We have received so many messages telling us of the great number of people who are praying for us, the church situation here, and the two pastors. Thanks to all of you for your prayers!We are humbled by your care and God's leading.We praise God that he has raised up so many to pray.We do not know God's plan but surely he has a plan, his plan will succeed, and he will honor your prayers.Forgive me for not answering you individually.I feel swamped with the current situation and studying and preparing for each next step.Just don't stop praying yet.

The situation is dicey and things continue to move quickly.Deb and I prayed repeatedly about the meeting with Pastor Sok and Pastor Bot.I spoke with them on Friday afternoon as planned.As expected, Pastor Sok was not at all receptive.Less expectedly, and rather disappointing to me was Bot's response.Bot thinks the world of Ray.Calls him Elijah.Early on I said that the gospel is the real power that can save (reading Rom 1:16, and I Cor 1:18, 22-24) and that miracles, even done in God's name, are no guarantee of salvation acceptance by God.I read Mt 7:21-23.Sok stated emphatically that apart from Ray there is no other person who's message he is willing to receive.I asked how his message can be so good when it is not all true.I repeated that Ray had said none of us were saved.Sok replied it was true, none of us were saved, for if we were saved then we would have stopped sinning.We talked around this one for awhile.I asked them again and again if they were saved and how they were saved, and how could they call Ray the true servant of God if he teaches a gospel different than the Bible.

I read Galatians 1:6-9.Bot, and especially Sok, vacillated on their salvation.I read Galatians 2:20-21.At one point, Sok simply said, "if Ray says we're not saved, then we must not be saved.I know no one like Ray."

The conversation was mostly civil, though Sok became angry several times. He said if I didn't believe Ray's teaching, I could just ignore it, but why should I come and teach him how wrong he and the church are.

I asked also how could they accept as all truth from a man who is introduced by his disciples as the only true servant of God who had come from heaven. At first Sok denied this was said.Then later he said, "well, maybe he is from heaven, I've never met such a man as him.I know he's from God, and if he says he's from heaven, then so be it."

That was pretty much the tone of our 2-1/2 hour discussion.I felt I had talked to a brick wall for two hours. Nevertheless, I felt I had done what the Holy Spirit wanted.The meeting was about what I expected, except for Bot's response.He is a gentle and humble man, a close friend, the first Christian in this area, a man I was privileged to play some role in introducing to Christ.He's been cut out of nearly all church leadership.He greatly fears Sok himself.

Yesterday's Sunday's service also was about what I expected.Pastor Sok asked people to give testimonies about Ray's teaching in their lives.

Several of these people had not attended this last seminar of Ray's. One had been prompted with various quotes.Pastor Bot said Ray was Elijah. Another said ever since he heard Ray speak a year ago he wakes up every morning seeing Ray's face.One endorsed Ray's statements that the Bible was not God's word and we do not need to study it.

And then Pastor Sok spoke.After an angry crushing sermon, devoted to lifting up Ray as God's special servant, and crushing any other thoughts, Sok concluded that anyone who could not accept Ray's teaching was not from God, was against God, against truth, and was really of the Devil.He said such people were no longer welcome in the church."This church teaches only God's Word and Ray's true teaching which is straight from God."

I saw Deb afterwards (she had been with the SS kids) and told her I had my invitation to leave the church, and said I thought it time to do so, less I give the impression that this teaching was really okay.Deb responded sharply that we could not leave until we had made a public statement and hold the pastors to some kind of accountability first.I secretly knew she was right, but told her I didn't want to talk about it then.I had had enough for the day and needed a break.Frankly I was worn out and tired of being called "of the Devil", first by Ray, and now by Pastor Sok.So I grabbed my Walkman, and two miscellaneous cassette tapes that had sermons on them from back home, and went for a long walk in the rice fields.

I had never listened to either tape.The first sermon spoke of the parable of talents, and concluded that it was not our privilege to throw away whatever God had given us, but we were commanded by God to endeavor to use it for his glory, whether we succeeded or failed.The speaker emphasized that God was quite angry with the servant who buried his talent.The second sermon spoke of the criteria the disciples used when choosing the replacement disciple for Judas.The pastor summarized that God had need for disciples, those strongly rooted in God's Word and servanthood, "lion-hearted" servants, but that God had little need for "chicken-hearted" servants.So, as is too often the case, my wife was right.So much for feeling sorry for myself.I at least beat Deb in chess last night.

Please keep praying, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us every step of the way, causing me to be loving, caring, gentle, yet truthful and bold.

We believe the time has come to make a public statement to the church. I plan to state this next Sunday that I will no longer attend the church, for I cannot accept Ray's teaching and his "new news" as opposed to the "good news."I think I will speak a bit about how I believe man's power has replaced the Spirit's power in this church.It won't be easy.The church is full of people I have known for years, including most of my staff.

Please pray for my staff, for they will be Sok's next targets.I offered to my staff to stop teaching them after they received considerable flak from Sok for studying with me, but most of them insist that I continue.A few have stopped the classes.They are in a very difficult place.Pastor Sok is pressuring them to essentially choose me or God (God's with him).I don't want them to feel any such pressure from me.I am reminding them to keep focused on God, not man.Most people in the church are terrified of Sok, a smaller version of Ray.

Pastor Bot has also agreed to talk again with me in two days.I plan to concentrate on carefully explaining the Gospel through scripture.He tells me that he can't believe what I'm saying about Ray yet, but he did offer that he is very concerned about the church and its leadership style.Bot's theology has become convoluted, yet he is still a humble and good-hearted man.Pray God will be patient with him and open his eyes.

God was good to me in a small but special way.I've been feeling badly with a sinus infection all week, more evidence to some that I do not have God's spirit.And yet during the discussion with the pastors and during the long church service, I temporarily felt fine and was to able function well physically.

Thanks again to all of you for your special prayers!May God answer them, as I believe he is now, though perhaps not the way we want.

Addendum:
Shortly after sending out our most recent journal, Deb and I have talked some more and we are not agreed on what our next step is in this problem at the church.We need to study scripture a bit more, and put some prayer into it.We're not sure if it's scriptural to speak publicly to the church at this point, or perhaps I need to go back to Pastor Sok and speak to him specifically about what I believe to be misconduct in his leadership.For example, he often says to others and us that such and such can or cannot be done because God told him so, when it appears that is not the case.Many issues I have discussed with him, but there are a few issues, which we have not discussed clearly.

Please pray that we will understand what God wants us to do now, and that we are led by His Spirit.I am not biblically trained nor am a pastor, yet still want to be sure we do what is right and pleasing to God in this very sensitive situation.Leaving the church may well be permanent, and it would be foolish to do this in error.

John Coats