Reservations about 12 Tribes

I keep picking up more clues about the underlying control that is likely going on in the 12 Tribes communities. Coming from the background of living around groups that desperately want to appear correct and godly but buy into the belief that there must be a certain amount of coercion involved to accomplish this end, I recognize certain looks and words that speak volumes as to what may be going on behind the scenes. This is not to say that I am looking at a full-blown cult or that this group is diabolical or evil – I am not saying that at all. But there are certain things that I see that I firmly believe will be absent when the true family of God is matured and assembled in the last days revealing the true glory of God as never before seen in history and only glimpsed for a short time after Pentecost.

While I believe that most of these people are much happier and peaceful and loving than the average person in most other religions, I also sense that there is a lot of stifling of personal inquisitiveness and individual exploration of truth. To keep unity in these communities it is becoming clear both from the thoughts expressed and from the clear absence of anything but Bibles and church-produced leaflets around the home that there is very strict rules likely in place about what followers are allowed to read, think or even question. I have several times picked up an intense sense that even my presence when talking about questions of spiritual things is seen as a danger and I seem to be watched carefully much of the time. I sense that there is reluctance to dialog openly unless there is indication on my part that I am willing to surrender myself and my beliefs to their authority.

I do not feel any danger or threat, but I sense that it would be quite certain that if I were to stay here very long at all, particularly if I were to join them, that there would come a great deal pressure to comply strictly with the clear-cut teachings formulated and propagated by the leaders of this church or I would soon be quite unwelcome. Even in the testimonies given by members it becomes very clear to me that they are very submissively and almost blindly following the spiritual guidance of their mentors and are not really doing hardly any personal thinking for themselves. They are only talking about how their own mind is embracing what has been fed to them through the approved channels. That frightens and alarms me.

There also seems to be an absence so far of certain basic ideas that are prevalent in the New Testament. There is little talk of the grace and a lot of emphasis on strict obedience. There seems to be a lot of attention paid to conforming to the rules of the community and there is also the enforced philosophy of working without receiving any wages. These are personal and unsubstantiated conclusions at this point however. There are pros and cons to this philosophy but I believe that in these communities there is likely little choice about this matter. I have heard absolutely nothing at this point about the cross of Jesus which in true Christianity should the centerpiece of the revelation of God. In fact, so far it seems that everything I have heard has been a pretty narrow band of uniformity in belief about their unique ideas on what they think is the three destinies of man.

This doctrine in my thinking reinforces the hierarchy model that I believe was introduced by Satan as one of the false alternatives to the government of God. In their doctrines they apparently believe that “holy” people are going to be the future rulers over “righteous” people and that the wicked are going to live in eternal torment of some kind. They also insist on consciousness after death and don't seem at all willing to study the Bible for themselves as individuals with an open mind. I have not sensed any desire on the part of a single person to discuss things from the Bible with a view to learning anything. I do sense that everyone is afraid to believe or even consider anything that has not come through approved channels of authority. It is likely that all “truth” in these communities must be pre-screened and pre-packaged before anyone is allowed to embrace it. And as a consequence anything outside of those parameters will be viewed with great suspicion at best. I got the impression that to try to discover truth directly from a study of the Bible is almost, if not directly, considered rebellion against the authority of Christ that they believe is invested in the body of believers and centered in their exclusive leadership.

On the flip side I have to say that I believe they have tapped into much deeper reservoirs or at least expressions of joy and peace and communal consciousness than most other churches are able to do. Because they are embracing the natural principles by which we were designed to live together in harmony they are enjoying the results of group-enhanced joy capacity and accelerated maturity the way we are supposed to grow. Unfortunately I think the leadership possibly believes that this can only be preserved by imposing strict control and maybe even a little intimidation to keep this balance in place. Personally I believe that God is going to someday demonstrate that He can accomplish these kinds of resulte much more powerfully and effectively by directly possessing the hearts and influencing the minds of people who will come together in similar communities empowered by the passion of His Spirit. It will look somewhat similar to what I am seeing here but without the element of fear used as the adhesive to hold it all together.

Overall I believe that there is much to be learned from this experiment in community but there are subtle dangers to be detected and avoided as well. While mixing in some fear and a lot of control may wash out anyone not willing to be controlled or to allow others to take over their conscience, I believe it will be seen that God's ways are even far more superior than what is seen here. I do believe that most of these people are very sincere and are loving God and their fellow believers much more than average Christians and I commend them for that. But at the same time I feel that they are also cultivating a spirit of exclusivity and some bigotry not unlike the other denominations that they look down on. I believe that the use of fear always compromises and dilutes greatly the real effectiveness of truth, and if God's ways were more completely embraced we would see results exponentially greater than anything yet seen today.

I personally believe that when that time comes many of these people may likely be among those who move on to embrace the truth as it is in Jesus, or Yeshua as they like to call Him, and join with others coming from other various directions to make up the final display of God's true glory. I don't think any of us knows yet what that looks like or has the various aspects of truth in proper perspective to see how it all fits together. The pieces of total truth as it is in Jesus is still fragmented and different parts of it can be seen to be effective in different ways in many different groups and places. But just because some get better results than others in various ways does not mean they are right in all areas of their beliefs.

I have a real reaction when any group of people lay exclusive claim to being God's chosen people on earth. I don't care whether it be Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, Adventists or the 12 Tribes communities, to claim to be the human organizational depository into which anyone who wishes to be saved must join is to place their idea of God into a very small box indeed. I do not believe that God is so arbitrary or so bound by human religious constructs that He is willing to limit the coordination of His activities or saving power through only one select artificially designated group of people wearing a certain label or performing to certain regulations. God's plan of salvation is much broader and more heart-based than anything we can perceive from the outside and we must not fall into the trap of creating Him in our narrow image. It is man that looks on the outward appearances but God looks on the heart where no man can ever look.

These communities evidently teach that obedience is a prerequisite for grace. That is at least what I heard in one of their testimonies and I would certainly welcome correction on this if I am wrong. But this thinking does seem to be reflected in their general attitude and demeanor. While I realize that obedience is far more important than nearly all Christians generally believe, it is also a real problem that most people's notion of what is really meant by that word is not in true alignment with God's view. The kind of obedience that is prerequisite to entering the process of being salvaged (salvation) is the obedience of responding to the attempts of the Holy Spirit to reveal to our hearts the incredible attractiveness of God in His real beauty. When we surrender to the allure of God from our hearts, that very response is the act of “obedience” that enables God to lead us step by step on the journey to be fully embraced by and synchronized with His own heart. It is God who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.

That brings me to one of the strong points of the 12 Tribes communities. They apparently have chosen to use the method of attraction as the primary way in which to grow their communities instead of the preaching kind of “evangelism” typically engaged in by some other churches. They use music, drama and most of all their radiant faces and beautiful children as living examples of what others could enjoy. This is truly God's method of evangelism as far as I am concerned and I wish that my own church would learn this lesson. But that is very unlikely to happen until after the mighty shaking time that will destroy the whole structure assembled by men and God reassembles the pieces the way He desires. Only then will God's methods be seen in their amazing effectiveness that will shock and surprise the whole world and bring on the final closure of this world's history.

I believe that one of the crucial elements needed to move ahead in perceiving and embracing God's plans is to maintain a very open, teachable mind and heart and not become dogmatic and narrow in our thinking. Too often we mistake dogmatism for orthodoxy and believe that once we “have the truth” that we no longer have anything to learn in that area. Whenever we adopt that kind of attitude we have immediately plunged ourselves into the thro's of rigid thinking and make our own opinions our gods. To make that even worse is to then think it is our job to impose our opinions and enforce them on those who look to us for guidance. This is to interfere with the personal guidance system that God desires to have in the heart of every individual to guide all of us into the true unity of the Spirit.

I want to enjoy the fellowship and love that these people share and far more. But I do not think it wise or even right to purchase it at the high cost of throwing away the much greater insights about God and the teachings of the Bible that I have been learning from Him over the past few years. To enter into the mindset that I perceive as prevalent in these communities would be to take a huge step backward into some of the misconceptions that promote legalism from which I have been slowly becoming freed for many years. For me personally that would be moving in the wrong direction while for many others coming from other backgrounds, joining these communities might be a dramatic step in the right direction. It may be all a matter of perspective and relative position.

I believe that I can learn a great deal from observing and learning firsthand the experiences of the heart that these groups have become skilled in doing together. I have no doubt about that and I hope they do not turn against me in fear or anger if they find out my feelings about this. If they do it would be an indication that my reservations about them would be sadly confirmed. I hope they are more mature than that and that we can continue to be friends and enjoy bonds of true love and respect. I would like to bring my wife and friends to visit one of these places and to continue to learn and grow from our relationship with them.