Pam Padgett ... member of the body of Christ
Being born again
When I was 14 years old, a boy in my class was killed in a motorcycle accident. For the first time, I realized that I could die. Previously I had my life all planned out. I would wait until I graduated from high school and left my parent's home, then live as wildly as possible until I was 30 years old at which time I would settle down so when I died I wouldn't go to hell.
When this boy died, I saw clearly that there was no guarantee that I would live even another day.
I was terrified, and knew that God was my only hope. And somehow I knew I would not be saved by those things I had been taught in the Catholic church.
So I began to pray, saying "I know there is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but I don't know which one to pray to, so please get this prayer to the right one."
Then I went on to ask if there was any way HE would save me, to please do so.
About that time my attention was drawn to a bookmark in a Bible. The bookmark had some scriptures on it, and the following stood out to me, and I believed this ...
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto ME, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take MY yoke upon you, and learn of ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For MY yoke is easy, and MY burden is light.
After this, I found I had a strong desire to read the Bible, and began to be aware that there was something different in me. The only way I knew to describe it was that there was something of God in me. I didn't know until later that I had been born again and the Holy Spirit was now in me!
I Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
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Led out of the Catholic church
I had been raised in the Catholic church and attended Catholic elementary school for 5 years.
After I was born again, I continued to attend the Catholic church, even after I left my parents' home and went to college.
A few weeks after I started my freshman year of college, I met another student named Connie Jo. We became very good friends and talked about things of God.
Sometimes I would say something I had been taught in the Catholic church, and Connie Jo would ask "Where is that in the Bible?"
I would respond that I didn't know where it was in the Bible, but I was sure it was there because it was what I had been taught in the Catholic church.
But later when I tried to find it in the Bible, I couldn't find it.
***
One of the early things I said that Connie Jo asked about was when I said something about Mary, the mother of Jesus, being assumed into heaven.
I was unable to find this in the Bible.
***
We had also been taught to confess our sins to a priest, and to seek forgiveness by doing penance assigned by the priest ... instead of confessing our sins to God and believing that the blood of Jesus pays for our sins and redeems us.
But I saw the following in the Bible.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other (none other than Jesus, the Word): for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
I John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light, as HE is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I saw the Bible teaches us that there is nothing we can do to pay for our sins or save ourselves.
Doing "penance" to pay for our sins is contrary to the teaching that Jesus pays for our sins by HIS own blood.
The Catholic doctrine is a doctrine of salvation by our works while the Bible doctrine is a doctrine of salvation by faith in the works done for us by Jesus.
***
Other things I read in the Bible were opposite to what I saw and was taught in the Catholic church...
In I Timothy 4 we are warned about doctrines forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meat.
In the Catholic church, those called priests and nuns are not allowed to marry, and we were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays.
But the Bible warns ...
I Timothy 4:1-3 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
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Another thing, when I read the following in Luke 20, I immediately thought of the Catholic priests who walk about in long robes ...
Luke 20:46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
This was all very perplexing to me.
I even looked some things up in a set of "Catholic Books of Knowledge" which my parents had, and was surprised that some of what I had been taught had been handed down by tradition and wasn't in the Bible!
Jesus said: Howbeit in vain do they worship ME, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men ...
And HE said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:7-9)
***
At some point I started making a list of things I had been taught in the Catholic church that either weren't in the Bible, or which were not according to what I read in the Bible.
I had been so strongly taught that the Catholic church was the only true church that it was hard for me to grasp that the doctrines I had been taught could be wrong.
Had I misunderstood what had been taught in the Catholic church? Or was I not understanding the Bible correctly?
God had an interesting way of showing me the truth.
The college I attended was a public university, but a Catholic nun attended this university. I told her I was Catholic and asked if I could meet with her.
When we met, I had my list of Catholic doctrines that didn't match up with the Bible.
I fully expected her to say something that would help me understand how Catholic doctrine lined up with the Bible.
But as I started going through my list, telling what was in the Bible and how it was different than what I had learned in the Catholic church, I saw the blood drain from this nun's face. She was totally white as she told me "This is why lay people should not read the Bible."
Seeing this nun's reaction, truth of the situation became clear to me ... these things taught by the Catholic church were not according to the Bible.
As a result, I left the Catholic church.
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Helped and comforted when persecuted for the Word's sake
Although I left the Catholic church, I felt I should attend some church.
My roommate played the piano at a small Baptist church. The people in that group were very friendly to me, and I wanted to attend their services. But the few times I went there, everything seemed so "dead" to me, so I stopped going.
Then two of the men I worked with told me about a non-denominational church they attended that had just started nearby. I went to that church, and it seemed very lively. (lots of music and the preacher was moving all over the stage) I began attending services there as well as the church singles group meetings. And I was excited because the pastor read from the Bible.
(But later it turned out this pastor didn't really uphold Bible doctrines, for he allowed men to marry divorced women in marriage ceremonies in the church, while Jesus said: whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Matthew 5:32)
***
When I was looking for a place to live as I finished my graduate degree, I rented a room in the home of a woman I met in the singles group at this non-denominational church.
This woman had been divorced twice (already an adulteress according to Bible), and had a young daughter.
For a while she seemed content to remain single.
But then, she began dating, obviously wanting to marry again.
I shared with her scriptures that warn of the adultery committed when a divorced woman re-marries, such as ...
Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Mark 10:11-12 And HE (Jesus) saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
It was shocking to hear this woman, who said she was a Christian, and was actively attending a church group, say that she didn't care what the Bible says!
I moved from her house shortly after this and moved about 30 miles away.
I no longer attended the singles group meetings at this non-denominational church, but did continue to attend the church services.
A few months after I moved from her house, I heard that this twice-divorced woman was engaged to marry a man I knew from the singles group. I went and shared scripture with him, warning him of the adultery that would be committed if he married this woman. He said he would consider these scriptures, but he didn't call off the wedding.
Then I heard that another woman I knew from the singles group was going to be the maid of honor in this wedding. I went to her and shared scripture about the adultery being committed by this marriage. She said she knew this marriage was wrong, but that they would get married regardless of whether or not she was the maid of honor, so she was going to do it.
... neither be partaker of other men's sins ... I Timothy 5:22
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During the Sunday morning church service, people who attended the singles group sat in one area. Although I no longer attended the singles group meetings, I sat with them in this area during the Sunday morning services.
However, after warning these people about the adultery that would be committed by this marriage, I noticed a very strange thing.
One Sunday morning I got to the church a little early and sat in the area where the singles usually sat. But, shortly before the service began I realized that none of the singles had come to sit there. I looked around and saw them sitting a few pews farther back.
The next Sunday morning, I again got there a little early and sat where the singles sat the week before. But they went and sat in the "old" area.
Then the following Sunday morning, I got to the church building shortly before the church service began and sat next to some of the singles. Without saying a word, they got up and moved to other seats.
Now it was obvious to me that the people in the singles group no longer wanted anything to do with me, but I didn't know why. I turned to God with this, asking what was going on? Had I done something wrong?
My prayer was answered a few weeks later.
***
After a church service a woman I didn't know very well stopped me, saying she had a word from God for me.
The word she delivered was that God knew how those in the singles group were treating me, and that I needed to know it was for doing what HE wanted me to do in speaking against the marriage of this divorced woman. (sounds like NT prophet work)
This was such a great help and comfort to me! Knowing that I had done what God wanted me to do, and that this is why I had become an outcast from those in this group was a great help.
And that God had cared so much for me to have this message delivered to me was an incredible comfort to me. I was so grateful to God for all of this!
(The twice-divorced woman and this man I had warned married at this non-denominational church and one of the ministers at that church performed the marriage ceremony.)
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Led to leave this church group:
Several months later, I started reading writing from Joan Boney in which she warned about corruption in church groups.
But, incredibly, I didn't want to see anything wrong at the church group I was attending, even though this is the church group where I had been treated so badly by those in the singles group because I shared scripture warning of adultery that would be committed by a divorced woman marrying, and even though I knew that the wedding of the divorced woman I had warned them about had been held at that church.
***
Then one Sunday morning, right before the church service started, I heard:
"What are you doing here? I have told you to get out. Now get out."
I sat through the service, stunned, wondering if this could possibly be God speaking this.
***
Over the next few days, I became convinced it was the Holy Spirit speaking these words to me.
I asked God when HE had previously told me to get out of that church group. I was reminded of the warnings Joan had delivered.
I didn't attend any more services at that church group.
(But I had been volunteering to help children get to their Sunday school rooms and I went to that job the next Sunday and helped the children find their rooms. I did not attend the church service but left after the children were in their rooms and I had let the woman who oversaw the volunteers know that I would no longer be doing this. Now I'm sorry to have gone there that morning. I should have left that church group immediately and completely.)
Although it was hard for me to leave this church group, I am so grateful to God for getting me out. For scripture was being violated as they allowed divorced women to re-marry with the ministers in the group even performing the wedding ceremonies. Falling away from scripture and even hating scripture that would prevent them from doing what they wanted ... antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Church groups would "fall away" from scripture … setting up another doctrine, as these churches had done.
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