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Originally Posted by Ohio
As to living in another city, and yet being an elder of the church in Cleveland, methinks you are taking this thing too seriously. Or perhaps Neider will catch a vision and move back into the city of Cleveland.
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The reason I mentioned this is to me it's a great example of the unworkability of locality. Here you have an elder of the church in one city living in another city, leading a church conference on the "ground of locality." If he values locality so much, shouldn't he live in the city where he's an elder? But what about all those Christians in the city where he actually lives? Shouldn't there be a "local church" there to express the oneness? Of course, PN probably could raise up a church in his city, if TC allowed him to.
None of this matters to me, doctrinally speaking, because I don't believe in "locality" and I don't impose it on anyone. But if you're going to hold to a doctrine, you should apply it to yourself first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Neider feels that they are losing too many saints these days, and this conference is supposed to restore the saints to their initial vision of Christ and the Church.
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Losing them to who? Has he ever considered the possibility that oneness is of the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom? Could it be that the people who leave are following Christ, and experiencing freedom from the bondage of a false doctrine?
I realize you know the answers, Ohio, but I just don't understand why all the recent turmoils and conflicts haven't completely exposed the deception of the "local ground" teaching to the Cleveland saints. Jesus said, "You shall know a tree by its fruit." What's the fruit of the local church as practiced by both Anaheim and Cleveland? Lawsuits, excommunications, spiritual abuse, and damaged members.
If the "local ground" is true, and the Cleveland elders want to speak it to the saints, what do they believe about all those LSM churches? Are they no longer on the ground? Are only the Midwest churches and those affiliated with TC on the proper ground? If they believe that, it's a repetition of the same divisive and sectarian spirit.
Thanks for listening to me vent.