Reason I Left Fusion Ministry

It has been on my heart to state to all my reasons for the actions I have taken. In Oct 2010, I made a choice that would separate my wife and I from the ministry referred to as "Fusion". After praying and careful consideration, I will tell my story then be done with it.

Before I start discussing the issues that may sharply divide friends, let me state that I still love Nate. We (my wife and I) have prayed for him and Fusion since we left. Nate has sewn into my life in ways that I will not forget. The 30th surprise birthday party was awesome. He was with me in court for portions of the divorce. Nate also put me up in his home while I recovered from surgery. These are things that I appreciate and will not soon forget.

Never the less, I cannot overlook the following issues. Before I go into them, I want the Bible to be the measure of all my complaints. All these that I have observed concern me for both Biblical and moral/character issues. I would also like to add that Nate, himself, has stated, "If someone has an issue with you, it's their issue. If multiple people have an issue with you, then there's something wrong with you." If any of these issues give you that gut reaction (or click in your spirit), pray it through and counsel with someone who is not involved. If everyone you know is involved, then you need a bigger circle of friends and acquiaintences.

1 Timothy 3
1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.
2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity
5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),
6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.
7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Source:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+timothy+3&version=NASB

This is the qualifications of a bishop, elder, and pastor (different translations are used for the word overseer). I will start with my concerns regarding Nate as a minister.

A pastor must be blameless and above reproach. I will tackle this later because this qualification means that the pastor must meet the basic requirements placed on the average believer. If they do not meet the basic requirements of a Christian, they do not meet the requirements of a spiritual leader.


Verse 2 (Able to Teach)
In a conversation on FaceBook, Nate wrote that we should not let doctrine divide. I replied that it was important to know doctrine. Nate replied to my next 3 inquiries for additional clarification with statements like "that's not the point" or "you don't understand the heart".


Verse 3 (Peacable)
Nate would tell a story about living at 1025 (33rd Ave in St Cloud) about his neighbor being cranky. Nate stated that he hit the neighbor's house to and knocked down his A/C unit.


Verse 4 (Keeping his children under control)
There was a point this summer where I caught Nate's daughter sharply rebuking a former JMC student. She told the student how selfish they are and how they needed to be more family oriented. Instead of correcting his daughter, Nate allowed the issue to pass. In addition to this, his daughter, Israel, has been allowed to falsify information (lie) to have a Facebook account. COPA prohibits children under 13 from registering at websites. To get her Facebook, she would have to lie.


Verse 7 (Having a good reputation outside the church)
THe previously mentioned issue with Nate's neighbor at 1025 is one such incident. After a friend of mine talked to the neighbor, it sounds as if there was an ongoing feud between Nate and the neighbor. In his current home, Nate has had issues with a neighbor two doors down. This neighbor complained to the local authorities for correction regarding Nate's conduct. In addition to this, there are many who hold Nate in their hearts as one who wronged them. Such people are easy to find and were with us in the past.


Verse 2 (Above reproach/blameless)
This is where it gets meatier. There are many observations I have noticed and scripture that strongly influenced my decision.


Nate's Lies:
Nate lied on Fusion.com. He stated that Fusion was created by young adults from St. Cloud from different churches. The foundation of Fusion was a group of former Jubilee Master's Commission students, college-age adults, former elders, and a chiropractor. All of these were members of Jubilee Worship Center. The claim that the young adults came from different churches is false.

To those who know the full story of Fusion, Nate told us three different tales. The first was that he knew it was time to move on. The second was that the money ran out. The third was that he was fired. How are there three stories? If the truth is so important and Nate was fired unjustly, why did the Omega Team not follow up with Pastor Mark? Why did these stories change based on how far Nate got from Jubilee?


No responsibility for his action:
When I started a personal investigation in October of the accusations against Nate, I maintained contact with him throughout. I prayed with Nate before investigating and continued keeping in touch until I had enough of a report to understand what was happening. When I had enough information to determine what was going on, I wrote the Nate and the elders of Fusion regarding my findings. Nate's response was "Since I have not talked to you face to face or many others I understand how you find what you are looking for." None of the items (even ones pointed out on the website) were acknowledged as being Nate's responsibility. The blame was shifted to me for not talking to him face to face.

During the investigation, Nate asserted that women were hurt because they couldn't have a relationship with him, so they left Fusion and made accusations against him. Nate also stated that all the people who came against him were from broken homes. These were items stated to me while I was searching the truth. Nate never once admitted that he was fully responsible for his actions. He would also state how it was the other person's perception of what was said or the other person did not know his heart. Romans 14:21 states that we should not do anything that would cause our brother to stumble. For this reason, we should take care to not offend the weak conscious of others. This is a heart matter, but not the heart of the offended, but the person who has caused the offense.


Nate brings division
When breaking off from Jubilee, Nate told us that we cannot focus on two ministries at once. We were to stop assisting Jubilee and focus on Fusion exclusively. We were also to cut ties to people from Jubilee who did not join Fusion. The separateion created a sharp divide which broke Fusion off of the church of Saint Cloud. Fusion became an island.

Nate also preaches that doctrine creates division. Nate boasts that salvation is the door, but kingdom is the doctrine that brings unity. He preaches this so vehemently and states that all other doctrines are silly and useless. This "kingdom doctrine" Nate preaches makes salvation of less importance. Churches that prise salvation above all other doctrines have been able to unite for ages. But now, this "kingdom doctrine" becames a stumbling point for others. They do not have the full doctrine, unless they have "Nate's kingdom doctrine". This is what we were taught. This is what I found in others and myself at points to be a division point that's propogated through Nate.


Nate forbids to marry
This is an odd one to speak on but I will explain. When I started dating my wife, I had to tell people that Nate did not approve. Everyone was leery that I was doing something foolish because Nate did not approve. Before asking her out, I counseled greatly with Nate on the subject. Nate would often say that my wife was (emotionally) manipulative, unsubmissive, and flirting. Nate said that she needed to mature in those areas before we could have a chance. He told me that he would pull back (even cut me off) if I dated her. 1 Timothy 4:3 talks about false teachers forbidding people to marry. It's odd, but I talked to another friend of mine regarding this issue. His report was word for word identicle.


Nate's view of Jesus and Salvation
The final and most important observation is that Nate refuses to preach salvation. Galatians 1:8 talks about anyone preaching a different gospel is cursed. This is of grave concern. If Nate does not preach Christ Crucified, he is preaching a false gospel. Galatians 6:14 says that we should not glory in anything but the cross. This doctrine is so important. Without it, we are pegans. Without salvation, we are disconnected from God. It is by the cross that all things become possible to us. Any other doctrine preached is not superior to the cross, but must also focus on the cross. I pray that Nate soon come to the recognition of the cross and why the message of salvation IS THE ONLY GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Everything else is a doctrine that separates denominations, but the CROSS IS THE GOSPEL. Luke 12:46-47 says that a person who knows the will of the master but doesn't do it will be punished more harshly. I do not know Nate's heart, but I pray that he seeks reconciliation and guidence before it is too late.

Link to Galatians 1:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gal+1&version=ESV


I love Nate. I want to see him succeed. Based on the information presented, I have deep concern for Nate and his family. When someone once asked me if I believed Nate loved Jesus, I told them I honestly don't know. I don't know the man's heart. No man can truly know Nate's heart. Not even his wife. God knows the heart of man. So, I did not judge Nate's heart, but it is the fruit and actions that I observed. These are the things that brought me to a place of leaving Fusion.

I told the elders and Nate that I would not seek to convince people to leave Fusion. The truth is, if you stay or leave does not matter to me. What matters is that you hear the truth. Search out the truth for yourself. Do not accept what is told to you until you have all sides of a story. The heart is something you will never find, but the works will be readily seen. 1 Corinthians 5:11 tells you which type of person not to associate with. Galatians 19 also gives a list of the fruits of the flesh (some of which, I have observed in this posting).

1 Corinthians 5:11 (link)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+cor+5&version=NASB

Galatians 5:19 (Link)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5&version=NIV


May all who read this be comforted in Christ. Christ is Lord. Christ died for us. Christ is the only way that I am reconciled to God. Without Christ, I totally suck. As of this point, I have said my peace. Pray, fast, and seek God. He has been faithful in all things and will show you what you need.

Jesus is not a booty call

There comes a time in everyone’s life where they have to make a choice. The choice is if you will pursue Christ or the world for the remainder of your days. You can only for so long remain on the fence. After that time of grace, Christ pulls back and wants something more from you.

The verse I can cite is in Matthew 6.

Matthew 6:33
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Think about this for a moment. You have a friend that only comes around when they want money or favors from you. Once they have it, they disappear (like ninja). They take and they take from the relationship, but never give back. In fact, the only reason they keep you on their phone list is because you’re dependable and will give them what they need when they need it.

In the secular world, that’s a booty call. I want sex (or to feel good) now, so I call up someone who’s willing to put out when I want them to. No commitment, no strings, just sex. Booty calls are way cheaper than getting a whore. Point in fact, the person you’re using has been so devalued that they see sex as a momentary act of pleasure and themselves as not worthy of pursuit. It’s a come and go relationship.

So, why do so many use Jesus as their booty call?

They seek Christ as they would a whore. They reduce the Holiest of Holies down to something that everyone looks down upon. Christ becomes less important. They no longer seek His kingdom nor relationship, but the things that he can add unto them. It saddens my heart to think about this. I used to do this. It was, God, please may I have favor in this area. Please help me with this. Please help with that. I need… I want… I desire…. but in all of this, I didn’t desire Him.

The most satisfying relationships I have are the ones that I pour into, not the ones I receive from. With God, I’ve been working to pursue Him more and more. This has been a blessing on my life, not because of the requirements, but because of Him. He is my prize. I had much, and then lost it all. I was in dire times. God pulled me out. He has reestablished me. But the process wasn’t through asking. It was through relationship. This relationship began on June 22, 2006 and has built stronger over time. I have not lacked. He speaks to me more clearly now. I enjoy this because God is true to His word.

I know this life is for all who are willing to pursue God. But to those who have known God and use Him as a simple genie in a bottle that they can just rub and get wishes, the day will come when God lets your choices collapse on you. It happened to me, and I know it happens when grace is lifted. If you’re reading this, take some time to think about your relationship with God. Do you only go when you need something? Or do you delight in His presence, not with hope of receiving but because He is there?