Temporary Resource Pops Up Nearby

I am considering leaving The Compound and going to a Christian conference.

Years ago, God told me the age of big churches was over. They disgrace themselves over and over, and they turn people into pastor-worshipers. They invent bad doctrine in order to extract money from people. When a man who runs a church of 2000 people gets his doctrine wrong, 2000 people lap it up and catch the disease from him.

I’ve been expecting to see a different kind of church, composed of unpaid individuals who minister one-on-one. Christians always assume God needs TV cameras to reach people, but it’s a lie Satan uses to steer people into the arms of liars. The apostles converted half of the world on foot, before electricity, in a very short time.

I think I’m seeing God’s plan materialize. If you go to Youtube, you can find many videos from obscure preachers who go out and heal and cast out demons. They’re not connected to TV networks. They are not rich. They don’t charge. They don’t herd people into auditoriums and try to harness them to work for silly carnal campaigns and projects.

The last two churches I belonged to were big on projects. One of them had a huge campaign to help Haiti after the earthquake. The pastor said, “We’re in Haiti for the long haul.” Then the project quietly evaporated. He had another project: the 2020 Vision. He made it seem like it was his idea. Turned out zillions of preachers had already used the same gimmick. The church was going to convert a certain number of people by 2020. The campaign pooped out quickly, and everyone forgot about it.

Church projects sound great, but they don’t work unless God himself starts them. Usually, that is not the case.

If Satan can get church members to waste their time and money on church projects, he can divert them from useful ministry.

The Youtube guys are likely to end up running big organizations if they don’t watch out, and they, too, will end up turning people into servants instead of brothers and sisters. For now, though, they’re doing a lot of good work. They show up in public places, pray for people, cast out demons, heal the sick, and move on. It’s easy to resist a pastor who tries to persuade you with a reheated sermon one of his buddies wrote, but miracles get people’s attention.

Satan spreads iniquity the same way he spreads plagues. Individuals make contact, and contagion is accomplished. Christianity is supposed to be spread the same way. Instead, we focus on stadiums and big buildings. Every one of us is supposed to be a powerful ambassador of God, fully capable of reaching people, but to a great extent, we give up our power and leave the work to a few individuals who live in front of cameras.

One of the Youtube preachers is named Torben Søndergaard. I had to use “copy” to get that funny O that looks like Saturn. He’s from Denmark, which is not a very godly place. He runs an outfit called The Last Reformation. They go all over the world, doing their thing.

They baptize people with water and the Holy Spirit. Sometimes they do both at once. Sometimes demons manifest during baptism and depart.

They have events called “kickstarters.” They show up in various places and teach. I would like to see it in person. I don’t have any illusions. Every big Christian movement eventually becomes corrupt, and I don’t put my trust in men. Nonetheless, they seem to be doing good things now.

I found out Søndergaard is having a kickstarter in December, about eighty miles from me. Imagine that.

I would like to be baptized again. I don’t know if that’s permitted, but I don’t see why not. Baptism is ritual immersion, and Jews immerse themselves many times.

I have already been baptized twice, and I think it was done improperly both times.

The first time I was baptized, I was in Europe with my family. We were in an old church somewhere. I don’t take this baptism seriously. My mother reached into a font and put water on my forehead. She always had a strange attraction to the Catholic church. Women are drawn to the pageantry and the emasculated, feminine, nonthreatening priests. She hadn’t done a good job of teaching me about God, and she was worried about me, so she made this powerless gesture.

The second time I was baptized, I belonged to a little charismatic church south of Miami. Some of us gathered by a pond near some condos, and one of the elders put me under. I don’t recall hearing anything about repentance or cleansing. When I came up, he asked me if I had anything I wanted to say. I will never forget what I said. Here it is: “I think something’s biting my foot.”

Baptism is supposed to be an event of supernatural power. I didn’t know that. It should be about cleansing and deliverance, as well as the public proclamation that you belong to Jesus. Many people experience supernatural things during baptism. I did not, and I suspect I should have.

I don’t know if Søndergaard’s crew will be baptizing, but they will surely have useful information about it.

Hmm…just found a video about it.

It’s neat to see Christians DOING Christianity. Generally, we go to church and then go home, thinking only of ourselves. The apostles went out and raised the dead. They prophesied. Most of us are like medical students who never practice.

It’s difficult to get away and do things like this. I will have to have someone watch my dad. This may be a good opportunity to try Visiting Angels.

My dad’s problems are limiting my life now, and his hygiene issues are getting to be so bad I can’t take it without building myself a separate kitchen, so I am working on finding solutions. He has finally accepted the fact that he will have to have a CNA or move into an assisted living facility. I don’t want to put him in a home, but there is a limit to what I can do for him.

A home will cost a fortune. Over $70,000 per year. I can get daily CNA help for him for a fraction of that. A CNA in this area probably earns less than $30,000 per year. Maybe that’s the way to go.

It will be nice to get away and spend a few hours among people whose beliefs are like mine. I hope they help me to improve.