[UntoHim]

I heard a pastor/teacher somewhere say something like "if anyone ever preaches/teaches something you've never heard, or has never been taught by any other teacher, there's a good chance it's not biblical."

At the risk of sounding crass or flippant (UntoHim flippant?....say it ain't so -) I would suggest that the whole notion of Witness Lee's "God's Economy" is simply T.M.I. at best, and actually takes disparate passages of Scripture and attempts to make one, universal theme of the Bible that simply does not exist. No reputable, renown and widely accepted Christian teacher has ever taught such a thing, much less emphasized it in the way that Lee and his followers do.

As with all things Christian, the crux of the matter is the Gospel. The true, irreducible, essential and unadulterated Gospel is altogether God-centered. The center and core is God himself, and his glory, his majesty, his power, his love, his grace, his mercy, his wisdom, his nature, his character, his omnipotence, his omnipresence. Of course all these wonderful things come together in the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The gospel of Witness Lee and the Local Church is altogether man-centered. The core teachings are focused on man. This is how Lee's followers could come up with these unbiblical and absurd lyrics:
O I'm a man —
I'm the meaning of the universe;
Yes, I'm a man —
I'm the meaning of the universe.
God made me such,
I am so much;
I'm the center and the meaning of the universe.

No, my dear Local Church brothers and sisters, you are not the center and the meaning of the universe. Since the beginning God's enemy has attempted to get man to think he is indeed the center and the meaning of the universe. Satan's first declaration to Eve: "God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:4) "You will be like God" - You will be the center and meaning of the universe! "God made me such, I am so much". Actually we were made from the dust of the ground. And because of our disobedience at the Fall: "for you are dust, and to dust you shall return". God in his wisdom and mercy would not let man remain forever in this this fallen state. God would not allow man to consider himself the center and the meaning of the universe.

And this is where the Gospel actually starts. God's first act of redemption was to rescue man from spending eternity considering himself the meaning and the center of the universe. Since God called out Abraham, when God's people have ever considered themselves anything more than lowly creatures made from the dust of the ground, disaster has ensued. God ended up sending prophet after prophet to remind the Children of Israel. Sometimes he even sent the heathens - the unbelievers - to remind them. I am quite certain that the Scribes and Pharisees considered themselves and the religion they invented as the center and the meaning of the universe.

And here we are thousands of years later, and what has been the bane of the existence of God's latter day people here in the age of grace? How could people like Joel Osteen be considered a Christian leader? How can the leading Christian apologist of our generation be found to be a user and abuser of women? How is it that a Local Church elder can use and abuse his wife and children for years without facing discipline or consequences of any kind? How can the "co-worker" who was supposed to be overseeing and protecting the local church members from this evil, unrepentant man, instead turn against the flock and assist the wolf in attacking them further? Shame on them. And shame to many of us for being neglectful and cowardly for not reproving and reminding everyone that we are just dust of the ground.

Yes, God does have an economy - an oikonomia - but I'm afraid that those of us entrusted with the management of this household have messed it up big time. This house is a filthy pigsty. Instead of keeping it neat and clean, we have let it go to hell. We have ignored, abused and abandoned the innocent children of this household, and instead invited in and honored all sorts of people who don't belong. Brothers and sisters, let's not wait for God to have to do the work that we should be doing ourselves. Yes in the end he will clean house: "Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Rev:22:15) But God's house should be a house of prayer. It should be a "safehouse" where the innocent, the wounded and fatherless have a safe haven, and are protected from the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters. Everyone who loves and practices falsehood should be evicted. When this is done maybe the house can be put in order. Maybe God will have his economy then.
-