Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
My question about the teaching of "deputy authority" is this: what's the value? The risk of danger far outweighs the supposed value. While God does raise up certain men in the Bible to represent him, once we make that a teaching in the church, then men will raise themselves up ... to the detriment of others.
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Take heed in defining a "Universal Church" concept since that is precisely what permits an environment for this and other detrimental doctrines to grow and fester.
Also, probably need to go back to the Bible to find out what is meant by the Greek word \apostolos\ in the New Testament. Yes, it's defintion is commonly known but we must interpret the Bible with the Bible and the very common concept of "one sent with full authority" seems suspiciously like a doctrine of control in the "Universal Church."
Finally, Witness Lee taught that Silas, Timothy and Titus were "apostles" but the Bible apparently doesn't actually say that. So, consider that some doctrines about who are "apostles" and what those people do may be derived from Rome and also influenced by Lee's own flavor of hierarchy which he laid out fairly clearly in his 1988 booklet "A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need."