[byHismercy]

My contact with the Local Church began on my college campus in Orange Co., California. I was newly saved by Christ, still living a very worldly life, but very lonely, and longing for Christian fellowship and friends, I was searching for connection and a church, and the awesome sweetness of others who knew the Lord Jesus. I didn't have any of that when the full time trainees approached me that day. I remember I was so alone in my new faith and new life in Christ, that I actually cried when they left me that day. I had family, kind and thoughtful friends and roommates, just absolutely no one who saw Jesus, or loved Him, or knew He was alive! He was on the throne! And He loved us!

The full timers came and visited me on campus and really reached out to me, caring for me, bringing me food, fellowship, and of course, the Lee ministry. They were love bombing me. This was effective as I came from a home where I did not feel loved.

The fulltimers ushered me into home meetings, and later, Lords table meetings, whilst discouraging me from attending the 'Christian's on Campus' group, which was meeting on my campus. I did not know why they didn't want me participating there, but I trusted them and stayed away. I still to this day don't know why they would want to keep me separated from this segment of their own group. This kind of secretive, back door, high strangeness is a waving red flag to my 47 year old self. At that time, I was very naive to their possible motives in doing that.

The love and devotion they pour into lonely college kids is intense. I was invited into every Christian family home in that area for dinners, accepted at the families' tables as one of their own. The sweetness of the saints was touching and enticing. I never knew they could and would turn their love on or off as a tool to manipulate young believers. I know that now. And because I see this now, I feel ok before the Lord Jesus in saying that their love was just that, a tool, or a weapon, or a farce. It is not the Lords' love. They deceive the young into thinking that they have the love of Jesus. At least, that is what I used to believe. That I had stumbled into a group who had the real thing. The real Jesus. The real love of Christ. And by the way, that love-bombing is CULT 101. Every cult does that.

I don't know how to help your college student except to pray. Maybe you can give him or her a pseudonym to pray for him. God will know exactly who we are talking about! After we were shunned by this group, it helped me enormously to find and read the testimonies here. I really believed, because they were such devout believers, that their actions were the Holy Spirit, acting through them. This forum helped me see their ways had a pattern, and it was coming from a place of hiding their real beliefs, the sins of Lee, and burying those left behind with accusations. I also went to my Lord Jesus, and He kept shining His word into my heart, and highlighting for me every way of theirs which deviated from His word, from His heart for His children, and He was just there for me. He stayed with me through their shunning, and reassured me it was not Him shunning us. He was so present.

Years in the LC had convinced me when the brothers speak, it was God speaking. And when sisters speak, it might be the Lord speaking to me.

Man, was I ever wrong. What area is your college student in? Actually, you might not want to reveal too much....God bless you, I will pray!