Sheila R. Vitale, Pastor, Teacher & Founder
LIVING EPISTLES MINISTRIES
PO Box 562, Pt Jeff Sta, NY 11776-0562, USA
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[Pastor Vitale says:]
Hello XXXXXX
See my response below
From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To:
pastor_vitale@livingepistles.org
Sent: Thu, 19 Feb 2004
Subject: Help please, a question for you
XXXXXXXX: I am very concerned about my own spirituality. I have been raised in a
Christian protestant church my whole life. I have always been actively evolved
in it. I have been desperately seeking Christ in my life. I no longer care
about the things of this world. I am stuck between the world and God. I am
about to graduate college and have been going to school to become a
filmmaker. All I wanted though is to be like a true prophet and live day by day
knowing the will of God as he speaks to me. He doesn't speak to me and I have
been so lost lately about what to do that I don't think I can go on much
longer. Everyone in the world has a different spin on the Bible and
scripture. I think that if someone really knows God should he be working
in their lives and performing miracles or at least some signs. Like the
scriptures say?
[Pastor Vitale says:] yes
XXXXXXXX: Well I have been endlessly searching and decided
to ask you. I have read a lot of the lessons on your webpage and I am totally
confused most of the time reading them. Yet I figured since you seem to at
least acknowledge that God speaks to you and you seem to have some truth
to what you say ( as far as the stuff I am not confused about ) I believe
your advice or assistance could be very beneficial since I am loosing my heart
and mind to my endless and fruitless search for the truth in my life. I have
never been baptized and I thought I should. You say that only someone
with the virile seed can really baptize us.
[Pastor Vitale says:] The virile seed of Christ is required to baptize
someone INTO CHRIST, which is a spiritual aspect of baptism.
There is only one baptism, but there are many aspects of that baptism, the
first of which is water baptism. If you have not been water baptized, water
baptism would be a good place to start.
XXXXXXXX: I don't know if my pastor has the virile seed. He
preaches the gospel of the cross which is contrary to what you say is correct.
[Pastor Vitale says:] Your Pastor, who preaches the gospel of the cross, is fully qualified to baptize you in water.
XXXXXXXX: So who can baptize me?
[Pastor Vitale says:]
An individual is baptized into Christ, which requires the virile seed, when
when one is exposed to the Doctrine of Christ, through a teacher of God who has
the virile seed. So, Micah, you are in the process of receiving the virile seed
and being baptized into Christ, as you read the teachings on the Living Epistles
web page.
XXXXXXXX: And will my water baptism give me some resolution to
my turmoil?
[Pastor Vitale says:] Water baptism, the immersion of our physical body
into physical water, is an act of faith and submission to God. Inner turmoil
begins to be alleviated as we immerse our MIND in the Water of the spiritual
understanding of the Word (the Doctrine of Christ), which is the baptism of our
MIND into Christ. Deliverance from turmoil is an on-going process, as our MIND
is continually and progressively immersed in the Doctrine of Christ.
Emotional and mental turmoil can be a sign of a high level of innate
spirituality, that is, the spirituality that a man is born with, as opposed to
the spirituality that is acquired and developed through a relationship with
Christ.
If this is your condition, that you have been born with a high level of
spirituality that is destabilizing you through emotional and spiritual turmoil,
the answer to your problem is that Christ, the only spiritual male, should be
formed in you. (See,
http://www.livingepistles.org/QA/SpiritaulSexuality.htm)
XXXXXXXX: I have been a believer since I was 5 years old so I am
not new to the bible. I have studied much of it so endlessly that I find many
contradictions that make me more confused to the point of doubts. I know that
it is sinful for me to continue to pursue ay careers with this world.
[Pastor Vitale says:] We all must pursue a secular career, unless the
Lord provides another source of income for us. How else shall we have the means
to live in this world? The Lord does not usually provide an income for a student
of His Word. Material provision, usually, is only given to the teachers of the
Word. I, myself, worked a full-time job for several years,
while this ministry was being formed. That is, I worked two full-time jobs, one
secular, and the other, the building of Living Epistles Ministries, for several
years.
XXXXXXXX: So I have been searching and waiting for Jesus to
intervene and give me some direction.
[Pastor Vitale says:] The Lord is moving on your behalf by directing
you to the Doctrine of Christ, which you have been studying on the Living
Epistles web site
XXXXXXXX: If he keeps holding out on me I don't know what else I
can do ... perhaps I have sinned beyond redemption some how or am just not good
enough.
[Pastor Vitale says:] the Lord does not "hold out on us," He loves us,
but it just seems, by our human reasoning, to take such a longtime for our
spiritual life to get going.
XXXXXXXX: I have been praying for him to send me anyone who can
help me find his kingdom and fill me with the promised peace.
[Pastor Vitale says:] His kingdom, is the mind of Christ. We
experience the peace that is promised in the scripture when the Christ mind
within us subjects the carnal mind (the source of all of our problems) that we
were born with. For this to happen, the Christ mind must first be formed in us,
and then grafted to us, which happens as we pursue and study the Doctrine of
Christ.
The deliverance that you are asking for, is a process which takes time, but
eventually fulfills the promises of the Scripture.
XXXXXXXX: If you can answer at all I will greatly appreciate it,
sorry this is so long. I really am in DIRE need. I don't
know what else TO DO. Thanks so much, May God bless you. I hope you can help
me.
[Pastor Vitale says:] Take heart, XXXX, because the Lord has heard
your cry, and will meet your need as you continue to pursue Him through the
doctrine of Christ. You are a very blessed man.
May the Lord encourage you, strengthen you, and fully equip you for the
battle against your carnal mind. May your victory be complete, that the Lord
might be magnified and glorified in you.
God bless you.
Sheila R. Vitale,
Pastor, Teacher & Founder
Living Epistles Ministries