Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - The Vision of the Age, the Ministry of the Age, and the Minister of the Age

Indiana · 12-28-2017, 03:39 PM

http://lordsrecovery.us/uploads/3/4/...rychurches.pdf

EXCERPT

Global Authority of the Blended Co-workers

In conjunction with their concept that they are the true church on a proper ground of oneness, possessing and ministering the “up-to-date speaking” of the Lord, the blended co-workers (Brother We) assert that they are the global authority over “the local churches”, having received the mantle personally from Brother Lee. However, when the blending brothers took the unprecedented step in “the Lord’s recovery” to draw a line in the sand with the One Publication Proclamation, the Body of Christ reacted and a big turmoil ensued.

David Canfield

The Present Turmoil in the Churches, 2006

“I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the
calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, bearing one another in love, being diligent to keep the oneness
of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: One Body and one Spirit, even as
also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all
(Eph. 4:1-6). These items alone are the factors of the genuine oneness.

The Practical Result of “Publication Work”: A Sectarian Oneness

“In contrast, by making such a great issue of their “one publication” theory and attempting to monopolize the ministry in the Lord’s recovery, the blending brothers are indeed seeking, whether intentionally or not, to make us a sect according to their ministry. How can we say otherwise if, in practice, that is the only ministry we are allowed to receive? Regardless of what we call it, it is still a sect.

Watchman Nee states:

What havoc has been wrought in the Church because so many of her ministers have sought to bring the churches under their ministry, rather than by their ministry serve the churches. As soon as the churches are brought under any ministry, they cease to be local and become sectarian….

“The worker to whom God has given fresh light upon His truth should encourage all who receive that truth to swell the ranks of the local church, not to range themselves around him. Otherwise, the churches will be made to serve the ministry, not the ministry the churches, and the “churches” established will be ministerial “churches,” not local ones.

The sphere of a church is not the sphere of any ministry, but the
sphere of the locality. Wherever ministry is made the occasion for the forming of a church, there you have the beginning of a new denomination.” (The Normal Christian Church Life, p138-139, Nee).

D. Canfield continues,

“Closely related to this matter is that of becoming a sect according to a particular teaching. Even the best teachings, including the “high-peak” doctrines, can make us a sect if we overly stress them. In the same book Watchman Nee warns us of this very thing:

“The whole thought [of the Greek word for “heresies” in Galatians 5:20; “sects” in the RcV] is not of the difference between truth and error, but of division based upon doctrine. My teaching may be right or it may be wrong, but if I make it a cause of division, then I am guilty of the “heresy” spoken of here….God forbids any division on doctrinal grounds…. If a group of believers split off from a local church in their zeal for certain teaching according to the Word of God, the new “church” they establish may have more scriptural teaching, but it could never be a scriptural church.

If we wish to maintain a scriptural position, then we must see to it that the churches we found in various places only represent localities, not doctrines. If our “church” is not separated from other children of God on the ground of locality alone, but stands for the propagation of some particular doctrine, then we are decidedly a sect, however true to the Word of God our teaching may be… (Normal Christian Church Life, pp. 113-114).

“And in another statement that seems almost prophetic in light of today’s situation, he says:

"Whenever a special leader, or a specific doctrine, or some experience, or creed, or organization, becomes a center for drawing together the believers of different places, then because the center of such a church federation is other than Christ, it follows that its sphere will be other than local. And whenever the divinely-appointed sphere of locality is displaced by a sphere of human invention, there the divine approval cannot rest. The believers within such a sphere may truly love the Lord, but they have another center apart from Him, and it is only natural that the second center becomes the controlling one…. The center always determines the sphere, and the second center creates a sphere which divides those who attach themselves to it from those who do not. Anything that becomes a center to unite believers of different places will create a sphere which includes all believers who attach themselves to that center and excludes all who do not. This dividing line will destroy the God-appointed boundary of locality, and consequently destroy the very nature of the churches of God…. There are no other churches in Scripture but local churches! (The Normal Christian Church Life, pp. 92-93) END (Excerpts from The Present Turmoil among the Churches November 9, 2006)

Distinguishing Themselves

But, such vision only lasted until the leadership “sought to bring the churches under the ministry” of a special leader and to establish his ministry stations in several key localities.

This took place in 1974, and began a more secure uniting of the “believers of different places” under one ministry. Brother Lee chose a brother, Max Rapoport, to assist him in the coordination of the churches into one new man.

Then in 1986 a pledge was signed by elders and co-workers world-wide to follow this special leader: n
“…We further agree to practice the recovery one in: teaching, practice, thinking, speaking, essence, appearance, and expression. We repudiate all differences among the churches, and all indifference toward the ministry, the ministry office, and the other churches. We agree that the church in our place be identical with all the local churches throughout the earth….
Further, their message in print in 2005 about having one publication – composed only of
materials by Nee and Lee – delineates them, creating “a sphere which divides those who
attach themselves to it from those who do not.” (The Normal Christian Church Life, pp. 92-93)

The “local churches” have distinguished themselves from the rest of the Body of Christ and
have brought the churches under the ministry of a special leader to form their church life.
And, “Wherever ministry is made the occasion for the forming of a church, there you have the
beginning of a new denomination.” (The Normal Christian Church Life, p138-139, Nee)
.
Again, Nee’s statement, “What havoc has been wrought in the Church because so many of
her ministers have sought to bring the churches under their ministry, rather than by their
ministry serve the churches. As soon as the churches are brought under any ministry, they
cease to be local and become sectarian… (The Normal Christian Church Life, p138-139, Nee).

What havoc indeed! “And, the ‘churches’ established will be ministerial ‘churches,’ not local ones.” (pp138-139, Nee)

The “ministry materials” given in all the above references was to be a safeguard for the churches from turmoil and a guideline to keep them in the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. But the leadership has paid no attention to the safeguard, the guideline, or the warnings by Nee, and also by Lee, trampling underfoot such fellowship and, thus setting up the conditions for, and the causes of, turmoil and division.

12-28-2017, 03:39 PM	#533
Indiana Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 707	Re: Ministry Churches http://lordsrecovery.us/uploads/3/4/...rychurches.pdf EXCERPT Global Authority of the Blended Co-workers In conjunction with their concept that they are the true church on a proper ground of oneness, possessing and ministering the “up-to-date speaking” of the Lord, the blended co-workers (Brother We) assert that they are the global authority over “the local churches”, having received the mantle personally from Brother Lee. However, when the blending brothers took the unprecedented step in “the Lord’s recovery” to draw a line in the sand with the One Publication Proclamation, the Body of Christ reacted and a big turmoil ensued. David Canfield The Present Turmoil in the Churches, 2006 “I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing one another in love, being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:1-6). These items alone are the factors of the genuine oneness. The Practical Result of “Publication Work”: A Sectarian Oneness “In contrast, by making such a great issue of their “one publication” theory and attempting to monopolize the ministry in the Lord’s recovery, the blending brothers are indeed seeking, whether intentionally or not, to make us a sect according to their ministry. How can we say otherwise if, in practice, that is the only ministry we are allowed to receive? Regardless of what we call it, it is still a sect. Watchman Nee states: What havoc has been wrought in the Church because so many of her ministers have sought to bring the churches under their ministry, rather than by their ministry serve the churches. As soon as the churches are brought under any ministry, they cease to be local and become sectarian…. “The worker to whom God has given fresh light upon His truth should encourage all who receive that truth to swell the ranks of the local church, not to range themselves around him. Otherwise, the churches will be made to serve the ministry, not the ministry the churches, and the “churches” established will be ministerial “churches,” not local ones. The sphere of a church is not the sphere of any ministry, but the sphere of the locality. Wherever ministry is made the occasion for the forming of a church, there you have the beginning of a new denomination.” (The Normal Christian Church Life, p138-139, Nee). D. Canfield continues, “Closely related to this matter is that of becoming a sect according to a particular teaching. Even the best teachings, including the “high-peak” doctrines, can make us a sect if we overly stress them. In the same book Watchman Nee warns us of this very thing: “The whole thought [of the Greek word for “heresies” in Galatians 5:20; “sects” in the RcV] is not of the difference between truth and error, but of division based upon doctrine. My teaching may be right or it may be wrong, but if I make it a cause of division, then I am guilty of the “heresy” spoken of here….God forbids any division on doctrinal grounds…. If a group of believers split off from a local church in their zeal for certain teaching according to the Word of God, the new “church” they establish may have more scriptural teaching, but it could never be a scriptural church. If we wish to maintain a scriptural position, then we must see to it that the churches we found in various places only represent localities, not doctrines. If our “church” is not separated from other children of God on the ground of locality alone, but stands for the propagation of some particular doctrine, then we are decidedly a sect, however true to the Word of God our teaching may be… (Normal Christian Church Life, pp. 113-114). “And in another statement that seems almost prophetic in light of today’s situation, he says: "Whenever a special leader, or a specific doctrine, or some experience, or creed, or organization, becomes a center for drawing together the believers of different places, then because the center of such a church federation is other than Christ, it follows that its sphere will be other than local. And whenever the divinely-appointed sphere of locality is displaced by a sphere of human invention, there the divine approval cannot rest. The believers within such a sphere may truly love the Lord, but they have another center apart from Him, and it is only natural that the second center becomes the controlling one…. The center always determines the sphere, and the second center creates a sphere which divides those who attach themselves to it from those who do not. Anything that becomes a center to unite believers of different places will create a sphere which includes all believers who attach themselves to that center and excludes all who do not. This dividing line will destroy the God-appointed boundary of locality, and consequently destroy the very nature of the churches of God…. There are no other churches in Scripture but local churches! (The Normal Christian Church Life, pp. 92-93) END (Excerpts from The Present Turmoil among the Churches November 9, 2006) Distinguishing Themselves But, such vision only lasted until the leadership “sought to bring the churches under the ministry” of a special leader and to establish his ministry stations in several key localities. This took place in 1974, and began a more secure uniting of the “believers of different places” under one ministry. Brother Lee chose a brother, Max Rapoport, to assist him in the coordination of the churches into one new man. Then in 1986 a pledge was signed by elders and co-workers world-wide to follow this special leader: n “…We further agree to practice the recovery one in: teaching, practice, thinking, speaking, essence, appearance, and expression. We repudiate all differences among the churches, and all indifference toward the ministry, the ministry office, and the other churches. We agree that the church in our place be identical with all the local churches throughout the earth…. Further, their message in print in 2005 about having one publication – composed only of materials by Nee and Lee – delineates them, creating “a sphere which divides those who attach themselves to it from those who do not.” (The Normal Christian Church Life, pp. 92-93) The “local churches” have distinguished themselves from the rest of the Body of Christ and have brought the churches under the ministry of a special leader to form their church life. And, “Wherever ministry is made the occasion for the forming of a church, there you have the beginning of a new denomination.” (The Normal Christian Church Life, p138-139, Nee) . Again, Nee’s statement, “What havoc has been wrought in the Church because so many of her ministers have sought to bring the churches under their ministry, rather than by their ministry serve the churches. As soon as the churches are brought under any ministry, they cease to be local and become sectarian… (The Normal Christian Church Life, p138-139, Nee). What havoc indeed! “And, the ‘churches’ established will be ministerial ‘churches,’ not local ones.” (pp138-139, Nee) The “ministry materials” given in all the above references was to be a safeguard for the churches from turmoil and a guideline to keep them in the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. But the leadership has paid no attention to the safeguard, the guideline, or the warnings by Nee, and also by Lee, trampling underfoot such fellowship and, thus setting up the conditions for, and the causes of, turmoil and division.