Minoru Chen is filled with Witness Lee's spirit?

[UntoHim]

The simple truth is that Minoru is just like all of us....or I should say like many of us use to be. Many of us were captivated by a wonderful vision - Christ and the church. Any thoughts of Asian/Chinese culture, much less any intricate guanxi network, were the farthest thing from our hearts and minds. Everything was so simple - just love the Lord, the saints, and of course - and above all - the church. "God's eternal purpose" guided our every thought, motive and action. What else was worth sacrificing all or our time, energy and emotion for? What else was worth abandoning jobs, careers, friends and even family? Many of us were young and in love - literally babes in the faith, and decidedly blind as a bat in love.

So what happened? Why does Minoru Chen seem so out of touch with the truth, and even reality? Why does he still vehemently deny what all of us now see as plain as day? How is it that speaking the words "I am filled with brother Lee's spirit" seem so offensive, and even patently unchristian to us today? Who changed? Who moved away from "Christ and church"? Well, let me tell you, it is not Minoru who has moved away. He is still there right where we left him - a devout follower of the person and work of Witness Lee. He is still speaking the same language, the same vocabulary. If we are honest with ourselves, back in the day, Minoru's speaking would have been very normal to us. In fact, we would have probably stood up after the message and testified loudly and strongly "Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Oh, Lord Jesus, I too am filled with Witness Lee's spirit!"

My brothers and sisters, there is indeed "a spirit" at work here. It is the very same spirit that has been at work in the Local Church of Witness Lee/Watchman Nee since the beginning. This spirit did not just suddenly appear during the initiation of the "New Way". This spirit did not just suddenly appear during the late 70s during the Max Rapaport/young people fiasco, or when LSM started charging $50 for us to sit in those hard plastic seats for 30 training messages twice a year. This spirit did not just suddenly appear in the move from Elden Hall to Anaheim, or when the Daystar debacle robbed many of the saints of their life savings. This spirit did not just suddenly appear when Witness Lee lied to us gullible Americans by telling us he was leaving a blessed and fruitful work in Taiwan to "bring the Lord's Recovery to the top Christian country on earth". Shall I go on? Shall I relate the multiple testimonies of brothers and sisters in the Far East who could tell us about this spirit at work from the earliest days in mainland China? If Dr. Lily Hsu was willing, I'm sure she could testify and confirm - for now we can just read and weep over the pages of her testimony in My Unforgettable Memories: Watchman Nee and Shanghai Local Church

Does the fact that this spirit has been at work among the leadership in the Local Church movement negate or nullify all the wonderful and glorious things the Lord was able to do in and among us? Well I would say that it neither negates nor nullifies any more than the Children of Israel's disobedience and worship of false God's negated or nullified the promises made to Abraham all those thousands of years ago. The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob blessed and multiplied despite all the sins and despite all the wickedness. Sometimes, many times, maybe even most of the time, God blesses and multiplies not because of man's faithfulness or dutifulness, but in spite of it. And many times he has poured out his Spirit despite our unfaithfulness and despite our sinfulness. In the case of the Local Church, he has poured out a measure of his Spirit and his blessing despite the fact that another spirit has been allowed to work among them. Yes, may God have mercy on us all.
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