Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
The quarantines in the GLA had as their bottom line the question, "Whose fruit are we? or, Who do we belong to, Cleveland or Anaheim?" That is no joke. I was told repeatedly that TC "raised us up," and thus we must stand with Cleveland because we are TC's fruit. Others made it clear that we all are "WL's fruit," thus we belong to "the" ministry, and we must stand with the Blended brothers.
Some brothers from the GLA had gone to Nigeria to minister. It began as a personal connection with a friend of a family in Cincinnati. One brother, unrelated to the situation but loyal to LSM, asked TC if the Blendeds knew about this new work begun in Africa. Apparently TC said "yes," but there was some confusion surrounding the details. Within no time we had two colonial powers fighting over the rights to a small handful of believers in Africa, on the other side of the world. How disgusting is that? Not only were we divided in the US, but now that little community in Africa was also divided. The websites concernedbrothers.com and afaithfulword.org soon lit up cyber space with opposing versions of "the truth."
So the question boiled down to this, "who owns those African saints?" But isn't this whole battle pretty pathetic? Have not both sides forgotten that we are the Lord's, and His alone? Can any ministry own another man? What kind of debt do I owe to Anaheim and Cleveland since both were at one time helpful to my faith? Does their ministry really come with such an unwritten price tag? If not, then why do both sides attempt to fill their people with such guilt about owing them?
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This comment is very much in line with my recent points, that just as 19th century Western imperialism brought both gunboats and soldiers to China, as well as the gospel of Jesus Christ, so Witness Lee returned the favor in the 20th: this is Eastern imperialism that we're seeing here.
Yes they do own men. The Church owns the people, and the ministry owns the church. Period. Point-blank. They can pussy-foot around it, but in cases like what
Ohio outlined above, the issue raises itself in all its blatant ugliness. Who owns the saints? Titus and the GLA, or the Blendeds and Anaheim? Elsewhere in Africa the Brasilian Dong Yu Lan is prying ownership of the territory and its Christian flock. Eventually these competing imperialist strains explode in a colonial war, with unwitting locals being sucked in just as they were 150 years ago when European powers divided the continent.
How does the Church own the people? Simple: they get people to pledge allegiance to the church. "My church, right or wrong". Now you have given the church leaders permission to be wrong, or unrighteous, or unscriptural, or evil, and you are stuck. Because you made a vow to something that is not God. You have given yourself to a church controlled by a ministry controlled by a man. Too bad for you.
(And I ask all those "Church forever" types, why didn't Watchman Nee stay with the Church Forever? Why did he form his own church group? If it is "My church, right or wrong", why did Watchman Nee say, "Wrong church", and leave? Because, "My church right or wrong" is a ruse to keep people in the wrong church, is why.)
The church is any who gather together in the Name. Watchman Nee doesn't have a copywrite on the name, sorry; nor does Living Stream Ministry. No more than the Angicans did before them. People who try to suck others into their imperialistic religious schemes are creating the monstrous "mystery Babylon". Interesting that the LC teaches that this mysterious evil woman, with the appearance of good and the soul full of hell, is the Roman Catholic Church. Because look what they created - a mini-me RCC. The parallels are too striking to ignore.
As I've written previously, at least the outspoken Catholic priest Desiderius Erasmus survived the RCC, though barely. He wouldn't stand a chance in today's LC. He'd probably deride the "one trumpet" edict for what it is, and get shown the door. Only unthinking yes-men are allowed here, thank you very much.
So let's repeat the question, and get our allegiances clear: to whom do we belong - to Anaheim, or Cleveland? Which imperialistic 'Deputy God' throne do we quake before, which earthly satrap with religious coverings, set up by a fellow sinner? Paul perhaps answered it best: "To them we did not yield in subjection for even one hour, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you." (Gal 2:5)
I yielded my soul to the church once, thinking it would solve my problems and set me on the fast track to heaven. It didn't. The church isn't the king; only Jesus is the King. The church is where we gather (and yes I still gather) to acknowledge Jesus as God's Lord and Christ. Peter said this: "God has made Him both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). What church should push this off the table? I say, none. The imperialistic cult of Witness Lee, and his wanna-be demi-god satraps in Anaheim and Cleveland and Estancia Arvore da Vida have done this, and should be called on it.