Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
For many years I remained silent under the effects of this warning. Most of the reason for my silence was godly fear. I was also genuinely ignorant of most things, and even part of that was my choice. LC leadership received the ultimate "free pass" in my heart and my life. I would still be there except for one thing -- people were getting hurt. The accumulation of "hurts" finally caught up to me. But how little did I really know! How much had been hidden away! How many more precious ones had been hurt in all the cover-ups!
The "curse of Ham" needs some serious balance in the leadership of the LC's. The program is skewed to the extreme. Actually I could "cover up" a few "drunken bouts" in Anaheim. Everybody has a bad day or two. Drinking too much wine in the privacy of your own "tent" is not an impeachable offense. Not a good habit, but understandable, all things considered ... but LC leadership has "cloaked" itself with this "curse" of protection far too long.
If the "curse of Ham" were so "God-ordained," then why didn't God Himself honor it with the case of David and Bathsheba? Couldn't David be considered the "acting God" of that age?
An equally troubling point is to consider how many consciences have been damaged and compromised over the years in the LC's by those who could not speak up as Nathan did, and rather remained silent and "one with the ministry."
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A man in any kind of position of authority who has a wrong understanding of what authority is and how it is applied can make life a living hell for those over whom that man thinks he has such authority. If he happens to believe he has spiritual authoriy, and if those whom he is "over" think likewise, then he can crush their precious souls, souls that Jesus died to set free from such tyranny, and never even blink an eye, believing he is serving God. God's authority is a great thing and exists only for the benefit of all. Whoever claims that he possesses God's authority and acts accordingly is a deceived man. Whoever folllows such a man will suffer loss.
Brother Lee went on to say, "You cannot deny the fact that the Lord’s oracle has been with me. I claim this at the face of Jesus Christ. The deputy authority of God is in His oracle; so whoever speaks for God has His deputy authority. But I never used it."
In the elders’ meeting, Brother Lee referred to some anonymous papers being circulated and blamed the elders in Anaheim for not stopping the distribution. He then referred to the flyer which had been printed and was to be put on the windshields of the cars at the conference. I [John Ingalls] then rose from my seat and said that we wanted Brother Lee and all the brothers to know that we fully disapproved of that action and had done whatever we could to stop it. Brother Lee took the opportunity then, while I was on my feet, to question me publicly about a few things. He asked me about an anonymous writing entitled Reconsidering Our Vision. (which had troubled him greatly) and if we had done anything to stop its circulation. I said that we had not.
Regarding some brothers, probably including me (or, especially me), Brother Lee said, Whether you are for me or not, I know; I know everything. I know what restaurant you were eating in, what day, and with whom. I have a lot of colleagues who write me long records of ten to twenty pages about you. He said further, Which church is under my hand? You have a church; I have none. I know which church welcomes me, and which has a cold heart toward me.
Near the end of his word he proclaimed, I don’t care for the loss of any church. Even if the entire U. S. A. is closed to me I don’t care. I only care for ten to twenty faithful ones meeting together to practice the truth.
When he sat down and asked for fellowship, a brother from Anaheim, Paul Kerr, rose toward the end of the time and asked two questions. The first consisted of two queries: Why have other brothers besides you not been raised up? And, Why do you have no contemporaries to challenge you and fellowship with you?
Brother Lee’s answer was simply, "I don’t know." And then he said that since 1945 he has been watching to see if anyone else could speak God’s word as God’s oracle. He could find none. Paul Kerr’s next question concerned John So and John Ingalls. He asked, "How is it that in the past you referred to these two brothers as pillars and today’s Timothy, and today you have nothing good to say about them? Brother Lee’s reply was that brothers can change. Demas loved the Lord, but then he changed and loved the world. I can change, he said; we all can change. So we all need the Lord’s mercy.
Brother Lee was beside himself in this meeting. I had never personally observed him in such a state as I witnessed him there. He was obviously exceedingly agitated. That was the last elders’ meeting with Brother Lee that I ever attended. (from Speaking the Truth in Love by John Ingalls).
This is the state of a man nearing the end of his ministry and life who clearly did not understand what God's authority was. He was on an ego trip of immense proportions fueled by the powers of darkness. Having sat under this man's ministry and come under the soul crushing hand of his authority beliefs through those he trained, I have to say to people who love God, never fall into the trap of thinking of of yourself in terms of authority and never buy the idea that you are called to treat any other man as if he was the voice of God to you. This is a great evil.
We are called to have one King. If we submit to another as if he was God's voice to us, we are actually rejecting God as our King... and that is a serious thing.
Thankful