I take full responsibility for my actions. The problem is that the teaching and
the way of this movement that will cause many to stumble and fall. It is 95% man
centered and not Christ centered. There is much folly in their doctrine and unwritten
rules. Here is my story.
It all began, after being disgruntled about the “church” situation and its lack
of genuineness. Some Christians like us find it hard to be apart of the local churches,
because of our growing convictions in God’s word. We left the Church, where we were
married, and began perusing other churches. We were looking for a place to belong
and stumbled on none that we “both” agreed on. During this quest, I changed jobs
and became friends with a co-worker named R.S [identity concealed]. He invited me
to his church which was called “The Church in Columbus”. They are the offspring
of the church life movement and the recovery movement from Watchmen Nee and Witness
Lee. After attending this church for a while, a man named K.B. visited our service.
He had some connection to my friend R.S. and was trying to proselytize him and his
family. Soon after R.S. told us in church that K.B. proclaimed that he belonged
to a church that was part of some kind of house church movement. R.S. and family
very quickly began to be converted into this new emerging church. We soon followed
and left the church we were attending too.
The home church movement was located in Westerville, Ohio. We traveled with joy
25 miles to fellowship and meetings several times a week. The leader [K.B] introduced
teachings from somebody named Mike Peters. He would also forward us emails and a
lot of us would contact Mike to get on their email list. In my first correspondences
with Mike I told him all about me, but he did not return the favor. This was the
first flag I had about the Indianapolis Cult. He would never reveal himself or open
up to me, but I expressed many things to him. After a year or two under the teaching
of Mike Peters, some in our new home church did not agree with Mike Peters’ theology.
[The events that followed are the pattern that happens to many churches and fellowship
groups when Mike Peters’ doctrine is introduced] This situation caused a split between
the followers of Mike and people who didn’t agree with Mike totally. I have learned
that if you are not totally onboard with Peters, then it is viewed as divisive and
persecution. They honestly believe that one must line up with Peters to line up
with Jesus. This was flag number 2 and to my shame I ignored it again.
After the first split in the home church movement, we sided with the Peterites for
a few more years.
During this time it was offered to my wife, though indirect, that she was not saved
(according to the doctrine of Mike). No one “said” this, but it was implied. All
ties to fellowship for me and my family were cut off immediately, because of her
“spiritual condition”. I could not help to think that if a person wasn’t saved,
why treat them like they had the plague. I have to confess, that during this time
period I treated my wife with contempt. I whispered to the peterite women about
my wife and treated her like she was the bane of my existence. A wedge was being
put between us as I pursued my religion with all zeal. I was so zealous for God,
I forgot to Love my own spouse! Looking back this was zeal without wisdom. How can
a believer of Jesus Christ not love his own wife? This thoroughly depressed my wife.
She was cast in to utter loneliness and religious seclusion in the name of Jesus;
first by others, then by her own spouse. This was flag number 3 and I blew it again.
I remember at one point she asked to be baptized again, but the Peterites basically
would not agree to this.
I was exhorted by a leader in the church to not spend as much time at home as I
used to. The reason was because my wife was apparently unsaved (according to their
doctrine) and I should spend more time with believers so I would not be hardened
and deceived by sin. To me it seemed that the concept they were trying to convey
to me was that my unsaved spouse could make me unclean unless I spent more time
with other believers (cult members) to wash off the tainted life of my wife. The
closest cult group was 25 miles away. I tried my best to be "daily" with folks;
it was tough with a wife and a young child. Not to mention, she was not welcome
in the fellowship so I had to come by myself. Through my own carnality and my false
devotion to God, my wife became a stench to me. I was very critical of her and very
sharp when we had "spiritual" conversations. Looking back, I believe my problem
was that the END was human acceptance not Christ, so the MEANS were justified in
my mind.
I spent a lot of time talking with women cult members and getting "equipped". One
day my wife was sick and vomiting. They exhorted me not to go home from work to
take care of her and the baby, because she could be using this as an "emotional"
draw. That day I ended up going home, but not without talking to some of them during
my trip home. I usually told them everything good and bad about my wife. Looking
back, I believe they had way too much information about my wife coming from my perspective.
I believe I was telling my side of the story with my slants and prejudices. I do
not think it is fair to rat on your spouse without their point of view.
Another situation that I clearly remember was when a woman cult member called me
and asked what I was doing that night. (Free time is not a good word in this group,
because everyone should be "doing something" for Jesus every day. Free time means
you are not doing anything religious and therefore it is disobedience.) I told her
I was playing the play station with my wife. She said to me, "Your wife is going
to hell and you are playing games with her". I should have told her, "Mind your
own beeswax". But she had my wife's soul; the only way I believed she could be saved
was through these people [the cult]. I held my tongue and threw the play station
in the trash can. From that night on, I felt guilty spending time with my spouse.
Many months later they allowed a baptism to take place at one of the Peterite’s
house. She learned the peterite lingo and was accepted by the church. We eventually
moved up to where the peterite church was in hopes of joining them. Many other weird
things happened during the next few years. I saw a girl cast into real solitary
confinement. She was not allowed to play with anyone or have relations with other
children. I first handedly watched a marriage get split apart and children side
with the mother against the father. In another instance, a wife [of two children]
was encouraged to divorce her husband. Thank God she never did that. Most people
don’t do things by themselves like going to grocery stores and home depot. Marriages
are not fortified and protected. Wives & mothers sometimes spend hours into
the late night away from home “fellowshipping”. Single women are not supposed to
work or live alone. They live with the male leaders. These are just things I noticed
while I was there. I know it is a lot worse than this, because when I left I wasn’t
looking for faults. I was trying to find where my precious Jesus was, because He
is not there! They claim that Jesus is in their midst, I assure you He is not. He
could be, but the level of sin and hypocrisy that goes on behind the curtain, God
is not joined to that junk. This movement is not of God, but of men. Don’t be deceived
by a couple of good teachings on children. Most of the old stuff comes from books
written before Mike was born. As I started seeing major discrepancies, I believe
God was calling me out to Himself. Thank YOU GOD!!!
Email Tim
Tim has presented a very good overview of what happened while we were involved with
this group. I just wanted to add a few thoughts of my own. I truly believed that
I was not saved when I was with these people. I realize now that wasn’t true. I
was saved, before I met them, by God’s grace but I was not living my life as well
as I should have been. I loved Jesus and that was why I wanted Him more. I really
thought they had the answers even though they mistreated me.
I remember wanting to leave my husband , because of the way he treated me. The way
he would talk to me was condescending and rude, he wouldn’t spend time with me or
my daughter (I was also pregnant with our 2nd at the time). There was always some
“spiritual “excuse. I found out later that he was encouraged to do this by certain
people in the group. I was so distraught because the man I married was gone.
It was a very hard time but ultimately I did end up getting baptized again, this
time into the cult. I wish I would have never done it. As soon as I was baptized
cult members started opening up to me. I was finally allowed to visit and they would
return my phone calls. A few months after my baptism we moved to Westerville, living
about 3 miles away from the Cult. We hoped to be more involved with the core members.
Skipping forward through 2 ½ years or so. We still were not involved daily with
the core members; however there were a group of us that were on the “fringe”. We
really were trying to help a family that we were close with but the lady of that
house did not want the truth.
To make a long story short the group in Columbus did end up taking her side and not helping her.
She played into their game and they would not care about the "honesty issues" that we brought forward.
This family has gone through the tearing apart that is so common in this cult when the husband does not agree with Mike Peters'
teaching.
Some of the common things that they do, as I have personally seen or heard of, are:
the children hate their father and will put their hands’ over their ears, the fathers
are not allowed to spend alone time with their children, the wives withhold affection from their husbands, etc.
We ended up seeing through the lies that this
group is about and we fled. We put our house on the market and in 2 weeks we were
moved.
It took some time to heal us and to forgive them through God’s grace. I want so
much for people to stay away from this group or to get out if they are in it. They
are not pleasing to Jesus. I have so much more that I could write but I think this
is enough for now. Ultimately we could not stay there because we would not be apart
of the family destruction that was happening. I am happy to say that our marriage
is much healed since all of these things and we are finding out how to love each
other through Jesus. I hope that people will see this and seek out the truth through
their Savior.
Email Danielle