Any ex members in London?

Hi Mary,

I am currently a member of the LC and I would like to try and answer your questions the best that I can because I do feel that you are genuinely asking these questions without any animosity.

1. There are true believers outside of the LC...I am not sure where this idea comes from - that we are the only genuine church and that we are the only true believers. We stand on the Word of God - he who has the life of God is a child of God. That is a fact. We are open to have fellowship with all believers. We can learn a lot by fellowshipping with other believers.

2. What do you mean by "relevant?" I just want to make sure I understand correctly how you are using this term.

3. Many books by different Christian authors have been recommended to me by other members, but I can see why one would think that LSM books are the only ones that are recommended. Personally, I enjoy the writings of Witness Lee (and also Watchman Nee) because I do get nourished after reading them and has been a huge factor in my growth as a Christian.

4. I have never heard any members say those words.

5. When used in that way, religion here refers to teachings that distract us from the enjoyment of Christ. We need to know the doctrinal teachings, but those teachings should help us enter into the subjective experiences of Christ. For example, where my husband comes from, the culture there is widely Christian. And I say culture because although they may not be practicing their faith, they uphold certain Christian practices that have become incorporated into their every day life. One of them is observing the Sabbath on Sundays. So they literally go to church, eat lunch, and take a nap. Any activity is frowned upon. My husband's father likes to mow the grass on Sunday afternoons, and because of that, his neighbors perceive him to be "breaking the Sabbath" and are hesitate to have fellowship with him and his wife. They feel like they are 2nd-tier Christians because of this. This example may be elementary, but it's what I could think of to illustrate this matter of religion. They use the doctrinal teaching of observing the Sabbath to judge others and hold them to the law. This is religion. This is a small example, but this is the first one that came to my mind.

I know I may not have adequately answered your questions, but if you have more, please ask. Maybe someone else will have a better way of answering them. Hope this helps!