Now's good - byHismercy

[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

I also seemed to have missed the "much discussion" segment of the Acts 15 conference details. Under Lee's ministry it was presented to us as "bad James" and thank God Peter woke up from his "Jewish slumber" to hit a home run for our team. We missed the value of "much discussion." It never fit into the "MOTA model." Paul, the first Protestant MOTA, was supposed to give us a word while everyone else obeyed.

In addition to the "much discussion" in v 7 (NIV), look at the decisionmaking process alluded to in verse 22:

"Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men. . ."

It doesn't say that one super-apostle decided something, but that a group of peers decided something together. I've told this story before, but it bears repeating: one of my elders tried to give a conference on one of Witness Lee's books. He was shut down by Anaheim. "Re-speak the latest conference".

Collective decision-making was foreign to this culture. It was top-down fiat.

I spent several years immersed in the LC, and learned first-hand their zeal, their dedication to their cause. But the cause for me is to tell the gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and the forgiveness and eternal life available in his name. The Little Flock/Local Church gave me "truths" like: one apostle per age (an indefensible joke); one church per city (not true if ekklesia means a 'meeting' like the NT shows [see e.g., Acts 19:41]); the "intensified Christ for the degraded church" (doubtful if there were seven lamps of fire already burning before the ark in Moses' vision - "see that you build all things according to the vision given you on the holy mountain"); and "God's economy" (the only time Jesus spoke on 'oikonomeia' it was typically translated stewardship [Luke 16:2], as in 'responsibility', not 'dispensing').