Frequently Asked Questions --> Answers
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WHO ARE THE REVIVAL CENTRES?
The Revival Centres are a religious
group, that are often classed as the largest indigenous Australian cult. Their main teaching is that people "must be
baptised and speak in tongues [ecstatic utterances] to be saved
[get to heaven]". Other teachings include British-Israelism
(that the white Aryan races are specially favoured by God), that the Pyramid of Cheops was
designed by God, and several other less main-stream teachings.
They also practice 'tithing', in which members must pay a tenth
of their income to the group. In practice, the teaching on
tongues and obedience to the leadership swallow up everything else. Teachings often stressed by
other churches are deemphasised - for instance, while they say
that Jesus is the Son of God, there is probably a lot more
discussion about tongues than Jesus (his death, resurrection,
etc.).
The Oversight's (leaders) control over the followers is enormous. Many leaders exert
unashamed control: ordering
marriages between members, sometimes telling parents where
children can go to school, and forbidding members to attend
meetings of Christian groups. Many ex-members tell of their constant fear of the leaders while they were in the cult. As an example, some
of the RCI's rule follow:
5. Members should not enter into any
conversation criticising doctrines, practices or beliefs held
by the assembly. Again Pastors and Elders are ready to
discuss any such problems that may arise.
10. Any cases of disloyalty towards the
Assembly or spreading of any discord whatsoever will be
viewed as "divisionary" and dealt with severely.
30. Members who indulge in smoking, drinking,
drug taking or attendance at discos, night clubs or
"worldly" parties, "R" rated movies or
videos will be stood out of the assembly. Members must not
attend outside entertainment during meeting times.
We use the generic term 'Revival Centres'
on this Web site to refer to about 4 major groups: the Revival
Centres International ('RCI'); Revival Fellowship ('IRF');
Geelong Revival Centres; and the Christian Assemblies (Europe and
Australia).
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WHO ARE YOU?
This Web site was made by several ex-Revival Centre members. It contains information that was given to us by many
ex-members, including many ex-leaders.
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WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF THE RCs?
The ancestor of the Revival Centres was the
Christian Revival Crusade, which began in 1945 and was itself a
conjuntion of Assembly of God (Leo Harris) and British Israel
World Federation (Tom Foster) elements. RCI was a split from the
Christian Revival Crusade in 1958. All the other groups are
splits from RCI.
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WHO ARE ALL OF THE REVIVAL CENTRE GROUPS?
(1) Revival Centres International
Founded by Lloyd Richard Longfield in 1958.
Longfield had been a pastor with the Christian Revival
Crusade since 1951. After disagreements with Tom Foster and
Leo Harris, he took the Geelong, Port Lincoln (SA), and
Canberra Revival Crusades with him. In the 1960's, the
teaching that people must speak in tongues emerged. Since
that time, the Revival Centres have had many splits and
divisions (discussed later). Longfield ruled his assemblies in a very autocratic manner, but has now retired. His
son, Simon, has since taken over as the leader of the RCI.
With around 40 congregations in Australia,
New Zealand and a few overseas (inc. Italy, Africa, Canada),
they have around 2000 members in Australia with most in
Melbourne according to a census in the late 1990s.
(2) International Revival Fellowship
After the 1994 Christmas Camp, it was
announced by Lloyd Longfield that those involved in sexual
misconduct from 1995 would never be allowed back into
fellowship. Adelaide and Melbourne had previously had
disagreements about a related personal matter which Longfield
had discovered when someone moved from Adelaide, and Kuhlmann
refused to obey his directive to stand down a minister.
Kuhlmann, who held most Adelaide property jointly in his own
name, was able to turn most assemblies against Lloyd. In
matters of doctrine and practice, the Fellowships are very
similar to the Revival Centres, though lacking in part
Longfield's charismatic leadership. In New South Wales and
some other assemblies, there was a growing movement among
members to 'loosen up a bit'. In the late 1990s, Adelaide lost several
pastors to this movement.
With around 50 congregations in Australia and
New Zealand, most of RCI's international work, and most of
PNG now adheres to the IRF. It may have about 3000 members in
Australia.
(3) Geelong Revival Centres
Assemblies in this group do not have any
fixed names, and so are sometimes hard to identify. They are
the result of a 1972 split between Noel Hollins (a joint founder
of the RCs) and Longfield. Since that time, they seem to have
become more insular than RCI itself. Unlike RCI, they still
practice 'all speaking in tongues at once' (their split
becoming before the RCI reform on that issue). Meetings are
extremely controlled, and those who have left often give
terrible stories.
About a dozen or so assemblies around
Australia, and in Singapore, India, etc.
(4) Christian Assemblies International
Result of the 1991 split by Scott Williams
who controlled much of the European work of the Revival
Centres. Originally in Germany, now Scotland. Originally
an Army instructor (and associated with the now extinct Pentecostal Revival Centres splinter). The Auckland group
has a degree of independance from Europe, but apparently retains its ties.
(5) Other Groups
There are several other splinter groups,
especially in Adelaide, most of which are very small, some of
which are more orthodox theologically.
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WHY ARE YOU CAMPAINING AGAINST THE REVIVAL CENTRES?
Many current members have asked why we
campaign against the "Lord's church". We can assure you,
we would never campaign against the Lord. We would only campaign
against an unhealthy organisation that claims to represent the
Lord and damages people. The RCI, RF and CAI are such organisations.
We do not wish ill toward any Revival Centre
groups, neither do we have a personal vendetta against any
leaders or members. We do however wish to share the truth we have
discovered. This web site
attempts to show the flaws within the Revival Centre doctrine. It also attempts to help those damaged by this movement to find wholeness
through a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ or at least get on with their lives and leave the effects of the groups behind. Much of
the information on this site may be distressing to some but we
hope that no former or current Revivalists are left broken by these groups.
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WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE BY THIS SITE?
This site is primarily made to minister to people
who have ALREADY LEFT the Revival Centres. For whatever reason,
the Revival Centres leave many people confused, anxious and even depressed. We care for these people and want to lend them a hand.
A secondary reason is for people who are
investigating the Revival Centres. By reading information on this
site, we have been able to dissuade several people from joining
the Revival Centres (introducing them to more orthodox groups).
A final reason is to deliver information to those formerly in the
Revival Centres or those inside who are asking the tough questions. Cults thrive on blocking information and views
contrary to the leadership. We see the Internet as a wonderful
tool in ministry to people who are otherwise trapped by cult
information control. Hopefully, we can be of help to people as
they leave - or even better, to bring positive change in the
Revival Centres. Of note is some comments we have been getting
from the Revival Fellowship groups. After setting up these Web
pages, there seems to have been a noticeable 'softening' of their
attitudes, particulary towards several false teachings, such as
British Israelism.
If you are happy and content in the Revival Centres then this site is not for you...yet! Come back when you are ready to hear an opposing point of view. We will not force our information on you.
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STOP BEING SO CRITICAL, WE DON'T WANT YOU CRITICISING OUR CHURCH!
It is understandable that people don't want their
religious organisations criticised. However, is it true that the
Revival Centres don't criticise other religious organisations? Is
it true that they often make jokes about the pope in meetings?
Aren't they strongly critical of anything that happens in other
Pentecostal churches? In fact, wouldn't it be true to say that
they are critical of every other religious organisation in the
world?
To put it crudely, we are only giving the Revival
Centre leaders 'a taste of their own medicine'. We should point
out that we are not critical of people in the group, we are
critical of the false teachers who lead the groups. But healthy
criticism, done in a good spirit, is a blessing to the body of
Christ, and should be seen as such.
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AREN'T YOU JUST BITTER?
The accusation of 'bitterness' is often used by the Revival Centres to dismiss any claims against the groups whether those claims are legitimate or not. We ask you to put aside emotion, yours and ours, and examine the information presented on this site. But let us add that contrary to popular Revival Centre opinion, those directly responsible for this site are not bitter towards the groups. Perhaps, individually, there
was certainly a time when some of us were, but that time has long since
passed.
Troy Waller once said, "I have forgiven the RCI. I must
admit that I still find Lloyd Longfield a likable man. He is
quite charismatic and funny. But someone must hold this group
(and its splits) to account. They cannot be allowed to go
unchallenged as they promote a false gospel with abusive and
controlling methods of manipulating people."
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I'VE HEARD ABOUT YOU, YOU PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET REVENGE!
No, we are not. We have a heart for Revival
Centre people, and we want to do all we can to help them escape
from abuse and control. Your leaders may have told you all sorts
of things about this site, but you will find that we are not
'maligned' and we are not seeking 'revenge'. Paul Littlewood
writes:
Those that leave the group (for any reason)
are described in the worst way possible, they are proud and
egotistical, hating authority, liars, deceivers, fornicators,
yet none of these are true it's just the groups way of
discrediting former members so the group avoid them, they
will take extreme measures in most cases to avoid former
members, some may even move residence.
There are many lies being spread about our
site. They are being spread because your leaders do not want
you reading this information, and realising that we are here to
help.
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WE HAVE BEEN TOLD NOT TO READ ANY OF YOUR INFORMATION
Well, that is YOUR choice. We don't force this site on anyone but make the information available to anyone who wants it. And what have the Revival Centres got to be afraid of? If they
are preaching truth, then they have nothing to fear from
someone giving an alternate viewpoint. Contrary to the Revival
Centre position, the ancient apostles like Paul welcomed people
judging them and their doctrines (1.Co.10:15).
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I THINK YOU SHOULD JUST GET ON WITH YOUR WALK AND FORGET THE REVIVAL CENTRES
It is right to examine every message, messenger, and method
according to the Word of God. The church at Ephesus was commended
because they had "tried them which say they are apostles,
and are not, and hast found them liars " (Rev. 2:2). The
church at Pergamos was rebuked because they tolerated those that
held "the doctrine of Balaam, " and "the doctrine
of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate" (Rev. 2:14,15). It
is never right to tolerate false teachers, but they are to be
tried by the Word of God, and exposed. Of course those who want
to disobey the Word of God will seek by every means to avoid this
teaching.
We are to mark and avoid false teachers: "Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and
offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and
avoid them " (Rom. 16:17). And, we are to rebuke false
teachers: "Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may
be sound in the faith " (Titus 1: 13). Are we to sit
silently by, while Revival Centre false teachers take advantage
of the weak, without rebuking and admonishing people to avoid
their teaching? No, the faithful servant of the Lord is to be "Holding
fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be
able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the
gainsayers " (Titus 1:9).
Though, there is a balance. It is easy to get bitter and
abusive when dealing with false teachers. We are warned to help
those who are on the wrong path, and to get them back on track
'in a kind and gentle way'. We hope we have put the case against
the Revival Centre false teachings in this Web site in a humble
frame of mind - without being abusive and without being overly
self-righteous.
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THIS WEB SITE IS FULL OF LIES AND HALF TRUTHS!
Not to our knowledge. If you find something that
is incorrect, please contact us and we will try to fix it as soon
as possible. To our knowledge, all information on this site is
accurate. If you believe that an allegation we make is wrong,
please send us documentation to show why it is wrong, and we will be
very happy to change it and print a retraction. We have no
interest in advertising wrong information - the Revival Centres
should stand or fall on the evidence presented in truth.
As a 'right of appeal', you could write your
complaint in the Guestbook or Forum.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING UP THIS SITE!
Thank you for liking it. If you really like this
site, please put a comment and a bit of a testimony in the
Guestbook. So then people get an idea how many people actually do
write in and say that the sites are great. Some other things you
can do are send us a testimony, send us your Revival Centre tapes
(especially if they have some historical worth), send us articles
you have written or news you have come across.
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YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN SPEAKING IN TONGUES!
Some people involved in the running of this site still practice speaking in tongues and some people do not. But that is not important to us now. We are all in complete unity in that we believe the Bible teaches that people are saved by putting their faith in Jesus.
This is what almost all churches believe and what has been taught
by the church since the first century. To read more about true
salvation, click here.
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YOU PEOPLE ALL BELIEVE DIFFERENT THINGS!
YES WE DO! And thank God for that. We are now free to investigate doctrines and beliefs and make up our own minds. We are not forced give assent to the beliefs of one or two high ranking men in an organisation. Freedon is what we wish to share with you. But take note, this web site is not about everything that we believe as individuals but is about what we consider erroneous concerning the Revival Centres.
And when you look into it, you will probably find
that the Revival Centres 'all believe different
things' too. Despite the constant claims of 'unity', you will find
that individual Revival Centre people have widely differing views
on Christology, the nature of the Church, eschatology. For
instance, even as to the divinity of Jesus, many Revival Centre
people would confess that Jesus is God, while Lloyd Longfield
himself does not believe that Jesus is God.
We all agree that salvation is through faith in
Jesus alone. Like all Christians throughout history, we believe that someone is
saved when they put their faith in Christ as Lord (John 3:16).
The Revival Centres have an extreme emphasis on tongues. It is
true that some of us have differing views on tongues to each other, but the Revival Centres do not
understand that most Christians regard tongues as a fairly minor
issue - at least, when compared to salvation by faith and the
divinity of Christ. Tongues are only mentioned in 3 or 4 places
in the whole body of scripture, and only a few times by Christian
writers of the first century. Having different views in regard to
minor issues is completely acceptable - Romans 14:1-10.
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WE BELIEVE IN JESUS, SO WE ARE SAVED AS WELL...
The Revival Centres do not believe in salvation
by faith in Jesus alone, though. They say that tongues and baptism are
required, and Jesus may not even be mentioned in connection with
salvation.
The gospel is defined in 1.Cor.15:1-4 as a belief
in Jesus' death, burial, and ressurection. Paul also writes in
Gal.1:8,9 never to depart from that gospel he had delievered to
the saints. To do so would be anathema. Yet, this is what the
Revival Centres do when they proclaim their new 'gospel of
tongues'.
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DO YOU GET MONEY FOR ATTACKING THE REVIVAL CENTRES?
Nobody has EVER made any money from the Counter-RC work done
via this web site or any other activity. In fact, we have spent
more of our own money on this work than may have been useful.
In the mid 1990s we did ask people to help cover the costs of copying and
mailing when we sent them information, but we never made a profit.
Main costs came from printing and stamps. Since 1997, everything we offer is free via the website. The site is hosted and paid for by former members of the CAI.
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CAN I HELP FINANCIALY?
We don't need money. If you can pray, it would be better.
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DO YOU GET FUNDING FROM ANY OTHER SOURCES?
No. The Revival
Centres don't release their financial statements. Meanwhile,
they say that we are after people's money!! To quash any false
rumours, our financial statements are herein enclosed - current
assets $0.
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CAN I GET THE REVIVAL OBSERVER?
The Revival Observer was our
free and confidential e-mail newsletter. It was sent in 1997, and is no longer sent.
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HOW DO YOU HANDLE CONFIDENTIALITY?
If you are in contact with
us, rest assured that it is completely confidential. No
one else will know that you have
contacted us.
We rarely have contact with any
leaders in any of the Revival Centre groups.In fact, they usually refuse to speak to us anyway,
as they preach that they should treat us as 'diseased sheep'. So, there is no
way that anyone can know you have contacted us.
If you decide to participate in the Forum discussion group, you can remain completely anonymous.
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WHY DON'T YOU RESPOND TO MY E-MAIL?
Firstly, if you are a Revival Centre person, and
have written us an insulting or threatning note, you will
probably not receive a response. We've got better things
to do than respond to insults.
If your note was genuine, we should get to you in
time. We receive a mountain of mail, mostly from
ex-members, and it often takes us some time to reply as we do have lives to live as well. To get a quicker response, you may
like to post on the Forum as there are many people there who are aware of the issues as well.
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WHAT CAUSED THE RCI/RF SPLIT?
The is a lot of misinformation regarding the
(Adelaide / Melbourne) split, and a lot of dirty laundry.
Firstly, the official reason was probably not the main
reason for the split. Longfield's teaching was in response to
other events, including an event in London, which basically ended
in a power struggle between Adelaide and Melbourne. You
will find his talk on the Split was quite honest. Though, of
course, theologically his doctrine regarding fornication is
is completely unscriptural.
(N.B. our comments regarding the split are
intentionally vague. Legal action has been threatened against one
person who did write a bit of truth about it - did he hit a raw
nerve?)
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I'M WITH THE REVIVAL FELLOWSHIP, NOT THE REVIVAL CENTRES!
You're still in what many regard as
a cult. This site is for members of all the Revival Centres splits.
The Revival Fellowship in most areas is no better
than the Revival Centres. One exception is regarding some New
South Wales Revival Fellowships, which may have become more orthodox.
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WHAT'S WITH THE NSW REVIVAL FELLOWSHIPS?
We followed the story of the NSW Fellowships
for a while. During the 1997 RF Convention, people started
hearing of a 'move of God' in some of the eastern RFs. This has
progressed to such a point that some of the NSW assemblies hold
quite different meetings than Adelaide. Some members are now
fellowshipping with those in other churches. Garry Hall (Sydney)
held a closed meeting to try to bring things back to
the way that they were. However, information we later
received said that some members in NSW considered a split
with Adelaide. (Note- This info is now very old)
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COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THE 'CARN BRAE SCANDAL' WAS?
One of the earliest Revival Centre purchases was in March,
1966, when the congregation paid almost $100,000 for a
property in Harcourt Street, Auburn in Melbourne. The land
included a huge seventeen-roomed mansion which had formerly been
the residence of the Lord Mayor of Melbourne.
Nearby residents feared that the building of a hall on the
property would spoil the previously quiet character of the area,
and their protests made newspaper headlines both in Victoria and
interstate (The Herald 3/3/66, The Sun 5/3/66,
see also Truth articles 'Sect that makes a Fortune'
5/9/70). Ultimately, permission to build the hall was refused. So
then, Lloyd moved into the property himself and made it
his home! It remained his home for many years, despite
controversy over the moral implications. Outspoken critics, who
were astonished at seeing their 'tithes' used for Longfield's own
pleasures, were given the right foot of fellowship right out the
door.
When Carn Brae was sold, Lloyd moved into Tara Hall, which may
even be bigger than what Carn Brae was.
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HAVE THE REVIVAL CENTRES REALLY SET A DATE FOR THE END OF THE WORLD?
Yes. While it is has not been emphasised
in recent years, the Revival Centres have always held that the
end of the world will happen before 17 September 2001. They have
'backed this up' from three fronts:
(1) The 6000 years theory. Because
"a day is like a thousand years", the seventh thousand
year would be the year of the Sabbath and Christ's return
(who is 'Lord of the Sabbath'). Christ would then begin
the 'thousand year reign'. All this was based on the
year 3996 B.C. being the year of the creation of Adam (which is,
in fact, highly questionable). You will see sold in Revival
Centres a chart by Fox called 'God's Great Week', which points
out 2001/2 as the day of the parousia.
(2) The 'seven times' teaching.
Based on some obscure texts which are taken to mean 2520 years,
which ends up being that the '1917 generation' will see the
coming. If you have heard things about 'as birds flying' in the
Revival Centres, this is what they were on about.
(3) Measurements from the Pyramid
of Cheops, with the invented 'Pyramid Inch', 2001 is meant to be
indicated by the Scriptures.
Similarly, Longfield has written,
"It's 24 minutes before the start of a new day - the
millennium reign - God's national Sabbath. Are you ready? At one
minute past midnight (17th Sept 2001) His Majesty the Lord Jesus
Christ will rule out of Zion. Are you ready?" (What time is it Now? pamphlet). Longfield apparently came to this date
through David Davidson's The Path to Peace in Our Time:
Outlined from the Great Pyramid's Prophecy (1942), in which
the 17 September 2001 was argued. Though, you should note that
Davidson has already failed with many of his other predicted
dates. How would Jesus have reacted to claims that the Revival
Centres knew when Jesus would return? Surely he would have
remarked, "It is not for you to know the times or periods
that the Father has set by his own authority" (Acts 1:7).
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I WANT TO LEAVE THE REVIVAL CENTRES, CAN YOU HELP?
It is always great to get these messages. Please
contact us when you are leaving, as it is good to be in contact
with people when you are going through everything. When you
decide to leave, or are considering it, please make note of a few
tips.
1/ While you may not realise it
now, leaving is a very big move. It is also very difficult, and
many people cannot handle it alone. You should realise that your whole
life will be turned upside down for a few months or years, and you will
likely feel dreadful for a while. Many people feel anger at the
Revival Centres for wasting so much of their life. Many also feel
angry at themselves for going meekly along with the rubbish for
so long. Some people feel angry at the Lord for letting them be
decieved. These feelings are normal and they will go away in their own time. Don't rush your emotions. Don't let others tell you how you should feel within a certain time frame. We are all different and handle leaving differently. You
will likely feel very uneasy about going to other churches, and
you will feel angry at any other authority figures. Don't feel guilty about this.
You might like to take some time away from any
fellowship - some feel that they need to be by themselves for a
while. THIS IS FINE. When you are ready, go and explore other churches. Even though you may dread
going to meetings, and you may be very critical of their
doctrinal differences, compared to what you are used to, persist. You don't have to join another church until you feel ready, but exploring other churches can be healthy and help you to see that other people are truly following Jesus outside of the RCs. But you don't have to go if you don't want to. Again, don't push yourself to 'get over' the Revival Centres and the damage they may have done you. Relax. God understands you and your confusion. He is far more patient with us than we are with ourselves.
2/ If you leave then be prepared. You will probably lose all your friends there.
It is extremely common for various rumours to circulate as to why
you have left. Bad motives will likely be implied to you.
Maligning ex-members / detractors is a common cult technique that
is used to debase opposing views, as a part of mind control.
To counter this, some have suggested
proper procedures for leaving a cult. A good way to leave the
Revival Centres is as follows. Decide your reasons for leaving.
Put these reasons in a letter, and send it to your friends and to
the people in your home group. For instance, you may write
something like:
"Dear Friend, I wanted to let you know
personally of a big decision I have recently made. Over the
last few years, I have found that I am not comfortable with some of the doctrines and practices of the Revival Centres, and for this reason I have made
a final decision that I must leave. I am doing this because I
care for the Lord and feel like I must serve him in a better
way than is possible in the Revival Centres.
Yours Sincerely, X"
You will find that this may help to stop most of the
rumours when you leave. You will also find that people still in
the group may not be so hostile towards you. You may even find
that you can help them to leave much more easily! We
also love to hear when people leave. Please take a little time to
send us a quick e-mail. We will not publish it without permission, but it is always good to hear when our
site is effective.
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I WANT TO LEAVE, BUT I AM A BIT APREHENSIVE...
We get this letter a lot. Sure, leaving can be
difficult, but it's all a matter of trusting the Lord and having courage. Leaving is
difficult, but the longer you stay the harder it becomes to leave.
If you sincerely decide to follow the Lord then know the Lord will look out for you. Jesus has been around a lot longer than the Revival Centres! 'You will never slip
from his hand'. It's about trusting him, and knowing that he will
see you right.
There are always people who don't mind talking this through with you. It may be useful to keep in touch with
other ex-members through the Guestbook or Forum on this site as you go through the diffucult process of
leaving.
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WHAT ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR VERSE HERE?
We are constantly getting very similar e-mails
along the lines of,
"You must receive the Spirit with the
evidence of speaking in tongues. Romans 8:9 says that you
must have the Spirit"
We are unable to get in to long doctrinal debates
with everyone who writes. Since these e-mails are monotonously
similar, we have put together pat answers to the standard Revival
Centre arguments in our publication the Revival
Centres Answered Verse by Verse. Please check that
publication to see our position regarding the standard verses, as
due to time constraints we are often only able to cut and paste
it in response to a query anyway. Though, if you decide to move
beyond the three or four verses that are usually taught in the
Revival Centres, please bring them up with us. We would love to
chat in that case, with anyone who is thinking for themselves.
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