Who We Are
We are disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We are thankful
that we have found forgiveness for our sins through His precious
blood. We have come from every conceivable place in Christianity,
and we write this paper as an appeal to you, our brothers and
sisters, who are still looking for a place to belong.
Before we became disciples, most of us had a hard time making
sense out of Christianity. The more we read the Bible, the more
we saw the contradictions between what our Master promised and
what we were experiencing. We saw clear commands in the New Testament
that were ignored or explained away. This made us realize that
we were not content, that deep down in our souls we had doubt
about many things. But most of all, our consciences troubled us
over the lack of love and unity in our local churches.
We were sincere. Deep in our hearts we wanted to serve God. Our
Father in heaven knew our hearts and through many different circumstances
led us to cross the path of a people who had a common life together.
We fell in love with the Spirit they had, for He caused them to
love one another with a sincerity and honesty that we had never
seen. The life of the New Covenant that is promised in the Bible
was being lived out in their midst, even though they were just
ordinary people like us. They loved without pretense, and their
whole motivation in life was to love like our Master loved, to
obey Him in everything He commanded. Through them we began to
receive faith that it was possible to live a life of love in unity
with our brothers and sisters.
Responding to His Love
It all started to make sense when we saw a demonstration of it.
We began to desire this life with all our heart. We began to understand
for the first time why in all our Christian experience we had
never been able to give everything to Him. When we saw faith like
the first disciples had being restored to God's people, we realized
that this was what we had always wanted. Although we knew we would
have to forsake everything to follow Him, we were willing to pay
the price. It was like the price our Master paid to ransom us.
In response to His love for us, all we wanted to do was give our
whole life to Him, unhindered by jobs, possessions, friends or
family ties.
Because He made a place for us to belong, a home for us to dwell
in, we are able to do this. Every day, all day, we live for Him
and for each other. We have given up all our own possessions.
We share with each other what we once owned as individuals — everything
from our cars, furniture, and homes to our problems and sorrows.
Families live together in households and several households make
up a clan. Each clan dwells in a neighborhood where those who
live around them can observe their lives. This is where many people
see the hope that is within us, ask about it, and receive the
good news. Our lives and our homes are always open for anyone
who wants to visit.
In every place we live, our lives are totally consumed with enthusiasm
and zeal to see this life grow and spread throughout all the earth.
We are beginning to find restoration in every aspect of our lives
— especially in our marriages and with our children. We realize
now more than ever just how trapped we were, going on week after
week, from one church to another, from one book to the next, never
satisfied with our shallow experience. We had no confidence that
we had eternal life because we could not love our brothers and
sisters the way He commanded us. We had no way to lay down our
lives for one another the way He laid down His life for us.
A High Calling
We are so thankful He led us to where His life was being lived
out. There we found an environment where we could love as He loved
and devote our whole life to seeing this love reach full maturity
in His people. What a high calling it is to be made ready to be
a Bride for Him! We are thankful for His precious Holy Spirit
who has made us one with Him and with one another. We have come
to see it is only in unity that His love can be perfected in us.
This is who we are — a people in love with the Son of God. He
is our life and our hope. We have no other ambition or goal but
Him. He is our everything, and by His faith and the grace that
He gives to us every day, this love grows. It can't be contained;
we are being consumed by it more and more. We welcome you, our
brothers and sisters scattered throughout the confusing land of
denominational Christianity, to come and stay with us for as long
as you like. Our homes are open and our addresses are on the back
of this paper. We believe you will see what we see, and if you
do, you'll never go back. You'll never be content with anything
else because His love will compel you to no longer live for yourself,
but for Him who died for you and rose again on your behalf.
We call our Master by
His Hebrew name, Yahshua.
For more about His name,
see What's
In a Name.
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