[Thankful Jane]

Originally Posted by Roger

I can remember being in a series of meetings where Witness Lee was "training" us in the matter of touching the Lord. This was on the West Coast, during the late seventies when the young people had all gone out to there to be trained by him. My thirty-something child was in diapers at the time.

Originally Posted by Roger

I can remember what a burning his words caused in my being. He told us to go home and deal with our consciences before the Lord. We went home and did so. I had no feeling at the time that I was doing it out of loyalty to "The Ministry." In my heart I was getting help on exercising before the Lord, and what I was doing when I went home was anything but idolatry. I, and most others, were genuinely touching the Lord. His presence was too real.

Of course, at the time there was a lot I didn't know about Witness Lee, and eventually I came to understand that even in the matter of touching the Lord on an individual basis the group agenda was always lurking. Nevertheless, my heart was clear before the Lord at the time, and there is no way I could have been accused of idolatry.

There are many saints in that system today who are having similar experiences. Bottom line is: You can’t paint everybody in the Living Stream Churches as having some involvement with idolatry. It’s just not a righteous view. Roger

Dear Roger,

I would never say that people can or do not have experiences of the Lord in the LC. It is possible to experience the Lord anywhere.

For a view to be a righteous one, it must be true. So, we have to test the truth of the claim that all in the LC have some level of involvement in idolatry. Staying with my definition, which is to obey someone other than God in violation of God's Word, do you believe there are some in the LC who have submitted to the demands of the Blendeds in the present or who have not submitted to the demands of Lee in the past? Remember that silent assent is submission, and it is also sin if the demand is against God’s word. You can go a long way towards winning the argument with me that all were not involved in idolatry at least to some degree if you can prove to me that those who remain there are not submitting to dictates by men that are against the Word of God. If they are serving God only (not committing idolatry), they will not bow to unrighteous dictates, even if it costs them everything.

Thankful Jane