Chapter 16: Myth—God Owns Solid Rock

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Myth—God Owns Solid Rock

Jackie did not attend this church with me. I rationalized that I would

help rebuild the church. And I did want to deepen my worship experience. However, I did not want the conflict that the church represented to our family. Jackie told me to go, since God was asking me. I started to attend the church by myself in about July of 1992 prior to the time that William

Neal Matthews presented himself as a candidate for senior pastor. At that time, the church was in chaos having experienced the fall of its senior pastor. I remember that after I had attended the church for a few weeks, God gave me some strange instructions. Its current pastor was leaving and a

temporary one was appointed to serve until a new senior pastor was found.

God told me: “Go tell them to change the name of the church.” Of course I protested and said: “I’m only visiting the church. Why should I tell them to change the name of the church?” God said: “Go tell them because I

asked you to.” This conversation went on daily for about three weeks. It seemed like every morning as I shaved and looked into the mirror that God would remind me I had still not done what He asked of me. Sometimes the voice was so loud, I would be tempted to look around and see who was

messing with my mind. However, I knew it was God. The church sat at a crossroads of four separate communities and a different name made sense.

I understood the logic of changing the name. The church name with

the city in it was limiting its appeal to the surrounding area of several other small towns. God never told me what to name the church. I eventually caved in and told the interim pastor Paul Johnson what God told me to say. You’ve always got to preface this stuff. Who knows if you are simply a

whacko? I told Pastor Johnson: “Please take this for what it is worth. I am only relaying to you what God told me to say. This church needs to change its name because it is limiting its appeal to the surrounding area. Do with this information as you want.” I left satisfied that I had finally done what

God had asked. He left me alone. I didn’t realize that the incoming pastor had a similar agenda and planned to take over the church and its property. Reflecting back, God was giving Matthews some spiritual fodder for his crime. A new name would be an excellent launch point to start altering the

corporation’s Articles and to seize legal control of its property. It would a spiritual test of righteousness for William Neal Matthews that he failed.