[manna-man]

Originally Posted by PriestlyScribe

To Witness Lee's credit, once in the late 1990's he did at least admit to having allowed the "spirit" to become the all-important focus, resulting in a serious neglect of the believer's soul and it's need for proper care and shepherding. Here is that portion.

Shepherding the Correct Part of People's Tripartite being: <-- Click Here for audio
"Here I like to say a little word, we have learned from the past, we thought we should shepherd people's spirit. Right? Because we stress people's spirit so much, and then we tell people to reject the soul, and that, that is not so right. Today the saint's problem is with their soul. Of course you may say, if their spirit is strong there will be no problem! But how could their spirit be strong, when they have a lot of things in their soul? So we have to learn how to shepherd their soul, how to touch their soul."
[Witness Lee - ''The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups'' - Pg77, Tape 9FVGT08 - Living Stream Ministry]

The document link above contains several audio clips that are worth hearing. It seems that back in 1943 [In Chefoo] there was a much clearer understanding of the need to shepherd the saints souls.

But to my registration, no leaders ever responded to Witness Lee's weak late nineties word of correction. The predominate focus on the spirit and the resulting soul neglect and abuse continued much as it had been before he ever spoke this warning.

You can find additional items regarding this problem at my site www.Shepherding.org

P.S.

Great post PS!


It's amazing how we humans can get so caught up in messages from a single source. Many of the saints throughout Christianity are guilty of this.
This is why we/they are suffering from the condition of Psycho-stagnation!

It is so clear in the scriptures (John 13 vs. 12-17) that we must take care of the needs of each other and the lost. Not by literally washing ones feet but meeting there physical and spiritual needs by the cleansing power of The Word and by the everyday caring/loving for the actual needs of the sheep "By His Leading."

How could any group go so long and miss that?
How is it that when WL did speak on that topic nothing happened?

Answer: They the saints were closed/to busy to hear anything else but that which came out of a brothers mouth!

What a shame!

Not that these ones were listening, but that they made a conscious choice to only receive insight from one gift of God. When God had provided so much through all of us gifts. This then caused the whole situation to mutate into something very shallow and dangerous! This behavior can only be likened to one thing.

"Stampeding!"

Here's some verses to consider:

Ezekiel:
17 " 'As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

We as Christians need to become more aware that when we serve The Lord it is no small matter! Where we step and how we step has the potential to affect others in a serious way.

We should also remember how great a Savior/Shepherd we have and not take Him for granted but lean on Him for our every need.

We must also be open to all The Lord has provided.(Every Christian great or small!) otherwise we will reap the fruits of our carelessness and find ourselves eating from the trampled pastures and muddy waters that we treaded through.

In Short, Psychological Damage in the LC and everywhere is caused by looking before leaping and not considering the cost.