Thougths on John C. Myer

[Acolyte4236]

I find this work by a former member of the LC here -->http://assemblylife.com/index.html

any thoughts or information about it or the author?

[Ohio]

I find this work by a former member of the LC here -->http://assemblylife.com/index.html

any thoughts or information about it or the author?

John Myer is probably one of the most "listenable" Christian speakers I have ever heard.

He has a weekly email blog at "Bareknuckle Bible"

He was saved in Germany in the army, contacted the church in Stuttgart, and then served in Midwest LC's from the mid-80's on after leaving the military.

John has written a few books on Amazon.

John was expelled by both the LSM national headquarter Blendeds in Anaheim and regional leader TC in Cleveland. None of their reasoning was Biblical, rather that he "deviated from WL." I know some brothers who still bash John for the stupidest of things, like "John always wanted to be a Pastor." Personally I think they are just jealous of him. TC used to disparage John regularly in the meetings. John never fit the LC-mold.

When the Midwest region was quarantined 10-12 years ago, John was ministering in the church in Columbus, OH. When TC expelled him, John started Grandview Christian Assembly with several others, who had grown tired of all the political nonsense, and began to question all of Lee's exclusive teachings, as that book describes.

You can also find him on FaceBook.

[Acolyte4236]

Ohio,

thanks for the info.

What did Titus Chu (I assume by "TC" this is who you intended to denote) expel him for?

And is the mid west still under "quarantine?"

It is ironic to me reading about that whole mess that all of this was going on while Hanegraaff was supposed to be investigating the LC. Plenty of the material I am seeing vindicates the general gloss on the LC as abusive, manipulative and controlling from the Mecca of Anaheim on down.

Sad.

[Ohio]

Ohio,

thanks for the info.

What did Titus Chu (I assume by "TC" this is who you intended to denote) expel him for?

And is the mid west still under "quarantine?"

It is ironic to me reading about that whole mess that all of this was going on while Hanegraaff was supposed to be investigating the LC. Plenty of the material I am seeing vindicates the general gloss on the LC as abusive, manipulative and controlling from the Mecca of Anaheim on down.

Sad.

Quite sad, but used by the Lord to shake up and liberate His people.

During the painful Midwest "divorce," LSM and their legal arm DCP sent numerous operatives into the region working with "dissidents" to divide the LC's and capture the spoils of war -- members, church property, bank accounts, furnitures, etc. -- via lawsuits. Today nearly every city has two churches, one connected with Anaheim, one with Cleveland. Over time, realizing that similar abuses come from both sides, some Midwest leaders like John Myer have left the program completely, severing ties with both headquarters.

In their last meeting, TC questioned Myer concerning the LC foundational teaching of "one church one city." When Myer voiced his concerns over its validity, TC decided to end their relationship. Since Myer was supported by the regional workers' fund controlled by TC, he was, in effect, fired from his job. It was not a perfectly peaceful relationship prior to that however. TC was prone to be abusive to other leaders, especially the gifted ones, as a mechanism to maintain his authority. (This was also characteristic of WL, with TC perhaps his most gifted protege.). Since Myer was required to bring his new members to TC's regional conferences, he constantly needed to explain afterwards why TC would publicly berate the very youth minister who was so instrumental to their faith.

In WL's and TC's thinking, all fruit belonged to them, and this thought alone produced much conflict over the years. If you can understand these things, then you will know why exclusive systems, while endlessly promoting oneness, will always produce the exact opposite effect.

Looking back over my decades in the LC, Myer was just another in a long trail of gifted brothers who left the system. TC had unfortunately learned from WL how to run the church like the military, with public "dress downs," producing a hierarchical ecclesiastical system, with only one on top. Sadly TC's abusive style created many enemies out of formerly beloved brothers. Those who remained were forced to learn how to be subservient and endure much abuse.

After watching how LSM wined and dined CRI to reverse their position, it only served to expose all the corruption. Money and power were controlling both organizations, and the "We Were Wrong" paper exposed that. Whatever credibility both organizations had was gone forever.

[Sons to Glory!]

In their last meeting, TC questioned Myer concerning the LC foundational teaching of "one church one city." When Myer voiced his concerns over its validity, TC decided to end their relationship. Since Myer was supported by the regional workers' fund controlled by TC, he was, in effect, fired from his job. It was not a perfectly peaceful relationship prior to that however. TC was prone to be abusive to other leaders, especially the gifted ones, as a mechanism to maintain his authority. (This was also characteristic of WL, with TC perhaps his most gifted protege.). Since Myer was required to bring his new members to TC's regional conferences, he constantly needed to explain afterwards why TC would publicly berate the very youth minister who was so instrumental to their faith.

In WL's and TC's thinking, all fruit belonged to them, and this thought alone produced much conflict over the years. If you can understand these things, then you will know why exclusive systems, while endlessly promoting oneness, will always produce the exact opposite effect.

Looking back over my decades in the LC, Myer was just another in a long trail of gifted brothers who left the system. TC had unfortunately learned from WL how to run the church like the military, with public "dress downs," producing a hierarchical ecclesiastical system, with only one on top. Sadly TC's abusive style created many enemies out of formerly beloved brothers. Those who remained were forced to learn how to be subservient and endure much abuse.To me this kind of thing exposes how other things were added as prerequisites of "the faith." That is, certain doctrines, such as one church one city, were held to be a central essential of the faith. Also added was this silly matter of their concept of central authority over the supposedly autonomous local gatherings. These things should not be so, and is a legalistic addition to Christ.

Have they not read Paul's letter to the Galatians? Christ plus anything else nullifies Christ and grace - a sure prescription for a fleshly division.

[Acolyte4236]

Ohio,

So how many congregations did the LC (Anaheim) lose with the midwest break up? About what year was that essentially concluded?

[aron]

TC had unfortunately learned from WL how to run the church like the military, with public "dress downs," producing a hierarchical ecclesiastical system, with only one on top. Sadly TC's abusive style created many enemies out of formerly beloved brothers. Those who remained were forced to learn how to be subservient and endure much abuse..

I watched WL publicly humiliate TC in the conferences. He would single him out by name, have him stand up with head bowed, and confess "I am ashamed to admit..." that his congregation wasn't up to speed with Anaheim. Whatever the "latest flow" was from Anaheim, was a way to judge how well you were in lock-step with top leadership. Even if you were making every effort to comply, the top leaders could single you out for public excoriation, just to demonstrate their power.

It's a bad system. It's not biblical. It's "the way of the gentiles" which Jesus warned us about.

[Ohio]

Ohio,

So how many congregations did the LC (Anaheim) lose with the midwest break up? About what year was that essentially concluded?
Dozens of churches, about a decade ago.

TC's region (unofficially) was in Canada from Manitoba to the Maritimes. In the US it was from the Alleghenies in the east, to Kentucky in the south, to the Mississippi in the West. When there was encroachments, like into central PA or into Eastern Iowa, there were battles with other regional leaders that had to be officiated by WL.

I've told this story before, but the "tipping point" to LSM initiating their takeover by quarantine occurred in Chicago. The administrative leader there, not by any means a spiritual minister, was harshly rebuked (standard M.O. shaming technique) by TC over a relatively insignificant local matter in Chicago. True to form, TC inserted himself where he never should have, and made another enemy.

Prior to that, Chicago sided with TC over the "One Publication Bull" issued by the Blendeds. The other top leader in the greater Chicago sub-region, more principled but somewhat spineless, had often said, "Christians have died for the right to publish." Apparently that one offense tipped the scale, and Chicago flip-flopped on their loyalties. As the saying goes, "the enemy afar looks safer than the enemy nearby."

With the wheels in Anaheim now starting to move, TC relocated close to a dozen full-timers and their families from greater Chicago to more friendly areas closer to Cleveland. Chicago was in the midst of a massive and expensive renovation at their meeting hall, and LSM then rewarded their decision by stepping in with financial aid. Forget about those lines they drew in the sand, they were now following the money. TC dismissed the pain of the betrayal publicly in saying, "it was a business decision."

[JJ]

The trajectory of John Myer was mirrored in many other regions besides the mid-west by many other brothers who where also gifted speakers and who endured abuses from LSM leaders for quite a while, eventually stood up to them, were expelled for their “treason” (ministering and bearing fruit while standing up to LSM leader’s’ unrighteousness) and eventually went elsewhere to minister to saints. Sometimes they did this openly in other meetings and sometimes just from their homes and places of business where saints (quietly) continued to come for fellowship, encouragement, and exhortation to love and good works. I can think of Jake Klassen (in California’s Central Valley where I live and witnessed), Max Rappaport and John Ingalls (Southern California), John So (Germany), Bill Mallen (Southwest), Bill Freeman (Northwest), Charles Fung (China), and Henry Hon (Bay Area of California).

Meanwhile those brothers were officially quarantined and continued to be accused by LSM leaders in LSM led meetings without citing evidence and witnesses of their “sins”. Kangaroo courts! Communist and Nazi style command and control.