Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Of course. Any bond can be broken. The question is, are you prepared to break it? Are you ready for what comes next? Everything you thought you knew comes apart. If you have "the church" and not "God" as your navigational center, and you let go of the church as the focal point of your universe you will have to find a new God. Or rather, you will have to let God find you, wherever you find yourself. Do you believe God can do that? If you reply 'Yes', then let go.
It seems as if everyone has their own answer to this question. My best attempt at an answer is probably found in the way societies structure themselves. See my comments in "The Asian mind and the Western mind" thread. If you are Asian, you may have some helpful comments from within your own socially-developed understandings that help us with this. Nee & Lee came from a culture that said, "Never question authority." See Nee's writings to the Chinese saints vis-a-vis the newly victorious Communists in the early 1950s. Strict obedience to the state was a given.
Today, of course, absolute submission is dressed up in spiritual garb: "the ministry of the age" and "the Lord's present testimony" and "the oneness of the Body of Christ". But in reality it means one thing: I am the Boss. It is an unquestioned and unchallenged statement, and because it's unquestioned it remains firmly in place. Its very survival depends on its not being questioned. As soon as you begin to critically poke at the underlying assumptions it collapses fairly quickly.
Remember, you didn't go through what you went through, for nothing. God is a businessman, who wants to use your experiences to help others. God has an investment in you. So your journey is not a selfish one, but it is tied up, somehow, with the journeys of many others. Trust God and continue your journey. You are not alone.
If I have learned anything, it is that I am unqualified to serve God. So is your friend "J". Everyone is partly compromised, including Witness Lee. Only Jesus can serve God. So take your eyes off of "J", off of your situation, off of the church as you understand it, off of your history. Watch Jesus. Watch Him carefully.
When Jesus said, "I am the way", He was serious: He is the way. Let go of everything else.
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The more I read your posts, the more I feel that you and brother "J" are much alike in God's life, always willing to help the weak ones like me. Indeed, I am the Asian Mind (haven't read your article yet, will soon) and English is my second language. In a broader sense, it is individualism (western) vs. collectivism (eastern). I remember, my American advisor once asked me a question I'd never forget: "you used "we" quite a bit in your research paper, not "I""? Then, I realized the concept is somehow born to me since I grew up in an eastern environment. So there is the "blended" and "corporate" concept because voting is not allowed. That might also explain a bit why Witness Lee's teaching is quite "followed" by Chinese and Taiwanese. Of course, ethnic factor plays a role too. My friend "J" is a 100% white male, though, a great servant of God. He is probably the only reason I still not renounce my local church affiliation openly, though I don't meet with them anymore. Yes, brother Aron, I will watch Jesus, watch Him carefully, and knowing Him is my way.