The Change in Nature of the Lord's Recovery

[Indiana]

The Change in Nature
of the Lord’s Recovery

In a conference given in January this year 2020 in the Philippines, Ron Kangas questioned John Ingalls’ 1989 remark that “the nature of the Lord’s recovery had changed“. Ron forgot to check with the blueprint and the warnings given by brothers Nee and Lee. John Ingalls was there when Witness Lee arrived in the U. S. and laid out the blueprint for the church life in Los Angeles, as Watchman Nee and Witness Lee had practiced in China. These two apostle-like figures were also key in the Philippines to lay out for the saints in Manila a solid foundation to practice the church life.

John Ingalls, Jim Reetzke, and others from 1962 onward were directed by W. Lee toward Christ as the Center – the life, content, and reality of the church, and were given clear scriptural help about “receiving believers only according to God’s receiving, no more, no less, according to Christ Alone. When deviation from this path was taking place, John Ingalls identified it as a “change in nature,” and that is what it was, a change that led the churches onto a path of controversy and confusion; turmoil and division.

Ron Kangas didn’t recognize what John was doing, but John shares in his book what he and others were doing. They were following brother Lee’s own word that if he left the path, they should not follow him, but follow the path. In his final message, Witness Lee again warned about deviating from this path:

This is a lesson for us all. The co-workers in different places need to learn; all responsible brothers in all localities need to learn. The eyes of the brothers and sisters all need to be opened. We have acted wrongly in the past, including me, I have to admit. I have had very painful repentance before the Lord. I am very sorry! I am sorry for the Body of Christ - not only for the brothers and sisters among us, but also for the ones in the denominations. You have to bring this message back and read it over and over again in mutual fellowship. Then you will see we were wrong before. We must learn from our past mistakes to receive people according to God's Son...undeviating… not deviating a bit from the path…”
(LSM translation Feb 1997)

Many changes took place in the late eighties in the Lord’s recovery, and the basic change was the evident “change in the nature” of the recovery itself. An elder in the Northwest inadvertently expressed the essence of that change, declaring in a meeting, “If you are not here for Witness Lee and his ministry, you might as well not be here. There's the door.” The ministry of Witness Lee was promoted to such an extent that it became the primary factor of oneness in the churches, even with brothers making a Pledge to W. Lee, that “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 office, and the other churches. We agree that the church in our place be identical with all the local churches throughout the earth…” (The New Way Pledge of 417 leaders, Feb 1986)

www.JohnIngalls.com

John Ingalls describes in his book the chaotic state of the church life in Anaheim that resulted from the “change in nature.” He draws important attention to a special meeting that was meant to re-establish the standing of the church in Anaheim (1988). But this effort by the elders was met with undaunted opposition to them by supporters of LSM establishment. John Ingalls says, “…we met with the brothers who had signed the letter to us…. During those times the brothers grilled us and accused us in a manner that was quite out-of-character for them. This led us to suspect that they were receiving direction from behind the scenes. (We received a definite report through one of them…that they had met with Brother Lee and talked with him about the Anaheim elders.) The atmosphere in these meetings was tense and oppressive. We felt that it was altogether not profitable…to meet in such a way. The chief spokesman [Carl Althaus] for the brothers said to my face bluntly, emphatically, and with great finality, "We will not follow your direction!" Minoru Chen… strongly confirmed and supported them.” He was a late strategic placement as an “elder” on the Chinese side, fully aligned with the objectives of W. L. and son.

Such are scenes on that path of deviation to which Ron might say, “Doesn’t bother me,” and Minoru, “What a beautiful sight.” (Their more recent remarks on said path.) S. I. 8/2020