As I've asked before I like to ask again: How many people here who lean toward believing in the local ground teaching have spent any appreciable time praying to God asking Him to shed light on the teaching? And how many simply have taken Lee's doctrine and run with it?
As I've asked before: How many really have a clue as to how to practice this teaching? And how many got that clue from God as a result of praying to him about it?
As I've asked before many times: If there is only one
practical church in the city, where are the practical elders and how do you know who they are?
Even though many local grounders have probably barely prayed about the doctrine, I have to presume that if they moved to a city with two groups claiming to meet "on the ground" they would have no choice but to pray to ask God which one to meet with.
But suppose both you and I prayed and each of us got different leadings as to which group to meet with. Now where does your belief in one practical church stand?
Either:
- I got the wrong leading, in which case you have to form an opinion that I am wrong and therefore divisive.
- You got the wrong leading. (How you resolve that is up to you.)
- There is some third group both of us missed.
- The "truth" of the doctrine is not the truth you thought it was.
A believer in the one practical church per city teaching has no choice but to presume that everyone must be led to meet under the same set of elders. Therefore, he must either reject the leading others get which conflicts with his, or he must put into doubt the whole idea of the veracity of one practical church per city. There is no middle ground.