Lately I have been taking a stand on the internet by posting links, blogs, video clips etc expressing my strong belief and conviction concerning what it takes to be saved. This is not the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last time. I am writing this post to remind you that I am not your enemy, and I never stopped loving you at any moment when I have taken a strong stand concerning the subjects of the Godhead and baptism in the name of Jesus. I have thousands of trinity believing friends who do not agree with me, and some of my new friends really believe I have gone off the deep end. Trinitarian friends who have been in discussions with me for years understand where I am coming from, and I understand them. Who in this world ever made a rule that we have to be enemies when we do not see eye to eye concerning the scriptures? Those who have known me through the years know that I am only expressing my heart in an effort to convince some there is more to salvation than just believeing and accepting.
For more than fifty years I have listened to the various viewpoints of thousands of people who love me, and I am convinced more than ever that some of them may never see what I see. Some of them may have given up on me, but most of my friends are still my friends, and they love my strong stand, because it keeps them searching the scriptures to try to prove me wrong. One of my best friends is a baptist minister who has been reaching for me for years, and I have been reaching for him. I have another baptist friend that I have known and loved for 50 years, and we have discussed the scirptures many times, and I care about his soul and he cares about my soul. He ran for president awhile back, and can be seen on Fox new every week. One of my best friends who has lunch with me and hangs out with me from time to time has a high position in the Roman Catholic Church as a result of an appointment by the pope a couple of years ago, and his position covers the entire east coast of the USA. My Catholic friend and I have been in discussions for more than 20 years. He has been on television for years here in Connecticut. The name of his weekly program is CATHOLIC AWARENESS. I believe he is lost, and he believes I go to extremes, but we are friends. I want to be your friend too, because we have something in common. We believe in Jesus Christ.
I visit Trinity teaching Churches and sometimes I am even invited to speak. When I am a guest I never try rock the the boat in the local assembly, nor do I compromise what I believe to be the truth, but I try to be a blessing as I speak of things that I know we have in common. I do not debate and cause problems when I am a guest, and those trinitarian friends that have visited us here at Norwich Tabernacle have always been kind and considerate as they have testified about the good things of God. We listen joyfully and praise God for every blessing that anyone has received, and we have always known that we find common ground as believers. None of us can find salvation if we do not start with believing.
My strong expressions may tend to hurt your feelings sometimes, but if these expressions will cause you to search the scriptures and pray more it will be good for you. I have to admit, several of my trinitarian friends have caused me to search the scriptures on my knees. Some of you are much smarter than I am.
If you never agree with my strong stand concerning the plan of salvation and the Godhead, I will never allow that to convince me that you are my enemy. If you want to be my enemy, it will have to be your choice, because I only think of you as friends that I am concerned about and praying for.
Is there any reason that I should listen to all of you express your strong beliefs and just stay silent? My effort to make noise and get your attention is the result of my burning desire to do all I can to be a witness for Jesus. I believe that your desire toward me is the same. You want to convert me and convince me to forsake everything I have stoood for through the years. There is nothing wrong with that. You are all welcome to use my site on facebook or any of the other social networks that I use to express your views, and I will read every word and listen to your messages and watch your videos. I only ask you to be nice and considerate, because I hate debates. I am not your enemy even though I feel that there is more for us than most have ever imagined. .
You are all welcome to visit us in Norwich, Connecticut and share your testimony concerning what God has done in your life. We know that you have been blessed as a result of believing in your heart that Jesus lived, died, and is alive forever more. We know that many of you have been set free from many bad things and we rejoice with you in those wonderful testimonies. I have seen many trinitarian freinds healed by the power of God, and I know that God loves you.
Please try to understand that I will continue to be strong as I have always been when expressing my opinion concerning the necessity of Jesus name baptism and the necessity of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance, and also I will continue to teach that there is understanding available beyond what is generally taught concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with all my heart, and I baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. I simply believe the Word proclaims that all the fullness of the godhead dwells in Jesus Christ, and we are complete in him which is the head of all principality and power. I see in the scriptures that baptism in the name of Jesus covers every title of who God is including the Father Son and Holy Ghost, and thus I call on the name of Jesus when baptizing the new convert believing this to be the correct way to baptize in the name that is called for in Matt 28:19. Several trinitarians have also come to this conclusion and have submitted to water baptism in the name of Jesus. Not all of them are convinced that it was necessary, but they did it anyhow when they concluded that it cannot be wrong, and perhaps could be essential.
I know that I confuse some of you sometimes, and that is really not my purpose. I am simply reaching out in love with a strong stand because of my concern for you, and I know that some of you are praying for me with deep concerns.
If you are as convinced about what you stand for as I am convinced about what I stand for shouldn't you be reaching for my soul and trying to convince me that you have the truth that I need? My mature trinitarian friends do not turn against me, but they try to help me to understand what they see in the Word of God, and I am always happy to consider their thoughts.
Perhaps this note will help any new friends who may be a bit confused to understand that I am not your enemy, nor do I want you to run from me when I go through these moments of being strong on the internet. I promise I will say nice things that you can agree with also. :)
My only reason for being on the internet is to reach out for the lost. Here is a website that you may want to visit. Many of my trinitarian friends enjoy this site, and they daily send many messages to me in email telling how wrong I am and how right they are. You are invited to do the same, and I will not be your enemy, I just ask for kindness and respect in our conversations on the social networks and in email. Mature people are able to agree to disagree while we reach for more understanding. .
Check out http://www.preachingvideo.com/
God bless
Ren Rutledge
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