Quote:
Originally Posted by UntoHim
I would take it one step further and say that neither righteousness nor holiness should ever be sacrificed for the sake of oneness. Unfortunately, the history of the Local Church is replete with examples where righteousness and holiness were sacrificed to maintain and enforce a man-made oneness. As a matter of fact, this became a kind of culture in the movement, so much so that I don't think they even realize it.
It's sort of like how the temple and the rituals became more important to the people than the glory of the Lord that was supposed to fill it. Likewise, the outward, physical “oneness” and the rituals surrounding it have become more important than the righteousness and holiness of the very God who is supposed to be the basis of their oneness.
Even more dangerous, even more hideous is the fact that the oneness has become based upon the person and work of a man and his ministry. All things are to be sacrificed at the altar of being one with this ministry, including righteousness and holiness. May God have mercy.
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Church history shows us that when we obsess with oneness, beyond the commands of scripture, we end up with a distorted man-made oneness which requires corruption and unrighteousness for its maintenance. This form of distorted oneness gets used by corrupt men to lord it over the flock and build their own empires.
The early days of the Recovery in the US did enjoy oneness as a blessing of the Spirit. The move of the Spirit during the so-called "Jesus movement," with the focus on the Person and the work of Christ in our lives, and a return to the pure word of God all facilitated this blessing, which included a blessed oneness among many saints. WL used his association with WN to grab hold of a segment of that movement for his own gains.
WL with his cadre of lackeys corrupted that simplicity which we once enjoyed. He and his ministry became the focus of the saints. Recovery "oneness" became based solely on one's relationship with WL. The oneness of the Spirit was transformed into the oneness of WL and his ministry. Instead of treasuring the word of God, they now treasure the "interpreted word" of the teachings of the ministry.
Look at how this distorted oneness is maintained in the Recovery. Not by love and prayer and the arbitration of the indwelling Spirit, but by political backbiting, lawsuits, and man-pleasing hypocrisy. This is why many of us who have left the Recovery no longer focus on some contrived exhibition of uniformity, but on the reality of kingdom of God, which is based on His righteousness and holiness.