THE WELSH OUTPOURING VICTORY CHURCH CWMBRAN - DO NOT MOVE AN ANCIENT BOUNDARY STONE

Bethania Chapel in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil is a very special place where the ancient landmark was set by godly men. In 1823 Bethania was set apart for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In the 1829 revival, the minister at Bethania was Samuel Evans, and after Evans death in 1833 John Hughes was the minister for thirty years.  Historically the overseers of Bethania Chapel had a reputation for helping many numbers of poor people.  I will not go into all the details here; the complete history can be found on the Web, in particular the article quoted below by local historian David Edward Pike is very informative.  

How disturbing to see that now the unrighteous have the use of Bethania Chapel in Dowlais after its lofty history.  The ancient boundary stone is of course a metaphor for the Word of God. God's teaching and commandments should never be crossed, and yet we find that many doctrinal boundaries set by the Lord of Hosts have been violated by Richard Taylor at Victory Church as outlined in previous posts by Rob Thomas and myself. 

SOMETHING DOES NOT ADD UP

In 2012 Victory Church secured the use of Bethania Chapel - the opening date was the 9^th of September 2012.  The Victory Church website claims that prior to acquiring its use, Bethania Chapel was disused for many years.   “After so many years of disuse it was a blessing to see this building re-opened…….”   http://www.victorychurch.co.uk/victory-church-2012-review   This statement is totally false.  
The details are a little fuzzy, but what is known is that a group of Christians named Bethania Fellowship were holding meetings at the chapel six months prior to Victory Church.  In March 2012, Bethania Fellowship reluctantly gave up the chapel having done some costly renovations to the building.  What do we make of all this?  It would seem that Bethania Fellowship were intending to stay at the chapel as they had undertaken costly restorations.  Here is an excerpt from an article written by David Edward Pike:

The building was subsequently bought (?) in 1999 by a small independent Pentecostal group which called themselves Bethania Fellowship, and so began an encouraging process of spiritual renewal for the old, historic chapel. It was this small group who did a lot of costly work to restore the building, adding a baptistry and a small toilet block. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully in their meetings, and many were saved. The small original congregation grew to more than thirty in subsequent years, and many were baptised in the newly installed pool. Bethania Fellowship reluctantly had to give up the building in March 2012, and it was then bought (?) by Victory Church. http://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-reviving-of-bethania-dowlais.html

I do question whether the building was actually “bought” by Bethania Fellowship as David Edward Pike has written, because if they did own it, why were they constrained to leave?  On the other hand, why would they make costly renovations to the chapel if there was doubt about their continued presence there?  After the demise of Bethania Fellowship, there was barely time to draw breath; Richard Taylor invited his congregation to view the “potential new venue” on the 17^th of March 2012.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7dC648DOiU    Victory Church immediately started their own extensive renovation work, the VO residents providing much of the labour gratis, and the opening date was barely six months after Bethania Fellowship had left.  A very interesting fact is that Victory Church in Cwmbran and Bethania Chapel in Merthyr Tydfil are owned by one and the same person, Richard Sheppard who is a local businessman. How auspicious Taylor is in his connections; it is almost inexplicable. He rises above the law against the local residents of Greenforge Way with retrospective planning permissions and illegal congregations, all the voiced concerns about the vulnerable adults at Victory Outreach UK are ignored, no one looks into his finances, his congregation are enraptured despite all the contradictions, he does just exactly what he likes……one might almost say that he leads a charmed life, it is uncanny - but what will happen in the end (Jeremiah 5/31; Isaiah 47/7; Galatians 6/7)  Since Taylor likes to talk in riddles, I will give him one:

NABOTH'S VINEYARD - 1 KINGS 21

Naboth the Jezreelite owned a piece of land, a vineyard, which King Ahab greatly coveted.  He offered Naboth an even better vineyard or alternatively money.  It was Naboth's ancestral inheritance by right and it appears from the text that it was all that he possessed. To alienate a family inheritance was contrary to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 25/23) and so Naboth quite rightly protested that Ahab’s scheme was contrary to the Lord’s will. 

Naboth said to Ahab: "May Yahweh forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!"

Because he could not acquire the vineyard legitimately, Ahab was sullen and angry, but Jezebel his wife said: “I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”  The result was that Jezebel, acquired it for Ahab by treachery.  A crafty and cruel plot was put in place which resulted in Naboth's murder.  Ahab got his wish to own the vineyard at the cost of Naboth's blood.  The Bible tells us that Ahab sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD (v20).  The spirit of Jezebel lives on.

Do not move an ancient boundary stone

or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

for their Defender is strong;

he will take up their case against you.

(Proverbs 23/10-11)

You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."  (Exodus 20/17; Deuteronomy 5/21)

Do not plan evil against your neighbour, who dwells trustingly beside you. (Proverbs 3/29)

Jesus Christ: “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”   (Mark 12/29-31)

Woe to those who scheme iniquity, Who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it,  For it is in the power of their hands. They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance. Therefore thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am planning against this family a calamity from which you cannot remove your necks; And you will not walk haughtily, For it will be an evil time. (Micah 2/1-3)

“And you (Elijah) shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”’”   (1 Kings 21/19)

“Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the LORD, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.' Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the LORD." (2 Kings 9/26)