Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
The only discussion I remember was from the Matthew 18 story of a sinning brother; a delineation was presumed between "2 or 3" and "tell it to the church". I think that is possibly due to a mis-reading of the Greek. The singular/plural there is not so really so clear.
Of course my memory is poor, but in my time that was presented as a kind of linchpin verse. You could be "in a group" but not "in the church". There may well have been other verses used, but I don't recall.
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Applying (or mis-applying) Rev. chap 2, we were taught that a church could lose their lampstand, thus implying that some churches were "proper testimonies" and some (most?) were not. The "right standing" was absolutely crucial to the church's success. Originally this meant not being divided, not being a denomination, not following a man (like the Lutherans,) not following pet doctrines (like the baptists,) not having closed fellowship, etc. Eventually the only requirement for having the "right standing" on the "proper ground" was to have a proper relationship with WL (or even TC.)
Years ago I was close to a brother who got shamed by TC. He left and started another local church in good relationship with LSM, participating in all their events. TC, however, refused to recognize them as a true local church. For years, TC battled with Anaheim concerning their status as a "proper" church in the Recovery. Early on, TC prevailed, but eventually Anaheim recognized them as a bona fide lampstand on the local ground.
Ahhhhh ... such was life in the recovery cave.
Another equally pernicious thought was this constant remark by WL saying "if the Lord leave us and move on to another people." Supposedly the Lord was only big enough to be with one MOTA at a time along with his adherents. For years I lived with thought that the Lord was truly only with us in the Recovery, and not with the rest of pitiful Christianity. We were constantly held in fear that if we "screwed up," then Lord would find another people to dwell with. Translated -- that means to maintain loyalties to Anaheim at all cost.
So simple, even a "cave" man can understand it.