What is God's Economy?

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

If every believer is part of the one church that Jesus is building why are there so many different churches/denominations?

Because people make the church smaller than what it is. And that is exactly what you are doing.

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by Koinonia

Because people make the church smaller than what it is. And that is exactly what you are doing.

I agree there should be no boundaries or divisions between believers. That's why I'm in the Recovery today.

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

I agree there should be no boundaries or divisions between believers. That's why I'm in the Recovery today.

As a believer, you are in Christ and in the church. That's all there is.

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by Koinonia

As a believer, you are in Christ and in the church. That's all there is.

Spiritually, I agree, but practically it should match this spiritual fact. So we should not be in any sort of "ism". If we attend Catholic mass every Sunday for example, we are in Catholicism. We are not just in Christ and "the church" but also in Catholicism. If we are in a house church movement, we are in house-churchism.

We are also in a country with authorities, laws etc, in families, we can be "in ourselves". There's many other things we can be in besides Christ as long as we are on Earth. In future we will be in the New Jerusalem, that's another thing we can be in.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

Spiritually, I agree, but practically it should match this spiritual fact. So we should not be in any sort of "ism". If we attend Catholic mass every Sunday for example, we are in Catholicism. We are not just in Christ and "the church" but also in Catholicism. If we are in a house church movement, we are in house-churchism.

So, great logic here Evangelical, if we gather every week to read Lee's messages, then we are in Lee-ism.

That is the spiritual fact. The Bible says you are "of Lee."

I do believe you are slowly catching on.

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Ohio

So, great logic here Evangelical, if we gather every week to read Lee's messages, then we are in Lee-ism.

That is the spiritual fact. The Bible says you are "of Lee."

I do believe you are slowly catching on.

And Evangelical, you identified yourself as being "in the Recovery" ("That's why I'm in the Recovery today.")

Which is an 'ism' if ever there was one.

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by Koinonia

And Evangelical, you identified yourself as being "in the Recovery" ("That's why I'm in the Recovery today.")

Which is an 'ism' if ever there was one.

That's not my identity that's the process I am in, the Lord's recovery.

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by Ohio

So, great logic here Evangelical, if we gather every week to read Lee's messages, then we are in Lee-ism.

That is the spiritual fact. The Bible says you are "of Lee."

I do believe you are slowly catching on.

Ohio,

That's as logical as saying if we gather together every week to read the bible we are in bible-ism. Or if we gather together for the Lord's table we are in Lord's-table-ism.

That is not a spiritual fact, you don't say too many spiritual facts I have noticed.

The spiritual fact is what Koinonia said:

As a believer, you are in Christ and in the church.

We gather together not to read Lee's messages but to grow in Christ and do the things Christ told us to (remember Him in the Lord's table).

We do not say "I follow Lee" and we do not (or should not) even say "I follow Christ", for that would be divisive.

We are of Christ because we as believers are positionally in Christ and have been baptized in Christ's name.

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

Ohio,

That's as logical as saying if we gather together every week to read the bible we are in bible-ism. Or if we gather together for the Lord's table we are in Lord's-table-ism.

That is not a spiritual fact, you don't say too many spiritual facts I have noticed.

The spiritual fact is what Koinonia said:

As a believer, you are in Christ and in the church.

We gather together not to read Lee's messages but to grow in Christ and do the things Christ told us to (remember Him in the Lord's table).

We do not say "I follow Lee" and we do not (or should not) even say "I follow Christ", for that would be divisive.

We are of Christ because we as believers are positionally in Christ and have been baptized in Christ's name.

That would all be very nice, if it were true. I have heard many LC members, including top coworkers, boldly declare that they follow Lee. On more than one occasion, I have heard Ron Kangas boldly and defiantly declare, "I am not ashamed to say that I follow a man."

During the Summer Training of 2015, I heard RK decry certain Christians for referring to themselves as "Lutherans" and "Wesleyans," and then say, "What a shame if we were to call ourselves 'Lee-ites.'"

However, I immediately recognized the absolute ridiculousness of this statement considering that most Lutherans and Wesleyans know nothing about Luther and Wesley; yet, very, very many in the LCs are 'Lee-ites'--whatever they call themselves.

In the same way, you focus obsessively on what people call themselves, yet seem to ignore the heart and the spiritual reality.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

Ohio,

That's as logical as saying if we gather together every week to read the bible we are in bible-ism. Or if we gather together for the Lord's table we are in Lord's-table-ism.

That is not a spiritual fact, you don't say too many spiritual facts I have noticed.

The spiritual fact is what Koinonia said:

As a believer, you are in Christ and in the church.

We gather together not to read Lee's messages but to grow in Christ and do the things Christ told us to (remember Him in the Lord's table).

We do not say "I follow Lee" and we do not (or should not) even say "I follow Christ", for that would be divisive.

We are of Christ because we as believers are positionally in Christ and have been baptized in Christ's name.

We gather together not to read Lee's messages but to grow in Christ and do the things Christ told us to (remember Him in the Lord's table)

Really? Every Christian in every denomination says that too! Except for Lee's messages.

It would be good for LC's to be more Bible-ism!