Quote:
Originally Posted by NeitherFirstnorLast
Thank you Ohio.... Thank you.
You are right, of course - the Lord did place me here to shepherd me and my family; and I love the saints in Christ dearly. They have become our family in every sense of the word. After being Saved, my wife completely lost her family; they rejected her utterly. Funny, they didn't mind her when she lived in sin, but now as a new creation in Christ the Enemy has really put a hate in their hearts for her. If it weren't for the Saints in our Local Church, we would likely never have made it.
Maybe my issue is, I have always seen 'problems' in the Church, and my response has ALWAYS been to leave, because "my relationship with the Lord was greater". When I've had a chance to stand for the Lord, I've sat down, and said nothing. This isn't humility, as I sometimes like to think, it's cowardice. It has no place. We are all to speak as we feel lead, and I need to give Him the headship to speak as He would.
Saints, please - Christ is calling: Will you be an Overcomer? There is no such thing as an exclusive club of Overcomers... only a remnant will make it. If you haven't read Watchman Nee's "The Orthodoxy of the Church", published by LSM, then I encourage you to.
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Dear brother NFnL,
I have read
Orthodoxy of the Church by Nee, in fact, I read it during finals week, and couldn't put it down. While I still treasure the book, I have moderated my eschatological views somewhat after reading Nigel Tomes article,
EXAMINING LSM’s ESCHATOLOGY—REVELATION’S 7 CHURCHES -- here --
http://localchurchdiscussions.com/vB...read.php?t=758
I also find the discussion of "overcomers" to be a hindrance to fellowship, and in many cases a real source of discouragement to the saints, i.e. "
I could never be an overcomer." Revelation says, "to him who overcomes," identifying
actions rather than identifying
a class of believers. The Recovery is great at saying we have no hierarchy, and we are all brothers without a pastor, and then create new classes such as overcomer, full-timer, and coworker.
It's so wonderful to hear about your wife's salvation, yet so sad to hear about her family's reaction. Please do not fuel the flames by "arming" yourself with judgments as I did towards my parents. After the Revelations training, I "unloaded" all that I was taught about the Great Whore, Babylon, idolatry, Catholicism, etc. Looking back, it seems the saints were far more interested in my "coming out of her" (Rev 18.4) and into the LC, than they were concerned about the salvation of my family. Please do your best to help your wife have a kind, loving, prayerful, and longsuffering attitude towards her family. This will bring more grace to her, and eventually conviction to her family.
Concerning the LSM, they love to do stupid things like lawsuits, strange teachings, etc. and then force all their member churches to side with them unreservedly. We have no allegiance to a ministry. Our connection is with the Head. Do your best to keep the church as people, believers in Christ, and children of God. They are your family. Your family is
not some organization called "the church in blank-blank, which is affiliated with the ministry of WN and WL," as many LC websites declare.
If you can stay connected to the Lord in fellowship and to the saints in a spiritual friendship, you will be saved from the trappings of organizational structures.
Much grace to you brother.