Quote:
Originally Posted by countmeworthy
The problem I had...and many of us had with Brother Lee's criticism of Christianity is he rarely had any good words to say about Christians outside 'the recovery'. Oh..he'd say, once in a while, there are true believers outside 'the recovery' but they didn't see the matter of 'the Lord's move' today.
By & large, Lee had a way of disassociating the 'lord's recovery' from fellowshipping with other Christians. When people came into the 'lord's recovery' from a denomination or a Pentecostal church, they jumped in to criticize where they came from...much like I did ..
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Remember the Lord's word in Matthew 5:23-26: "If you have anything against your brother, leave your gift, first go and be reconciled, and then come forward to offer your gift."
I think that there is a two-fold problem with the 'anointing' here, as it relates to our history among the local churches. First, we can pray and praise and minister, and surely we desire God to add His anointing to our efforts.
But if we are critical of our brethren in faith, pointing out their faults and begrudging their gifts, then it becomes problematic for God to anoint us.
And even moreso, secondly, if we refuse to be reconciled with our former fellow-workers who are not 'absolute' enough for our present doings, which we assume to be God's sole move on the earth today, and instead we come and offer our gift (of praises) with a line of unreconciled brethren outside, I don't think God can really accept that gift.
This (LSM) ministry, in my view, has a legacy of unreconciled relationships. My thought is that if we really desire the anointing, we must first be reconciled with our brothers and sisters. I know that I myself can be tempted toward inflammatory rhetoric. It is soooo easy to see the splinter in the others' eyes! But instead we see 2 Tim. 2:25
"...in meekness (gentleness) correcting those caught in contradiction..."
I hope that I will remember to discuss the truth like a lion (strongly) but behave towards others like a lamb (gently). Then, I hope that the blessing (anointing) might be there. To strive with one another over anything, however biblical or scriptural it may seem, is vain.
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment than ran down..." (Ps 133). In spite of the many "turmoils" and "rebellions", in spite of the dissociations from the GLAs and now the Brazilians, this promise still holds.
In my time among the LCs, I don't remember very much a spirit of reconciliation towards those who are 'different', or thos who oppose, but rather a pronounced 'adversarial spirit'. However, when I observe that those meeting there are afllicted thus, I myself must beware, lest I become adversarial, as well.