Publication Work in The Lord's Recovery aka The One Publication

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Philip van Dijk

What I have come to establish for myself is that in literally everything where one shared one's life in Christ, ministered His life with others etc. in the fellowship, one had to have it routinely filtered through the writings of Living Stream Ministry.

This filtering system had become the ultimate lockdown for me and eventually explained for me why my own previous attempts at discussing organic body life in Christ outside this filtering system were not being answered or were answered by answers such as '… go and read Witness Lee's Recovery Version footnotes, his Life Studies etc. about this …'

These dear fellow saints in the Lord's Recovery seem to have little individual conviction on what the Scriptures are revealing to themselves, but more specifically on the pertinent issues that I had questions on. This probably explains their regular reliance on the writings of Living Stream Ministry for having it revealed to them instead.

Philip van Dijk

Great conclusions. Basically LC folks have a second-hand God. They only know God thru the conduit of Lee's books.

The teachings of Lee have become their pipeline, their "filter," their mediator, their advocate with the Father.

The Son of Man is outside, at the door knocking, waiting for some to open the door and dine with Him.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

The teachings of Lee have become the LC pipeline, their "filter," their mediator, their advocate with the Father..

This is how powerful and all-encompassing this mediator can be. When I left the LC, after several years of living in group housing and going to meetings every day (college meetings, home meetings, ministry meetings, small-group meetings, Sunday morning "Lord's Table" meetings) I couldn't read the Bible or any other Christian text without the "voice in my head" saying, "That's not God's economy" or whatever it was saying. Every external stimulus I received had a ready-made ministry-supplied response, and it was continual. It took several years for me to begin to assess what was front of me on its own terms, absent the ministry filter.

It's a very powerful thought-control programme; people who feel the first adrenaline rush of being loved, needed, wanted, of having all the answers at hand, need to be warned what it's like once you get inside. You literally lose the ability to think. Everything becomes conditioned response. The "One Publication" edict is an initial attempt, post-Lee, to intimidate any who might presume to use their God-given mental faculties.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by aron

It's a very powerful thought-control programme; people who feel the first adrenaline rush of being loved, needed, wanted, of having all the answers at hand, need to be warned what it's like once you get inside. You literally lose the ability to think. Everything becomes conditioned response. The "One Publication" edict is an initial attempt, post-Lee, to intimidate any who might presume to use their God-given mental faculties.

The One Publication Bull was also used as the latest purging mechanism for all their adherents. Even though thousands of precious saints departed, they successfully used this purge to eliminate perceived rivals like DYL and TC.

LC history has long been filled with these "storms," or as TC would call them periods of "self-destruction." There was a time when I considered every storm was an attack by God's enemy. Later I felt that we were our own worst enemy, and like TC that we had serious internal issues which caused our somewhat regular "self-destruct" events.

Now I see the LC's following the same Exclusive Brethren pattern of "purging." Leadership would make unsavory decisions, offensive to most, apparently just to see who would stick it out to the end. They manufactured a crisis where none existed. Draw a line in the sand, and force everyone to choose sides. Think back to every other storm -- some notable leader(s) would be forced out. Whether TA Sparks, Max et.al., Ingalls, Mallon, So, Dong, Chu, the "storm" was manufactured to purge apparent rivals, just like what the Exclusive Brethren have done.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

The One Publication Bull was also used as the latest purging mechanism for all their adherents. .

I remember Witness Lee telling us, "I don't care how many people remain... if we have just a few who are absolute, that is sufficient" (I am paraphrasing).

This was after a recruiting binge in which we were told if we all did such-and-such, we'd each get 2 new ones per year who'd get two more &c and the "recovery" would fill the earth and Lord would return in 15 years.

Then, there'd be a "storm" or some big disappointment and WL would make a remark like he didn't care how many left and how many stayed, as long as those who stayed were pliable.

The One Pub Bull was the Blendeds letting the rank-and-file know that even though the Ascended Master was gone, nothing had changed: recruit everyone you can, and we'll drive out all who aren't immune to ministry excesses and abuses.

Meet the new boss. .