[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by aron

The Christ that is the "centrality and universality" of this church-fixated world is not the Jesus of Nazareth of Whom Moses and the prophets wrote, and to Whom Peter and Paul and James and John were discipled. It's not the Christ Whom the Father sent, but rather the Christ whom the self-obsessed church manufactures to justify herself.

This really encapsulates much of went wrong in the Local Church of Witness Lee. Of course there is so much that could be said in this regard, and it would be impossible in just one post, but aron has hit upon the heart of the matter, I believe.

Ironically, Lee's messages on "the Centrality and Universality of Christ" (many from the Collosians Training as I recall) were among the best he ever spoke. I still vividly recall one of those particular messages, now over 30 years ago. The vision of such a Christ was glorious and wonderful. Such teachings focused all our attention on our Lord Jesus, and any thought of "eyeing our own garment" seemed ridiculous.

So how did the centrality and universality of Christ become the centrality and universality of the church? How did the biblical "CHRIST and the church" become "christ and THE CHURCH? How did the biblical "and God created man of the dust of the ground" become "Oh I'm a Man, I’m the center and the meaning of the universe"? No, it did not happen over night. Yet there were warnings to us from without and from within. After decades of these warnings we all found out. God will not be mocked. God will not share his glory with another, not even the Bride, no matter how lovely her garment.