Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Considering the prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as in heaven" - Jesus taught that there are indeed "rulers over five cities" and "rulers over ten cities" (Luke 19:17,19). In heaven, God's will is done through deputies, in hierarchy... but on earth, God's will is done by our taking the least place. On earth, Jesus took the least place, because of sin. Paul made this very clear.
Then the self-anointed New Apostle interposed his own fallen human will whilst calling it God's will, and the dupes were happy for a time, with new-found purpose and meaning. "Go out and take the cities of the earth" they were told. "Preach the high peak, recovered truth". Then at some point the New Apostle imposed his admittedly unspiritual son as Office Manager, who then ran roughshod over local church elders and thus "the cities of the earth". What a scam.
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This is probably a crucial point to consider with the New Apostles movement, which arguably includes the LC. "Thy reign come: Thy will come to pass, as in heaven also on the earth." ~Matt 6:10 YLT
God's kingdom come to earth is where His dominion and reign extends. My argument is that the NT, building on the Hebrew scripture (OT) suggests that because of sin, the way home is repentance and faith, followed by humility, self control, and service. Those who believe into Jesus are transferred from one realm to another, and show signs of discipleship by self control, lowering themselves, and doing good to others. Clearly Jesus set the pattern, both in teaching and in works. Those who mouth the faith but don't consistently act accordingly to Jesus' pattern are merely "hearers and not doers" of the word.
Now, the "New Apostle" (NA) comes along, thinking that they're the apostolic channel of God's will on earth, and convinces others to subsume their will to theirs. The NA displays godly attributes and some teaching skills, or healing signs and "charisma", and then the gathering acolytes are taken as "proof" that the divine will rests on this elect vessel. The LC will cite books published and sold, assemblies raised up, training centres created, etc. For a while, those duped think they're onto some special "recovered truth" as the warm fuzzies from following a self-exalted person accomany the act. Their joy and satisfaction at your discipleship and obedience becomes your joy in submission. You then take this transferred, conditional joy as some "latter rain".
But there was a second, crucial, validating aspect of Jesus' ministry: the resurrection from the dead on the third day. This is taken as proof of God's giving him glory. The signs were proof ("if you don't believe me, believe the works" ~John 10:38; 14:11), and the resurrection was the confirmation from God. "And God blessed him, and gave him the name above every name on earth or in heaven, or under the earth, in this age and to come".
No matter how many 'signs' and 'proofs' one exhibits of being a Jesus-follower, even a possibly great one (a "spiritual giant" in LC terms), ultimately one's place is given by God at the end, and not by man today. If it's given by people then sin will at some point interpose itself, and we'll see the result: corruption. A Todd Bentley or a Ted Haggard sins, or David Yonggi Cho or Witness Lee son sins, and then what happens to our NA sand castle? It's ruined.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is proof that "there is one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus", but those who claim on earth today to be apostolic mediators between others and Jesus, or to be"Deputy God" in LC parlance, are making themselves Christ in position if not in title. Witness Lee complained that the Chinese worshiped him as God - well, guess what, he'd set them up. He'd put it into play, and they picked it up and ran with it.