New Here

[kentathen]

Hey all,

I've never been in the LC personally, but have a fair amount of extended family who have been, and a few who still are. I meet with Christians in a home-group fellowship, and recently we've come into contact with the LSM-affiliated group in our town. They're good believers, but have the peculiar mannerisms that I recognize from those in my own family that have been in the movement. I'm not sure how die-hard they are, and if they are open to fellowship in Christ that isn't just reading through WL commentaries, our group is open to having further fellowship. I'd love to benefit from the wisdom of some who have been in the movement themselves in the past.

Thanks!
Kent

[aron]

Hi Kent & welcome. Long-time poster here; was in the LSM/lc immersively for a half-dozen years then trailed off. My disillusionment was two-fold: first that we sat around all day in meetings going over the supposed riches of the ministry, yet our actual impact on the surrounding community was almost nil. Contrast that to the gospels & book of Acts.

Second, and related, I never got healed of my problems & issues. I temporarily avoided them by jumping up and shouting (and it did feel good, for awhile, until it began to feel contrived), but never really got released.

So I moved on.

But I was treated well and thankfully didn't get the hard-core "You will take my personality as your own" stuff that some others experienced.

Overall, I'd recommend avoiding them. They will insinuate themselves into the weaker members of your group, until either it's split or completely taken over. For corroboration, read the letter on Jane Anderson's "Thread of gold" website from a brother in India. The supposed openness is just a ruse to get you to open to them. They actually have no interest in any experiences of Christ apart from the "ministry" LSM/lc control.

[aron]

Originally Posted by aron

Overall, I'd recommend avoiding them. They will insinuate themselves into the weaker members of your group, until either it's split or completely taken over. For corroboration, read the letter on Jane Anderson's "Thread of gold" website from a brother in India. The supposed openness is just a ruse to get you to open to them. They actually have no interest in any experiences of Christ apart from the "ministry" LSM/lc control.

Here's the link:

http://www.thethreadofgold.com/Feedback--India.html

[kentathen]

Thanks you guys. That really is helpful. I'll check out the link you posted. Right now there's only been one-on-one fellowship. We'll definitely keep your warnings in mind.

[HERn]

My wife and I were introduced into the recovery by some close relatives during a time in our christian life where we had lost respect of the organized church and where warmly atracted into a system the seemed to have no clergy or controlling brothers, only dear saints enjoying the Lord. That turned to be a major deception because they did have deacons and elders in each church that carefully obeyed the leading from the so-called being blended brothers, those that supervised the elders and deacons in the churches.

[kentathen]

Originally Posted by HERn

My wife and I were introduced into the recovery by some close relatives during a time in our christian life where we had lost respect of the organized church and where warmly atracted into a system the seemed to have no clergy or controlling brothers, only dear saints enjoying the Lord. That turned to be a major deception because they did have deacons and elders in each church that carefully obeyed the leading from the so-called being blended brothers, those that supervised the elders and deacons in the churches.

I would be interested to find out if after having left the LC, have you looked for/found any fellowship similar to what you were hoping to find when you first came into the LC? I've found some, sadly very few, groups who do seem to truly follow the leading of the Lord in a corporate way, without a hidden "clergy" or system that's really organizing things from behind the scenes. I'd be interested in what yours and other people's experience has been.

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by kentathen

Hey all,

I've never been in the LC personally, but have a fair amount of extended family who have been, and a few who still are. I meet with Christians in a home-group fellowship, and recently we've come into contact with the LSM-affiliated group in our town. They're good believers, but have the peculiar mannerisms that I recognize from those in my own family that have been in the movement. I'm not sure how die-hard they are, and if they are open to fellowship in Christ that isn't just reading through WL commentaries, our group is open to having further fellowship. I'd love to benefit from the wisdom of some who have been in the movement themselves in the past.

Thanks!
Kent

Nice to meet you, Kent. The brothers and sisters you have met will probably be very sweet people who love the Lord and are well-intentioned (if misguided). You have an advantage in your interaction with them knowing some information about the group and how it operates. Depending on how you came into contact with this congregation, they may have the hope that your home-church will see the vision and "take this way." So, bear that in mind. The structure and practice of LC congregations often becomes more relaxed the further you get away from Anaheim (at least in many places in North America), but at the end of the day, it will always be about Witness Lee. They will expect members to read Witness Lee every morning for their morning devotional ("Holy Word for Morning Revival"), fellowship over Witness Lee material every Friday night in their home meetings, and "prophesy" from Witness Lee's material every Sunday morning. There is room for little else.