Email to John Oakes about false practices among believers

Hello John,

Hope you are doing well.

One of the brothers in Christ by the name Innocent requested me to contact you some time ago.

Now is the appropriate time for me to get in touch with you again.

Bible talk leaders and elders requested people to stop any communication with me. I am not allowed to attend any bible talk group meetings. If I come to the fellowship, they told me that they will call hotel security.

They accused me of being divisive and they used a letter of Paul to Titus as a reason:

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.” – Titus 3:10.

They misinterpreted this verse. Here is this verse in King James version of translation:

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject”

Paul in his letter was talking about heretics, not a divisive people. Jesus Christ was divisive but not a heretic.

 “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division” – Luke 12:51

“So there was a division among the people because of him.” – John 7:43

They falsely accused me of teaching heresy. Here is the definition of the heresy according to Wikipedia:

“Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular, the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of such claims or beliefs.”

My teaching is strongly at variance with established beliefs of ICOC but not with the gospel of Christ. Jacob the most influential elder in Dubai admitted this and said that he has nothing to say against my salvation, but our church is not ready for changes I demand.

Bible talk leaders and elders claim that if anyone strongly opposes the practices of the church, he is a heretic and must be disfellowshipped.

I want to point that Jesus Christ has never spoken of such practices as married and single men ministries, leadership meetings, disfellowship practice, etc. Since bible talk leaders and elders claim that these practices are the sound doctrine and it cannot be changed, and since they request disfellowshipping of those who oppose it, they themselves are the heretics. They have added current church traditions both good and sinful to the sound doctrine as though Jesus never taught about such practices.

I realized that Bible talk leaders and elders are the heretics a long time ago. That is why I already gave them two warnings according to the same teaching of Paul:

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject”

I have rejected bible talk leaders and elders. They are misleading the church with their false teachings and practices. They can be in the fellowship, but they must be ignored. Disfellowshipping people, even heretics and false teachers, nothing else but a sin of dissension or division.

As soon as I realized who they truly are and began teaching against their practices, they asked me numerous times to change the church. Once they failed to convince me to abandon the church, they began to threaten me with disfellowshipping. Now, they requested people not to communicate with me. Those who will communicate with me, are at risk of being disfellowshipped themselves. They repeat after Kip MacKean even though Kip with his false teachings is no more with us.

If I come for fellowship, they threaten to use physical force against me.

John, a church that threatens to use violence against believers, is this a church after all?

Unity of the church

“How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!” – Psalm 133:1

Living in unity for believers is important and God pleased with it. But unity is not uniformity. Bible talk leaders and elders use violence and disfellowship practices to maintain the unity of the church. Is God pleased with this? Instead, they must teach people what is right and in accordance with the Bible. 

Have you previously agreed to Henry Kried’s letter?

“In the N.T. leaders were criticized, abandoned, disagreed with, questioned, challenged, and made the object of bad (or good) report. They were put on the defense by their own ministries- and to a large extent, this was surprisingly tolerated (Revelation 2) Sure, most of the time an enemy may have stirred this up, but the Christians were not uniformly condemned for it. Why should they be? There were many false apostles and deceitful workmen among them, and they needed to be alert. Those leaders and apostles who were truly accredited by God appealed to their life and doctrine as their defense. That is all. No one enjoys dealing with a strong-willed or contentious opponent, especially a brother in Christ, but forced compliance, out of fear of being shut down or shamed, is just as evil. We have not cultivated an environment where there is freedom to question, challenge or confront the 'leadership'. Shame on us.”

 

Way to repentance

John, you have planted many churches throughout the world, but the churches you planted will not stand God’s wrath. Our elders and bible talk leaders are no different from those in other ICOC churches. You are the one who is directly responsible for this. You have taught churches disfellowshipping practice and obedience to the elders even if they teach heresy.  

 

You have misinterpreted the following scriptures and taught others the same:

 

-          1 Peter 2:11-17

 

“11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Unity of the church

“How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!” – Psalm 133:1

Living in unity for believers is important and God pleased with it. But unity is not uniformity. Bible talk leaders and elders use violence and disfellowship practices to maintain the unity of the church. Is God pleased with this? Instead, they must teach people what is right and in accordance with the Bible. 

Have you previously agreed to Henry Kried’s letter?

“In the N.T. leaders were criticized, abandoned, disagreed with, questioned, challenged, and made the object of bad (or good) report. They were put on the defense by their own ministries- and to a large extent, this was surprisingly tolerated (Revelation 2) Sure, most of the time an enemy may have stirred this up, but the Christians were not uniformly condemned for it. Why should they be? There were many false apostles and deceitful workmen among them, and they needed to be alert. Those leaders and apostles who were truly accredited by God appealed to their life and doctrine as their defense. That is all. No one enjoys dealing with a strong-willed or contentious opponent, especially a brother in Christ, but forced compliance, out of fear of being shut down or shamed, is just as evil. We have not cultivated an environment where there is freedom to question, challenge or confront the 'leadership'. Shame on us.”

 

Way to repentance

John, you have planted many churches throughout the world, but the churches you planted will not stand God’s wrath. Our elders and bible talk leaders are no different from those in other ICOC churches. You are the one who is directly responsible for this. You have taught churches disfellowshipping practice and obedience to the elders even if they teach heresy.  

 

You have misinterpreted the following scriptures and taught others the same:

 

-          1 Peter 2:11-17

 

“11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”

 

It says above about obedience to government, not the church leaders as you are teaching others. The one who must be obeyed is Crist.

 

-          Hebrews 13:17

 

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”

Please find the word-to-word translation in the attachment.  Where is the obedience to the elders? Elders always need to teach and persuade others, not to threaten with disfellowshipping or use violence against believers.

You have misinterpreted many other teachings of Jesus and apostles.

What have you done, John?

 

Here what you must teach other churches so that the Lord will perhaps forgive you.

 

1)      Transparency in the council of elders.

 

Teach Christians around the world that they can join the meetings of elders. Let people be present at the meetings and involved in a decision-making process. As Jesus said:

 

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

You must abandon your such false teaching as “elders have the bottom-line authority to decide on matters not already decided by Christ in the Bible.

Let nothing be done in darkness in the church.

 

2)      Do not let elders appoint other elders.

 

Elders have been always appointed from outside. This is to avoid heretics appointing other heretics on the position of the elder.  As Paul write to Titus:

“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”

You can prove your repentance by appointing true elders here in Dubai and removing those who are false.

 

3)      Teach churches directly instead of having a habit of communicating with the elders privately.

You have mentioned that elders are your friends and you can communicate with them directly as Paul sent letters to Timothy. Yes, you can communicate with elders privately, but do not neglect communicating to the church itself without any mediators. We have got a ferocious wolfs here who do not like truth to be spoken. They will sabotage your sound teachings if you will communicate only to elders, expecting them to teach the church.

“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul is addressing the church rather than individual elders.

 

4)      Denounce practice of disfellowshipping and violence.

 

Disfellowshipping is the practice of dissension.

 

As Paul said:

 

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Elders around the world teaching sin of dissension and division to persist in their heresy. That is how they eliminate those who got to know the truth.

I even heard that there is one church in India which called the police when one brother in Christ spoke publicly without authorization of elders.

4)      Denounce practice of disfellowshipping and violence.

 

Disfellowshipping is the practice of dissension.

 

As Paul said:

 

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Elders around the world teaching sin of dissension and division to persist in their heresy. That is how they eliminate those who got to know the truth.

I even heard that there is one church in India which called the police when one brother in Christ spoke publicly without authorization of elders.

 

5)      Teach churches to use their money for helping the poor. Speak for brothers and sisters who are oppressed by the elders.

Elders have illegally acquired the authority to judge, so they oppress and silence people. 

As Solomon, inspired by God, once said:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Teach these things, John, and it will be well with you. All the more as you see the day of the Lord coming nearer.

 

With love of Christ,

 

Andrei