Dear Partners In Ministry,
As a faithful supporter in prayer and finances you share
in the ministry results of our mission which should resound
to the eternal glory of the Lord. There are things about our
mission that we cannot share at times due to confidentiality
and the nature of our work. The public aspects of our ministry
are very obvious in our weekly discussion group, our teaching
in churches and radio programs as well as our giving out information
and counsel on our website and through e-mail. The less obvious
aspect of our ministry has to do with meeting with people
both in person and over the phone and dealing with very personal
spiritual problems that can only be solved by Jesus. In this
issue we have the ability to give an inside peek into what
we are sometimes called on to deal with in the area of true
spiritual warfare and Christian ministry. There are two cult
founders who selfishly used women sexually and who lived 150
years apart, whose victims we ministered to recently. We are
going to allow you to vicariously experience a little bit
of the pain Satan has caused through these men and especially
to see what victory the Lord can bring!
The two cult founders who sowed spiritual destruction in
the lives of the several young women whom we helped rescue
were both predicted in the Bible! Both are the men warned
about in 2 Timothy chapter three: "But realize this,
that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will
be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable,
malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of
good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness,
although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
For among them are those who enter into households and captivate
weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,
always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of
the truth." 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (emphasis mine).
In this edition we will share several letters that have come
our way that are in response to our helping people come out
of cults directly in contrast with helping people witness
to their loved ones.
Homegrown Cult
In July we received a phone call from a very distraught parent
of a very bright and beautiful young married woman in her
early twenties. She is a former cheerleader and has held very
responsible positions in professional offices. I mention this
for the same reason I often cite the fact that my father had
a genius level IQ and yet had been involved in several cultic
and occultic practices and organizations. Intelligence is
no safeguard against spiritual deception only the knowledge
of God's word coupled with the guidance of the Holy Spirit
can protect someone from the deceptions of the devil.
A very wealthy man, who is twice their age, had convinced
the the young couple that their marriage was "dissolved
by God" and that she was going to be his "Queen"
and "eternal bride" as he was going to rule the
earth. He convinced them to stop being intimate with each
other. He told them that God would strike the husband dead
if he touched her accidentally in the night, so the husband
stopped sleeping with his wife. The cult leader proceeded
to have "spiritually cleansing" sexual relations
with her for several months and had even moved into the house
and bed of the young couple for the last month of this deceptive
abuse. All of this while the husband "kept spiritual
watch" below them on a different level of the house!
The husband was willing to give away his personal belongings
to a minister friend (whom he had spent two years in Bible
College with) and had told him this was because he was going
to be "translated into perfection." He was told
this would happen by the cult leader who himself claimed perfection.
The cult leader also claimed he was "The Third Lord"
after God the Father ("The First Lord") and Jesus
("The Second Lord") He also claimed he was the physical
descendant of Jesus and that he, the cult leader, was soon
going to rule the earth from "Zion" which would
be outside of Denver, Colorado!
A very disturbing aspect of this was the man's heavy involvement
with Evangelical and Pentecostal mega-churches in our area.
This was coupled with his seemingly supernatural influence
over several young church women in their twenties both married
and unmarried. One lady was a minister's wife!
Another 26 year old woman said to me that he told her "things
only God could have known" which caused her to break
down in tears as he had her hug him. He told her that it was
no longer him speaking but God the father when he caused her
to sob. She told me it was like she was "hugging God
Himself!" She said that the days she had spent with him
were the most wonderful days she had ever experienced. I told
her I believed it was demonic influence exuding from him.
Sadly, he was also well connected with some prominent Evangelical
businessmen as well as church leaders. One such businessman
told me that he was very engaging and yet strange in that
he said God appeared to him in his office "in a cloud."
We learned all of this subsequent to my inviting two of the
parents (the step-mom and father) to share at our Monday night
interdenominational discussion group. Prayer was offered that
the Lord would open up our knowledge of just what was being
taught by the cult leader and that their daughter and son-in-law
would be freed. I met with the Mother of the young woman in
question that following Wednesday.
This mom is a very sharp high powered businesswoman and has
been on a couple of overseas mission trips with an evangelical
missions group. At our first meeting she told me that she
believed in Jesus "but not the devil." She soon
learned that the devil is who had been having his way with
her daughter and son-in-law. It was a little frustrating to
her that all I was saying we could do at that point was pray.
That next night she would wake up several times praying for
her daughter at the same time as her daughter awoke and prayed
for her mother! Her mom would call her and then hang up fearing
the cult leader would answer the phone. Unknown to mom, caller
I.D. told the story of her concern to her daughter in the
morning. They met and spoke the next day about the concerns
we all shared for her safety. This was because a date had
been leaked to an outside minister about the cult leader saying
that "something important" was to transpire at the
end of July. We all feared for the young couple's safety not
knowing if the "something important" could involve
a trip to the "Kool Aid bar" ala the Jim Jones cult!.
She opened up to her mother for the first time in years and
shared her concern. The young husband and wife met with me
the next week and subsequently left the area with their marriage
miraculously intact. The name of the cult leader has been
withheld in order to protect innocent Christians who are currently
involved with him in business.The wife who was involved with
the cult leader has written an 18 page single spaced and notarized
report chronicling her experience. Below are the letters of
her and her Mom sent to our board of directors:
To: Board Members of Mt. Carmel Outreach
For the past three years our family has been concerned about
our daughter and son-in-law's relationship with a local businessman.
What started as a mentor relationship accelerated to a very
controlling situation that we could only describe as "cult-like".
We had looked for help from legal professionals, psychological
professionals and religious professionals to no avail. No
one had any experience in this type of situation and nothing
illegal could be proven since the parties involved were of
legal age.
In late July of this year we received information that confirmed
our fear that, indeed, the situation was a cult situation.
At this point, finally knowing what we were dealing with,
we started calling anyone we knew who might know who to refer
us to. Kevin Johnson's name came back to us from three sources,
two of those from professionals in other states who were aware
of his credentials. We contacted him and he immediately met
with us. We knew we had found the person who could help us.
He spoke with us endlessly and invited us to attend his Bible
study class on Monday night. We shared our story with the
class. Kevin helped explain to them and us how false leaders
operate and then asked the class to pray for us. Our daughter
has confirmed that that is the point things started to change
for her. Less than one week from that meeting she and her
husband removed themselves from the situation. A week later
we were able to extricate his next victim from his grasp with
the knowledge Kevin had given us.
Our mission is not yet over. We must stop this predator.
I believe we will with Kevin's help. He has continued to advise
us and get us back on track when we move from saving our daughter
and son-in-law to wanting to strangle them for ever getting
involved in this. Kevin reminds us of the demonic forces involved
and we can once again concentrate on being supportive.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would
need a "cult specialist", as I like to call Kevin,
in my life. But I thank the Lord every night that he, and
his very supportive family, was there in our darkest moment.
Sincerely,
(The Mom)
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing this letter in regards to someone I have a lot
of respect for, Kevin Johnson. Kevin has really helped my
family. Through his efforts to do what God has called him
to do, he has had a major part in getting my life back on
track.
My husband and I had become involved in a small cult here
in Rockford, IL. My parents out of concern for our well-being
contacted Kevin in their desperation. He guided them, listened
to them and encouraged them to pray for our situation. I believe
it was those prayers that helped save our lives from the destruction
that was sure to come.
My husband and I met with Kevin for dinner after we broke
free from this cult situation. He was refreshing and encouraged
us to enjoy life again. It was his knowledge of the Bible
that really helped to set us free. His honest and straight-forward
approach was just what we needed to hear after the fog of
confusion we had lived in. We talked with him for 5 hours
that evening. I really appreciated being able to talk to someone
who truly knew God's Word.
Kevin has given tirelessly of himself to fulfill the call
that God has placed on him. He has always been available to
talk anytime we have needed him. He has given us sound and
biblically based advice that has encouraged our hearts and
strengthened our spirits. I am very thankful for the ministry
of Kevin Johnson and the positive, life changing impact it
has made in my life.
(The Daughter)
Following is the written statement of a lady who was very
involved in the Mormon Church for twenty years. She was sidetracked
into the LDS after attending a Trinitarian mainstream Pentecostal
church. She raised the two children of her deceased sister
in Mormonism and they achieved great things in school. She
called and talked to us over ten years ago about an occultic
concern of hers and remembers being witnessed to then. She
just couldn't receive it at that time. Now, in God's providence,
one of her children is also attending a real church and she
is growing strong as you will see from her letter.
LEAVING THE LDS!
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Dear Board Members of Mount Carmel Outreach,
Enclosed is a copy of my testimony. I am sending it to you
that you may gain a better understanding of what a human being,
such as myself, goes through when leaving an organization.
Most biblical Christians would call this group, a cult. The
following is a glimpse of my story.
I never did anything horribly wrong that they, even by their
own terms, could excommunicate me for. However, I am one such
being, that questions everything, even my own existence. I
am afraid that my questionable nature left them, the Mormons,
with the assumption that it was O.K. to shun me. In my hour
of desperate need, I was hurt the deepest by this group of
people. As you can read from my testimony, the good Lord had
different plans and sent his ministers to help me. I refer
to one such minister in my testimony as an angel. Actually
he was a Southern Baptist Minister from Kentucky whom I had
met in a library in the fall of 2003. I am still friends with
him and we keep in touch. Due to the distance between us,
we cannot correspond as much as I would like to. His love
and concern for my fragile disposition was greatly needed
to help escort me out from the bonds of Mormonism. I soon
discovered early on in our relationship, he just did not have
the time his compassionate heart wanted to give me. I was
in his thoughts in prayers. One of his biggest desires for
me would be that I would find a church home with a pastor
I could talk to and relate to as easily as I could him. It
was not long after he expressed his concerns for me, that
I showed up on the steps of First Free. I was introduced first
through Mount Carmel Outreach. Kevin Johnson became my spiritual
mentor. I thank the Lord for him. I do not know if he was
aware of the time it would take to help a soul be released
from such a powerful influence as the Mormon Church. Yet he
was willing to do or say whatever was needed to accomplish
this amazing work of the Lord. There were times I would worry
about the many hours he has spent counseling me. I feel guilty
for taking up so much of his time. He never seems to mind
or try and make me feel selfish for doing so. I know that
he has a lot on his platter and still he has time for little
mixed up me.
After being part of a group for twenty years, you would not
believe the incredible pull one feels to go back. It is a
very strong spiritual pull that weights on a heart and soul
like too much syrup flooding pancakes. Even now, after a year
since I decided to have nothing to do with the Mormons, those
angelic creatures continue to disrespect my wishes. Kevin
continues to support me in my endeavors to rid myself of their
spider like webs that are ever so desirous to entangle a soul
in its glue like substance. Just when I think I am free, another
web is spun and I feel trapped again. Kevin is there once
again to strengthen, encourage and direct me in a straight
path. This straight path is always toward the Savior, the
true Jesus. The many strings of Mormonism are being loosened
from my life. As I travel spiritually in the right direction,
I encounter more strings that need to be dealt with. There
are so many doctrines in Mormonism that resemble true Christianity
that it is impossible for me to decipher all of them on my
own.
There was a time when I thought that I could never ever really
be one of you guys. Although I loved being in church and among
the Lord's people, that voice knocking me on the shoulder
would say, "What are you doing here? You're not one of
them. You're Mormon. The very blood that flows though your
veins is Mormon." You see, when you are baptized Mormon,
you are told that the Lord changes your blood. Secretly, I
wanted to be like the Christians that I saw around me so much,
I was willing to rid myself from this Mormon curse by cutting
my own veins and bleed this Mormon blood out from me. Kevin
doesn't know it, but his knowledge of the truth; along with
his compassion for my situation kept me from cutting myself.
Sometimes I would think that something bad is going to happen
to him because we are fighting the Mormons. I rejoice that
he is strong in the truth and has nothing to fear for intervening.
Kevin Johnson can confront any group, organization or cult
that would lead a soul to hell.
It is an on going journey for me. I cannot imagine leaving
the Mormon Church without Kevin's intervention and constant
guidance. I don't share everything about my prior beliefs
because some of them are just weird. I want so desperately
to be loved and accepted. Yet at Mount Carmel Outreach, I
can ask and share the things that I need to. I can ask the
questions I need to ask. No one rejects or shuns me for having
been a part of a distorted, weird fairy tale religion. Looking
back, Mormonism was like a wonderful, beautiful fairytale
which in time turned from glory and deranged itself. Instead
of putting you to sleep and having a feeling of being in a
safe place, it jerks you awake and frightens you. You are
no longer in Heaven but Hell. Christianity takes you away
from that and gives one a chance to look into the eyes of
the real Jesus and not see sameness, but true divinity, something
greater than your self. It is a surety that God is not going
to leave you down here to just stumble around all on your
own.
First Free and Mount Carmel Outreach mean the world to me.
The Mormons have tried to hurt me professionally, spiritually
and relationally since I left. I can honestly say, "I
do not know where I would be today without you guys."
When I pull into the parking lot of First Free and look up
at that great white bell tower, I know I am home. I am one
of you guys. My blood is the same as yours, pure and rich
in nutrients just as much as the Savior makes it to be. I
will always be grateful for First Free and Mount Carmel Outreach.
Truly, Mount Carmel Outreach is a mission in which everyone
at First Free can rejoice in. My prayers and thoughts are
ever with you.Sincerely,
Laura M.
AUDIOMESSAGE:
www.ingradiv.com/audiotestimonies.asp
If you go to this web address you will be able to hear testimonies
recorded by me about my friend, Joe Whitchurch, who is on
our board and is also involved in regional ministry with Intervarsity
Christian Fellowship on campuses throughout Indiana. You will
also be able to hear a message about me recorded by Joe as
well. God brought us together in a very unique and unmistakably
providential way! I hope you enjoy hearing these messages.
If someone wants to hear a bit of our testimony this can help
introduce us to them in a personal way.
We have a very real need due to the increase of fuel costs.
We have hundreds of miles to cover every week to meet ministry
needs. As you are aware, the cost of fuel has skyrocketed!
It takes over a thousand dollars to meet our winter heating
costs for the auditorium and the parsonage that includes our
office and library.We need help with this energy part of our
budget! Please prayerfully consider what you can do to help
meet this very important and urgent need.
I hope this newsletter lets you see some of the dramatic
and human side of ministry. Where sin abounds grace does much
more abound! God has seen fit to use us in all of our falleness
and dependence on Him. Thank you for joining with us in the
service of the soon coming King!
In His Service Gladly,
Kevin
Mount Carmel Outreach
All donations to The Institute For Christian
Apologetics are
tax-deductible, greatly needed and equally appreciated!
Make your checks out to:
The Institute For Christian Apologetics
Send them to P.O. Box 5761 Rockford, IL 61125
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