of these incorrect beliefs follow them and create conflicts when they try and settle into a more orthodox Christian fellowship. I believe that as a Revivalist, I was not only systematically taught what to think, but just as importantly how to think.

As a pastor, I helped inadvertently cultivate the very system that bound me. It is my hope that this site will go some way to pulling down this sticky web that now binds others.

I have no personal grudges against any in the Revival fellowships, I still count them as my friends, both the oversight and the people. I pray for them continually. Nor do I see any of the pastors as deliberately trying to deceive people, they are as I was, totally convinced that what they are doing is both correct and scriptural. However, I feel it is the responsibility of all of us, especially those who have influence over the lives and beliefs of others, to carefully and prayerfully examine the origins, intent, direction and fruit of our spiritual convictions, for in them is the power of life and death. As Blaise Pascal once said;

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction".

None of us, including myself, are immune from the above reality. It is a possibility that should cause us all to diligently and objectively examine our beliefs and the impact these beliefs have on the lives of not just ourselves, but of others too, whether 'in' or 'out' of our respective fellowships.

May God Bless us all on our journey. All I ask is for those that visit this site to 'PleaseConsider' and let us reason together.

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