Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
So I thank Evangelical for pointing out the error in Witness Lee's church. This has also resolved the burning question of locality. The two or three (and that could be two or three hundred) refer to any and all possible localities whereas the "church" refers to the body of believers universally that represent "the kingdom of heaven". The oneness of the two is also indicated. If they are both one in the decision so that what is bound is also bound in the Church and what is loosed is also loosed in the universal church then this indicates the two are in oneness.
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This has wide-ranging applications.
Matt 18 says that whenever 2 or 3 gather together in the Lord's name they can bind and loose, and what they bind and loose on Earth will be what has been bound and loosed in Heaven.
Matt 18 also says that if this offending brother refuses to listen to the two or three they are to "tell it to the church" referring to their judgement (binding or loosing).
It also says "and if" indicating that the church is not a mindless rubber stamp to these two or three but rather can view this carefully and make their own determination. The decision of the church is also referred to as "will be bound in heaven". The church is the kingdom of the heavens.
So let's consider the case where JI came to RG and BP about PL. Ray and Benson claimed that PL's profligacy as President of LSM was "a local matter". There is no basis at all for this claim in Matt 18. JI was well represented as a group of at least 2-3 meeting in the name of the Lord. He had the right to then tell Ray and Benson (two other leaders in the recovery who were very actively involved with LSM).
This is not a blanket rule. I can definitely see a basis for brothers in the initial phase of examining the offenses of a brother to recuse themselves for various reasons. But there is no basis to claim that something like this "is a local matter". There is also no basis for the church to refuse to hear these two. The only consideration is that the offending brother might take that route. What Ray and Benson did was to make themselves one with PL's sins.