Quote:
Ohio:
Many other points were made in the recent conference that were also steps in the wrong direction.
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Hey bro Ohio. Good to hear your voice, so to speak.
I attend a Church of Christ assembly, and drums, piano, or any instrument is considered the opposite of worship.
I remember Lee putting the kibosh on drums and tambourines back in the early 70's, when they broke out in Cleveland. That spoke loudly to me. Personally I don't care of the use of instruments or no instruments. I like the enjoyment in the Spirit, which can be found either way.
And in Cleveland I was really enjoying the Spirit. Great meetings. The kind you can't wait to get to. And the drums and tambourines added to it. It wasn't the drums per se, it was the release in the Spirit that mattered. And that was good, and all of it was good, the drums too.
Then Lee's shoe dropped. Next meeting wasn't so good. That's when we were told that Lee said "NO! NO!
During that meeting, I walked out, into the balcony that surrounded the building we were meeting in, on the second floor.
I was eager for another meeting in the spirit, and what I got was authority as thick as butter. It was a real downer, a definite Spirit killer.
I looked out, over the rail on the balcony, and thought : If the Spirit isn't in control, and Lee is, what do we have?
By then I was drinking the kool-aid, and let it go. But the church was different after that. I learned that what Lee said went, even if the Spirit was squelched.
And meetings after that were far and in between that allowed the Spirit freedom. They were precious when they happened. They just didn't happen as often.
If I'm seeking to go with the Spirit, and I have to second guess what Lee wants, thinks, or commands, that's a killer. Probably, in reality, the meetings went on pretty much the same as they always had, but the problem was instilled me, by a new realization. I was changed by the realization that authority came from the "Command Center" way off somewhere ; didn't matter where, just envisioning it was a killer.
So TC is the leading minister. That just extends his reach, and extends the Spirit killing Command Center. If it's a choice between the Spirit and TC, which would you chose? To me TC would be packing sand. But I'm not dependent upon TC, nor anyone else. Let everyone live what he or she sees.
But let me guess. TC's reach didn't kill everyone. Some don't like drums. They're happy, and saying "No Drums! Amen! Amen!" They don't know that by so doing they let something else slip in. They didn't want drums, and were happy, but what they got also was, "Command Center." They'll eventually be sorry for that. It robs the Spirit ; the whole point in going to a meeting. If the Spirit's not there, what point is the meeting, unless we settle for religion, that is. Religion is a drag to me. Want no part of it. Dung is what it seems to me. Arduous. I learn the meaning of eternity trying to sit thru it.
But bro Ohio. We have to grow up. We have to grow to enjoy the Spirit anywhere and everywhere, not just in the meetings. And when we learn that, to hell with non-led Spirit meetings. Who needs 'em?
TC is irrelevant. So are the BBs. I don't owe them nothing, and neither does anyone else. But, to each their own. If you don't like it, leave. Find someplace else. Try your back yard. It's as good as any place.