Rick

(At a Calvinist Forum, Rick sums up his decades of conversations with Leeists)

Anyone who has been following this forum at all should arrive at some basic conclusions:

1. Engaging in discussion with Local Church of WL members is a monumental waste of time and energy.  I can testify to this, not just based on this forum, but in most of my contact with members.  I confirm UntoHim's testimony in this regard.  This forum is just another display of this reality.

2. Since part of their dogma includes considering non-members as being of Satan and prostitutes, they pretend to want to engage in honest open fellowship, but in fact, are only interested in advancing the theology of Witness Lee upon whom their denomination is based and built.  Thus the cut-and-pasted postings everywhere straight out of Witness Lee's material.

3. If you directly confront them on an issue they will do everything possible to skirt around the it, whether it is about their own history, the Bible or any other thing that contradicts their position.

4. At the end of the day, they pretend to want to fellowship in the Lord's name while at the same time calling you Pharaoh - a type for Satan.  Why would they want to fellowship with Pharaoh? Why would I want to fellowship with those who consider me Satan?  This is the same concept as declaring they are for the Body of Christ while suing members of the Body of Christ for $136 million dollars.

5. Most cannot do their own exegesis textual work at all.  By the way, this is not common only in this forum.  I know many people currently in the Local Church of WL.  I have not met any who can do solid exegesis work. The only textual work they do is to support Lee's theology.  Even most of the leadesr can only repeat Witness Lee messages. This is all they are equipped and trained to do.

6. Going along with above item number 5 you will notice some of their postings in this forum to be rather bizzare in nature.  Quite off the wall, if you will.  Out in left filed somewhere.  This is what happens when solid, objective, non-organization-related Bible exegesis work is not encouraged.  Bizzare systems of thought begin to emerge out of the unhealthy, pond-like, tiny sub culture where Witness Lee's word are considered to be another Bible for all intent and purposes.  If his words or actions contradict the Bible one must find a way around the text to accomodate him and whatever he wants to do.  This tradition has been effectively passed down to his followers.

7. If you are a Christian who loves the Lord and loves the Bible and loves the group where you fellowship, do not think that engaging a member of the Local Church of WL will result in anything except frustration.  Soon after fellowshipping with them they will call the group where you meet a prostitute and expect you to meet with them.  Then they will begin to talk about Witness Lee's writings more than the Bible.  You will think this Lee guy is alive and well somewhere but eventually find out he has been dead and buried for six years.  You will also begin to notice some strange teachings like you are becoming God, suing Christians is OK, etc.  If you begin to disagree with them and confront them with solid Biblical teachings, you will find out that Witness Lee is the oracle and not to be contradicted.  Since he is dead, his family's publishing company is the new oracle.  If you continue to disagree with them and refuse to accept their unhealthy teachings and practices they will eventually call you Satan, blind, poor or some other such derogatory name that they can come up with to justify why you don't see the "light"! 

8. My advice to all non-LCofWL members reading this is: reject their heresies in a straightforward manner but in love.  Treasure the Bible and learn how to study it for yourself.  Stay in, or find, a Biblically sound, Spirit-led Christian fellowship. Do not be persuaded to join the Local Church of WL.  It is an unhealthy atmosphere for your spriritual growth and well being. 

Bellevue

Eight men who call themselves elders of "The Church in Bellevue" have made a public written declaration.  They have declared that Witness Lee is the minister and his work the ministry of the age.  In keeping with this line of thinking they will only allow one publication [LSM] for "The Church in Bellevue" which supposedly includes all Christians in that city.  Does this sound like the Church in Bellevue to you? Or does it sound like the Witness Lee Church in Bellevue?

Now let's suppose I live in Istanbul and I decide with some other Christians that we are the Church in Istanbul and so we go out and spend a few bucks on some letterheads that read "The Church in Istanbul".  And we start teaching that all other Christian groups are divisive, prostitutes, etc.  One day we decide that we must make our stance clear so we write a letter on our letterhead.  In the letter we state that Titus Chu is the minister with the ministry of the age and that we will only allow his ministry and his publication for the Church in Istanbul.  Do you think that other Christians are so stupid that they will not know that we are really the Titus Chu Church?  Do you think the Christian public will be so naive that they will not see through this pretense?  How more transparent can it be?!