[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by Drake

UntoHim>". The OFFICIAL, PUBLISHED POSITION of the OFFICIAL leadership in the Local Church Movement is that there is ONE, SINGLE Vision of the Age, there is ONE, SINGLE Ministry of the Age, there is ONE, SINGLE Minister of the Age. All roads lead to Mr. Witness Lee."

Why, I absolutely agree with this statement! (well,...without the CAPS). That is what I have been saying all along...... as follows:

The starting point is the vision of the age... the vision presented in the New Testament which becomes a governing vision and a vision to obey to whom it is revealed. The ministry of the age is for the vision of the age. Ministry follows vision as the means to fulfill the vision. Paul was captured by the vision of Christ and the Church and he became a minister of Spirit and life to build the Body of Christ. Paul in the 1st century was the lead in the ministry of the age. He was in his time and place the minister of the age and established local churches as testimonies and visible expressions of the one unique universal Body of Christ.

The vision Paul dedicated his life to is still the same New Testament vision today. The ministry of Spirit and life is still the same ministry of the age today. God works through men to carry out his ministry and for 2000 years and in any given place and time He works through vessels of mercy of His choosing. Church history shows this clearly. All those that God works through are imperfect vessels, nevertheless, He chooses whomsoever He wills. Luther was imperfect yet God worked through him to recover the Bible for the common man and the truth of justification by faith. Many servants to numerous to name here God worked through to restore something lost since the first century. They were not perfect men but nevertheless, they were useful and important in their place and time. In the past century the Lord worked through two brothers to lead and recover the practice of the church life to build the Body of Christ through the local churches to facilitate His return and establish His kingdom on earth. Like the men God used before them they too were imperfect. Nevertheless, God uses whomever He wills and these two servants from China were faithful to their special calling from the Lord. Through them many have seen the New Testament vision and the ministry that can fulfill that vision, And yes, if the Lord shows someone that the vision of the age is to build the Body of Christ, and if they believe that ministry of the age is to use local churches to accomplish the vision, then either logic, history, or revelation from God will also show that brothers Watchman Nee and Witness Lee were the two vessels that He selected for that special calling. If someone disagrees with the vision or that there is one, if someone disagrees with our defintion of the ministry of the New Testament to accomplish the vision, or if someone disagrees that brothers Watchman Nee or Witness Lee were servants used by God for this purpose then that is between them and the Lord. If someone is without sin and perfect then before the Lord let them cast stones at God's imperfect servants. That also is a matter between them and the Lord that will be settled at His Bema.

Drake

If this is the case then why do we need a special loyalty pledge to Witness Lee? If the vision is the same as the NT then Baptism and the Lord's table should be sufficient.