Quote:
Originally Posted by Suannehill
Well, I've been a GLAer for over 30 years. This gives me some ground (not THE ground  ) to speak.
I pondered this precise thing for weeks.
I did not participate in the Lee worship, and cringed when it began. I even spoke to the worst offenders. HOWEVER, I remained in fellowship with them. Does this mean that because I stayed... I participated in the deed?
Am I just as guilty for not walking away? Or was I keeping the oneness of the Faith by ignoring nonsense and still remaining in fellowship? I'm not being flip...I actually talk to the Lord about this.
Sue |
And I'll post a word on this point.
One time, at a training in Irving, I and another couple of brothers were instructed on how to pick up all the little bits of notebook paper that might have fallen along the pathway from brother Lee's apartment door to the podium, as a matter of service. We laughed among ourselves. We picked up paper. And we were disturbed about the veneration of this old Chinese fellow as a little Pope.
Did I participate in the idolatrous worship of Lee by picking up the trash?
Absolutely not.
Firstly, I did it as to the Lord.
Secondly, the bits of paper would eventually need to be picked up by someone, regardless of whether a Holy Man would soon pass that way or not.
Thirdly, we did not have the place in that setting to explain to the leading serving one how silly he sounded in his concern that the pathway appear perfect for His Worship's passage.
Finally, we realized that to the extent that there were those who may have held such a warped view, they appeared to our observation to be a distinct minority and most everyone we enjoyed fellowship with handled Christ pretty purely, at least as far as they had the light to do so.
I don't doubt that I could spin this little story up into an "I will not eat meat forever" mandate if I wanted to. I could say how, upon realization that some might perceive my paper-picking-up to be the Idolatry of Lee, I should have declined to do so for
his conscience's sake (not mine, of course, as Paul clearly teaches concerning idols). But we had no clear leading not to pick up paper and so, the meeting hall was cleaned at least along that pathway and we did not worship any false god while doing so.
I haven't talked to those two brothers about this in all the years since.
I wonder if they remember that day as well as I do...