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Welcome
Enjoy... But remember
"Don't give in to winning the argument
and losing one of your eternal crowns..."
God bless you...
Enjoy... But remember
"Don't give in to winning the argument
and losing one of your eternal crowns..."
God bless you...
The Revival Fellowship is not a cult! 
Revival Fellowship International
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The Revival Fellowship is not a cult! (Of course she's going to say that, you think ...). I looked up the definition to the word cult in the Webster's dictionary and I'll paste it here: cult (klt) n. 1. a.A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. - The Revival Fellowship (TRF) is not extremist or false because we follow the bible and model our fellowships on that of the early church there in the book of Acts. No one makes up our doctrine or reinvents what the bible says to suit their own purposes. We are not "followers" in the sense that we mindlessly follow an authoritarian or charismatic leader because we have no one single leader. Even the pastors are not put up on a pedestal, they just preach the word and make sure the fellowships are staying on track. Everyone is equal under God's sight. However, we are followers in the sense that we follow God and His word. Our fellowship emphasises a personal (i.e. one-on-one) relationship with God. We don't need a middle man, no matter how well he can speak or drum up funds. b.The followers of such a religion or sect. - Referring to what I said above, TRF is not "such a religion or sect" 2.A system or community of religious worship and ritual. - TRF is based on the "system" that is set out in the bible, the early church in Acts. The only "rituals" that are emphasised aren't really rituals at all, because that word suggests that one isn't completely switched on when performing a ritual. But if you want to get nitpicky, then the "rituals" that are encouraged are for people to work on keeping up a regular prayer life (talking to God, in private, through the holy spirit as well as in your native tongue) and also by observing the communion service at the sunday meetings, which is a time of self examination before the Lord and a time to remember the Lord's death for us. If you are doing communion or prayer as a ritual, then something's not right because these things are important and should not be taken lightly or done in a machine-like way. 3.The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual. - As I said before, we don't really go in for ceremony and ritual in a machine-like way. You go to church, or pray, or take communion, etc because you want to, because the Holy Spirit inside you desires to. We don't have people wearing special hats or outfits or have various statues, idols or crosses in our fellowships. That's not what having a personal relationship with the Lord is about. 4.A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease. - The originator of our church is basically the Lord. And we know that He is a healing God and works miracles. Yes, that's right - Miracles still happen! If you would like proof of this, step into any Revival Fellowship meeting anywhere in the world and listen to the testimonies of the people there. Or check out the website: www.trf.org.au 5. a.Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. - 'Faddish'? I don't think so. The gospel is as old as the new testament, which is roughly 2000 years. It aint no passing fad. 'Obsessive' - this word's got negative connotations, but if you want to be technical I suppose you could say that we are obsessive in that we individually seek to stay on the straight and narrow; obsessive in the way that we have an emphasis on outreaching - it's important to let others know what the Lord can do for them, but not obsessive as in we want to ram the Word down your throat. As it says in the bible, we sow the seeds, but it is GOD who will bring the increase. So we just sow away. We follow God, who is real to us, not an idea. 6.An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest. - This certainly isn't TRF. We are not exclusive, we're always telling others about the gospel, inviting them to find out for themselves. And if you step into any of our meetings you'll see for yourself that we all come from a vast array of backgrounds and that we are babies, teenagers, young people, middle-aged, old. And I wouldn't call the message of the gospel an esoteric, artistic or intellectual interest. It's the truth, and it's freely available to all. [Latin cultus, worship, from past participle of colere, to cultivate. See kwel-1 in Indo-European Roots.] - We do worship the Lord however - does this make TRF a cult? I don't think so, not a cult in the negative connotation of the word at least. If you think this does mean TRF is a cult, then think seriously about what you worship ... that hot, red ferrari, or that TV show, or that actor/actress, that rock band ... I've been a member of TRF for 22 years and I have been around the world and seen lots. But the fellowship is my home and my family and I love it and the Lord our God. Let me tell you now, if there was nothing in it, then I would have nothing to do with it. I don't muck around with what I commit to. And the greatest thing about this whole situation is that I have proof of God's existence and grace. It's the holy spirit and it's available to ALL (Acts 2:38). All you have to do is put God to the test and ask him for the holy spirit (you'll also need to get baptised by full immersion at one point). Boy will those scales fall from your eyes then! The thing about TRF is that everyone of its 'members' believe in the same gospel, that is in the Word, and we've all had the same individual experience. At the end of the day, it's your personal relationship with God that matters, the fellowship is just a constant source of teaching and learning, fellowship with like-minded people, and encouragement. Check it out for yourself. And you don't need to be a part of any church to ask God to prove Himself to you. |
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