Quote:
Originally Posted by UntoHim
Compare and contrast with the living and abiding Word of God:
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
No wonder Witness Lee badmouthed James, it exposes him in a major way. The current leadership of The Local Church cannot afford to let the members know about this side of Lee and his family because it will call into question his so-called rich and heavenly ministry. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Thanks brother James for setting us all straight.
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I'm not sure if I agree with your interpretation of this verse. I'm not saying I disagree with this verse. But it is a tricky verse.
Consider this: Peter was speaking words of revelation in minute and then in another minute, the Lord called him Satan because he was speaking words of Satan.
Also in the Old Testament, David was a man according to God's heart. However he committed 2 great sins (adultery and murder). His sins did not negate the fact that he still had a good heart for God. His sins did not invalidate his "ministry". So goes the same with David's son, Soloman.
I don't think WL's entire ministry was invalid just because of his behavior (lack of control over his sons, not apologizing to the saints, ex-communicating innocent saints, etc...). And also, I don't think WL's entire ministry was invalid just because some parts of his ministry may be wrong.
The interpretation that James was a little off the New Testament track is not a new idea invented by WL. This has been pointed out previously by Christian scholars. Also there is a reason why the book of James almost did not make it as part of the cannon, but this is a completely separate discussion. The point I am trying to make is that even if WL was wrong in his interpretation of James, that does not invalidate the rest of his ministry.
WL is just one man. He has his thoughts and opinions which formed his ministry. Some of it is part of the genuine NT ministry and some of it isn't. I'm not here to debate what is and what isn't. But I want to point out that there are probably no ministers who have it 100% right. If we all understood the bible 100%, we would be God. This is why we need to constantly seek the Lord for more revelation and not assume anything.
Lastly, the problem I have with Lee is not the verse you pointed out. But the fact that he did not confess to any of the problems he caused among the saints due to his sons. Instead he kept his image and his sons' images pristine and sacrificed the others. David confessed, so did Peter. Maybe WL confessed too, but he did not do it publicly (especially to clear it with those whom he offended).