September 5, 1998

Pastor Dan Gayman

Church of Israel

Schell City, MO 64783

Dear Pastor Dan:

Your two fax letters were welcomed here Friday. One was read in church today. The other will for the time being remain confidential between only you and me. I take up this matter to no one except you, my minister. I do not share any of this with [name withheld] or others.

I share your salutation, and pray that all the blessings of Jesus Christ rest on your life this Sabbath day. I count you as a friend. I treasure that I can openly speak my mind to you, and that you can do likewise. I know nothing of the Bible as I ought to know it. I trust that the clear words of holy scripture will speak to your heart this day, and that any opinions of Jerry Gentry, expressed or implied, will ultimately end up exactly where they belong–that is, in the garbage heap. My opinions count for nothing. Only the word of God counts for anything at all, hallelujah! I thank God I am intimidated by no man regardless of his position. Tell me my sin to my face, and I will repent. Do not lie to me. Deceive me not, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Beyond your cordial salutation, I sense that my letter touched a nerve that was somewhat unnerving to you. I did not intend to upset you, but only to ask some pointed questions and make an appeal.

I do forgive your unfounded and untrue personal attacks and accusations ("take up the offense;" "judgement calls from far away;" "you seldom are in agreement with me;" "it is very rare when you would ever agree to a major decision that I have made on sensitive and critical areas;" "it is easy in your very isolated and insulated world to call the shots;" "you. . . are not in the least interested in how the Church of Israel is looked upon by the local community"). Do you think I am intimidated by such personal judgments, accusations, innuendos and put downs? I am not intimidated in the least. I know the level of support I have given the Church of Israel. I know my loyalty to headship, even amidst abundant failure of counsel. I know my personal loyalty to God.

The fact is, my letter made an appeal that the Church of Israel and it’s leadership give scriptural basis for keeping a repentant sinner out of fellowship, or allow him to return. It is as simple as that, notwithstanding fear of the News Media, jobs in the local community, attitude of the local population, pressures from the Pharisees, etc. Passing over your put downs and pot shots at me personally, that I am out of the mainstream of the issues (!!!) (all glory to Jesus Christ!), as irrelevant, I want to say that I agree with the theme that there are consequences of sin, however misapplied in [name withheld's] case. Some consequences are natural, and some are set by God’s constituted authorities in the earth. You are definitely in the position of a constituted authority–that of the priest or minister, who has stated from the pulpit on a number of occasions that you do not have the gift of the prophet. You need that gift now, possibly more than ever before.

If I jump off a high building, I might break my leg as a consequence. Once it heals, I may still have a limp for the rest of my life as a consequence. If I sleep with a whore, I might get VD, as a consequence. That consequence may infect my genes and cause blindness in my children "even to the third and fourth generation." If I rob a bank, I may have to do 10 years in jail as a consequence. Those natural consequences may outlive my repentance and the forgiveness of God. In the case of offenses against the state (robbing a bank), once my 10 years are paid, I am out free without need of pardon. There may be other consequences of men, such as, difficulty of getting a job due to past criminal record, etc.

You once gave your decision that [name withheld] must wait until Passover, 1998, when many of your local church body appealed to you that he be allowed to attend in the fall of 1997. Do you remember a local petition at that time which begged for the return of [name withheld] back then?

You as a constituted authority in the Church of Israel set [name withheld's] consequence, and later you set a different consequence twice that I know of. I ask on what Biblical grounds have you changed the consequence at least twice? [Name withheld's] willingness to bide his time has always been with the understanding that he will soon be allowed to return, at least for festivals. I believe you promised as much to him one year ago, as you also did by letter to me. I see no way now to interpret those written and oral promises, other that to tell you, as a friend, that you have lied.

Have you lied to Jerry Gentry, to [name withheld] and perhaps to others? I feel deceived. Is deception and lying a less sin that David’s adultery? The world knows what lying is. Can Dan Gayman discern what is a lie, even under guise of expediency? Nathan took David’s offense direct to David. I take this offense direct to you, and to none other. Surely you are a man of Biblical understanding to discern between confrontation of sin and "taking up offenses." I have supported your decisions the past year, and said nothing except to you. I believe you have a problem of keeping your word, or at least you have a terrible memory. Let God be the judge of which; I have told you the truth and will leave any consequences to God. You will answer to God, not to Jerry Gentry, in this matter. But remember, lack of credibility in general is a consequence of deception, as I am sure you are well aware.

Whatever distaste you may feel that I call your attention to your unkept promises, remember I tell you as your friend, not as your enemy. Lash out at your friend with words of intimidation at your own risk. Perhaps you would rather think that there are no unsaved Pharisees in the local congregation. I remind you that I was a fairly good example of an unsaved Pharisee in the Church of Israel for about 8 years. I was quite zealous, was I not? Was I the only unsaved Christian Pharisee in attendance? I, as the devils, believed in Jesus Christ, feared and trembled, all of those years. Yet I had not found Jesus Christ in personal trust. It is not an accusation against anyone to say that there are others who are also laboring under the failed "works salvation" doctrine. Wouldn’t it be nice if more "kingdom believers" could also be saved?

Ministers are bound more strictly by the word of God than others in the congregation. Where in the scripture does it give, even the Pope, the right to make judgment calls outside of God’s specific word? The Protestant Reformation was born out of such issues. On what specific scripture/s have you chosen to set and reset and reset the consequences of [name withheld's] sin, different that what you promised? Forgiveness is not forgiveness, even where natural consequences due to God’s broken law continue, until the congregation welcomes the repentant sinner back into full fellowship, even while he limps on his broken leg; even while he holds his baby born blind from inherited VD; even though he has no job due to his past criminal record. "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7). "To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ" (2Co 2:10). You refuse to "receive" [name withheld], because of "what if" issues. The unconverted always look to blame someone else for their lack of a good job, fear of News Media, etc.

It is a hollow, empty forgiveness that holds the repentant sinner at arms length, imprisoned 500 miles away, linked only by letter, fax or telephone. It is a hollow meaningless forgiveness that puts the News Media and jobs ahead of personal fellowship with a repentant brother. It is a fearful, untrusting minister who sets "penance," then changes it, and changes again, for the sake of expediency.

You state: "this decision has been made because it is the right thing to do for the cause of Jesus Christ and the preservation of His Church." Where is your Biblical backup, other than your misapplication of the idea of consequences?

Perhaps my letter came at the wrong time. Throw this one too in the trash if you like. Throw your whole file in the trash, as apparently you have silently done with [name withheld]. You may as well have trashed him if you will not ever receive him locally into fellowship. Whatever decision you make, there will be consequences either way, just as you said. I am sick of feeling lied to about [name withheld]. Why don’t you tell him to go join another church, that he is unwelcome here. Any decision less than right is wrong. And if that is wrong, pray tell me what is a lie?

Your friend and brother, in love,

 

 

Jerry

PS–Tell me to shut up, if you like. Tell me not to write you again, if it pleases you. Tell me you are tired of hearing my appeals. But don’t tell me I don’t understand what is going on. I did not fall off a turnip truck just yesterday. Even at 500 miles, the picture is quite clear. God bless you.

PPS–I want to challenge you on the question of conversion in both the local and festival congregations of the Church of Israel. In my 10 years of attendance, I have heard precious few clear testimonies of personal salvation, many confessions of sin and many testimonies of belief in Israel and the kingdom and that Jesus Christ is King.

"Right now, are you absolutely sure, that if you died tonight, you would go to heaven and be with the LORD?"

Few I have asked that question to have given an unequivocal answer, yes. Most have doubts. There are many unsaved believers, like the devils, in kingdom circles. They have never heard and believed the simplicity of the gospel. If a church has large numbers of unsaved, unconverted believers, then that church will not be functioning in genuine salvation and forgiveness as a whole. Though unpleasant to admit, I am quite concerned that many I know and count as dear friends are still unconverted, on their way to the fires of hell.

My friend [another name withheld], when I visited him recently and asked the above question, answered truthfully: No I am not sure. He had such a wall built up that even after two hours of efforts by me and [a friend]l to give him the gospel in all its simplicity, he went to bed an unsaved, unconverted man, unsure of eternal life. He is an unconverted, unsaved person, by his own admission. Are there not others in the local congregation and also in the festival congregation? Kingdom belief does not give salvation: trust in Jesus Christ gives salvation, and the saved person has 100% assurrance.

The unconverted element in churches draw unBiblical lines, especially on sex sins. Since that is not their sin, it is much more awful and terrible than other sins. That is always the conclusion of the unconverted mind, which will never experience genuine Biblical forgiveness until it is converted.