Dearest brother/sister in Christ,

  God bless you richly in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior, our Mentor, the one whose perfect trust in his heavenly Father made it possible for us to do likewise and walk with him.

  This is John Lynn, and I am writing this letter to anyone who is or ever was involved in The Way International, that is, those with "ex-Way vision." The Real Me, by the grace and mercy of God, is still standing, and still "living in the eye of the storm." The first thing I want to say is, "I love you." The second thing is that, as it has since I was dispatched by TWI in 1987, my heart goes out to everyone who ever sat through the “Power For Abundant Living” class.  We certainly did hear much of the Word "as it has not been taught since the first century," and the truth is that there was nowhere else on earth we could have heard what we heard. We were in the right place at the right time. The main problem was that we had an "absent Christ," and therefore, practically speaking, we were like a body without a head. I was only one of the "poor substitutes" that people looked to when they should have been looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.

  I thank God that I was taught the inherent keys to the Word’s interpretation. They are still true, and they are what enabled me, along with my dear friend John Schoenheit (and many others), to see the wrong doctrine mixed in with the right doctrine we were taught, to correct it, and to move forward. If you are interested, we have a list of 26 biblical subjects about which we believe the Word says differently than we were taught in The Way, with links to our books and tapes that cover those topics.

  Wrong doctrine always leads to wrong practice. I am more aware than most of the grievous abuses laid upon many of God’s precious people when they were in The Way. Perhaps you are one who was so abused. The point is that now the choice is yours as to how you see your past involvement in The Way. In our lives, we are not the sum total of what has happened to us, but rather how we have responded to what has happened. As such, you can ask the dear Lord to help you arrive at a healthy perspective of whatever events have comprised your life. In his infinite resourcefulness, he can somehow turn it into something you can use to help someone else.

  In regard to your involvement in The Way, you could choose to be a victim, as many have, but may I suggest that is not the best perspective if you desire to live a fruitful life. Frederick Douglas, a former slave and then an abolitionist in the time of the Civil War, once said, "The limits of tyrants are prescribed by those whom they oppress." I like to look at my time in The Way in a more positive sense. I want to "eat the fish and spit out the bones."

  There are many things I could say here, but I’m trying to keep this letter as brief as possible. I know thousands of people who, in my opinion, have "thrown out the baby with the bathwater." They have spit out the whole fish because of some bones. I know many others who are "tired of the fight," that is, of "not fitting in" with traditional Christianity, primarily because they are branded as heretics for not believing that Jesus is God. In regard to that subject, I encourage you to read our book titled One God and One Lord: Reconsidering the Cornerstone of the Christian Faith.

  Since 1987 we have been helping people around the world, many who have never heard of The Way, move forward, most especially by getting Jesus Christ in the right place as Lord. Spirit & Truth Fellowship International (formerly Christian Educational Services) is a full service ministry with a wide range of activities and materials for everyone. We are seeing people's hearts healed and seeing them come together to reach out to others in the love of Christ.

  I encourage you to listen to or read for yourself what we have produced. If you like, we are most happy to send you a Spirit & Truth Fellowship statement of beliefs, and/or put you on our mailing list for our bi-monthly magazine, The Sower. Each issue has an order form listing all the materials we have. I also encourage you go to one of our three websites and see if you are blessed by what you find. They are: STFonline.org, TruthOrTradition.com, and BiblicalUnitarian.com.

In closing, let me say that I honestly believe that Dr. Wierwille (TWI Founder) would be very proud of what we are doing. We have taken the keys to the Word’s interpretation that he taught us and used them to evaluate his own teachings, correcting those that did not agree with Scripture. We have never lost sight of the goal of moving the Word around the world. If that is still your goal, or if you think there is any way we could be of service to you, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Once again let me say that I love you. I wish that I could adequately communicate to you how thrilling life is when the Lord Jesus Christ is a daily reality. Understanding who he is as "the Lord" and living accordingly exalts both him and our heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus is the glue that can knit our hearts together so that we can enjoy the "camaraderie of the committed" and stand together for him.

Your brother in Christ,

John A. Lynn
317-557-3776
JALCES@aol.com  

Current as of 2008