106 things not many Christians know (but Witness Lee knows)

[OBW]

"According to the entire revelation of the New Testament, the unique goal of the Christian work should be the New Jerusalem, which is the ultimate goal of God’s eternal economy....Today among Christians in general, nearly no one has a proper goal. They pursue being spiritual, being holy, preaching the gospel to win souls, and establishing seminaries to teach theology and the Bible, yet hardly anyone can say that they are doing these things with the goal of consummating the New Jerusalem."

Wow! Have the "proper" goal of Christian work. And to do that you need to diminish the current goals of being holy. Of observing "all that I have commanded you."

My wife likes to watch dog shows. And a few months ago, there was a rather odd one that entailed two groups of about 6 contestants with their dogs going on scavenger hunts and other tasks around various cities in North and Central America and Europe. After the main challenge was completed, the team that came in second had to do an additional challenge that would eliminate one from the team. On one occasion, this one guy was so excited that he had figured out the clue for where to go for the challenge more quickly than a couple of others on the team, got in the cab with his dog and rushed to the location, and completed the tasks there before at least one other. When the last one came in and they went through the "sorry you are last" bits, they said "but" and then described how this guy had been so excited about likely making it through the challenge that he had unfastened his seat belt and stood up in the car's sunroof and hung somewhat out the window shouting. And he unhooked his dog's harness from the set belt latch and held it up in the window. So he was disqualified and was eliminated and the person who was actually last got to stay.

Not a perfect analogy, but the idea of excitement for the end goal and diminishing the immediate goals and rules (commandments) does compare. There is nothing about getting to the New Jerusalem that entails skipping the steps. That entails dismissing being holy and actually spiritual. It really doesn't matter whether you have and speak about the goal of the New Jerusalem. If you take the current steps required, you will get there. Trying to jump the line and skip the hard work of following the "rules" doesn't do it. If you aren't willing to do the hard work of righteous living, loving neighbor, obedience to "all that I have commanded you," then if Lee was right about a little dark room or a 1,000-year summer school, then who would be more likely to need that? The ones the put their heads down and did what was commanded, or the ones that shouted about the goal and skipped the commandments?

It is not my job to decide. But I suspect the answer isn't what they expect.

In light of all that is found in the gospels, I think that Lee's version is based upon the idea that the ends justify the means. He hopes that skipping past all the obstacles of this life, i.e., the commandments of God, will be rewarded with superior position among those who ultimately are part of the New J.

[aron]

Originally Posted by OBW

There is nothing about getting to the New Jerusalem that entails skipping the steps.

With the LC, what caught me and then held me for a long time was the focus on self. "I" was a man, the center of the universe. "I" can exercise "my" human spirit. "I" was good building material [read, a Caucasian college student] and a VIP in God's [read, Witness Lee's] plan. They got me to focus on self, which made me a patsy for manipulation.

So I fell for the "just skip the steps" programme. You know, "Just keep eating" and "Just keep drinking" mantras. No need for all the good works, and righteous living. Just keep eating and drinking, and voila, "more God" as cheerleaders EM and RK were fond of saying. Then I would be ushered into glory.

But a funny thing happened - it was an exercise in frustration. I wasn't getting transformed as they promised. I was miserable, mostly. I kept quitting my dead-end jobs in frustration and disgust. I couldn't get along with my family, couldn't have a relationship, couldn't hold a friendship, didn't really like people in general, was paranoid, shame-based, angry...

Then one day, years after the LC experiment ended badly, I was pretty much in the nadir of my existence and for some reason I just randomly tried to be nice to someone. Just because. Just out of a sheer perversity, because I could (at least theoretically) be nice to someone else without a hidden agenda. Just smile and say hello. Hold a door open. Give a cup of cold water.

Again, it was for no particular reason. I just tried it as a kind of experiment, I guess. I was tired of being angry and afraid, and plastered a fake smile on my face and went out and tried to be nice to people.

Well, guess what happened? I loved it! I could be nice! That moment changed my life. That whole thing about Jesus, how "he went around doing good... and God was with him" (Acts 10:38) - that was suddenly so real to me. I was euphoric like nothing I ever got shouting slogans in the LC. I went out and got the most crappy, miserable, low-paying job I could, that was helping people. I repeatedly turned down promotions. I stayed humble, stayed on the bottom, and poured myself out to my clients. And I loved every single minute of it, because "God was with me". Just like the Good Book says.

Today everything is transformed. I can't say that "I'm good" or "I'm on my way to glory" but that moment when I went from self-oriented to other-oriented changed my life. I tried to love my neighbour because Jesus says to. Not because I wanted to, or my neighbour looked particularly lovable. And suddenly everything changed. The transformation that the LC promised but had never materialised - it arrived almost instantly. At the moment when by faith I began to really try to serve others, as my de facto service to God, everything changed, and dramatically - changed within, and changed without. Today I just marvel at what happened.

[aron]

Not many Christians know that you don't have to do all those outward things - you know, give to those who can't repay you in this age, and your reward will be great in heaven. No, all you have to do is just keep eating and drinking.

When Jesus told the story about the Good Samaritan and said, Go and do likewise - he really didn't mean that. You can ignore that. Just keep eating! Just keep drinking! and treasure the flow from the throne. Just be simple, don't be hardened.

Most Christians don't know that, though. They're not simple, they're hardened.

Not many Christians know that all you have to do is masticate the Processed and Consummated Triune God, and you become God in life and nature. The part where Jesus taught to lay up treasures in heaven and there your heart will be - most Christians don't realize he really meant, Pray-read the HWMR and go to the Seven Feasts.

Most Christians think that you're supposed to read the Bible - they don't realize that unless it's interpreted it's really not that much help and will just make you confused. I mean, how many people would read the Book of Revelation and realize that all the churches have to be exactly identical, with no differences whatever? It takes a revelation to get that, you know! And they might miss 1 Corinthians 15:45 "b" - that little half-verse, a third-verse really, holds the key to understanding God's economy. Without being told that, who would ever figure it out? No wonder most of them don't get it!

Most Christians, if they read Titus 1:6 about church leaders having believing well-behaved children, they don't realize that's only for small-time church leaders, but the Minister of the Age gets a free pass. Unless they were told this, who would ever figure it out. It really takes revelation.

[aron]

Originally Posted by aron

Most Christians, if they read Titus 1:6 about church leaders having believing well-behaved children, they don't realize that's only for small-time church leaders, but the Minister of the Age gets a free pass. Unless they were told this, who would ever figure it out. It really takes revelation.

If you're MOTA then Titus 1:6 isn't cited - suddenly we must go back to the OT for Scriptural guidance. Matthew 18 isn't relevant anymore, because now we have to cover Drunken Noah. No wonder they need so much training in the Lord's Recovery: it's needed to be able to ignore what's plainly written for all to see, and focus instead on what isn't written, but is rather self-serving conceptual overlay.

That's probably why most Christians don't know these things - they have eyes that can read, and still-functioning brains that haven't been conditioned into reflexive thoughtlessness. "He who has ears to hear" indeed.