[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Change economy to dispensation and everyone is happy. However, the original Greek is Oikonomia. Deal with it.

The problem is not on whether the Greek word οἰκονομία is translated to economy or dispensation, the first problem is interpreting what it could have meant to the original writers/receivers in the first century, and and the second is what it might mean for us today. The big problem for Witness Lee is that he was totally unqualified to know the first (since he never bothered to become formally educated in biblical Greek) and because of this it makes his interpretations quite suspect to say the least.

Originally Posted by UntoHim

Remember the song “we have found the way to live by Christ, pray his Word and call his Name” (I think this is quoted right). No doubt this slogan was based upon Witness Lee’s “dispensing of the triune, processed God” teaching. The problem is that the emphasis of the Lord Jesus and the apostles was not so much to live BY Christ as it was to live FOR Christ. Living by Christ may very well produce “Godmen” (says Lee), but living for Christ will produce men of God (says the historical record of church history). This is a hard thing to grasp for those of us who sat at the feet of Witness Lee for years and decades. To live “by” Christ seemed to be what fulfilled God’s purpose for our lives and that of Church…and for a moment it seemed we were succeeding. But as it turns out we were entangled within a “self-fulfilling prophesy”.

The Local Church song I quoted above was probably written about 40 years ago. Let's fast forward to the here and now...2012. After these many decades, what has become of the people who have practiced (supposedly) "the way to live by Christ"? They have prayed his Word. They have called his Name. They have prayed and sang the words of Witness Lee. They have earnestly sought for "the dispensing of the triune God". I can't seem to find this in the Bible, but the old adage "the proof is in the pudding" comes to mind.