I cannot overstate how much I appreciate Jay coming on this forum and posting. For I'm quite sure that he has the courage to say what many are quietly thinking. So his questions shouldn't be taken lightly, or dismissed. And his considerations are worth our considerations.
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Originally Posted by Jay
The real question is does his major errors/sins disqualify his ministry?
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The answer to that question is found categorically in the pages of the NT.
1 Timothy 3... an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?
6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.
Witness Lee, by failing to manage his household, fails the clear NT directive as a deacon or overseer. Doesn't matter if you pen a best-seller or move your audience to tears, or found a mega-church; if you are a drunkard or a brawler or have reprobate family, you shouldn't lead the church.
Now, you can be imperfect, occasionally slip up and become a drunkard or brawler or have unruly children and still be a church MEMBER, but you shouldn't be a church LEADER. In this, Paul is clear, and we should be as well.
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Originally Posted by Jay
I don't agree with uplifting people to a status above reproach and accountability. But I also like to give credit where it's due. I'm sure many criticized Paul because Paul was literally a murderer. But God chose him nonetheless. Now you'll say I'm comparing Lee to Paul again, actually Lee wasn't half as bad as Paul. I doubt Lee ever murdered anyone. Think about it for a second....
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The two salient differences between Paul and Witness Lee here, are that Paul murdered people before becoming a servant of the Lord and a herald of the gospel, and Witness Lee bilked people out of money for his family after he became church leader; and related, that Paul repented after he murdered others, and amended his ways, and Witness Lee never repented or changed is ways, after he got exposed with his hand in the till. "It's my personal business" he said of the Timothy Lee fiasco. "Sail On!!" was the watchword after the Philip Lee fiasco.