Verse of the Day

[JJ]

I just wanted to express an overdue thanks for Verses of the Day on this site.

They are encouraging, and sometimes challenging, but always good.

Today's is a heartfelt prayer we can all say:

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

[UntoHim]

Thanks JJ, it's always encouraging to hear that something on the homepage is helping the members, even if it's something small. By the way, everyone is welcomed to make a suggestion for any of the homepage modules - Verse of the Day, Quotes and Quips and of course Listen Up. Just shoot me a PM.

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[JJ]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

Thanks JJ, it's always encouraging to hear that something on the homepage is helping the members, even if it's something small. By the way, everyone is welcomed to make a suggestion for any of the homepage modules - Verse of the Day, Quotes and Quips and of course Listen Up. Just shoot me a PM.

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Today's verse is another great and encouraging verse (from second Peter).

"And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."

The church I attend has been going through 2 Peter. The analogy of the prophetic word of scripture being a lamp to shed light for our walk through this dark age has really been encouraging.

Thanks again Unto Him!

[JJ]

Today's Verse of the Day: "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". What a staggering statement! Behold Jesus the lamb of God, indeed!

[aron]

Originally Posted by JJ

Today's Verse of the Day: "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". What a staggering statement! Behold Jesus the lamb of God, indeed!

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst." 1 Tim 1:15 (NIV)

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8 (NIV)

Paul had such a revelation, as had the prophet John (the Baptizer) before him, as quoted above in the fourth gospel (1:29).

The new King, seen by John the Baptist, was pure, and would reign in righteousness, and justice would flow forth like water, and all the peoples would rejoice. The OT prophets continually pointed to the blessing of a righteous king under the righteous and holy God. Divine order would be restored. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in heaven". Not just the Jews but all the earth would be blessed and restored before God, when the true King of the Jews was unveiled.

I've already written on this forum about the promise of the righteous King, seen in Deuteronomy 17 (whom btw Witness Lee said didn't exist - because the LC elders operated by grace - I kid you not) being fulfilled in Psalm 1 and Psalm 2. The Pious Son of Man, obedient, pure and blessed in Psalm 1, is become now the reigning monarch, designated Son of God, in Psalm 2. "This day I have begotten You"

But even John the Baptizer got confused: "Tell us, are you the coming Messiach, or should we look for another?" Eventually, however, the puzzle was solved. See Revelation chapter 5, on the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Suddenly in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to His servants (1:1) it all becomes forever clear - the Sinless Lamb won the battle.

[JJ]

Amen Aron. And it turns out John the apostle saw this Lamb of God standing (not dead) as one having been slain from the foundation of earth, Rev 5:6, part of the plan from God's day one.

Before coming to these boards I came to the same conclusion about the OT verses Witness Lee lampooned as being from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.....That they are truly inspired by God and fulfilled only by and in Christ Jesus. Sorry I hadn't taken time to amen your many posts on that topic before.

Praise this righteous one who lived, died, rose again, and stands for the unrighteousness who are made righteous in Him!

[aron]

Originally Posted by JJ

Before coming to these boards I came to the same conclusion about the OT verses Witness Lee lampooned as being from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.....That they are truly inspired by God and fulfilled only by and in Christ Jesus. Sorry I hadn't taken time to amen your many posts on that topic before.

Thanks for the amen, it means a lot.

The point is simple: nowhere do we see Paul or anyone else in the NT giving permission to dismiss the OT scripture as fallen and passe. Paul's masterpiece in Romans never gives permission for someone like Lee to come along and call OT scripture "fallen human concepts". Never. There is no opening in the NT apostles' writings to make the move that Lee made.

Jesus continually gave reference to the Law and Prophets and Psalms as referencing Himself. Nowhere did He say that it was to be dismissed, or ignored. Just that it pointed to Him. He was the reality, the Word made flesh.

What is really sad, and what I was trying to get to, isn't that Lee made a mistake in exegesis. He did. But we all make mistakes.

What is sad is that Lee made such an error, publicly, and thousands of us who were there, sat quietly and took it. Lee built a system in which he was above any kind of correction or critical examination, where we could "see if these things were so", a la Acts 17:11. So when Witness Lee erred, and clearly mis-spoke regarding scripture, in front of thousands, not one of us could stand and give a correcting or modifying or preserving word.

That's the most stinging indictment of all: Nee and then Lee built a "system of error" (Ephesians 4) in which errors couldn't be exposed or corrected, but grew and grew. And "storms" and "turmoils" and "quarantines" followed in this system as fruit follows the summer rain. The fruit followed the seed and its sprouting, growth, and flowering.

Originally Posted by JJ

Praise this righteous one who lived, died, rose again, and stands for the unrighteousness who are made righteous in Him!

Yes our testimony is Jesus. Our faith is in Him. Not God's economy or the ground of the church or the ministry of the age or God's present move or the up-to-date speaking. Scripture rather points to Jesus: He came, dwelt among us, taught, healed, ministered, comforted, encouraged and enlightened us all, then suffered and died shamefully because of our own pitiful lack. His death was the conclusion of His victory, and the Father raising Him from the dead gave proof to all. (Acts 2:24,32; 13:33,34,37) The witnessing apostles treated this as fact and now we who have not seen, join in by faith. Now we see Him plainly revealed in scripture, both OT and NT (cf Heb 2:9), and we receive one another in His name, and struggle forward together. Those who endure to the end will be saved. Do not be led astray by clever teachings. Focus on Jesus. The word is made sure, the Holy Spirit will come and testify of the truth.

[aron]

Originally Posted by aron

...our testimony is Jesus. Our faith is in Him. Not God's economy or the ground of the church or the ministry of the age or God's present move or the up-to-date speaking. Scripture rather points to Jesus:

Paul said "We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus" (2 Cor 4:5) Paul didn't preach the ministry of the age or the one trumpet or the glorified church or the move of God or the up-to-date speaking or the Deputy God principle; God sent His Son, and Paul's mission was to declare this Son. And Paul did so by pointing to the prophetic word (see e.g., Acts 13) as Peter had done before him (Acts 2). In this the Pharisee and the Galilean fisherman were united. Paul served this Christ Jesus, as did Peter, and served the saints with this Christ Jesus, as did Peter. And Paul expected that at the Lord's coming, He'd find him so doing, faithfully, as did Peter.

Lee instead gave us teachings on the church, the recovery, the ground, the ministry, the ages of the church, the proper lamp-stand, God's economy, and a vague, contorted and entirely subjective 'Christ' that fit therein, and so forth; in order for these teachings of Witness Lee to survive, he had to dismiss the prophetic word of scripture pointing to Christ Jesus as consisting of fallen human concepts. I feel that this exegetical move rather exposed his own ministry as itself consisting of and being based upon fallen human concepts.

"Let the word of God be true, and every man a liar"; amen. Jesus is Lord both now and forever amen.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by aron

Thanks for the amen, it means a lot.

The point is simple: nowhere do we see Paul or anyone else in the NT giving permission to dismiss the OT scripture as fallen and passe. Paul's masterpiece in Romans never gives permission for someone like Lee to come along and call OT scripture "fallen human concepts". Never. There is no opening in the NT apostles' writings to make the move that Lee made.

Jesus continually gave reference to the Law and Prophets and Psalms as referencing Himself. Nowhere did He say that it was to be dismissed, or ignored. Just that it pointed to Him. He was the reality, the Word made flesh.

What is really sad, and what I was trying to get to, isn't that Lee made a mistake in exegesis. He did. But we all make mistakes.

What is sad is that Lee made such an error, publicly, and thousands of us who were there, sat quietly and took it. Lee built a system in which he was above any kind of correction or critical examination, where we could "see if these things were so", a la Acts 17:11. So when Witness Lee erred, and clearly mis-spoke regarding scripture, in front of thousands, not one of us could stand and give a correcting or modifying or preserving word.

That's the most stinging indictment of all: Nee and then Lee built a "system of error" (Ephesians 4) in which errors couldn't be exposed or corrected, but grew and grew. And "storms" and "turmoils" and "quarantines" followed in this system as fruit follows the summer rain. The fruit followed the seed and its sprouting, growth, and flowering.

Another "Amen" from me.

I don't believe that any of us could see through the entire "system of error" on our own. I know I never could without the help of others, mostly on this forum, but also non-LC ministers as well. For example, it was Paul Cox who pointed out that LC hierarchy was no different from the RCC. It was Jane Anderson who helped me realize the systemic abuse run rampant in the LC. It was Don Rutledge who pointed the errors of "The Work," and how WL changed the nature of the Recovery. I could cite many others here.

A while ago I visited a church with an old LC minister. His comments about James and his epistle just provoked my spirit. Fortunately they had a time for testimonies afterwards, so I could speak my heart about the matter. The book of James is essential to the New Testament!

I am now a firm believer that the Bible is a complete and balanced book given to us by our Heavenly Father. That may sound a little naive or simplistic, but it has been absolutely proven over time. On the contrary, every minister and every book written, skews us in an unbalanced direction. Sure they might be helpful, and many are, but taken alone without the balance of scripture, and we have serious dangers. Add in self-serving motivations, and we undoubtedly have a "system of error."

Perhaps WL's most serious source of error was the many exaltations he solicited and sanctioned from his adherents, bordering megalomania. Consider the many superlatives we have heard about him: the acting god on earth, the minister of the age, the last spiritual giant, the oracle of God, today's Paul, etc. Paul himself in Romans 12.3 told us, "For I say through the grace given to me to every one among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think sobermindedly, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith."

[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Perhaps WL's most serious source of error was the many exaltations he solicited and sanctioned from his adherents, bordering megalomania. Consider the many superlatives we have heard about him: the acting god on earth, the minister of the age, the last spiritual giant, the oracle of God, today's Paul, etc.

The exaltations of the ministry and the man were the only way to cover for the mess he made of scripture. If only he'd been subject to the same critiques he subjected everyone else to, something good could have been salvaged.

None of us have the final insight that rules all others. The NT made that clear: the disciples were continually exposed as being several steps behind the Lord. That path of humility and open-ness was expected to continue, post-resurrection, and largely has. "Let each consider himself or herself less than the rest". That is safe counsel to each, and protection to the group.

But some like to be first, a la Diotrephes. They become the Untouchables. Witness Lee was clearly one, and that his ministry ran afoul of scripture and had to suborn scripture to maintain coherence should itself be sufficient warning.

[JJ]

I enjoyed Isaiah 56:7!

For the last week, the Lord kept bringing me back to the simplicity of Psalm 116:12 and 13.

http://biblehub.com/nasb/psalms/116.htm

Psalm 116, another Psalm fulfilled by Christ!

[countmeworthy]

Originally Posted by JJ

I enjoyed Isaiah 56:7!

For the last week, the Lord kept bringing me back to the simplicity of Psalm 116:12 and 13.

http://biblehub.com/nasb/psalms/116.htm

Psalm 116, another Psalm fulfilled by Christ!

Thanks for sharing!
Today the Lord kept reminding me "Faith comes from hearing..and hearing the Word of God".

Me and a friend of mine were having a conversation today how we can read the same scriptures or passages often time the Holy Spirit will give us fresh and new revelation of what we are reading. So we keep on hearing the Word of God over and over. The revelation increases our Faith because God continues to open our eyes.

[JJ]

I liked today’s Psalm!

The last verse of Psalm 150 “let everything that has breath praise the Lord” has been welling up within me lately as encouragement to praise the Lord in spite of circumstances. The whole Psalm is sure good to preach faith to the hearers too http://biblehub.com/nasb/psalms/150.htm.

[JJ]

Psalm 46 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?

A portion of this Psalm is today’s “Verse of the Day” and is today’s Listen Up.
There is a River - Jessie Rogers
Song with video and words: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4d6I7EaLWbA