[Nell]

Originally Posted by Peter Debelak

...When I heard testimonies which quoted Witness Lee, as if that was the foundation of its truth, rather than the Scripture - I think you could say, as an analogy, that that I was being offered food sacrificed to an idol. Did that prohibit me from "eating" or appreciating the substance of what was being shared? That's not a rhetorical question. What applies here: "flee from idolatry" (i.e. stand up and walk out of the meeting or something and tell everyone that they should do the same) or appreciate it for its substance, to the extent it brought me to Christ and His word and continue to labor with my brothers and sister to seek only Christ and His word.

I'm going to begin my answer with a continuation of what TJ said:

"Once light dawns for someone on "idolatry," he/she has to address his/her own part in it before the Lord with repentance."

When the light dawned on me, the Lord led me out. It wasn't very much light and I know I was not equipped to help anyone. I could barely help myself out the door. I had just enough light to take that step. It was several years again before the Lord opened my eyes further and I began to understand what had happened to me, and even years later before the Lord began to put me into situations of helping others.

For me, I had to be totally out of the garlic room. Further, the garlic had to be out of me.

Interestingly, when I was still a Baptist, coming into the Local Church, the same questions were asked: can I not remain a Baptist and appreciate Witness Lee's ministry, to use your words, to the extent it brought me to Christ and His word and continue to labor with my Baptist brothers and sisters to seek only Christ and His word.

The elders/speakers, etc., shared strongly that we couldn't remain in the Baptist church and bring to it the reality of the "church life" we were seeing through Witness Lee. It wouldn't fit. The "church life" was the new wineskin and what we were experiencing was the new wine. To put the new wine into the old wineskin would cause the old wineskin to burst, and the new wine would be lost.

I think that is as true now as it was then, except that now, the Local Churches have become the old wineskin. The Local Churches cannot take anything but the ministry of Witness Lee, or it will burst.

Having said that, the Lord places us in His Body as it pleases Him. If He leads you to stay, then you obey.

Originally Posted by Peter Debelak

...I am not being precise in what I am questioning here. Perhaps I could rephrase this whole thought/post by asking, does 1 Cor. 8-13 applie here and if so, in what way?

I'll have to do some reading on this one! Chapters 8-13...right?

Originally Posted by Peter Debelak

...I wonder if there are many in the LC who "fled" idolatry but yet their very remaining in the LC makes you think that they haven't. Thoughts on that?

That's a good question. Speaking for myself, I assume that people who remain in the Local Churches are there because they are absolute for the ministry of Witness Lee and all the extreme loyalties that demands. I think fleeing idolatry and being absolute for the ministry of Witness Lee are mutually exclusive. I could be wrong.

Nell