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Originally Posted by Donnali
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So, here's to stirring up the hornet's nest again. The title "apostle" and "oracle of God" have been bandied about on here. In all the years, in all the meetings, in all the readings of Brother Lee's books I don't recall one sentence where he said, "I am THE oracle of God or I am an apostle."
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Buzz, buzz, sting, sting ...
I've told this story so many times I should make a templet of it, to cut and paste.
Here's the short version:
The lead elder in the Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Mel Porter, came back from an elders meeting in Anaheim, with bro Lee, with a "New Flow." This is circa 1978.
The flow was called "The Flow of Oneness." Two books of the Bible were used as the sales pitch for it.
1) From Revelation: From the throne of God and the Lamb flows the river of the water of life, with the trees of Life on either side, carrying the authority of Christ from the throne, flowing to "the apostle on the earth": Witness Lee.
2) From Psalms 133: Where the oil runs down Aaron's head to the skirts of his garments. Lee was depicted as Aaron, the oil was depicted as The Holy Spirit, and we 'small potatoes' were the skirts. Lee was top dog, so to speak.
I don't know why, or didn't back then anyway, but my spirit regurgitated when I first heard The Flow of Oneness. I was not going to accept that Lee was The Apostle on the Earth. "But he's obviously the oracle of God," I was told.
So in the meetings, whenever someone stood and testified of The Flow of Oneness I would stand and speak of the Oneness in the Spirit, and the Oneness in Christ. Many would say, "Amen!"
But eventually Mel Porter caught on that I meant, "Oneness in Christ," as opposed to, "Oneness by following Witness Lee."
Time went on and I was openly opposed and outspoken to Lee being The Apostle. Mel sent his cronies to me, to set me straight. My position was that, Christ was my head, so I had to be true to my spirit first and foremost. And if Lee did that then we were one. But if I did it and Lee didn't we were not one. "Lee is always following his spirit," I was told, so I should follow him. Additionally I was told that we shouldn't say anything unless it either repeats or reinforces what the elders say.
Lot's of details are skipped here. But eventually one Sunday night meeting a brother stood and accused me of poisoning a couple my wife and I had lunch with that day, against Witness Lee. Mel Porter stood and said that there were brothers in the church using Witness Lee's works to destroy Witness Lee's works. My eyes went crossed. I couldn't add that up. But yes, I was using Witness Lee's writings to support following Christ in our spirit, to counter following Lee as the apostle.
Porter pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "If you're not with us, then get out!!" The meeting exploded. Everyone was pumping and shouting, "If you're not with us get out ... get out ... get out!!!" It was insanity. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Suddenly the church looked like a cult to me.
Porter then said, "These's brothers know who they are, and they have a week to repent in front of the church or, they will be excommunicated."
I've got to share this detail. It's way toooo absurd to skip. A week goes by, and I hadn't repented (In my conscience I had nothing to repent of). So before the Sunday night meeting the elders show up at my door. They sent my wife out and Mel grabbed a chair and sat directly facing me. He said that there were two churches in Ft. Lauderdale, and that he was the leader of one, and I was the leader of the other one. I denied that I was leading anyone, but he didn't buy it.
He said, something along the line of, "we are following Witness Lee, and I am the elder of the c. in Ft. Lauderdale, and if you want to go on in the LC you have to -- and I quote verbatim -- "Take my personality as your personality," and, "if you want to blow your nose you have to ask me which side first."
I countered with, "this sounds like the Roman Catholic church to me. With Lee as the Pope." Mel shot back with, "this is the way of life, and you either do it or get out."
I got out. And it was all because I couldn't accept that Lee was the apostle and oracle on the earth.
So sis Donnali, I certainly heard it said, many times, that Lee was the apostle and oracle on the earth today.
And that's why I'm here today, to tell this story to anyone still in the local church, or thinking of joining it.