[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by BreadFish

Hello, everyone, I am from a large city in mainland China and regular attending LC meetings.

I have every reason to believe that this post is indeed coming from a brother/sister in a Local Church in Mainland China.

In every meeting we read the HWMR outlines and repeat the words. We do not read Bible in the meeting but the outlines. My group haven't study even one book of Bible verse by verse in 5 years. The believers here are increasing slowly, many new believers do not want to attend the meeting.

Wow, sounds pretty much like the Local Church of Witness Lee that I came into over 40 years ago in Orange County California! Apparently, the only thing that has changed is that nothing has changed. To be sure, we had some slightly different lingo - We had "the Life Studies" to pray-read instead of HWMR, and we had "home meetings" instead of Vital Groups, etc. "Study one book of the Bible verse by verse"? Who needs that when we have God's very oracle speaking directly to us!

As far as "the believers here are increasing slowly", well that has always been the case in the Local Church since at least the mid to late 70s. Oh I've heard of all the tales of huge numbers coming in the LC during the glory days of the late 60s - early 70s.....but I didn't see it with my own eyes, and the followers of Witness Lee have a long history of exaggerating/fudging with the numbers.

To his credit, Minoru Chen actually admitted that the Local Church here in America has had just about zero growth for the last 40+ years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTihYDJxLmQ&t=4235s

I think there are some problems in the local church:
* Many new believers are not fit in the pray meeting and prophesying meeting. People have to prophesy aloud and shout. In the FTT training, the students are pushed to shout aloud, some brother sisters' throat got hoarse after the meeting. A new believer said she was near to cry not due to the love of Holy Spirit, but the fear atmosphere.

"the fear atmosphere". This atmosphere of fear was created by, and fostered by Witness Lee himself. Now this atmosphere is continued up to this very day by the most fervent and zealous brothers in the movement.

* The group praying is like a pray competition. Anyone doesn't pray fluently in the group will have pressure.

Sound familiar?

* Believers are supplied law more then grace.

Oh, they wouldn't call it "law", they would call it "following the ministry".

* Full of arrogant and proud to other denominations.

How many times can someone hear about "poor, poor, Christianity" before it just becomes an abject fact to them. Of course Local Churchers are ordered not to step foot in any other Christian church, so how could they know otherwise?

* I don't feel real love in the leaders.

The leaders are not there to love you, shepherd you or even teach you the Bible - they are there to promote and disseminate the person and work of Witness Lee. They are simply branch managers of the Living Stream Corporation in Anaheim California. Is the manager of your local McDonalds going to love you or shepherd you? Of course not! He is there to sell you hamburgers and french fries. Likewise, your local elder is there to sell you the person and work of Witness Lee. Sad but true. May God have mercy.
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