[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by OBW

...Actually, the local churches were, by definition, divisive from the beginning. But that division was not as willful or organized in the early days and was therefore somewhat benign. But any time you come into a divided situation and claim to have the answer and that those who follow you are not divided, there is a problem

I'm sure many of you have heard the humorous saying "going to church does not make you a Christian anymore then hanging out in your garage makes you a car".

Since the beginning here in America, Witness Lee and his followers have been putting the cart before the horse. They always want to declare that they are "THE church" before they actually act like the church. You see, the city in which the church meets in is not the ground of the church any more then the meeting hall itself is the church. They are both misnomers. We all know that just because people ignorantly call the building "the church", it does not make the wood, bricks and mortar the household of God or the Body of Christ. Similarly, just because a bunch of Christians move to Anytown USA and then declare that they are "THE church in Anytown", it does not make them the only legitimate Christian church in Anytown. As a matter of fact, such hasty and outrageous claims should call into question the legitimacy of such a group right off the bat.

In any event, this term "the ground of the church" is a man made term based upon a man made concept. It was not used, or even faintly implied, by the Lord Jesus or the scripture writing apostles. Just because the scriptural description and definitions of our oneness were not "practical" enough for Nee and Lee, it did not give them the right to make up all new descriptions and definitions out of thin air. By doing so they are simply dividing the Body of Christ even more.