On the way to church this morning I was listening to the radio. Yes, I know that is dangerous and unacceptable in some circles. But, after leaving Word of Faith fellowship (WOFF), I eased back into the evil habit after several months of being out. When I first left WOFF, it was hard to break from the rules and rules and more rules that I lived under while in WOFF. Yes, we have gone over that before and yes, there are some rules that change and some have been added since I left in July of 2008. As I talk to other survivors of WOFF, I learn that others also find some rules of WOFF will continue with them after leaving the group.

   The pastor speaking on the radio was reviewing three parables from the Gospels. I will not attempt to re-preach the message, but, I did hear some interesting analogies. The minister was speaking about how Jesus treated the Pharisees. Jesus warned them about all the man-made rules and not to trust in them for salvation. That is what caught my attention. The analogy was used that for some folks, their “rules” become their “ladder” to climb and elevate them “closer to God” and over and above other Christians or other folks not in the church. The picture became quite clear for me as I have been on that kind of ladder in the past. The ladder climbing time at WOFF seemed logical, since keeping all of the rules was required for continued membership. In that group, obeying the rules and ultimately Jane helps you climb the ladder and move up the pyramidal structure.

   Can you relate to the word picture? As the focus shifts from following Jesus to following His followers or one main “follower”; it is easy to take those steps up the ladder and you submit to more and more outward rules and requirements thinking that keeping those requirements equates to serving God. It is a trap that many fall into even if you are not in WOFF. But, the deception when you are on such a ladder is to deny you are on the ladder. In your thinking, you are just “walking in a higher place in God” or “finding your place in God” or “walking in a higher place in the spirit”. I have heard it called many things while at WOFF. But, the actual results included a pride or feeling of superiority that came since you were submitted and could keep most all the rules and rarely if ever got correction. If you have ever been in the sound booth at WOFF, keeping the rules puts you that high or higher over other WOFFers or outsiders – for sure. After all, others just don’t walk in the place “we” do at WOFF. I heard it said and felt its effects during my time there.

   If you work with or come in regular contact with WOFF members, do they seem to be on a ladder? Has keeping the WOFF religion become the focus of the group rather than loving and sharing God’s love with those who don’t know the Jesus of the Bible? Could being a WOFF member be more important than being a follower of Jesus? Could following Jane Whaley have become more important to WOFF members than knowing Jesus on a personal level? While I was inside WOFF, I heard Jane warn folks to not spend too much time reading your Bible or being off alone meditating. She rebuked Sam more than once for being “too religious” spending time reading his Bible for hours.  Is the WOFF religion more important to WOFF members than knowing God? Could WOFF members survive without Jane guidance or “gift”?

   After I became comfortable with WOFF-ways and WOFF-talk, I would look for others to share WOFFness with and see if they might want to know God as we did. When I brought someone new, I would think that if you could get them past the loud prayer and past Jane being so strong, then maybe they would make it with God. Well, then there was telling them about households and no jeans and all the rules, a few at a time of course. You don’t want to unload all the rules all at once. It might alarm a new person. Really? Do you see how twisted that was? What other former members remember similar thoughts? What I was actually saying was that new folks may get hung up on the legalism and not find true relationship with God? Wow, how long before I could be honest enough with myself and others and admit we all lived in a ladder-filled room under major legalism? Well, I would say at least sixteen years or more.

   Back to the ladder analogy; then church discipleship was meant to bring you back down the ladder and point out the steps you missed? Or maybe to show you how tall the ladder really was and that only Jane knew how tall the ladder was for you? After all, she was always in “in a higher place in God” or on a taller ladder, right? She had “walked with God for many years” and claimed to be sinless – right? If the claim of sinless perfection was not verbalized by Jane during my time there – she sure acted like it. The ladders I am speaking of here were not the “ladders to success” or ladders that lead to heaven or Jacob’s ladder… The ladder one takes after obeying all the rules and thinking they are rising above others folks is a shaky old ladder that has been around for too many years. That ladder will surely break on you at some point.

   Last week, I talked with a person I do business with about his trip to Africa. His name is Bryan and he said I could share this video from his trip. I did not see the guys who went “climbing ladders” to be above the folks in the African villages. See for yourself and comment if you would like.

 

   Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

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       Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be.  Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 355.