Quote:
Originally Posted by Timotheist
In the sub-forum "writings of former members", there is a page called "History by Don Rutledge". Only the first two chapters are posted, but it does discuss Benson's early history in a positive light.
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THIS IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY - DON SHARED LATER ABOUT THE SEEDS OF DEVIATION OUR BROTHER BENSON HAD PLANTED.
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Early Benson Bio
**by Don Rutledge**
excerpt of Texas and LA
church history
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“…These two devotional practices [pray-reading and calling on the Lord] were critical to open the door of the local churches for the flood of new believers about to descend upon them…."
A Time of Rapid Church Growth
Starting in 1968, fresh new believers began to appear at Elden Hall, in LA. Then there was a flood of them. During the months of September and October, 1969, 200 new members were added to the church in LA. Within a little over a year there was a six-fold increase. I wish I had the time and the resources to compile a record of the wonderful works of God during those days. Miraculous stories of the Lord’s arranging of “Divine Appointments” resulting in marvelous salvation experiences and encounters of members with other seeking Christians were a staple of the day. By 1972, the church in LA had exploded into four halls and had over a thousand burning saints.
Similar blessings were pouring out on the churches in Texas, the Midwest, the Northwest and East Coast. For a while a publication came out called “News of the Churches.” Each month we eagerly waited for the latest copy to read and rejoice over the wonderful works of God. I attended my first conference and full time training in 1966. There were about 140 in attendance, including the local members at the conference and exactly 70 full time at the training. By 1976, nearly four thousand attended the Hebrews Training in Anaheim, CA.*
TEXAS EXPERIENCE AND THE FIRST MIGRATION
To understand the history and current condition of the Local Church movement, it is vital to know the history and character of many individuals. What has transpired has much to do with, not only Witness Lee, but also with many others.
BENSON PHILLIPS
In Texas, some of the most influential leaders, both past and present, were developed. The most prominent was Benson Phillips, the current president of LSM and the de facto leader of the “Blending Brothers,” who are the world-wide leaders of the Local Churches. Benson is the strongest and most determined individual I have known in any endeavor. At 23, shortly after his marriage, he developed Multiple Sclerosis. Yet during my 23 year history with him, he never complained or shrank back from a full involvement in the church life or Christian work we were endeavoring to carry out. I cannot count the number of times he laid aside his own comfort and needs to serve the need of the church or some needy member.
As previously mentioned, Benson attended and graduated from Wayland Baptist College. He became the most prominent student leader and headed up a group called the “Mission Band.” During my direct time with Benson from 1965-1986, he was always concerned for the spreading of the gospel. Whether the location was Waco, Houston or Dallas, he constantly was seeking to help the church and the members to be fruitful in the gospel and in the care for new believers. In Waco, there were six junior high teachers among us, two at each of three junior high schools.
In the fall of 1968, Benson shared with us all that he wanted to share the gospel with the students. We prayed furiously for a few weeks that the Lord would open the doors. The teachers at each school approached the principals and were given permission to invite the students to a Christian meeting for junior highers on a Saturday night if the teachers first contacted the parents. More prayer was offered to open the parents. Each Saturday evening we gathered with students from the three junior highs. Before the year was over about 50 junior highers were saved and given a good start in their Christian life.
Benson was not an eloquent speaker but was very effective in the gospel whether it was in a group setting or one on one. Once in Dallas, at a Saturday night gospel dinner, I witnessed the power and anointing that a simple plain-spoken man could possess. Our original hall in Dallas would hold about 150 for a dinner. We sat in circles while we ate and visited and fellowshipped with one another and with any guests in the circle. This night the hall was packed. There were about 15 guests. I was sitting in a circle with a post-doctoral student at the University of Texas at Dallas. She was a very refined lady from Hong Kong. There was a business man of about 40 also in my circle.
Benson was sharing the gospel message that evening. He was speaking on the vanity of life. He began to say over and over that such and such is nothing without Christ. Suddenly the lady stood up and began to argue with Benson. She shouted, “What about love?” Benson declared that love without Christ is nothing. She would then shout about this and that. Benson would reply that without Christ it was nothing. Then the business man stood up and began to berate Benson. Benson never backed down but continued to declare Christ and that the need of every man is Christ. The man became so disruptive the ushers had to remove him. Eventually things settled down and Benson asked all who wanted to receive the Lord to stand up. Seven young men in their 20s stood up and all became vital members of the church.
On another occasion, we were in Austin visiting. Austin was a new church in those days. Often a few car loads would travel from the more established churches to help a newer church over a weekend. The church in Austin was very burdened for the gospel. Austin in those days was like Berkeley, California - full of hippies and street people - as well as the thousands of college students at the University of Texas.
On this occasion, we held a gospel dinner. The brothers and sisters spent the afternoon inviting all the people they could find. The rented store front was packed wall to wall. After the meal, we had the gospel message. I had been asked to share. I was a little overwhelmed at the group. As I began to proclaim Christ and His salvation, a young man rose to his feet and declared he had tried what I was sharing and it did not work. Then another and another spoke out against the gospel. I was very confused and turned to Benson for direction. He leaped to his feet and shouted that those people had spoken lies from the Devil to keep you from receiving the wonderful salvation of Christ. After a few more words, he asked for those who wanted to receive the Lord to stand. People stood up all around the room. It was truly a glorious night of many genuine salvations. I learned so much from those two times.
When the Devil is throwing up a lot of dust, it probably means the Lord has prepared some for the gospel. Consider the experience of Paul and Silas in Philippi.
During the first ten years in the church life, Benson’s maturity and leadership were vital to the churches in the Texas region and a great help to me even though he was only four years older than I.
Another practice he had was to never be discouraged or downhearted. When we were in Waco, we would from time to time have a stretch of poor meetings or be in a down time. Benson told me he would tell the Devil that he may have won this round but he would not win the war. I have applied that principle over and over both corporately and individually. Maybe my flesh, a body of sin, won out in a particular incident. But I would declare that God has His plan and calling and has prepared good works for me to walk in and that this is my destiny, not this temporary defeat or setback. I see things in the same way for people in my life and for the saints with whom I now gather.*
Benson was very generous with his money and his possessions and his time. He never shirked from pulling his share of the load and then some. This was in spite of his physical limitations. At one point in the first few months in Houston, a brother learned of some box cars that needed to be loaded. Benson heard of it and realized this was an opportunity to raise money for some of the needy among us. We had just moved there from the small churches in Waco, Lubbock and Denton. Benson had no thought that any of the money would go into his pocket.
Only Ray Graver could keep up with him as he labored furiously night after night loading the box cars. We were paid by the box car not by the hour. He became the acknowledged leader among us because of his character and ability to inspire others by his example. Benson shared with me that when he was in high school he had received a special call from the Lord. One evening he went out to a golf course and lay on a green as he prayed. The Lord showed him that he would head a world-wide religious organization. He also shared with me that he had had a desire to reform the Southern Baptist Convention. When he read The Normal Christian Church Life by Watchman Nee and then heard Witness Lee, he was clear that this was what his call was all about.
He also shared that he used to lay out two maps on a table, one of the USA and one of the world. He would lay his finger on each state one by one and pray “Lord use me in California, use me in Oregon”, etc. Then he would turn to the world map and put his finger on each country and pray “Lord use me in France,” etc. Benson had an intensity that far exceeded any of the other brothers. He was always considering what was needed to establish and to build up the local churches.*
OTHER EARLY BROTHERS AND SISTERS*
When I was new to the local churches, the character, sincerity and love for Jesus Christ among the participants deeply impressed me. Not only was Benson an exceptional young Christian, but so were nearly all. During my first year in Waco, I met many of the young brothers and sisters from Wayland Baptist College who had served with Benson in the “Mission Band.”*
They were all outstanding. Tim House, who had been president of the Baptist Student Union, would impress you with the presence of Christ without his saying a word. I felt like meeting him was like meeting Nathaniel, a man in whom was no guile. Bud and Judy Philley, Bobby Allen, Ben and Anita McPherson, Rodney Philips and Jim and Sharon Coleman were all truly men and women of God, and their devotion and faithful service was vital to the churches in Texas going from less that 30 in 1965 to over 1,500 by the mid-late 70s….”
Another valuable Excerpt concerning brother Benson Phillips
Witness Lee’s ministry on the Oneness of the Body of Christ flew in the face of the common practice of the day. He urged all believers to receive one another in Christ and to lay aside any and all non-essentials which could cause division. He urged us to seek out our brothers and sisters and if we found any group of believers who desired to simply gather in the Lord’s name and receive all whom the Lord had received, then we should strive to join with them and not to contend for our own work or meeting.
Whenever we happened to meet another Christian, we sought to give and receive Christ without any agenda of recruiting them for our gathering. Witness Lee on many occasions declared that we could not be the only Christians who desired to meet in the Lord’s name alone.
The practical local church was often referred to as “an expression of the Body of Christ.” This term was used so much that often members would refer to churches in various places as “the expression in that city.” During one conference, this term was used quite often and Witness Lee asked, “What is the expression? The expression of the local church should be Christ.” That little comment made a deep impression on me. We were not seeking to develop and spread a type of Christian work or style of meeting. Our mission was to spread the wonderful expression of Jesus Christ - regardless of local particulars.*
BEGINNING IN WACO TEXAS
Actively Seeking Other Believers
In September, 1965, I began meeting with the church in Waco, Texas, where Benson Phillips was in leadership. The church there began in the fall of 1964 on a park bench. There were three saints, Herman Massey, Kathleen Corley and Barbara Kratzer. Benson Phillips moved there in the spring of 1965.
Don Looper left his position in the Southern Baptist denomination in the summer of 1965 and joined the Waco Church along with his fianceé, Judy Heathcote.
In Waco, we attended many free groups and small peculiar meetings, looking for someone with whom we could join. In 1969, we moved to Houston and there also, Benson Phillips was very conscientious in carrying out Witness Lee’s fellowship to seek out Christian groups with whom we might join.
For example, in the fall of 1969, we came into contact with a Pentecostal group called “The Gospel Assembly.” Some of us from the church in Houston went faithfully at least once a week for many weeks.
Finally, on one Sunday evening when Benson, his wife Barbara and I were there, Barbara and I urged Benson to give up the endeavor with this group. Although they were non-denominational, they were exclusive - unquestionably only receiving believers who had spoken in tongues. Benson was very reluctant, as he truly wanted to follow Witness Lee’s exhortation to join with other believers.