RE: Open Letter - Dear Saints in the Lord's Recovery - Joann Casteel

[Cal]

This letter is a breakthrough, not just personally for Joanna and Greg, but in the fight against the LIE that is the "Lord's Recovery."

Joanna obviously loves the Lord with all her heart. She is also very intelligent and a gifted writer. Her letter is well-thought-out, well-written, clear, and convincing. It is not emotional or histrionic. It sincerely and effectively exposes a deeply twisted and evil system.

The insidiousness of the LR has always been based in that it combines good and even breakthrough teachings with very dark means of control. The good stuff convinces followers to turn over control, the dark stuff consolidates and enforces that control relentlessly and mercilessly.

Joanna's letter reminds me of how powerful the deception is, and how subtlety and effectively Satan can twist the minds of well-meaning people he fools into leaving the word of God for someone's "interpreted word."

Keep in mind that we, God's people, are in a SPIRITUAL BATTLE. The evil, controlling aspects of the LR, those things that make it an aberrant, abusive and damaging spiritual group are not, ultimately, intended to glorify Witness Lee, enrich the leadership, spread the "Recovery" or fulfill God's purpose, or any other reasons the deceived and controlled leadership puts forth.

They are intended to imprison strong seekers of the Lord and keep them from God's very best for them.

SATAN ENSNARES LAZY CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD.
HE ENSNARES SEEKING CHRISTIANS IN CONTROLLING GROUPS.

Satan knows that strong seekers, when they truly discover God's plan for them, will be his ultimate demise. He know he must stop them, and that the world cannot entice them. So he created controlling groups to ensnare them.

The controlling LR system has been engineered by Satan, our real enemy--the one we are called to resist, in life, ministry and especially in PRAYER.

Make no mistake. This is a SPIRITUAL BATTLE. It will not be won just by talking. We must pray. Each one of us, if we care about this issue, must fight the spiritual battle in prayer.

The leaders and sycophants of the LR are deceived, but they are not our enemies. Our real enemies are the evil, invisible spiritual forces behind the deception, and the indispensable way to defeat them is PRAYER. A lot of other things can help: Argument, testimony, encouragement, support, even my silly little MOTA comic. But without prayer everything else will not be enough. Satan never goes down without a fight, and the fight is engaged in prayer.

May we all commit ourselves to pray more about this issue.

Blessings to Joanna and her family, and to all others who refuse to be imprisoned by the enemy's wiles.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Igzy

The controlling LR system has been engineered by Satan, our real enemy--the one we are called to resist, in life, ministry and especially in PRAYER.

Make no mistake. This is a SPIRITUAL BATTLE. It will not be won just by talking. We must pray. Each one of us, if we care about this issue, must fight the spiritual battle in prayer.

The leaders and sycophants of the LR are deceived, but they are not our enemies. Our real enemies are the evil, invisible spiritual forces behind the deception, and the indispensable way to defeat them is PRAYER. A lot of other things can help: Argument, testimony, encouragement, support, even my silly little MOTA comic. But without prayer everything else will not be enough. Satan never goes down without a fight, and the fight is engaged in prayer.

May we all commit ourselves to pray more about this issue.

This was just posted on the FB page:

Dear ones, I had a deep realization this morning how we need to pray for what the Lord is doing in this days (now that He is answering the prayer of 1,000's of former members praying for the rest of us for decades) How much more freeing does the Lord want to do NOW?! Let us be faithful to intercede for the many more needing deliverance. And just one more thing: 'TIS MERCY ALL- IMMENSE AND FREE THAT GOD DELIVERED ME FROM HIS "RECOVERY". I love HIM and I love you all.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by aron

This was just posted on the FB page:

Dear ones, I had a deep realization this morning how we need to pray for what the Lord is doing in this days (now that He is answering the prayer of 1,000's of former members praying for the rest of us for decades) How much more freeing does the Lord want to do NOW?! Let us be faithful to intercede for the many more needing deliverance. And just one more thing: 'TIS MERCY ALL- IMMENSE AND FREE THAT GOD DELIVERED ME FROM HIS "RECOVERY". I love HIM and I love you all.

I will offer a prayer here:

Dear Father,

You love all your children and have a wonderful plan for them. Because Satan, your and our invisible enemy, is so desperate, he will devise any kind of trap, using any means necessary, to stop it. He will even distort your truth to ensnare your people in a system which falsely claims to be your "best."

Father, I pray against this. I pray you fully expose the devil's deception employed in the system called "the Lord's Recovery." I pray that you protect, free and heal your precious children who have been trapped and held by its systematized error of half-truths, complete lies, false threats and fear-mongering.

Father, you never condemn, but you often correct. Condemnation is vague and full of hopelessness. Correction is specific and full of hope. Condemnation is of the devil. The despair Joanna has faced was 100% not of you, but 100% of the devil. It was not caused by her resisting the truth, but by Satan's terror that she would discover the truth. So Father, I pray in your Son's name that you would send a squadron of angels to protect her and her family. I pray she would have the courage and resolve of a lion to stand against the deceiver. May she overflow with grace, love, faith and hope. Lead her into solid, healthy fellowship. Protect her from temptation. Keep her and her family safe. Do this for all those who are leaving that movement.

I pray, Father, for all the LR people to be set free. I pray that the leadership would fall on their faces in correction, repentance and sorrow. The dam is now leaking. The cracks in it are spreading. May it soon collapse, and may the system of lies and imprisonment it holds up drain into hell where it belongs.

Father, protect your children whom you love. In your Son Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[aron]

The same person I quoted earlier from FB just wrote:

"I believe with all my heart that this is the time. If after 47.5 years the Lord can deliver me, it may be a sign that there are many, many more to follow. Lord we ask you for this!"

Many are being delivered from bondage and oppression. Our times are in His hands. Praise the Lord.

[Weighingin]

We would hear that in the Lord's recovery, there was a "storm" every 10 years or so. The last one was the GLA and Brazil quaratine crisis. That was in 2006, more than 10 years ago. So I was wondering when the next storm would be, as more than 10 years have passed. This message from the sister leaving the recovery after 38 years may be it. Besides this forum, I have never seen, in one venue, so many responses from those who have left. Others are on the verge.
As others have said, prayer is needed to sort out everything and defeat Satan.

[Weighingin]

I needed to clarify that the open letter message is not a storm in itself, but it imay be a factor for a storm to start and grow.
Please, anyone that can express some thing along this line better than me.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Weighingin

I needed to clarify that the open letter message is not a storm in itself, but it imay be a factor for a storm to start and grow.
Please, anyone that can express some thing along this line better than me.

I'll try.

If this letter from the Casteel's causes devoted LC members around the country to ask questions, and demand answers, from their leadership, concerning abuses of all sorts, including sexual abuse, covered up for decades -- then we may have another "storm."

Note that every past 10-year "storm" has begun this way. None of them were ever really "persecution" carried out by "ambitious rebels." That never happened folks. Read both sides of the story. Of course, LC leadership, even Nee and Lee, would always spin the narrative to their advantage in order to deceive their followers. But mark my word, every so-called "storm" in the history of the Recovery came about because the members of the LC's demanded accountability from their leaders.

This is absolutely what the Blended brothers fear most.

This forum is filled with the stories of ex-members who demanded leadership accountability. Entire books have been written. Each and every time LC leadership has decided to amputate whole sections of the body of Christ -- conveniently called "quarantines," as if it was these members who were sick -- in order to protect their own hides, reputations, and finances.

[Nell]

Originally Posted by Weighingin

I needed to clarify that the open letter message is not a storm in itself, but it imay be a factor for a storm to start and grow.
Please, anyone that can express some thing along this line better than me.

Weighingin,

I understand your use of the word "storm" here, but I have another perspective. I think the "storm" began when Witness Lee and/or Watchman Nee began to lie, deceive and misrepresent the truth of God's Word. We are reacting to the storm and we've had enough.

The accusation of causing a "storm" has been used against those of us who are speaking truth to power. Greg and Jo Casteel have spoken truth to power in the most powerful way I have ever seen...ever. The Casteels didn't start this storm, they have finally had ENOUGH (like we did)! The Casteels have pulled back the curtain on Witness Lee, et al, who have practiced lies, deceit and cover-up since Lee's ministry began...really beginning with Watchman Nee. This is the storm.

Worth noting is the spirit and tone of what Jo wrote: no bitterness. She gives account of her personal despair and depression. When she saw the truth, she was set free. She was not embittered by it. She thought it was her own fault. I thought the same thing. Then, the lights came on.

Ephesians 6:12-13 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The Casteels, and each of us, need to be armed with the whole armor of God that we can stand in the evil day. Part of the armor is to pray, as Igzy stated. Jo has given us the armor as truth in a clear, concise document that covers all the bases. We can see what happens on FB, but I don't see anyone saying the Casteels are misrepresenting the truth, misrepresenting the ministry of Witness Lee, misrepresenting what's going on in the LC's. Their only response seems to be personal attacks of the "sit down and shut up" type. It's likely this is the only case they can make because they all know something of the truth of the Casteel Open Letter.

I keep reading this Casteel Open Letter ever 2-3 days. Every time I read it, I find something I missed the first 3 times!

Thanks Jo and Greg---

Nell

[byHismercy]

Originally Posted by Igzy

This letter is a breakthrough, not just personally for Joanna and Greg, but in the fight against the LIE that is the "Lord's Recovery."

Joanna obviously loves the Lord with all her heart. She is also very intelligent and a gifted writer. Her letter is well-thought-out, well-written, clear, and convincing. It is not emotional or histrionic. It sincerely and effectively exposes a deeply twisted and evil system.

The insidiousness of the LR has always been based in that it combines good and even breakthrough teachings with very dark means of control. The good stuff convinces followers to turn over control, the dark stuff consolidates and enforces that control relentlessly and mercilessly.

Joanna's letter reminds me of how powerful the deception is, and how subtlety and effectively Satan can twist the minds of well-meaning people he fools into leaving the word of God for someone's "interpreted word."

Keep in mind that we, God's people, are in a SPIRITUAL BATTLE. The evil, controlling aspects of the LR, those things that make it an aberrant, abusive and damaging spiritual group are not, ultimately, intended to glorify Witness Lee, enrich the leadership, spread the "Recovery" or fulfill God's purpose, or any other reasons the deceived and controlled leadership puts forth.

They are intended to imprison strong seekers of the Lord and keep them from God's very best for them.

SATAN ENSNARES LAZY CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD.
HE ENSNARES SEEKING CHRISTIANS IN CONTROLLING GROUPS.

Satan knows that strong seekers, when they truly discover God's plan for them, will be his ultimate demise. He know he must stop them, and that the world cannot entice them. So he created controlling groups to ensnare them.

The controlling LR system has been engineered by Satan, our real enemy--the one we are called to resist, in life, ministry and especially in PRAYER.

Make no mistake. This is a SPIRITUAL BATTLE. It will not be won just by talking. We must pray. Each one of us, if we care about this issue, must fight the spiritual battle in prayer.

The leaders and sycophants of the LR are deceived, but they are not our enemies. Our real enemies are the evil, invisible spiritual forces behind the deception, and the indispensable way to defeat them is PRAYER. A lot of other things can help: Argument, testimony, encouragement, support, even my silly little MOTA comic. But without prayer everything else will not be enough. Satan never goes down without a fight, and the fight is engaged in prayer.

May we all commit ourselves to pray more about this issue.

Blessings to Joanna and her family, and to all others who refuse to be imprisoned by the enemy's wiles.

Wow brother. I am in complete agreement with this. Today I battled inwardly with memories of rejection and feelings of not matching up, mostly coming from interactions with the ones in the LC. Finally the Lord just showed me the enemy in the discouragement within. He wants to crush me entire, and the reason is because I met the true God, Jesus Christ. I received Him that day and now He lives in me. This fact makes me a mighty force in the Lords' army. Satan would love it if I would believe the message I got from the LC. Satan would love for me to be in defeat.....not sharing the truth. Jesus Christ is Lord. He died for to reconcile any who would believe in His death to be purchased by His blood sacrifice, and reconcile us to the Father. Any one out there who doesn't have enough faith in this fact, don't let even that stop you from coming to Jesus. He came to me when the best I had to offer Him was desperation and hope, hope that He could save me. Now He is my faith. He is my love, and He is my obedience. He is my only way to come before the Father. He is the Fathers' pleasure and now Jesus makes me the Fathers' pleasure. Let the control tactics and the exalted ministry be put to shame. Let Jesus the Christ be exalted forever. And yes, let us pray for His light to shine through the enemies deception, in the LC and everywhere.