Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Lee used his many trainings to rebuke the evils of "man-pleasing" as if he was saved from its fleshly effects, yet behind the scenes, he solicited and even rewarded those who revered him. Publicly he taught that he was not an apostle, yet privately he promoted those who exalted him.
This explains why so many fleshly rivalries existed. Lee would play his lieutenants one against the other. He fostered a network of spies, or sleeper cells, which kept all the leaders in check, sowing suspicions to facilitate his controls.
It is no coincidence that both the Exclusive Brethren and the LC's endured serious divisions once their MOTA was gone. As they celebrated their lives at their funerals, lieutenants were already plotting their own take over. Don Rutledge's account informed us that this is where all of Benson Phillips' strengths were put to best use.
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The people who rose in the ranks knew well how the system worked, presumably it was one thing but in actuality quite another. The quote by Don Rutledge in post #17 is invaluable because it shows exactly what dynamic lies behind the scenes, from the mouth of one of the system's prime exploiters. Ministry promulgators like BP, EM, RG could say, "There is no hierarchy" even as they held one inflexibly.
Hey folks -
"Read between the lines", and
"Hear what he really means", and
"He doesn't tell you what he really wants". Get it?
The 5,000 year-old, very human culture that lies behind all this isn't worse than another - "There is none good, not one". All have fallen short of God's glory. But there's no reason on earth to take it. If someone convinces you otherwise, that it marks the path to heaven, then they've stolen your birthright for their own selfish ends. You've given up God's kingdom for theirs.