[awareness]

Originally Posted by OBW

I think through this argument periodically, but arrive at a place that is not so apparently down about it. Besides, long before there was anything written which could be construed as a literal end to this age, there was a command to be fruitful and multiply, and to bear the image of God in the earth. Since I am still alive in this age, I feel that this is the important thing to me. If I take care of that, then I should have little worry about whatever all that metaphorical writing about end times means. And I should have little concern about whether I spend time in some kind of limbo or go directly to "heaven." Funny thing is that the promises of the future are not the significant part of the commands and promises. Yes there are many comments about the kingdom of God (or of heaven) but that appears to be at least partly about now and not just the future.

As for the complaint about the status of your current belief, I think it is irrelevant. If we limit the discussion and critique to only those who already hold to a relatively similar position on everything, then where do we think we are likely to go besides sideways? I think that the fact that so many are so argumentative about what they think they got that is so positive from Nee, and even Lee, suggests to me that they have not separated themselves from what I have come to believe were serious enough errors to make their entire bodies of work worthy of the rubbish heap. That does not mean they never said a true or positive thing, but the process of allowing the uninformed to even try to look for it there is a serious mistake. And continuing to pine over the alleged positive received is to risk retaining serious error.

In short, I think that too many among us really thing the Local Church system was pretty much OK except for [fill in the blanks] and we should try to reform it. But it was never OK. It may have seemed good in experience in the early days, but what provided that experience. And is experience the measuring stick for God's move and blessing.

Sober thoughts bro Mike. Thanks ....