Quote:
Originally Posted by Elden1971
No man is the sole depository of God's truth.
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Jesus Christ alone posesses the 'ministry of the age'; both this age and every age which is to come. Jesus alone may be characterized as the "faithful Witness" (Rev 1:5); no one else should be taken at face value but should be tested. Anyone who presumes a pride of place within this ministry, on this side of the Bema (i.e. 'Judgment seat': see e.g. 2 Cor 5:10 & Rom 4:10) is arguably self-deceived. Jesus counseled to take the lowest place.
I've been in meetings where there was 'no one in charge', and we all found a happy spontaneous order. Everyone has gifts and when they are exercised a marvelous testimony emerges. One has a gift, one has a teaching, one has an encouragement, one has a discernment, one has a prophecy. Many 'local church' meetings were like this. It was attractive and pleasant, and probably because it was pleasing to the Father.
But I have been in many meetings where we waited for the delegated 'leader' to take his place at the head of the meeting and the difference was striking.
I am not for abolishing all titles and positions; rather that to the extent that we require them, in the name of 'good order in the church', or in WN's parlance 'the normal christian church life', we risk pushing aside the Spirit sent by Jesus and suffer commensurate loss.
Mr. Nee may have sincerely believed that his organizational arrangement would better serve the Lord to evangelize China, and beyond. But I argue his scheme was as Peter's: "Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let's build three booths: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. I will set up a gate and I and James and John will only allow those whom we deem proper to come in and fellowship. On our terms."
God has His terms. His term is His Son, Jesus. We also have our terms, in which we continually attempt an overlay. To the extent we stubbornly continue to do this, we suffer commensurate loss. Jesus left us with His Spirit of grace. To look to any earthly leader as the mediatory channel of said grace is to arguably miss the point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elden1971
Christ is the answer to every question and the solution to every problem.
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There is one High Priest standing before the throne, pleading His blood for us all. The rest of us, and I stress
all of us, are each the proverbial "Small Potato" of Mr. Lee's rhetoric. Yet each one is gifted in some way, to benefit the body of assembled believers. Lee's error was to attempt to interpose his ministry between the High Priest and the believers. To me it's no wonder that consequently we repeatedly heard about "the new way" or "the vital groups" or some other scheme to attract our attention.
In all these "teachings" and "flows" and "moves of the Lord" and "feelings of the Body" we were distracted and separated from our Head. We lost sight of the High Priest as we accepted some lesser alternative. And again we suffered commensurately.
To show how corrupted their thinking had become, the Blendeds declared, upon WL's passing, that the age of the Great Leader was over and the age of Small Potatos had begun. No man was worthy to step into the shoes of the Apostle and only curators of the Great one's legacy could function, as his flag-wavers.
To which I would reply that the age of the Great Men began with Jesus Christ, and it ends with the same. No other man (or woman) can take this place. In the church there is only one Great Man. There is only one High Priest. The rest of us are as dust, sinful and redeemed by God's grace.
To which the natural question, raised repeatedly in the gospels and continually ever since, is, Who gets to sit at the right hand? Who is on the left? And who sits next to the Right Hand man, and so on? Notice Jesus never answered that directly. He will do so at the Judgment seat, and not before. Paul's dictum of "some as apostles, prophets, and teachers" did not overturn this, and will not. Paul's teachings must be subordinate to Jesus' teachings, not vice versa. Paul would never suborn the Master. He would never approve of using his epistles to do so. Why be so fooled, into trying?