What it is like to be fully committed to the Geftakys group
December 2000
Written by a former member of over 17 years
In this account I will attempt to give a balanced, accurate description, from the inside, of what it is like to be fully committed to the Geftakys group. From the outset, the reader should be aware of the bias of the author. Every report or account, even in the scientific world, is subject to observer bias, and this article is no exception. I will attempt, by giving my personal testimony, to state my bias as clearly as possible from the start and let the reader draw his own conclusions.
Personal Testimony
I was born in 1962. I was born again in the Christian sense in 1976, at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa. At this time I was 14 years old. I had no type of religious upbringing. My salvation experience was orthodox in every way; I was convicted of my sin, and believed in my heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save me. To this very day I thank God daily for sending His Son to die in my place. I am, as I write this, walking with Christ, confessing my sin and thanking God for His Grace every day. I am married to my first and only wife of 14 years, and have 5 children. Every morning, except Saturday and Sunday, the first thing we do, as a family is to sing, pray and read from either the Bible, or a Christian devotional. Saturdays we sleep in and Sunday we attend church, so we don't have devotions those days. I am, what most people would call, a strong Christian. However, like most "strong Christians," I don't consider myself to be strong. I am in need of Grace and mercy every hour of every day. I attend church meetings 2 to 3 times per week, currently, and am actively involved.
After my salvation at age 14, I had a few short months of following Christ before I plunged into typical high school pursuits of girlfriends, recreational drugs, music and athletics. Going to church was not high on my priority list. My moral condition degenerated to the point where I was using recreational drugs and alcohol on a weekly basis and attending Grateful Dead concerts whenever possible. My conscience was so hardened that I was not sure I was a Christian and really did not care that much. Deep down I still believed, and knew that serving Jesus Christ was the right thing to do, but I really enjoyed the sinful life I was leading.
It was at this stage that I first encountered the Geftakys ministry at my college campus. A very earnest, sincere student approached me after class one day and asked me if I was a Christian. I honestly did not know how to answer, but after a brief consideration I answered that yes, I was.
He then proceeded to share some verses with me out of the Old Testament and tell me about the group he was involved in on campus. I was struck by one thing in particular; he made the statement, "On Sunday, we worship The Lord!" He said this in such a way that I immediately recognized that this person was much more serious than any other Christian I had ever met. Indeed, seriousness is the main characteristic of a typical Geftakys member. I believe to this day that God was speaking to me through him. A few days later he invited me to come to a Bible study, which I subsequently attended. That was my first time at an "Assembly" meeting. At this Bible study I prayed to get right with God, and in fact I repented of all known sin in my life. God definitely used this Bible study to get me back into the narrow way. I am eternally thankful for this and much else I learned in the Geftakys ministry.
Much later, I learned that my personality type, characteristics and idealism were a perfect match for this particular group. I was extremely idealistic, opinionated and passionate about virtually everything I ever did. The Geftakys ministry is tailor made for my type of person. If someone is involved with the assembly, there is tremendous pressure put on them to be totally committed. This is very difficult for most people, but was perfect for me.
For the next 17 years I gave heart, soul, mind, strength, time and money to serve this group. Many times along the way my conscience told me that something was wrong. Many times I let ambition and pride carry me along, even when I knew that all was not well. Many times I treated family and friends in a shameful way, while thinking I was taking an uncompromising stand for "The Testimony". In short, after 17 years I could not in good conscience continue to be involved with this group. I had lost my joy, but not my faith. For 3 years prior to leaving I tried and tried to "yield" and give up my reservations, but I could not do so without violating my conscience.
While it is absolutely true that someone such as myself can truly be saved in George Geftakys' ministry, after one is saved, serving the group takes precedent over freedom in Christ. After seeing example after example of abuse, double standards, arrogant denunciation of other believers and wayward children, I decided that I was free to serve God in another place. It has been the best decision I have made since that Wednesday night in 1983 when I came back to Jesus once and for all. Hopefully, the reader is now beginning to understand my bias. Let me state it clearly: The Geftakys ministry is definitely Christian. They are definitely leading people a small number of people to Christ. The problem is that after beginning with Grace through faith, they compel their members to continue in the flesh, thus leading them away from the simplicity of Christ. I will expand on this later.
I love the people that are involved in George's ministry, but I hate the system he has erected. My prayer is that these wounded sheep will find green pastures and still water and that George and those intimately involved with him will repent of their error and allow the sheep to be truly fed. I still have regular contact with many current members and consider them my friends and brothers in Christ. That, in a nutshell, should give the reader a clear idea of my bias in writing this article. I am not, like so many, on an anti-cult crusade, but I want to see His people delivered from false spiritual authority and bondage. George Geftakys' ministry is not a cult, but a needy church, very much like the Galatians of the New Testament.
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