By Kimberly T., formerly of the San Fernando Valley Assembly. First published November 24, 2002, with an introduction by Brent T.:
"One of the many sad facts with regard to Assembly culture is the extreme attention given to petty details. In Biblical terms, this means that Assembly adherents diligently strain out gnats, but swallow camels whole!"What follows is a glimpse inside a common dialogue between long time Assembly members. Because Assembly members are taught that God is exacting and meticulous with small details, the members reflect this and often put extreme, unbalanced emphasis on things of little import. What may seem like a petty discussion to an outsider is actually quite important to an Assembly member. As you shall see, television can lead to some pretty profound theological discourse. Yet at the same time, what might be considered important to an outsider, like a long-term friendship, is cast aside in a moment in the Assembly. Needless to say, this is not a healthy environment."
It works like this: "After leaving I really fell into great sin. I
don’t seem to have control over my life apart from being in the
Assembly. If I want to have any kind of inheritance in the Kingdom, I’d
better stay in the Assembly where I have discipline and am made
accountable." Please note that it is the external control of the
Assembly that provides this discipline and exercise, not the Holy
Spirit, which should produce the fruit of self-control in a believer.
Since the brother I was talking to has returned to the Assembly, he is
toeing the party line more than ever.
Our conversation, for some reason, turned to the subject of the
television. He said, "I heard you got cable." This is a big
step towards worldliness in the Assembly. I responded, "Yeah, it’s
great!" We discussed this for a while, and he made it clear what a
distraction television was and that it would take away from other more
profitable pursuits. I responded, "I watched more television when I
was in the Assembly than now when I have cable." This must have shocked
him. You see, I now realize there is no longer some rule that I must
maintain, so I casually voiced this in my conversation.
Let me insert a bit of Assembly history and protocol here. There was a time, not too long ago, when almost no
Assembly members had televisions. By
contrast, now almost everyone has one. Some have it hiding in their
closet. Still others in a back bedroom where they claim not to watch
it, except for some edifying film or other. They deny ever watching
any worldly television program. In many cases, the saints remove the
antennas in order not to obtain reception, so if in a moment of weakness
they are tempted to watch some defiling television program, they are
unable to do so. At present, very few people have the courage to put the
TV in their living room, where people can see. So much for walking in
the light.
So I asked this brother, in a manner designed to obtain a certain response,
"What does George Geftakys preach from the pulpit regarding TV?"
He responded, "Well, maybe he preaches that …"
I interrupted, "Maybe? Is it maybe or does he?" He responded, "Okay,
he does preach that you should 'throw
out that television, it is only filled with defiling, worldly things and
will only distract you from the kingdom’."
I asked him, "Then why do all the leading brothers have televisions in
their home? It seems that the rules are shifting." (Perhaps the leaders
view themselves as the only ones who have the self-control to have a
television in their home. )
Here is an incident that happened to our family. Awhile ago, when
televisions were not common in the Assembly, a Leading Brother (who
later acquired one) entreated my husband for having a television in our
home. He had come over to
visit us, and since we were not home, he looked in our window and saw
the television, which we did not have hidden. He then talked to my husband
on a Sunday afternoon and said something like, "I saw the television in
your home. I want to encourage you, that’s not what the Lord wants."
Not only did my husband not ask this person what business he had looking
in our window when we weren’t home, my husband didn’t take this as an
"encouragement." He came home and cracked the whip! "There is not going to
be a television in our home!" This was a pattern in our home, as well as
in many Assembly homes. When a leader would speak with my husband, he
simply would take what the leader said to him and implement it. This is
what we were trained to do, and when we did this sort of thing, we were
commended for our obedience. Never once did we ask ourselves, "Did the
Lord speak to us about this? Do we believe that this is what the Lord
wants, or just what a leader wants?" ( We no longer operate in this
manner since leaving!)
This is wacko! This leader, who had gained control over my family, is
the reason my husband removed the television from our home. I know that
proper Assembly protocol would say that the Lord most definitely was
speaking through this Leading Brother, but what does the word of God
say? Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man brings a snare: but whoever puts
his trust in the Lord shall be safe." It was the fear of man, in the
form of being compelled to please this brother, which caused my husband
to remove the television.
Now let me be very clear on this point. Having
a television or not having a television in your home is a non-issue, it
is petty and should not be considered worthy of debate, let alone
theological debate. Everyone must walk before the Lord, and television
is certainly not one of the major decisions one must confront in life!
God has no commandment with regard to television. God is going to lead
each family individually. Television is not sin. However, what a person
watches on TV could be a problem.
My conversation with the brother continued as he began to relate his own,
recent experience with deciding to get rid of his television. He said,
"What about when you are flipping through the channels--say I wanted to
watch TBN, channel 40--and I’m flipping through all the Spanish channels
and I’m seeing all this defiling stuff?"
I responded, "I see defiling billboards all day long as I’m driving
through the Valley. The Lord said in John 17:15, ‘I pray not that you
should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from
the evil.’ He hasn’t taken us out of the world. Yes, there are defiling
things in this world. Jesus saw those things, it didn’t defile Him."
He said, "Yes, but the Lord doesn’t have a sin nature."
I asked him, "Do you have Christ within you?" He answered, "Yes." I said, "Then if you have Christ abiding within you, you will have the fruit of the Spirit. Self-control will be what constrains you to simply flip through and pass over these defiling images to get to the channel you want to watch. You see, Jesus taught that it is not what goes in to a person that defiles them, but what comes out of their heart. If a person has a changed heart, as a result of the Holy Spirit’s influence, then they are not defiled by briefly seeing a Mexican soap opera while channel surfing!" He responded with, "Yeah, but I like the Spanish channels!"
I was dumb-founded! This poor man couldn’t see that he wasn’t
experiencing what the Bible clearly teaches, that every believer walking
in faith will experience the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance and
self-control. Galatians 5:23 says, "..against such there is no law." All
of the Assembly rules (and there are plenty: television, make-up, hair
length, dress, dating, etc. – you name it) cannot give life; they cannot
work righteousness only death, because they are only a form of law
keeping, or legalism.
"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it
is written, 'Cursed [is] everyone who does not continue in all things
which are written in the book of the law, to do them.' But that no one
is justified by the law in the sight of God [is] evident, for 'the just
shall live by faith.' Yet the law is not of faith, but 'the man who does
them shall live by them.' Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the
law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cursed [is]
everyone who hangs on a tree'," Galatians 5:10-13. We continued for a
few minutes more and then he needed to get off the phone.
Our dear friends who are still in the Assembly are under bondage to the
law. Although this conversation was rather humorous, when you stop to
consider what has happened to these poor people, it is really very sad.
I use this conversation to illustrate what darkness the Assembly
is in and what control they have upon the minds of sincere believers who
simply want to walk with the Lord, pleasing Him. This desire has been
hijacked and used as a tool for control, because these poor people
equate God and the Assembly. They don’t see the trap they are in – they
must keep the law, only it is Assembly law instead of Levitical law.
I believe the Lord will use these conversations we have with our
friends, but more importantly, it is my desire that those of us who have
left the Assembly and are now walking in "the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made us free…" (Galatians 5:1) will be an example of light and life. It is by prayer and
example that they will see the difference, not by the same means the
Assembly uses of verbal pressure and intimidation. These people need to
see with their own eyes and know within their own hearts that what we
are saying and experiencing in our new Christian walk apart from the
Assembly is the truth. The
truth will set them free.