Why I Left the ICC

When I became a Christian I was involved with the San Francisco Church of Christ.

At the time I didn't know what a dangerous religious group it was. After leaving the International Church of Christ, one and half years later I did find out about how the church worked. I knew by then I had been in a cultic group.
When I left the S.F.C.C., I was a lost and damaged soul not knowing whether I was saved or if God loved me.

I AM SAVED BY GRACE
It was only through a Bible study with people from New Life Christian Fellowship that I came to know the real Jesus and who God truly is. I am saved by grace through faith and I discovered that my entrance into heaven is not dependent upon my deeds.

The San Francisco Church of Christ would always stress that if you left the church bad things would happen, and that you'd be sorry for leaving. Yet, only good has come of my departure. I've learned that "discipling" and even "rebuking" a Christian need not be damaging to one's heart.

BIBLICAL DISCIPLESHIP
Biblical discipleship is not a means of trying to control someone's life. Rather discipleship and correction are gentle nudges in the right direction and it is always more effective to transform a life from the inside out.

SINCE MY DEPARTURE
Since my departure, my husband and I have grown closer to the Lord. God has blessed us more times over than can be imagined. We have recently moved out of the area. I quit my full time job and became a housewife. Our rent doubled, and our faith increased. We actually have a savings account even though I am not working! All of our expenses increased with our move and yet God has still provided for us.

A NEW BEGINNING
Rather than being the end of God's blessing in our lives it was a new beginning. We tithe regularly and God has kept us faithful and He has been faithful. I was able to sing with the worship team at our new church for nearly a year before our move. Singing on the worship team was a tremendous blessing in itself. My husband was involved in the greeters ministry as well as the prayer ministry.

The real exciting and rewarding thing is, we became involved with these ministries at New Life because we wanted to! We were not coerced, rebuked, guilt tripped or pressured into serving in ministry. This was very different from the motives for serving in the ICC.

AN INNER DESIRE TO SERVE
We had an inner desire to serve God not man and we loved it! Verses like Galatians 1:10 spoke loud and clear to us: Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Through passages like these we realized that in the SFCC we had always been concerned about what other people thought about what we did or didn't do. We had been serving man and not God. That really caused us to stop and think.

God has been good to me and my family. I pray for those who still are caught in the web of the SFCC. I pray they will discover the freedom I have found through the grace of Christ Jesus.

There is "Life" after the International Church of Christ, a better life. The road has not been without its pot holes, but I've learned to side step them when my eyes are focused on Jesus.

Blessings to You,

Jo H.