"The Lord knows who are His"

"Despite my acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, I was not of Christ"

October 27, 2000
By a former member of the Geftakys Assembly

The group currently has no name and, apparently, has not been using the name "The Assembly" for some time. After reading the other articles on this group, I concluded that the local fellowship that I was involved with was "George Geftakys' Assembly." As other articles have mentioned, the overall leader of this nameless sect is George Geftakys, who conducts seminars often in Fullerton, California. I was introduced to this group through a friend who invited me to the weekly bible studies. After leaving I have had some contact with members.

When I was a new person, the group was very friendly. At first, I was impressed by their warmth, their enthusiasm in reaching out to nonbelievers for Christ and their serious study of the bible. I was invited to weekend retreats and to the leading couple's house for dinner and fellowship.

But after I disagreed with another member over their scriptural interpretations (i.e. salvation of Christians outside of the fellowship and the role of women in the church), I noticed a change in attitude towards me. Members expressed at times pity for me, cold indifference and even disgust. For no apparent reason (other than my disagreement over their scriptural interpretations) members that were once friendly became short-tempered. Those I considered friends began to distance themselves--with few exceptions.

The leading brother and his wife would say in my presence--"The Lord knows whose who are His," which appeared to mean that they believed, despite my acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, I was not of Christ. Because I felt judged and condemned by the group, I left during 1999. But when I left I still thought the Geftakys group was a legitimate church with very traditional values.

After I left the group. I started worshiping in a mainline Protestant church. I sought counsel with my pastor because I was traumatized by my involvement with this seemingly nameless group and could not understand why. I continued to have recurring nightmares of the "brothers" from that nameless group and was depressed.

Later on after reading literature about cults and their mind control I recognized that my reactions and feelings were consistent with the behavior of someone recovering from cult involvement. I also came across people related to current members and the friends of current and former members. I was surprised at how similar my experiences were to theirs and the articles on the Rick Ross website.

If you are still making up their mind about this group, I encourage you to "test everything. Hold on to the good" (I Thessalonians 5:21).

Here are some important points you should know about the Geftakys Assembly group. These points are based upon my own first hand observations and/or the direct experiences of other former members, guests at group meetings and/or the relatives or friends of Assembly members.

• The group believes that not all that have faith in Jesus Christ will be saved.This is inconsistent with Romans 3:21-28, 5:1-2, 10:9-13. 2.

   

• Christians from outside the group that don't do the work will "not see the face of God." They may say that they are "on fire for God". But though they preach "salvation through faith in Jesus Christ"--some members seem to be afraid of losing their salvation if they do not continue to do good works (e.g. evangelism, submission to elders) and/or if they leave the group. This legalistic mindset is not consistent with Scripture (John 15:6-7; Galatians 3:10-14 and 26-29; Galatians 5:1-3).

   

• A report about The Assembly has been made by a well-known organization Christian Research Institute International, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, which has done research about cults. That report states: "Unfortunately, at this time we do not have a thorough evaluation of 'The Assembly' or the teachings of George Geftakys. Although Geftakys seems to hold to essential Christian doctrines, 'The Assembly' seems to also have an excessively authoritarian structure. Therefore, we would consider George Geftakys and 'The Assembly' to be an aberrant Christian group and do not recommend them. At this time, the best material available on this subject that we could recommend is 'Churches That Abuse' by Ronald Enroth (Zondervan Publishing). This book is available at most Christian bookstores."

   

• The leadership discourages sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the homeless.Those who invite the homeless are rebuked and discouraged from contacting the homeless person again. This in inconsistent with Jesus' teaching that Christians are to care for those who are left out by society. ("Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me" - Matthew 25:31-46.).

   

• All contributions are made in cash.This includes tithes (10% of a member's wages). The Geftakys family is supported by the fellowship and they live in a mansion [sic] in Fullerton.

   

• The church is nameless and does not join with other Christian churches in organizationssuch as the National Association of Evangelicals or ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). This is so supposedly if the church is under persecution, they can easily go underground. This is probably the same reason why members are discouraged from joining the military or registering to vote. But this also makes it easier for abuses to be covered up and for members to have no other loyalties other than to The Assembly.

  Note: There is another nameless sect also called the "two by twos" or Cooneyites (called a "cult"), which have similar traditions that "The Assembly" may be confused with.

   

• Women are taught "to know their place." They have limited roles of leadership and must wear a veil in services and prayers (except when they are with visitors or outsiders). They are allowed to work when they are single or are married with no children. Once a woman is married, she has to be prepared to have a child right away and when the child arrives, she stays at home. Women who are quiet and submissive to the fellowship are said to be "enjoying their womanhood" while those who seek careers or are in leadership positions in other Christian groups are "selfish" and/or "deceived". However, Deborah, a judge in the Old Testament was neither "selfish" nor "deceived" (Judges 4-5).

   

• Dating, courtship and/or marriage to someone outside of the fellowship are strongly discouraged.It is rumored that some marriages are arranged. Some women may be pressured to marry men they do not care for because it is "God's will". Courtships are short and are supposedly six months long or less.

   

• Is there really unconditional love in this group? According to a guest invited to attend a Bible study held at a local junior college, the guest felt "no love" coming from the members. Someone who went through their "discipleship" process and who has since left the group said about her "discipler" "Although she seemed to verbally express her contentment and joy in the Lord, I think my discipler was unhappy. I could see it in her eyes..." This appears inconsistent with the passage in Galatians 5:22 (The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...).

   

• Former members who leave the fellowship entirely are not discussed openly.

   

• Members are discouraged from attending other churches or fellowships.One member refused to "even set foot" in their parents' church even though this was the church the member grew up in.

   

• There is group pressure to conform in speech, dress and other personal matters.People who have only been involved for a short time learn to use the same expressions such as "Amen," and "Praise the Lord" to punctuate their speech exactly the same. Those who learn quickly are rewarded and those who don't--do not receive nods of approval.

   

• When invited to parties or other gathering, they most often come in groups or not all.

   

• Personal secrets mentioned to "disciplers" may be "shared" with others in the fellowship(e.g. leading couple or roommates). Contents of a personal letter were prayed over at a prayer meeting so that the fellowship could pray for that person's "relationship with God." This breach of trust was followed by the fellowship ignoring/shunning the writer of the letter at group gatherings.

   

• Visitors to The Assembly often comment that they sense something is wrong with the group, but they "just can't put their finger on it. One visitor said, " I continue to pray that those who are still involved in this group will open their eyes and hold their leaders accountable. I also pray that the Lord will work in George Geftakys and the leadership's hearts to become loving and compassionate servants of God and to have the courage to test their own doctrine and actions. I have hope that this group may yet turn away from its legalistic mindset and its persecution of Christians who love the Lord. I continue to pray that they may depend on the Holy Spirit (not on group pressure or fear) to produce fruit (Galatians 5:22) and good works (Ephesians 4:11-13).

   

The following quotes are from "Churches That Abuse" by Ronald Enroth (Zondervan Pubishing House, 1992).

In the Preface, the author states that "...[writing this book] one runs the risk of being misunderstood and labeled 'judgmental' or arrogant when you make evaluative statements regarding other Christian believers and organizations outside your own circle... However, when we refuse to pass judgment on any religious phenomenon for fear that such judgments might violate the norm of tolerance so prevalent in our culture, we abdicate our responsibility to the body of Christ to sound a warning when a warning is justified."

Within Chapter 11, pages 209-216, the story of former members are chronicled--here are some quotes:

"...George Geftakys' Assembly demonstrates every aspect of the psychological, emotional, and spiritual abuse that is characteristic of many fringe fundamentalist churches."

"Brother George asserts that he runs a 'prophetic ministry'. He teaches a great deal on how believers are to relate to him as 'The Lord's Servant' in the ministry to whom all are subject and to whom each is loyal."

"Workers are the ones most closely associated with Brother George and constituted his 'inner group'. A list of 28 characteristics was developed to describe the requirements for workers. Set within these guidelines is the key notion that, in effect, Brother George is 'The Lord's Servant' to whom everyone must be subject... and loyal. During the early years, (George) spoke (several times a week). He spent those first years indoctrinating the workers into all 'his thoughts, ideas... until the brothers were 'developed'. Thereafter, some of the more 'mature' brothers were allowed to... preach. However, no one from outside was ever allowed to address The Assembly."

"Supposedly, any Christian is welcome to attend meetings... and to partake of the Lord's Supper with them... However, former members say the principle is not carried out in practice... Although members are taught that it is perfectly legitimate to have differences of opinion between 'godly men', in practice it is not allowed."

"Those who fell from favor with George, particularly the older members who persisted in questioning his teaching and authority, were ostracized and ridiculed... Brother George would save his most extreme indoctrination for the workers' meetings... Although he would reserve such of the verbal and psychological abuse for private sessions, he would ridicule dissenters in these closed workers' meetings, gatherings to which the general congregation was neither invited nor allowed to attend."

"The average members... don't see the underside of the organization. They see the enthusiasm, the tremendous amount of outreach... and the companionship... But they were not privy to the inner details of 'The Work' - leading, discipling, decision-making, problem-solving, and indoctrinating."

"In order to maintain full control...Brother George instituted a reporting system by which he rewards those who inform him of any questionable activities among the membership... It was understood that those who informed on others were 'truly godly', and 'the dedicated ones told all.' "

"Brother George has developed a teaching that refutes all criticism. He encourages members to listen to no criticism of or accusations against that teaching whatsoever, even 'the Enemy' lurking in one's own thoughts. The result of this... is the 'subtle cutting off of any kind of critical thinking, any kind of analytical thinking.' Members therefore listen to nothing but the teachings of Brother George."

"Tremendous psychological chains...were being put upon the people, and...most people who leave...drift away from the Lord. They give up, believing that God himself has laid on them unachievable expectations."

"[One former member] 'repented' and went through a yearlong process of proving his repentance... He was passed up for 4 months during communion, and the condition of repentance was based on how willing he was to do what he was told. Even when his repentance was accepted, he and his wife were still shunned, because members were afraid of associating with a fallen worker. After six months of this treatment, [the member] and his wife left to begin a new life."