Three Scripture Passages That Have Guided Me
1) Micah 6:8
This morning I was reading chapter 2 of “Just Love,” a book co-authored by Wayne Jacobsen and Tobie van der Westhuizen. At the end of the chapter, the following scripture appeared on the page:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy And to walk humbly with your God. ~Micah 6:8 NIV
Upon reading this verse at the end of chapter 2 in “Just Love”, immediately my mind went back 3 years ago to the final convention I attended in the meeting/worker church which I participated in all of my life (60 years). The convention (a gathering of members of the meeting/worker church members, totalling around 700 at this particular convention) my husband and I attended was in Buttonwillow, California, and that’s where we were in May of 2023.
A crisis in the meeting/worker church was revealed in March of 2023 and in the early months there was great hope of things to be salvaged. During testimony time at convention, there’s an opportunity for participants in the gathering to stand up and share a thought from the Bible or comment on what they heard during the meetings at the convention. Usually, my ritual was to get my testimony done early in the convention, on the first or second day (my performance-based duty to earn salvation).
Oftentimes over my lifetime of years of annual convention attendance, I would share in both the prayer time and testimony time of the first meeting on the second day of the 4 day convention. I don’t remember sharing in the prayer time in May of 2023, or if I did I don’t remember what I said. I clearly do remember my private prayer at that time, which was, “Dear Lord, do something so that leadership will see that they have not appropriately responded to this crisis. Guide leadership to repentance and address the situation in a Godly manner, with compassion for victims and grace for all.”
I had no idea, not one inkling or supposition that the Convention of 2023 would be my last convention. I was more than hopeful about the crisis being resolved and the meeting/worker church leadership would address the crisis and get back on track, because God can and does work miracles. I truly believed it was going to be fixed. The crisis was the cover-ups about child sexual abuse and adult sexual abuse, especially among the workers, were fully now out in the open. I just knew in my heart that the workers in leadership would eventually collectively repent on behalf of all the workers who have abused children or adults. I just knew they would see the wrong-doing and that they would pause all future activities such as conventions, special meetings and gospel meetings. Instead, what was revealed was a lack of compassion for victim/ survivor, and a push to get perpetrators restored into fellowship meetings.
What I said in my testimony on that day at Buttonwillow Convention over 3 years ago was simply this one verse, Micah 6:8. I read it in the KJV, however, because I was not yet courageous enough to read it in any other version, not that it makes any difference. It’s just the way it was in the meeting/worker church system.
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 KJV
What I really wanted to say to the leadership was, “What part of this do you not understand? It is very clear and simple. Do justly, treat others with complete honesty, care for people who are weak or treated poorly –all people, especially the victim/survivor, and not only the perpetrator. Love mercy, genuinely delight in treating others with grace and kindness, with deep compassion. Walk humbly by putting the needs of others above your own, do not feed your ego, but live in quiet grace and daily depend on God.” I take comfort in knowing that leadership knows they are not living out this verse in their daily existence. It shows by their lack of compassionate response to the victims, even 3 years later.
During the closing meeting at this convention, the main speaker, a worker in leadership, ended his sermon by stating, “Get over it and get on with it.” And to that I wanted to respond with, “I can’t get over it, because it won’t allow me to move on, at least not without professional help.” Again, proof that he does not live by Micah 6:8. You will know them by their fruits. Which reminds me of these words of Jesus Christ my Savior:
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:19-21
2) Hebrews 4:14 – 16
The in-between time of the following 2 years…I began listening to God more than ever before. He showed me things that I had previously rejected, because I was comfortable in the system, and I was afraid of losing what I had. I realized I was fearful of disappointing family and friends if I decided to separate myself from the system. When the realization hit me that the core values of the meeting/worker church were not in alignment with God’s love and grace, and the system was incongruent with the true gospel of Jesus Christ, I knew that the separation was going to happen.
I was thirsty for the living word, as I had always heard spoken about but didn’t really experience. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.
I couldn’t read the Bible enough, and I wanted to spend more time reading and seeking truth. During this timeframe, my husband and I were continuing to host the Sunday morning meeting in our home. I made a subtle change, of remaining seated while sharing a thought during testimony time in the meeting. I also did the same at the midweek Bible study meeting, in which there were 4 attendees. Sometimes there were worker visitors, and during those meetings I remained consistently seated. It was a small gathering, and I was more at ease while attempting to share a thought of edification in the meetings. In the system, in this region, standing to speak is customary, expected, and results in a verbal reprimand from the workers if it is not done. I did receive a special visit from an older female worker who reprimanded me for not standing. This was what her focus was on, during the ongoing crisis. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.Matthew 7:3-5 came to mind, also:
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5
I was confused and surprised that someone who has been a minister of the gospel and professing to follow Jesus for more than 6 decades was incapable of addressing the critical situation in a compassionate manner. The fact that I was not standing to speak was of zero importance, but that is what she chose to focus on.
In one of the final midweek Bible study meetings that I attended, there were 2 female workers present (one older, one younger), plus the couple of the home, and my husband and I. The assigned study chapter for the week was Hebrews 4. I spoke from Hebrews 4 verses 14 – 16. It was clear to me that the workers as a collective group, were unable to sympathize or show empathy to the victim/survivor. I knew at that point that Jesus Christ my Savior is the great high priest who is able to sympathize, and that I can approach the throne of grace confidently and I can receive mercy and grace, without going through the workers.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God,let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14 – 16
3) Matthew 11:28-30
The era of duty-based performance in a system to earn salvation was coming to an end for me. I was learning about a relational journey with God, and understanding that it is not about a transactional relationship. It is all about the love of God the father, as in the story of the father in Luke 15:11-32. That’s an account that is famously known as “The Prodigal Son,” but I now know it as “The Story Of The Loving Father.” After the final convention in 2023, my husband and I did not attend gospel meetings or special meetings (a one-day annual large gathering similar to convention). We continued hosting Sunday morning meeting, until we could not any longer. The final Sunday morning meeting in our home was April 27, 2025. These are the verses that I spoke from on that day:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
Throughout this journey I heard God’s voice and felt the nudge from Jesus Christ drawing me closer to them, without the meeting/worker system interfering. I came to know the character of God and that of Jesus Christ as my Savior, not a fear-based, performance-driven system.
These 3 passages have been like beacons to me on this journey.
By Bev Prine
August 7, 2026