Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert
I agree with You.
Last years I discovered that I can listen audio Bible on earphones before I go sleep or driving car.
In the evening I do not have to strain my eyes and this is very different when somebody is "telling You Word". Wonderful experience.
We can always read together with prayer out loud.
I think simply, that instead of doing this spontaneously (there is no need to make a practice of it or tool) LC but especially WL gave a tool for saints.
So experience is one thing but religion another.
If You can, share also what is Your experience from meetings?
I do not want to judge others, but believe me, tone, and lamentation and feeling emptiness was common.
As long meeting is in reality, simplicity, in love, everything is ok and natural.
But I do afraid WL sold us product called "church live" with set of tools and practices.
As I mentioned, it does not work this way that this is a rule to touch God.
Unfortunately teaching is clear: do this or that, and fruits will come.
As long You share with me, I share with You, it is ok. This is our experience. No doubt and no discuss.
Even experience described in WN's book is not so dangerous.
But when You train people at FTTL, or video trainings, teaching that this is a rule, way, this is manipulating and simply setting up another religion with set of believes and practices.
I would repeat after Trapped: where it is written in Scripture?
Ps. 119 is full about Word and commandments, thinking, considering.
But words pray-reading?
So You see, we ca approach to subject as open brothers sharing experiences, or debating upon new definitions or practices never mentioned in the Bible.
LR is so complicated, that now I enjoy simplicity of God's Word.
Sola Scriptura.
Just reading and acting.
I had many definitions and brainwashing last decades.
But thanks God I was reading more Bible than WL works.
If You have some observation from meetings, share, please.
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(My comments regarding bolded above.)
The last time I was in a LC gathering was in Tacoma WA about 10 years ago. The high point was during the singing, which is generally better than many Christian gatherings I've been to (i.e., they weren't relying mainly on a band up front and put some heart into it). But aside from that, I had two main takeaways:
1) The sharing from various ones (there was no set message given) was all about Witness Lee writings . . . and I mean ALL of it. There was no spontaneous sharing of the experience of Christ, or seeing something from the word, or being inspired whatsoever (unless you count being inspired by WL teachings). I considered this part of the meeting to be very rote and fairly mechanical. (You could say that at least we heard from different ones, and that is good, in that most Christian groups don't have much in the way of open sharing. But again, I didn't really consider it open sharing, as there was a set time for this speaking, and they were basically told only to share things of WL from a particular set of morning-watch teachings.)
2) In my sharing of a fresh experience of visiting various non-LC gatherings to a brother there, things came to a screeching halt at that point. He was not open in the slightest to hear how I had enjoyed the Lord among a non-LC group!
You are right about setting up rules and specific practices being manipulative. That is totally the case. The more we do that, the more we push the fresh experience of the Spirit right out the door. It is something to see and experience when the Spirit starts moving in a way that no man is controlling! Otherwise, it's like the Spirit says, "Oh, I see you've got everything handled, so you don't seem to need Me . . . I'll just take a seat and observe things from over there." Sorry to say, the LC has produced myriads of controls and has created this whole culture of exactly what to do, when, etc. But then again, man really likes to be in control, so this is our tendency and must be guarded against, lest the Spirit gets pushed out.
No, the phrase "pray-reading" is not in scripture. Much like the word Trinity, but there does seem to be some scriptural basis for both. My reading of and praying with the word bears only little resemblance to what we were taught in the LC. It might have been OK to teach as a method I guess, to get people out of the habit of coming to the word in a dead way. But to me, what the LC taught was just a prop, like a plant stake - once the plant has gotten strong enough, it doesn't need the stake at all . . . if that makes sense.
Yes, thank God you were reading the Bible more than WL!