Sunday, September 4, 2011

Report from my two hour outing at Elk River....


I left the west metro area for Elk River about 4pm today, Sunday September 4th. I had forty nine-two page flyers (see prior post) and about fifty gospel tracts titled, "There's a criminal on the loose" (in the "Pages" section of my blog). I didn't really know what kind of approach I would use to distribute the flyers, so I just drove around for a bit just to get a feel for things.

The idea of walking up and down the streets wasn't going to work out because there just were not a lot of people walking the streets. I did notice, however, lots of people around the shopping areas, coming and going. So I just drove around with my windows rolled down. If I saw some young people, or people I thought were parents who would be concerned that their family might be influenced by a cult, I either spoke to them out of my car window, or got out of my car and approached them with papers in hand.

Basically, what I said was, "Are you interested in going to a conference on The Crossing Church this friday? The Crossing is an abusive church and many people have been hurt. I just want to make sure you are aware of The Crossing so that you or your family don't get hurt".

The people I encountered were mostly kind, willing to listen, and took the flyers. I got rid of all forty-nine flyers. It seemed like many of those I talked to knew about of The Crossing. A few people were definitely interested in the conference because they knew someone involved in The Crossing and wanted them to attend. I met a couple of people who attended The Crossing. One woman I encountered said she had no interest in going to the conference, and that she believed everything The Crossing taught. How sad!

I also saw a guy and a young boy walking to their car. They got in and I drove up next to them and asked from the window of my vehicle if he would be interested in going to the conference. He said, "Is this the conference put on by Pirate Christian Radio?" I said "Yes". His face suddenly looked familiar from the "I Love My Church" video. By then I realized that I might be talking to Tom, one of The Crossing pastors! He asked for a flyer, so I gave him one. I asked him what his name was, and he said, "Tom". I knew  right away that my instincts were correct.

So it's obvious that Crossing leadership is going to visit this site (if they haven't already.) I'll chalk this one up to Divine Providence! Crossing people, is God trying to get your attention? 

MY PETITION TO TOM AND ALL LEADERSHIP AND ATTENDERS OF THE CROSSING!
Please come to the conference and see if what Eric Dykstra teaches matches up with the Bible. I suggest this for all pastors and attenders there. Don't dogmatically follow the orders of Eric Dykstra not to attend; you have every right to. In fact, if Dykstra is so confident that everything The Crossing does is according to the Bible [Tom declared that the Bible is The Crossing's final authority in the  "I Love My Church" video, right Tom?] then he should have no problem with people from his church going to the conference. After all, both sides can't be right. So if Dykstra is right, then the other side will be proven wrong.  

Eric and Kelly, you too. If you are preaching a false gospel, don't you realize that you will go to Hell for all eternity unless you repent? Please, let the gravity of what you are doing sink into you noggins! Don't you fear a Holy and just God who will cast false teachers like you into fiery Hell? (If you want, I'll give you the book-The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul- in my "God's Gift To You" feature. Heck, I'll even buy you a brand new copy).  If you have received visions of some sort, how do you do know for certain that they are not the work of crafty demons? Answer: You don't! so don't flatter yourself by thinking God is giving you visions.

You might not think it's possible, but you-Eric Dykstra-can actually be deceived into thinking that what you believe is gospel, but in actuality, it is not. I don't know if you are sincere yet deceived, or intentionally teaching a false gospel. Nonetheless Eric, I don't want you to go to Hell. Repent, confess, and God will forgive you. Then preach the True Gospel. God has given you the gift of public speaking, and you are very good at it. Please don't abuse that gift by proclaiming a false gospel! That will only get you to Hell.

COUNTDOWN:FIVE DAYS TILL THE CONFERENCE
 In the two hours I was in Elk River I gave away all forty nine flyers, plus about fifteen gospel tracts.  I was handing out the tracts here and there at first, but finally figured out that giving out the tracts along with the flyer worked well. I have a ton of tracts and a ton of flyers. I plan on at least two more visits to Elk River or another community where the Crossing  has campuses.

Think of the impact we could have if just TEN  PEOPLE committed themselves to handing out fifty flyers before the conference! That's only ten flyers a day-but five hundred flyers total! Think of the impact if you doubled that effort! It does take a measure of boldness, which does not come by our own power, but by the power of the Lord. But I truly believe that if we get the word out about the conference by being honest about our concerns for the community, then we can make a big difference, raising people's awareness, and hopefully many more people will come to the conference! 


LET US JOIN TOGETHER
I will gladly meet up with anyone who is serious about informing the public of the dangers of The Crossing church: just contact me. I plan on getting out Labor day sometime. If you are timid in your approach to people in the way I described, then come with me and I will demonstrate how easy it is. It's really not that difficult once you get the hang of it. I will keep all evenings open from now until the conference. I honestly don't think many people in Elk River know about the conference. But if we launch a campaign of sorts to get the word out, handing out hundreds and hundreds of flyers, then by God's grace, we will have a major impact in Elk River (And Zimmerman, and Big Lake, and Princeton). 

Let's not be complacent and let this unique opportunity slip by. There is much to be done to pack the seats of the conference. The farmer who prays for good crops must still work in the field. Let's join together as Christians and contend earnestly for the faith!

Blessing in Christ, Casey 

          

13 comments:

  1. wow.. this war going on with churches now a days.. REALLY makes me glad I don't go to church! So, thank you for making the decision of whether to go or not for me!!

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  2. Anonymous, Number one. What am I supposed to do, ignore God's call for Christians to contend earnestly (go to spiritual battle) for the faith and keep the Gospel from being mangled by false teachers?

    Number two. I did not make the decision for you whether to go or not. You alone are responsible for what is true and what is false regarding the Gospel. So please, don't shame me into thinking your decision not to go was my doing.

    Number three. I hope you would please stop and think twice before making a decision that is the difference between Heaven and Hell for you. Is the Bible the Word of God or not? What exactly is the Gospel? Ask these questions because they are of utmost importance.

    Number four. The very Gospel that saved me was kept pure and handed down through two millennia by the spilled blood of faithful Christians who took a stand against false gospels and heretics.

    There are plenty of resources available that explain the Gospel. Just let me know what you struggle with spiritually and I'll give you a buy you a book or cd series. Or you can claim "The Holiness of God" in the givaway. Blessings, Casey

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  3. If this posting is true. I can tell you this. My pastor saw what you're talking about.

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  4. Ok just because someone says that they aren't going to church doesn't meant that is a blatant decision between heaven and hell. Nowhere in the bible does it say you MUST attend church or you go to hell so don't tell somebody that. You can have your opinions of this church, but that doesn't mean that you get the right to be rude to someone about it because they posted a comment. You seem to think you are very high and mighty at least that is how you come off when you talk so maybe think twice about that. You aren't supposed to use the possibility of hell to scare people into going to church, but that is exactly what your response seems to imply. So I will end this the way that you did because somehow you think that makes what you said alright.
    Blessings,
    Megan

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  5. Megan, thanks for your response. I assume your comments are directed at my 4 point answer to "Anonymous" above. Am I right? You have completely misunderstood the intent of my answers. I will answer your concerns and comments one by one. I will post my reply [in brackets].

    “Ok just because someone says that they aren't going to church doesn't meant that is a blatant decision between heaven and hell. Nowhere in the bible does it say you MUST attend church or you go to hell….” [Megan, I have never believed that just because a person doesn’t go to church is a blatant decision between Heaven and Hell. I have never, ever believed that one MUST attend church or they will go to Hell. Nowhere in the Bible are these things taught.
    However, the Bible DOES clearly teach that those who do not repent and put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord (He rules over and above you) and Savior will go to Hell. In my response to Anonymous, the "decision" in point #3 is a decision to reject the Gospel. It has absolutely nothing to do with a decision to "go to church". The Bible clearly teaches that those who die not believing the Gospel, or die believing a false gospel are doomed to Hell. My concern is that The Crossing teaches a false Gospel, and I provide enough evidence to make my case.]

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  6. “…so don't tell somebody that.” [Like I said, that was not the intent of my answer to "Anonymous". I would never tell anyone that salvation by works, but by grace through faith ibn Christ alone. The Bible clearly refutes works righteousness 100%!]
    “…You can have your opinions of this church…” [not only can I have my opinion of The Crossing or any church for that matter, but as a Christian I am also called to discern Truth from error, using Scripture (the Word's of Christ) as my final authority. If any teacher or church crosses the line and preaches a false gospel, then I have the authority of the Lord Himself to expose damning errors in the light of the Scriptures. I have done this repeatedly and excessively with The Crossing on my blog.] “… but that doesn't mean that you get the right to be rude to someone about it because they posted a comment.” [Megan, go back and read Anonymous' comments then read my 4 point response. Is it not obvious that Anonymous had a mocking, condescending attitude and was hostile toward me and Christianity in general. He was trying to blame me for his not believing the Gospel. I was just doing what the Lord calls Christians to do; contending earnestly for the faith. And by the way, in points #3 and #4, did I not try to reach out to Anonymous, asking him (or her) not to make hasty decisions about the Gospel? That he ought to consider the Truth claims of Scripture and then I asked him to consider what “the Gospel” is? And in point #4 did I not plead with Anonymous to pursue the answer to these important questions? I offered Anonymous free resources to help him sort things out, but I never heard back from him/her.

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  7. "You seem to think you are very high and mighty at least that is how you come off when you talk so maybe think twice about that." [Now that is funny right there! Me? Very high and mighty? I am a pathetic piece of garbage, an ocean of immoral sewage, a deadly monster and a cruel beast. Thankfully God raised me up from the raw sewage on my own filth and depravity, adopted me into His family, gave me new life and a new identity anchored in Christ. Here are some quotes I have made about myself. This is under “Why This Blog”...
    (I do not see myself as any way spiritually superior to The Crossing leadership. Without God's day to day grace and work of renewal by the Holy Spirit, I would surely slip into a cesspool of darkness and evil and would be capable of becoming the greatest monster the world has ever known. In the words of the Apostle Paul, I am the chief of sinners.)
    And another from my personal profile…
    (I am not a pastor or involved in church leadership; just your average, garden variety criminal, both traitorous tax-collector and self-righteous Pharisee, rescued by Jesus Christ.)
    And another from "My plea the Eric Dykstra"
    (I do not make my petition with an attitude of spiritual superiority. I am actually way worse than I think! I am both a self-righteous Pharisee and a traitorous, despicable, low-life tax-collector. I can honestly say that I am no better that the worst scumbags in history. I am a criminal, a filthy rag, a polluted soul, a corrupted image bearer, morally bankrupt and without any currency or power to save myself.) Very high and mighty? Even my best works are tainted with sin.

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  8. "You aren't supposed to use the possibility of hell to scare people into going to church, but that is exactly what your response seems to imply." [Megan, did you know that Jesus taught more about Hell than any other doctrine? He did that for a reason, because Hell is a real place, and I don't want anybody to go there; not you, not Eric Dykstra. Christians tell people about Hell out of love and concern, not to scare the crap out of them to get them to go to Church, but to run to Christ! We become Christians when we believe that God is Holy, good, righteous, and just, and that we are lawbreakers, criminals who flagrantly break His laws. So He must punish sinners otherwise He would not be just. If anyone professes to be a Christian just to avoid Hell, without any love, loyalty, and willingness to submit to the supreme authority Jesus, then they are not a Christian. They are self-deceived.

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  9. "So I will end this the way that you did because somehow you think that makes what you said alright. Blessings,Megan" [Megan, I really don't know what you mean by you ending this the way I did. Enlighten me? To end, I would like encourage you to read the Gospel tract under "Pages" on my home page. I am concerned that you do not understand the Gospel, and that is a very unsafe place to be. Please read the tract, "ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN? A GOSPEL MESSAGE FOR YOU" Because you will discover some horrible things about yourself, but some great things about God and His kindness in saving lawbreakers. I'll give you a hint. Now I will warn you that this is hard stuff to swallow, but it's the Gospel! When you say things like, "You seem to think you are very high and mighty at least that is how you come off when you talk so maybe think twice about that." and, "… but that doesn't mean that you get the right to be rude to someone about it because they posted a comment.” Now Megan, Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to Love the Christian God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And that the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Let me ask you Megan, throughout your entire life have you always put the Christian God first in absolutely everything without exception? And, have treated everyone with absolute moral perfection, not only your behavior, but in your thought life as well? Have YOU ever been rude to anybody? Have you ever looked down at anybody as if you are somehow better than them? In your response you look down on me, right? As if you are somehow better than me. That is the sin of pride. C.S. Lewis said that the more you notice pride in other people, then the more pride you yourself have. Megan, if you are honest with yourself, you will confess that you have failed miserably at keeping God's laws. You see, when we make up our own moral code, it's easy to look down at others and say, "Boy, I'm glad I am not like that lousy SOB!" But when we look in the mirror of God's Laws, we discover that we are no better than anybody else.

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  11. I can honestly say I am no better a person than Adolf Hitler, after all, we both share the same internal sinful impulses that lead to sinful external behaviors: pride, selfishness, lust, idolatry, greed, hatred, etc. Honestly, don't we all share these impulses? If you would like to dialogue more, I would be happy to. caey.nygren@parknicollet.com

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  12. Can I just say this, what you see and hear and choose to believe are your opinions so you do what you need to do and let others choose for themselves, I know great things that have come out of pastor Eric and his church.

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