Quote:
Originally Posted by Indiana
You asked the ALL-IMPORTANT QUESTION about who would take the table with you in Scottsdale. It's NOT those who chose to "range themselves around a gifted leader" in a universal movement for oneness with a man and a ministry. Witness Lee became a factor of oneness and of division in the churches; and that brother's father was swept away with them to the ground they hold today. It is a special ground, but not the Body ground, which they once had when blessings did abound.
Agreement to follow Witness Lee in the New Way
"Dear Brother Lee. After hearing your fellowship in this elders’ training, we all agree to have a new start in the Lord’s recovery. For this, we all agree to be in one accord and to carry out this new move of the Lord solely through prayer, the Spirit, and the Word. We further agree to practice the recovery one in: teaching, practice, thinking, speaking, essence, appearance, and expression.
We repudiate all differences among the churches, and all indifference toward the ministry office, and the other churches. We agree that the church in our place be identical with all the local churches throughout the earth.
We also agree to follow your leading as the one who has brought us God’s New Testament economy and has led us into its practice. We agree that this leading is indispensable to our oneness and acknowledge the one trumpet in the Lord’s ministry and the one wise
master builder among us...." (1986 letter from 417 elders, intl elders' conf.) |
OK - thanks! That makes it very clear, doesn't it!?
The coordination of man often just kills the Spirit's moving!! I've seen this in various ways big and small. One little instance that brought this home to me, and I truly marveled at it: A brother and I were asked to share a summary of a NT book, after the ekklesia here had spent several weeks going through it. I kept trying to get with the other brother to coordinate our messages, but it just never happened over the course of a couple weeks. He was busy or I was . . . this thing would pop up or some other thing . . . we just couldn't seem to coordinate.
So the Sunday we were supposed to share I just have to give it to Him (what a concept, right?!). We both had our time sharing, not having much of a clue what the other one would discuss. And guess what? IT WAS GLORIOUS! The Spirit spoke through both of us in the most remarkable way, which was PERFECTLY coordinated. It was really edifying to the body. We
never could have orchestrated that, and I was convinced - He knows far, far better how to do things. (FYI - I do a fair amount of public speaking for a living, and know the importance of being prepared, so this lesson was something of a tough one for me - i.e., not preparing so much and letting Him do it!)
But He won't force us. If we say, "We've got this and can coordinate blah blah blah," He will simply let us as if to say, "It's your decision to handle it yourself and I will honor that. Let's see how it all works out."
That applies to the small things and the big things. He will let us do it if we insist.