postlaestadianrevival

There was a hymn in the old church called "Keys are given to the Christians" and was sung to the tune of "Come thou fount of every blessing." The keys were the testimony of sins forgiven--when one received that according to the song one could unlock the door of heaven.

However I seemed to keep losing mine. From what was preached it seemed like every so often one needed to go and get another set.

It seemed that the keys had been "in use and practice" in the apostolic times and were continually used throughout history--sometimes by a very small group of believers. It was something that had to be passed from believer to believer not something a person could receive directly from the Holy Spirit. It had to come through some one who had the holy spirit. When the bible speaks of "laying on of hands" in Acts, the OALC teaching interprets this to mean testifying of sins forgiven.

There has always been a mediator between God and man, I was told. So I thought it was necessary. However the bible states that Jesus is the mediator. "There is only one mediator between God and mad, that is the man Christ Jesus."

It has been ten years since I have attended the church and some of the teachings have changed. One new teaching that emerged in the 1990s is this idea of the three testimonies--a person must have the testimony of their own heart, the testimony of the other believers, and the testimony of the holy spirit ( I think that was right) I don't know how that fits in with the keys metaphor. Maybe God has three deadbolts on his door now.

Anyway the preachers used to berate us for not being known to the other Christians because this made it terribly difficult for the preachers to preach at your funeral. (They might accidentally say you had gone to heaven and then find out to their embarrassment and shame that they were wrong entirely.) Note: the responsibility for making yourself known was entirely put on the individual. For a timid person in a congregation of several thousand this was kind of overwhelming. The preachers weren't very accessible. And if you did get up enough courage to approach them, the first thing he always said to me was "And what was your name?"

Don't you love that personal touch? Just gave you an overwhelming desire to pour out you heart because you knew how much he cared

It always caused me shame to be so unknown. I wanted to belong terribly. Yet no matter what someone was always inquiring about my "pedigree." It was an unspoken caste system, it seemed to me. I wouldn't have minded so much if I hadn't been on the bottom!

Soapbox wrote: The keys were the testimony of sins forgiven--when one received that according to the song one could unlock the door of heaven.

I would say it is scriptural. Jesus testified he was sent by the Father to set captives free and preach deliverance. Later he tells his disciples "as the Father sent me, so I send you," ordaining them with authority to loose people of sins and ordaining that "repentance and remission of sins shall be preached to all nations."

We are saved by grace through faith in the the works of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who kept the Law in all aspects to satisfy a just God. To say that we are saved by confessing our sins and having someone testify that they are forgiven makes salvation a work rather than a free gift lest any one of us should boast. Seeking for forgiveness and having God grant us that forgiveness and then walking obediently is a work that follows from that God-granted faith.

Long gone wrote: Seeking for forgiveness and having God grant us that forgiveness and then walking obediently is a work that follows from that God-granted faith.

I would agree here. It appears the OALC has gone a different route from other Laestadians and particularly Protestant Christianity. I can assure anyone, sinner or saint that if they are trusting in Christs finished work, they are forgiven and will make it to heaven. We have such great promises. Christ alone, faith alone...these are from where our good works flow, whether acts of repentance, confession of sins, mercy, kindness, love, etc.

Soapbox, I can relate to the preachers wanting to "know you from the heart". Being known in my old OALC church meant living close to the other "Christians", visiting and socializing and attending all the "gatherings".
In reality it was all about socializing! I lived an hour away from the core group and didn't visit a lot. Over the years my family and I were treated like outsiders even though we were long time members. It took me years to realize that we were being talked about and judged for not living close and socializing. A new family would move into our locality and we would welcome them warmly and they appeared friendly. After a few weeks, this new family would appear cool and aloof. It took me several years to realize what was happening. After confronting one such person about it, I was told of the things that were being said about our family, things like :They don't visit, they don't make church every week, etc., etc..

In the OALC you must socialize and kiss up to the preachers and other "good solid Christians" in order to be accepted. I believe that many in that church , not all, but many put their faith in the preachers and each other instead of Jesus.

All in all, a very dangerous place to be!