An Alternative Agenda – Illicit Affair or Something Else

Many readers of the comment section will find the title exciting because there has been a lot of talk recently about an Affair between Jon Daniels and a congregant in his Coastlands church. As my first time posting as the new Admin for this site, I would have really liked the post to be a expose of the problems that are happening within the NCMI movement. Unfortunately, I find myself conflicted and even forced to defend some within the NCMI movement.

Did JD have an affair? I am uncertain, and I blame certain abusers of the comment section on this blog. What looks like a telling tail of the excesses of this Charismatic movement from the average reader looks like a falsehood for anyone who can read the admin section. It became abundantly clear that there were perhaps 1 or 2 people posting on the comments about the affair but have used soo many aliases that it looks like a massive conversation between many.

The first time I noticed that something was wrong was when someone using the email address for Jon Daniels but gave her name as Mary. This made me look closer at the allegeations that were being given and I found that almost all shared the same IP address as below.

Besides this, the same comment was made as above but from a totally different user, with a different email address but the very same IP

I tried to contact the last commenter via email, and after more than a week, I have received no reply.

As it stands, I believe that something is wrong. To remedy this, I have deleting all comments from the above IP, and any email from Living Hope Church’s email address.

Observations from the Roots

Admin Notes:

For the first time in the history of the blog, we will be publishing an article from a reader. It is important to hear testimony and I believe that this persons view on what was going on at the beginnings of the movement is key to understanding the movement. No men have been more scrutinized than Charles T. Russel (Founder of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) and Joseph Smith, Jr. (Founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Christendom knows that to understand a movement, a closer look at the foundations is required. This  is why I have allowed for the publishing of this article. The authors name is known to me, but she wishes to remain anonymous in public. Reasons for this are clear as a previous article has illustrated.

If you have a testimony that you would like to get out there, fell free to contact me here: https://ncmifringe.wordpress.com/contact-us/

Testimony

I am really grieved at all the pain and destruction that has happened over the decades in God’s name. It is all so very sad, even tragic. I assure you that I am not gossiping and do not seek to tear anybody down, destroy any lives or add to the destruction. Some of what I saw/see happening at NCMI happened/happens all over the world in man-made Christian institutions everywhere….

I would like to think that they all probably started out meaning well and wanting to do good. I hope that what I write will make people stop, and think! We have the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God to read and we have common sense. Following blindly is what WE are warned against and are responsible for. Manipulating us to follow blindly is what ‘they’ are responsible for, what they will give account for and what my note is about.

Matthew 23:1-15
1 Timothy 3
1 Timothy 5:17
Titus 1:9

Anatomy of a cult/pseudo-cult: the making of NCMI

My observations start from around the end of 1981.

At the very top of any organisation of this magnitude, there has to be a very charismatic leader who is an opportunist.
Ours was just that and he had a very shady past. This is not a judgement call on anybody’s salvation but suffice to say, the Believing world is not short of Christian Con men (and women)…. human nature prevails unless we put it to death.

In the organisation, you have hierarchy; not unlike a country club. To “belong” you need to follow rules and pay regular fees. To be able to use ALL the facilities of the club, you have to be premium members and then you are entitled to many benefits and privileges. The premium members are elevated to demigod status, making all the decisions and commanding subservience. The regular club members are subtly encouraged to aspire to be like the premium members with the proverbial carrot dangling just beyond reach. There are getaways and conferences, book sales, fundraisers…. sometimes the lines are blurred and one can’t tell what is the world and what is from the Word. Once one has joined the club, you are not as free to leave as you think. (not without consequences)

At NCMI (and this can also apply to other church movements) it is easy to observe that at the bottom there are many very loyal followers who are following all the rules and paying the fees. They speak the right language and simply don’t want to admit all that is wrong. Their identity is wrapped up in being followers of the leader, quoting their teaching and showing their fidelity. At times, they might agree that there might be something slightly untoward, but it is quickly swept under the carpet all the while chanting the mantra that this is one of God’s Apostolic works and “the enemy will always want to attack it”. Just the other day, in passing, one of Dudley’s “loyal to death” followers said in response to what Tyrone and Jonathan have been doing in recent years – QUOTE “Dudley said we cannot disappoint God… He has no expectations of us. He loves us unconditionally. By his Grace we are saved…” UNQUOTE

For some of the people involved, itt might have been well-meaning at the beginning, but, I was there when it changed from Bryanston Baptist Fellowship to Bryanston Baptist Church, then New Covenant Fellowship (NCF) to New Covenant Church (NCC) to New Covenant Ministries (NCM) to New Covenant Ministries International (NCMI) and there was not very much well-meaning sentiment going on behind the scenes. We finally left NCMI for good in 1999, and sad to say that what was going on then was going on at the beginning and evidently continues to this day, all over the world.

My family was in a unique position in that we spent a LOT of time on the original Bryanston property. We got to see a LOT! I remember there being talk early on about how things weren’t so great financially but then, out of the blue there were “prophecies” followed by persuasive teachings saying people needed to believe for growth. Dudley started travelling around South Africa and came back to report that he had found like-minded leaders in other churches and they would be “relating” to us. Money started coming in (even though this of course was not like paying to join a club). It was all so exciting! There was talk of loyalty and devotion and Dudley was finally being used in his role as an apostle and that this was “definitely a move of God”. The leaders of the relating churches came from far and wide to the Ness Avenue property, first coming alone, then bringing their wives and children. We had new friends! So much fun! So many holiday opportunities in various parts of South Africa!!

I found it all very odd that the Bible said that the greatest in the Kingdom was a servant of all. It looked to me like lots of servants were being made, and all the serving done was by them, not the leader. The changes on the property were impressive! Jesus Himself did not have a place to lay His head, but the leader was getting richer and his car, home and more and more frequent holidays reflected that well! The Bible talks about REST but with all the meetings happening every day at different times of the day, when were people supposed to rest?
As a person that takes things very literally, what I saw was contrary to the Word of God – not all Believers were treated equally. The faithful workers were ordered about, while the lead elder called the shots.

More money came in, the building projects included the school, the rondavels, the new bigger and better building. The number of relating churches grew. The only accepted/acceptable doctrines of NCMI were typed up and put in writing. I don’t need to rehash all the history – the Wikipedia entry is pretty accurate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Covenant_Ministries_International
What is quoted there by Raul Tuul (don’t know who he is) – “NCMI in my opinion has all the hallmarks of a cult…. I gave almost a quarter of a century of my life to its ‘vision and values’ and have not one […] friend left to speak of…. The leaders are generally all uneducated, and know of little else except the manuals and ‘NCMI speak’.” is very true.

We saw leaders come and go, church plants, church splits, pain for those who disagreed with the apostolic teams and we saw the Daniel family getting immunity. His health issues seemed to be a great cover-up for having to deal with very real crises….

For the longest time, we too were loyal to the “mission statement” of NCMI but in the years leading up to our leaving, my husband and I were concerned about many things. Here is an example: After two elders had committed adultery, two others had gone to plant churches elsewhere and only two couples remained, the very youngest couple were presented to the NCMI church we were in as the anointed ones and they were to be the new lead elders. There were other couples that more closely resembled the Biblical criteria but they were passed over for the more malleable early 20’s newly weds! We were all but asked to swear our loyalty to them and to promise to support them. Those who didn’t were ostracised. By that time it had became all about ONLY NCMI songs in worship, ONLY NCMI teachings, ONLY NCMI guest speakers, this conference and that retreat and constant meetings. Any socialising had to happen with NCMI approval etc and it just confirmed to us that it was cultish. Any questions we had about how their doctrines contradicted Scripture were met with anger. It was not appreciated that we studied the Bible on our own. It was implied that we were in rebellion (but we faithfully attended every meeting and were burning ourselves out with all the serving we were doing).

The Bible has very clear instructions about church leadership. The Bible also has very clear guidelines on how we should live our lives.

Back to Scripture – I’m not going to name names but we moved a few times while we still lived in South Africa. We always sought out an NCMI affiliated church. Yes, we were programmed to believe we should ONLY go to NCMI churches. Over the years, we saw SO MUCH adultery in the leadership in the various NCMI churches we were part of and exposed to. It was not dealt with Biblically. There were blatant lies and false prophecies from the pulpit. The behaviour of the children of leaders was pretty shocking. From fornication to drugs to choosing a life away from God, not unlike children raised by non-Believing parents. It too was not dealt with Biblically. In other words, the guidelines set out by God in the Bible for leaders and their families was not and has not been adhered to. It is not surprising that the fruits (behaviour of adult children) are rotten. The roots were rotten to the core! Too much emphasis on planting a (NCMI) church in every nation and not nearly enough priority given to raising children who know the Lord. Dozens of meetings each week that kept the parents away from their homes. Too much emphasis on building the empire, not on individual hearts. So much hypocrisy.

It is important to say that there are some really lovely people who are still in NCMI churches and who are my friends. They are fiercely loyal to the Daniel family and the NCMI doctrines and movement. They will not hear any negative thing about them even when presented with the facts. We know we would lose them as friends if they heard any of what I have written. This kind of behaviour is always indicative of a cult.

There is never any excuse when people choose to be loyal to leaders (humans) over Biblical Truth. There is no Biblical directive to give such unwavering devotion to people who have the 5 gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. There is no indication that any of those gifts should be paid vocations! The only one that can receive financial compensation is the one of “teacher”…. It is never acceptable to get financial gain from having a relationship with the Lord God Almighty! Our Salvation is a gift, not a money-making venture! Jesus said that HE would build His Ekklesia. He never asked for help! He showed us and then told us how to LOVE, not to build dominions and denominations. He taught us about His Kingdom. We need to follow HIM, not humans. We need to treat all humans equally, not giving more respect or special treatment to those who take on roles and power that is not theirs to take on. It is a self-perpetuating system that needs to keep the sheep following to keep the shepherds in business.

I will leave you with this chapter from the Word of God.
Ezekiel 34

Forced to Hide! A farewell to all that read

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Matthew 18:6 KJV
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Ezekiel 22:23-31 NIV
Again the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.’ There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land practice extortion [the practice of obtaining something through force and threats] and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

From Wikipedia [link]
Extortion (also called shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offence of unlawfully obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime groups. The actual obtainment of money or property is not required to commit the offense. Making a threat of violence which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence is sufficient to commit the offense. Exaction refers not only to extortion or the unlawful demanding and obtaining of something through force,[1] but additionally, in its formal definition, means the infliction of something such as pain and suffering or making somebody endure something unpleasant.[2]

Imagine a church that would threaten Widows, Orphans, the Poor and the Needy simply to save face. Pretty unbelievable and totally contrary to the Scriptures. Well, this has happened and I will explain why.

I am a full-time volunteer at an organisation that has a children’s home and a home for un-married woman. The organisation also helps the needy. This is a Faith-based organisation and I do not draw a salary or stipend. I do not hold a position on the board. Some local NCMI churches have found out that this blog is associated to me as my name has been open to everyone who cared to read. I have had church elders come to my place of work and threaten to pull all support if I do not close this blog down. This is not support for me, but rather support for the children in the homes that care for 60 odd souls. This risks their lively-hood! NCMI has a great influence in my town among other churches. Such a threat should not be taken lightly.

The Current state of the Blog

The last post to be posted concerning NCMI was penned August 18, 2011. This blog is not inactive however. The comment section is very much alive. I have dutifully moderated the comments on this blog since its inception in 2008. For 5 years it has garnered just over 60000 views and 528 comments. The reason I have not written anything regarding NCMI in recent years is because I have nothing to say. This site is not about gossip, but about education. It is meant to be a check and balance to a largely uncontested heterodox church.

Why is this blog still running after 5 years?

This blog is still running for a multitude of reasons. I do not believe in being pressured into doing something by bullies. My reasons follow

  1. NCMI is a truly hurtful movement. Working in Ministry we are confronted by the debris of this hurt on a regular basis. There are so many that have been negatively touched by NCMI’s hurtfulness
  2. Not one NCMI congregant has ever come on this site and felt remorse for the horrors occurring in the church.
  3. I believe that there needs to be an offset. The problems within NCMI are clear. I would not be posting this now if they were not manipulative.
  4. This site has helped many
  5. This site has given the hurt a voice
  6. This administration has never adverted, manipulated or tried to make the conversation anti-NCMI. All comments on this site (regardless of which side of the fence) have been approved with the exception of profanity
  7. This site is more that what I have published. It is the sum of many comments from many people. Many of whom took a great risk writing what they did and many of whom spent considerable amounts of time penning their comments.
  8. This site has always asked for a reasonable reply from NCMI leadership, instead we got untruthful, un-biblical hogwash to back themselves up. Such as in the case of Piet Lombard

A Biblical Basis for this Site

When this site started, I was angry at the hurt what the church was dishing out on people. It was clear something was wrong. Very soon this anger faded, but the site continued to exist and be updated. Perhaps the roots of this site were not biblical but when the anger faded I have endeavored to ensure a biblical process on the site.

  • Luke 17:3 – If your brother sins, rebuke him
  • Ephesians 5:11 – Do not have fellowship with sin, but reprove it.
  • 2 Timothy 2:24-26 – The Lord’s servant must correct those who have been taken captive by the Devil.
  • 2 Timothy 4:2-4 – Preaching the word requires us to “reprove and rebuke”
  • Matthew 18:15-17 – “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.  But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
  • 2 Timothy 3:1-5 – …There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
  • Titus 1:13 – This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith
  • Titus 1:9 – He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
  • 1 Timothy 5:20 – But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning

Strongest among these passages are the passages that speak about love. I have invited countless people from NCMI into my home. I have fed NCMI congregants and I have supported people from NCMI via counselling. I pray that God can help me to love, but at the same time to stand STRONG on the mighty Word of God. I commit that I will continue to be there for any child of God and offer my love regardless of if you are NCMI or not. I will not agree with your church, but I will understand you, and love you (I Pray)

What has been done to protect the children?

I have removed all mention of my name from this site. I have now been forced to once again be anonymous. Many regular posters on this site will know my name and I ask you to respect my privacy. Any post that mentions my name has been edited to show my name as “Forced to Hide”. I did edit your posts, by be assured besides the edit of the name, nothing else has been changed.

Beyond that I have decided to bow to the pressure in a sense. I have no right to delete and destroy the multitudes of comments that exist on this site. That would not be fair on these people and I am not comfortable with that. The pressure that is being received on the organisation has been so intense that the blog has become a liability. To continue with the blog would jeopardize peoples lives. If I continued to own this blog, the growth of the organisation will be effected. The pressure is great, the extortion is great, the blackmail is great.

This is why I have decided to give this blog up. I will no longer be publishing any more materials and I will no longer be moderating the comments. Real truths will be silenced and as the future of the children is in the balance, a lot of prayer has followed.

I have a good friend, who is a student of theology, has been in the NCMI sphere and who is soft hearted, patient and Godly. I believe that if their is any form of justice, this man can bring that about in a way that is biblical. I am handing the blog over to him to do with as he pleases. Giving him the blog, I made the following suggestions:

  • Should he choose to continue with the blog he should consider keeping his identity secret. This is a lesson I learnt. My family has been threatened and I don’t want the same for him
  • If he feels that the blog should be deleted, he should pray into the matter – seek guidance from God and do what is answered
  • I asked him to keep the blog biblical based, and exhort truths with a heart of compassion

I am unsure of what he will do but it is his baby now.

Conclusion

I have very little doubt that removing my name from this blog will make any difference now. The churches who are threatening know who I am. They have demanded the removal of this blog. All I can say is that this has been an emotional rollo-coaster. It has been an uphill battle, and the face of the enemy has become clear.

It also has been a good ride, with many testimonies, fellowship and revelations. I hope that this blog has helped people to make informed decisions when joining a church, and to shed the control that entangles them.

Farewell

False Religion Worthless | Jeremiah 7

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:

“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

9 “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury,[a] burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’

16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.

21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’

27 “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

29 “‘Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.
The Valley of Slaughter

30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.

7 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:

“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

9 “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury,[a] burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’

16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.

21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’

27 “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

29 “‘Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.

2011 in review

Got a Nice annual report on this blogs performance from Workpress. Check it out

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

A Response to Pieter Lombard of New Covenant Fellowship (NCF)

Writing a blog like this is never easy. It draws a line between you, and those you used to consider friends. I lay my thoughts, opinions and self before everyone here to read. It is placing yourself in a vulnerable position to write the things that I do. One thing that I always do is be honest, and I expect the same from my opponents. The bible is clear on dis-honesty:

Luke 16:10 – “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much“.

Recently comments were made on this blog that shocked me. Not because of the content, I welcome an opposing view and I responded in turn, what shocked me was a level of dis-honesty that should never be associated with someone claiming to be a Christian. Once the veil of dis-honesty is removed, we are left with a bleak picture of what NCF is all about.

I am not a pastor, or a missionary. I am a man, with no special office besides that of being a born again Christian. I believe that as a born again Christian we are all Priests, in direct commune with God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2: 9, Hebrews 7:17). I am what I am, imperfect and here before you.

Pieter Lombard’s Deception

A commenter by the name of “I Love Jesus” made two comments on the 12th August. The comments pushed the Authority of eldership, and that it is unbiblical to rebuke, or expose such elders.

I responded to this poster and showed him that the view he was promoting was one sided because indeed the Bible calls us to rebuke and expose (Titus 1:13, Titus 1:9, Ephesians 5:11, 1 Timothy 5:20). You can view the posts here that were posted by “I Love Jesus”:

http://bit.ly/r1a9CU
http://bit.ly/qzkKnF

My response can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/nS31d8

At this point, a new poster entered the discussion by the name of “jesusgate”, accusing me of being an angry person. It is very clear by the way that jesusgate wrote that he presented himself as a different person than I Love Jesus.  The response I made can be seen here: http://bit.ly/nAca0L

After the poster commented on me being an angry man, he started spewing off other insults such as:

For a cessationist you certainly are quick to claim God spoke to you which i find a bit contradictory.

Come, i dare you to claim the status Ezekiel…..

Hay Forced to Hide, even a bitter, fire spewing cessationist is expected to embrace God’s delegated authority.

Forced to Hide, you are deleting my post’s as well as some of your own. You are good at re-writing history my friend. Crafting your website to suit your own needs is off the chart unchristian.

I noticed something strange, although jesusgate presented himself not to be I Love Jesus, the IP address of the poster was the same. It was at this stage that I decided to investigate the poster some more.

Below is a snippet from I love Jesus, and I have blurred out the IP address for security reasons. Needless to say, the IP address lead back to Pietermaritzburg, which happens to be the town that I live in.

Click to enlarge

I then decided to take the posters email address and see who he was on Facebook, the result of the search brought up this individual:

https://www.facebook.com/pieter.lombard1

We went through the wall posts and found this.

Remember, this is the email address related to I Love Jesus!

The other poster has the following email

Click to enlarge

A simple search on facebook brought up this profile:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000776130617

Reading this profile wall we thought that they were the one and same persons….. then,  we found this on the wall Heavens gate which as a recap is the email address related to jesusgate

I called the NCF church office and confirmed that Pieter Lombard had worked on the Production of Heaven’s Gates and Hells Flames in the Imbali site. The above wall post confirms that the poster had worked on the production. I also confirmed with the NCF office that the Cell Phone number listed on  wall post above from the jesusgate was the same as Pieter’s Cell Phone number.

The lies keep coming

Pieter goes further spinning a web of lies that he cannot dig himself out of

In this post http://bit.ly/pGFaTz Pieter states the following:

I have belonged to an NCMI relating church for many years and i am shocked by the bitter words i have read in this website. I left a “traditional” church who excommunicated my father for asking them to use grape juice in stead of real wine for communion because there were many alcoholics in the church. I have found great freedom and an ever deepening love relationship with Jesus under the guidance of the people you so demonise.

Ok, thanks for that insight Piet, so you have been a member of a NCMI relating church for many years. Lets look at another quote located here http://bit.ly/pBqHGK:

I would not mind being an active member of the church you have your vendetta with. At the moment i am in a baptist church. What church are you in young fellow?

I follow Jesus my friend, you are the one confused about which church you attend. Why lie, what are you trying to prove. Your continued lies are simply disgusting.

I desire to be an elder one day, which is a noble desire. When you get to lead people you gain insight in to scripture that would have been just words to someone who has always followed, such as yourself.

You are already an elder! One more twisted lie – Again I ask, What are you trying to prove?

…..Besides this i hear they gave quite a sum of money to the central baptist church when it fell on hard times. Besides this i hear the lead pastor’s father in law is a pastor in a traditional church.

You still making yourself out to be unrelated to NCF! You did not hear, you apparently know (Those claims are still to be confirmed)!

Who is Piet?

Pieter Lombard is an Elder at NCF church, Pietermaritzburg. This can be confirmed here:

http://ncfchurch.org.za/the-team/
Look for Piet and Penny Lombard.

He has served on the Eldership team for the last year.

What does this mean?

The comments the person was making was perhaps understandable from someone who did not lead people spiritually. It could be simply put down to ignorance, but with the revelation that Pieter is in fact an elder, we have to look at what he said in that light, and understand what this Elder is saying about the Authority of the church offices.

I honestly get the impression that, while prayer is the correct biblical response (letting God do what He does) some people at your church have taken matters in their own hands. Clearly going to court is not biblical and clearly setting yourselves up against leadership is not biblical.

How is it not biblical to rebuke, and expose leaders who are teaching a Gospel, or doctrine that is contrary to that which the Lord Jesus gave us? See : Titus 1:13, Titus 1:9, Ephesians 5:11, 1 Timothy 5:20 

I desire to be an elder one day, which is a noble desire. When you get to lead people you gain insight in to scripture that would have been just words to someone who has always followed, such as yourself. I know what it takes to lead and love a small group for years and I have amazing respect for those who lead hundreds and thousands. By your own admission you have never lead people so I don’t expect you to understand a word I am saying.

I don’t really need to say more here. Pieter is saying that when you become an Elder (or leader) you gain insight into the bible that you could not have had before. He tries to discredit me, telling me that I won’t understand what he is saying because I have never lead. Is this the doctrine of NCF? Does NCF promote a Spiritual hierarchy as I have always claimed. This serves as evidence of that.

The way Forward

Besides penning this post, I will be emailing and tweeting all NCF elders that contact details can be obtained. I will also be posting the link on the NCF facebook page. This serves as a open letter of disapproval with regards to the dishonest actions that Pieter Lombard has committed on this site. How is a church (The Universal Church) supposed to grow in an environment where a leader lies to try and discredit an opponent. The doctrine discussed on this site does not address key doctrinal points, but rather denominational points that I have a heart for. I see his dishonestly as totally unnecessary in this regard, or in any regard for that matter (even if he is talking to a Muslim or Jehovah’s Witness).

Look at the followig quotation from Pieter http://bit.ly/okRo06:

Elders should be peacemakers, prayer warriors, teachers, leaders by example, and decision makers

He should take his own advise, because the example he has set here is not in line with his own words.

Look at this quotation where he calls me a Heretic. I ask you now, who is the heretic?  http://bit.ly/qv8cvr:

I have never come across more divisive words than i have in this website. If you were my flock Tit 3:10 would apply.

Dear freedom fighter (and anyone else who has come to try and discredit us)

Dear freedom fighter (and anyone else who has come to try and discredit us)

This blog was created for those who have been left behind by NCMI, each person that God has bought to this blog has been abused (some even sexually), lied to, stolen from, manipulated, hurt, broken and all this by a church you say we have no hard evidence against? Does this sound like a church that is good? A church that loves people? Helps people? Cares for people? Lifts people?

There is enough hurt and brokenness to bring even the slightest doubt of the goodness of this church. Not only one church, but all the NCMI churches from around the world. Now I can guess that you are a NCMI follower, no person with even the slightest of insight, a person with the ability to question (which you seem to not be able to do – you only question the broken victims of NCMI, yet not NCMI themselves and as a person that has dealt with NCMI for nearly 10 years I know one of the first signs of a devote NCMI is the lack of ability to look past the brainwash and to see their true colors)

I have been a victim of abuse of NCMI. I can testify to it right now before every person who is reading this. I was a victim of abuse at our local church, I left the church broken. My marriage was questioned, my faith was questioned, and everything about me was question. Why because I chose to come forward, because I spoke out about the abuse and manipulation and lies. Now no NCMI person will talk to us because we said: wait a minute – there is something wrong here. Our “friends” don’t talk to us because even though they possible had even seen the abuse for themselves, they are fearful to question NCMI.

Everything in the church was based on a hierarchy. I happened to be at the bottom so when we came forward about the abuse from the person who was higher above us, it was swept under the carpet. I was seen as the wrong one – but how could I be the wrong one if I was on the receiving end of abuse? The church is meant to be the first stop for help, yet when we did that and asked for help we were questioned, belittled, ignored, spoken about, lied to . And the abuser was taken in the car by the lead elder and asked if abuse took place. He said no and that was the end of it.

That’s my story, I have more stories that I am happy to share. A quick one: When I first became a member of NCF, I stayed at a shelter. The couple that ran the shelter were the most abusive and dishonest people around. I will never forget the one time the woman was angry with a little 2 year old that was there because his father use to get drunk and beat on them. Well this kid always flushed his head down the toilet and one day this project leader had enough and stared to beat on this little 2 year old. Anyway I started to question NCMI, and that’s when I started to see a glimpse of who they are. Myself and a another person was kick out this shelter, but they knew they could not just put me on the streets because I was only 15 at the time, so they called my mother who lived in another town and told her I was taking drugs and I had to return to her. I was a saved Christian at the time, fully in love with Jesus. I had a past of drugs…. Why would I take drugs? Why would I throw away my life when God had just picked me out of it? They caused huge problems, knowing that I was clean, knowing that they were lying and being deceitful, but as a way to get rid of me. But beyond that – I moved to a new town to clean up my life, to grow near to God. I can tell you now, if I never left my home town when I did, I would be dead today. So beyond their lies, of them trying to send me back home, it could have been more detrimental to me than you can imagine.

We have seen friends lives ripped to piece, we have seen NCF break marriages, we have seen people have full on nervous break-downs because of the trauma from NCF. I have seen children choose NCF over their families which resulted in a huge family break up, I have seen friends go back to a unchristian lifestyle and have ended up with abusive partners, I have seen a drug addicted who has begged for help be turned away by his own sister because he questioned NCF, I have seen a man who was a deacon of NCF sexually abuse young girls and his daughter but nothing was done until one day he made a teenager pregnant and divorced his wife and married her. I know of an elder who had 2 deacons’ sons, who wife killed herself, I think she used rat poison. I wonder what the family dynamic was there that she became so desperate! I know of a woman that was seeking God and was always turned down by NCF because she was low class and one day she was found dead – she hung herself. I have seen NCF use large amounts of money on material things to make their church the biggest and the greatest whilst thousands of children suffer each day in this town. You say on one of my other posts and I quote: ” Photo comparison between NCMI and the rest of the world is so ridiculous that no – one with half a brain would even consider it for a second!” Than tell me why NCF use their money buying smoke machines and fancy lights and big screens and all this time children are dying in our town. YES DYING – and what have they done to stop the deaths – nothing! And interesting a NCMI church will NEVER assist a project that is not one of their ministries ( because if it’s not theirs they cannot get the credit for it). Anyone with half a brain would see that there in its self is a big problem – the church is meant to be looking after those children, not their own needs – not needs that have nothing to do with God or his people.

This is only some of what I have seen, what about the rest of the world? What about all those who have come here with their own testimonies? What about those who are too scared to come forward? What about those who don’t yet know that NCMI has a BIG problem?

Feedom fighter, deceiver, NCMI fan / follower, man from Denver who is too blind to see the truth right in front of him, Tyron’s friend, Steve, Grant, Russ, John or any other person that comes to this blog to say that this blog is wrong, or unconstructive, or doing no good or that we have no evidence. Do me a favour, read though the posts and comments, read though the stories of how people like you, how churches like yours have total messed up people’s lives – INNOCENT people who just wanted to find God and what did they find  – the devil! Take a long look at the broken people on this blog, people who have wept at the hurt, pulled away from God because of your deceit and tell me then still if nothing is wrong with you or your church! Tell me that you can’t see major problems with NCMI and tell me that your church does not do more harm than good!!!!

All I can say is I am thankful that I was able to find God after NCMI, I am thankful that God was able to show me the faults in the church and show me that contrary to what NCMI likes to make you feel – God is more than NCMI and God is beyond NCMI. It was hard in the beginning to remain a Christian after I left NCF, I felt betrayed by God because ‘His people’ hurt me and let me down. Because ‘His people’ lied to me and abused me. And when leaders who were once my friend block me on facebook or when an elder who you respected and looked to as a man of God, someone you always trusted and respect refuses to talk to you or even respond to emails because of your stand against NCMI – you start to think… is there something wrong with me, you lose all your value because these so called men of God treat you like dirt. You wonder if you will ever find God or if you will ever have friends after the only friends you have are those within the NCMI building you just walked out of. It was scary, you feel alone and look to your future wondering how God will love you as you are no longer of value to God because you don’t attend NCMI, or you won’t be able to tithes (and you know if you don’t tithes God wont bless you according to NCMI) that you won’t be able to attend millions of meeting and therefore God cannot love you.

God is always by your side; He will always protect you, helped you and be there for you. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE IN AN ABUSIVE NCMI CHURCH TO GET GOD’S LOVE. You don’t need to be abused, speak in tongues, attend all these meetings, have dreams and visions, you don’t have to tithe your entire salary, stand in the front of the church were everyone can see you waving your hands, you don’t have to plant a church, you don’t have to speak the lingo and you don’t have to be a deacon or in leadership to be saved.

All you need to do is call the name of Jesus – love Jesus and obey Jesus. But the best thing of all is you don’t have to be in an NCMIchurch to do that. My advice to you is run, run from NCMI before you like all these hurt people lose your faith and lose your sight on God (or come near to losing it) God loves us so much, and He is faithful to us and helps us each day. Find God, find a good church and live a life being blessed by God.

Discovering the truth of NCMI

I have had NCMI a lot on my mind the last 4-6 weeks. For the last 6 years Mark and I have done in-depth research into this movement and every now and then we get major breakthroughs, we almost go through seasons (if that is the right word) of highs and lows, seasons where our mail box is loaded with personal messages and testimonies and seasons where I feel our fight for truth has taken 10 million steps backwards.

The last few weeks have been a very strange time; NCMI has been a big highlight at the moment on many social mediums.  Are people starting to see what this movement is about? I think so, and not because of any blog or social groups on the net – but because the movement is slipping up and God is revealing the truth.

Just to back track a little from Forced to Hides last post, early this year we got a message from a person who lived in the same town as Tyrone Daniels, the person was concerned about the lavish life style that “a pastor” was living. That’s how we found out about the bazaar giveaways. We conducted our research into the statements made about his lifestyle only to find out that in this movement it was condoned and even justified by his follows. Justified to the extent that I was told by leaders that he is reaching into a wealthy community and he therefore needs to live up to their standards to reach them, that was also the motivation behind the great giveaway. (Which in fact offended many people)

I can argue their justification until I am blue in the face, because if you are a NCMI follower, regardless of what I say, regardless of what others think, regardless of what the word of God says and the greatest Man that ever walk this earth did and the example He left for us by giving Himself for us – they will find a way to shoot me down because how can anyone go against their great leader – Tyrone.

But it seems to me that this was their down fall, this seems to me that they have taken this circus to far.  Tyrone lives in a multi-million dollar neighborhood; he drives a Cadillac Escalade and a new Landrover, and has been spending a very large sum of money on renovations. He has also been seen on a Harley – whether that Harley was the same bike that was given away its still to be confirmed. Does this sound like the lifestyle of the head of a non-profit organization (Benny Hinn comes to mind with his private jet)

Has God rewarding Tyrone for his great works as I was told by everyone that follows this movement? Hmmmm, I don’t know about that! What about the luxuries the churches spend on their church buildings, also to attract people to God they say! Yes I know the temple was lined with Gold, but we not talking about the temple, we are talking about churches in the year 2010. We are talking about churches that rather buy 3 very large projectors and fancy lights and smoke machines (no kidding but this is a post for another day) in a world so full of  pain, suffering, starving babies, abortion, murder and the list goes on. You keep telling yourself that it is justified, that it’s to reach the lost, to mix with the crowd, to attract the people to attend church while the rest of the world’s eyes are being opened though such actions. Our local church has a train looking vehicle that transports the kids from one side of the church to the other while babies are being abandoned and left for dead.  Again it is pointless using this point to a NCMI follower, but I will let you decide for yourself:


In closing I would like to say this, as administrators on this blog, Mark and I have read many testimonies, many stories of heart break, stories of abuse both sexually and physical, of elders and leaders life styles and behavior. I wish that people will come out with their experiences, I wish that I can show you each and every email we have every received from people sharing their story, looking for hope, looking for God and healing, but most of the time I think their experience has just caused them to much hurt that they rather run in the opposite direction of God. How can a church break down a person so much? Sadly often the victims of this movement are the people who question the leadership, the people who would rather follow their heart and Gods true word then lay their lives down for the elders of their church. Does this sound like a church of Christ to you?

I would like to encourage every person to share their story publicly, if you have sent us a personal message before, find the courage to tell others about it. Your experience may help someone else; it may help them find healing. Who knows it may even open people’s hearts and eyes about the truth of NCMI, and if someone who is thinking about leaving a NCMI church, your story may help them to find the courage to leave because if you have been involved in an NCMi church you know how hard it is to leave.

Maybe we should make EX NCMI more “user friendly” so that there is an easier means for you to share your experience.

BLESSINGS

NCMI – From Australia to the USA | The Easter debacle

It was a while back that I learned about this development, but due to personal reasons and a lack of time I failed to publish it here.

NCMI’s leader Tyrone Daniels has moved from his Australian base to Colorado, USA where he has established a new church that from accounts, he advertises it as a Episcopalian church.

The church goes under the name of ‘Redemption City Church’ and they are located at Madcap Comedy Theater in Westminster Colorado.

There were immediately reports as to really strange events happening around the establishment of this church. I decided to contact Tyrone directly but was stopped by one of his elders named Russ Doty. I discussed some issues with him, he was evasive to say the least. I then got my wife to call, and she received the same evasiveness. I asked Russ to get Tyrone to contact me, and he never did. My wife also contacted the youth pastor and asked him to get Tyrone to contact her and he never did. I sent an email to Tyrone yesterday requesting that he contact me. Today I received an email from him telling me that he is not interested in talking to me. I have replied pointing out my allegations, and giving him one more opportunity to respond. He is as yet to respond

The Easter debacle

As Christians the key pivotal moment in our destinies happened around 2000 years ago when a Nazarene named Jesus died a horrible death at the hands of gentiles in Jerusalem. 3 days later this lowly Carpenter was resurrected from death and later ascended to the Father where he now reigns. To some this is a fairy tale, to others this is fact and is the key to our salvation.

It is not an event that is to be taken lightly just as the sacrifices in the Temple was something that was not to be taken lightly. I’m sure we all know that during the life of Christ there is one recorded incident of rage, that was when a mockery was made of the Temple. Commercial activities were taking place, and in Christs own work, the Temple was made a den of thieves.

It came to my attention that on Easter Sunday, Tyrone’s new church planned on giving away the following prizes if you came to worship that day.

  • An Apple IPad
  • A trip to Hawaii
  • A Harley Davidson Motorbike
  • A Snowboard
  • A Mountain Bike

None of the advertising mentioned Jesus or the importance of Easter etc…

How did you react to that. Did you fall off your chair laughing or did you, like me feel sick at this commercialisation of what is Holy? Can everyone image what people had on their minds Easter morning as they got ready for church? Was it the sacrifice that Christ made or the possibility that they could win a great prize?

My wife contacted local NCMI churches in South Africa and informed them about what this church was doing. She did not mention that the name of the church or that it was headed by Tyrone Daniels. She also did not mention that it related to NCMI. The various pastor’s were shocked and appalled at how they had lost the meaning of the holiest celebration we have, they went as far as to say that they would not attend that church….. until she eventually told them that it was Tyrone’s church. They immediately did an about-turn and said what he was doing was not wrong.

When informing an elders wife about this give away, she broke done almost in tears saying that its not true. Her husband demanded that we not speak about it over the phone but that we should go to the church and chat to them but now when we call the church they wont allow us to talk to the elders.

The proof of this is here for anyone that is interested:

There is more to follow of what we and many other people feel to be strange happening that yet have to be explained, but it involves finances and as such I need to give Tyrone the opportunity to respond.

A fall from grace

I would like to start this post out by showing you some lyrics. The first will be Christian and the second will be secular.

The Christian
Katy HudsonYou could throw me in the fire
And I won’t be burned
For my faith is Your desire
And Your love endures

You could throw me in the prison cell
Shackle me up against the rail
But time and time again
My faith won’t fail

The Secular:
katy-perryThis was never the way I planned,
not my intention.
I got so brave, drink in hand,
lost my discretion.
It’s not what I’m used to,
just want to try you on.
I’m curious, for you,
caught my attention.

I kissed a girl,
and I liked it.
The taste of her cherry chapstick.
I kissed a girl,
Just to try it.
I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it.

It felt so wrong,
It felt so right.
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight.

The first is by woman called Katy Hudson and the second is by a woman called Katy Perry. The catch: they are the same person. Yes that is right, Katy used to be a Christian song writer before she made the big time singing a song that I believe to be very immoral.
What could cause someone to fall from grace so hard? I looked her up on Wikipedia, and it says she grew up with a pastor for a father and he forbid her to listen to Secular music. This does not necessarily mean she grew up under spiritual abuse, but seeing as she is now in the place that she is; would this not be a reasonable presumption?
I would be interested in hearing more about Katy’s religious experience from anyone that has information, please leave a comment if you know anything.