[Thankful Jane]

Originally Posted by Peter Debelak

This may be true statement (that being "IT" was an enticing factor to join the group), its just not obvious to me that it is. In fact, many - even most - folks I know were attracted by something other than the "we're IT" sentiment. Yes, this focus on being "unique" did grow for many, if not most, but I'm not sure it was the (or even an) enticingfactor.
The testimonies that come to mind when I ponder the testimonies I have heard about what attracted folks to the LC, have more to do with the lovely community, the felt power in the meetings and the mutuality among the believers. For others, there really wasn't even anything outward that attracted - not a practice, not a doctrine - in fact, just the opposite. One brother who came in in the seventies recounts that he was really really reallyannoyed by the whole group after his first meeting, but also knew that that is where God wanted them to be.
In Love,
Peter

Dear Peter,

We tend to think of “idolatry” in terms of loving or being enticed. This is definitely a part of idolatry, but I think that God’s view of idolatry in the O.T. was much more than this. He was in covenant relationship with His people, as their husband. For them to serve other Gods was to break covenant with Him. He alone was to be their God, so He considered idolatry among his people to be spiritual fornication.

The ground of locality teaching, as part of LC “idolatry,” is more than just an enticing teaching. The attractiveness of the teaching plays a part, but the actual thought introduced by the teaching is what resulted in idolatry, because it led God’s people to violate their new covenant relationship with God and one another. Let me explain what I mean by this.

An Unbiblical Definition of Oneness

The ground of locality teaching defines “practical” oneness among God’s people in terms of meeting, in a physical sense. This definition resulted from Lee focusing on the idea that the children of Israel all had to meet in one place, Jerusalem. He told us that this is how their oneness was maintained. He then extrapolated this idea to the N. T. and told us that the “one place” idea of meeting, which God had ordained in the N.T. to keep practical oneness, was the city boundary. This conclusion was a “leap” that he made which is not supported by scripture. (Scripture actually says plainly that the place in the New Testament would not be a physical one. John 4:20).

This leap resulted in a false belief and false teaching. Those who embraced this teaching ended up producing division in the body of Christ because they adopted a scope of oneness that was too small, not to mention impractical.

This is exactly what T. A. Sparks warned Lee about. Sparks told Lee in private, told Lee with a few others present, and then told the whole church that this teaching was too small in scope and would lead to sectarianism and division. Lee was infuriated by this. He refused to hear what was clearly (proven now by history) God’s warning to Lee. Not only that, after rejecting the warning, Lee came to the USA and passed this teaching on to us.

Just as Sparks predicted, this teaching has resulted in brother being divided from brother in the body of Christ in a major way, both in Taiwan and in the USA and places worldwide. Those who embraced this teaching as the basis of oneness lost sight of the fact that they were under a heavenly mandate to keep the oneness of the Spirit with every member of the Body of Christ. Instead they became one with a man and his teaching about oneness--a man who did not practice keeping the oneness of the Spirit in the whole Body of Christ. He did not maintain right relationship with all his brothers in Christ. Those who follow him and his teachings do likewise. To be one with someone other than God and follow someone else's words over those of God is to commit spiritual fornication.

Biblical Oneness

The factor of oneness in the O.T. was not the place or the meeting, but God Himself, and the requirement to be in right relationship with Him and one another (ten commandments). The children of Israel were told to meet in the place where the Lord put His name. It wasn’t about the place, it was about where the Lord Himself was. The Lord was there. Likewise, the N. T. oneness is not defined in terms of meeting or place, but in terms of His name and where God is. Where His name is, He is there.

When I am walking in spirit and truth holding, His name (cleansed by the blood of Christ, looking to Him alone for everything as my husband, following only His voice only, not letting the voices of other men or teachings or whatever come between me and Him), He is with me and I am with Him. When I gather with others who walking likewise with Him, we experience the blessing of our oneness with Him together. (That is, unless we have a problem with another brother, then we have to take steps to reconcile with them, in order to keep the oneness of the Spirit, and continue experiencing the blessing of the oneness He already gave to the entire Body of Christ: Him.)

N. T. worship is not in a place (John 4:20) but in spirit and truth. We each have a relationship directly with Him in spirit and in truth, which we maintain in holiness by the blood of Christ. We are in new covenant relationship with him. We don’t go to a physical altar to confess our sins, etc. We confess to Him directly, in spirit and in truth. Wherever we are from morning to night we can do this. Neither is our oneness with Him as His members defined in terms of a physical place. We can pray and worship in every place. We can do this with others who are one with Him, wherever we are physically. I’m repeating this because it bears repeating!! Note in this astounding prophecy from Malachi the change that has taken place under the new covenant:

Mal 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

God's Relationship with Man

Eph 5:31-32 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The new covenant oneness between God and His people is a great mystery. Like a man and his wife, no one and no thing should come between God and each of His children. Throughout the O. T., God's people always went whoring after other gods. I used to think we were different in N.T. times, but not any more. Just like the children of Israel, we prefer to follow someone we can actually see and hear who gives us confidence that we are following God. We are easily enticed to follow other men and their leavened teachings and easily tricked into allowing them and their teachings to take the place of our relationship with God and His Word.


The ground of locality teaching is part of the LC idolatry because this teaching, and the man who taught it, have come between God and His people and have interfered in their oneness (like the oneness of man and wife). Instead of God’s people hearing His voice only and practicing oneness according to His words, they are hearing another man’s words and practicing oneness according to his words, maintaining oneness with the man, his teaching, and only with others who do likewise. To God, this is the same as spiritual fornication which is the principle of idolatry.

We are in new covenant relationship with God. That is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, thing. It will consummate in the marriage of the Lamb. Today as believers each of us are walking with Him in a holy relationship. If we let another voice take the place of God’s voice in our life, we sin, just as a woman does who takes another man other than her husband. If we do not maintain our oneness as brothers, receiving all whom He has received, we sin likewise. In this way, the ground of locality teaching and practice resulted in spiritual fornication (idolatry).

The authority teachings and practices contributed to the same result. Both of these teachings are false and produce bad results which can be clearly seen as far back as Lee’s pre-U.S. Taiwan days.

Thankful Jane