Dear Pastor Sheila,
I am sorry to learn of your injured arm and very grateful to hear that you are on the mend. I am reaching out to express my support and to (if necessary) make myself available to clarify any unanswered questions about myself.
If you remember our phone conversation, we had a very friendly, respectful, open and honest discussion. I was very clear about my intentions of 1) Introducing myself (as a nobody) and 2) to make you aware of Rabbi Portnaar and his teachings of Yeshua in Lurian Kabbalah.
I am deeply sorry that my subsequent emails were inappropriate. I assure you my misplaced zeal was rooted in the many years of walking this path alone and not having the opportunity to openly share. In my Church life, I have invested many years as a unifier, a builder of His Kingdom in all its facets. My reaching out to you was and is in this same spirit of connection. As we left things on our phone call, I was and am open to hear and learn what God would have us do (not to do) in order to foster His plan for the days in which we live on earth.
My intent in writing you today is to make sure that I do not become an unnecessary distraction. If there is anything that I need to do to clear the spiritual air, I'm open.
I pray for you and the success of your ministry, ministry team, and your efforts to turn both Jew and Gentile toward the Lord.
In Him,
D.
Response from Pastor Vitale:
Hello D.
How are you? Thank you so much for your kind email and offer of assistance.
You have never been a distraction. Neither is there any unclear air between us on my part. I fully understand what you say about walking this path alone. I will try to explain my position to you:
I too, find myself alone, in a place that is unusual for the Christian world, but not unusual for the Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist world. This is because, as far as I know, at this time, LEM/CCK is the only Christian ministry of its kind. Accordingly, Christians, in general, do not know how to relate to me, so it is up to me to try to teach them. I never know how one will react, so it is my practice to preach my position as a message as I did with you.
We are a discipleship ministry. I am a teacher and the members of LEM/CCK are my students. I teach on several levels, including, Scriptural messages, spirituality and the spiritual life in Christ Jesus, and the practical application of the spiritual life in Christ Jesus. I have a school, similar to Rabbi Portnaar and other teachers.
I require a Godly submission from my students and non-student visitors to my websites and channels that communicate with me, but the only way I know how to explain the practical application of that submission is to correct attitudes and behavior that are its opposite - as they occur.
So, we have had one encounter so far which has resulted in me letting you know that it is inappropriate for you to try to teach me or to try to direct my studies in any way. That is because the Lord alone directs my studies. I am sure my saying this must be confusing because I was interested in looking at Rabbi Portnaar's material.
The bottom line, however, was your attitude, which indicated that you wanted "to share study material with me." In view of me saying that the Lord teaches me directly (which must make him my only teacher because there is no equal), can you see how it is the sin of pride to offer me study material? Now, if it is the Lord, which it was with Rabbi P, that is another story.
Pride is the very nature of the natural man. His exposure and absorption into the New Man, Christ Jesus, through the Spirit of Truth, which is death to him, is required for the spiritual growth that will catapult us into longevity, the supernatural extension of the life of our physical bodies until the end of this age, at which time return to the immortality of innocence will be available to all.
This is the basis of our relationship: I teach and you learn.
God bless you D. and your fine wife and family. May you all attain to everything that the Lord makes available to you.
Pastor Sheila R. Vitale
