Originally Posted by Indiana
Following the letter below to brother Lee, was a response by him that he felt was necessary to quell the concerns of those who might think the letter exalted him. Whoever had such concerns, however, found them amplified much more, as time passed.
Appendix
A Letter of Assurance from 419 Leading Brothers Attending the February 1986 Elders’ Training -- February 21, 1986
“Dear Brother Lee,
After hearing your fellowship in this elders’ training, we all agree to have a new start in the Lord’s recovery. For this, we all agree to be in one accord and to carry out this new move of the Lord solely through prayer, the Spirit, and the Word. We further agree to practice the recovery one in: teaching, practice, thinking, speaking, essence, appearance, and expression. We repudiate all differences among the churches, and all indifference toward the ministry office, and the other churches. We agree that the church in our place be identical with all the local churches throughout the earth.
We also agree to follow your leading as the one who has brought us God’s New Testament economy and has led us into its practice. We agree that this leading is indispensable to our oneness and acknowledge the one trumpet in the Lord’s ministry and the one wise master builder among us.
We further agree to practice the church life in our locality absolutely in a new way: to build the church in, through, and based upon home meetings; to lead every member to get used to functioning without any idea to depend on any giant speakers; to teach all the saints to know the basic truths in an educational way that they may teach others for the spreading of the truth; to build up the saints in the growth in life that they may minister life to others, shepherd each other, and take care of the backsliding ones; to lead all the saints to preach the gospel in every possible way; to avoid leadership as much as possible; and to have home gatherings for nurturing the saints in life; and big meetings for educating the saints in truths.
We agree that all the preceding points are the clear and definite teaching of the Bible according to God’s New Testament economy. Finally, we agree that the success of this new move is our responsibility and will rise up to labor and endeavor with our whole being, looking to the Lord for His mercy and grace that we would be faithful to the end”
Your brothers for the Lord’s recovery,
******************
Brother Lee’s Remarks in The Fermentation of the Present Rebellion
"Out of 419 signers, as far as I know thus far, only approximately six would revoke their signatures. One of these six, John Ingalls, said that I “treated this letter like an oath” and I took it “as a pledge,” John Ingalls or Bill Mallon said that I was “holding it up to the brothers, reminding them of what they signed.” In one elders’ meeting in December 1987 in Irving I did say, in the way of warning to the rebellious ones who were present, especially John Ingalls and Bill Mallon, that that letter, which had been signed by them one year and ten months prior to that time, could be considered as a pledge according to the way it was written. In that warning I spoke loudly at least twice to them, saying that they should “treasure [their] golden history in the Lord’s recovery,” with the expectation that they would receive the mercy and grace of the Lord to turn from their rebellious situation.
But I never considered that letter as an oath. Both John Ingalls and Bill Mallon were men over fifty years of age, highly educated, with a sober mind and a strong will. As such persons they participated with agreement in the drafting of this letter, and then signed such a crucial paper solemnly before God. I did not consider that as the playing of little, naughty boys; rather, I did count on it and trust in it for the Lord’s recovery in a very reverent way. How sad it is that after 22 months, fewer than one thousand days, they are like a bow turning its arrow at the shooter. This is far beyond my anticipation. They swallowed their own words; ignored the truth they had received and acknowledged; did not care for the Lord’s recovery, which they had treasured, uplifted, and propagated, not merely for two and a half days, but for a quarter of a century; behaved themselves not as gentlemen but as dishonest ones who conspired in secrecy to destroy my ministry; did not regard their faithfulness before the faithful Lord; and fluctuated to carry out their plot by inducing others to join their rebellion in darkness.
When the letter was presented to me and gained my attention, I was somewhat concerned that the signing brothers probably did not fully realize the significance of some of the expressions of their letter, so I acknowledged it with a reply that expressed to them my sincere, honest, and faithful in this matter, as printed below:
April 11, 1986
The Brothers attending the February 1986
Elders’ Training
Dear Brothers:
Thank you for your letter dated February 21, 1986 with the list of signatures. I feel very sorry that I could not have time to acknowledge, with appreciation, what you have expressed in your letter and through your signatures until now.
Being one with the ministry is a crucial matter, and its effects are exceedingly serious. Its proper definition is not to follow any man, any doctrine or any movement, but is to be one with the Lord’s move today according to the Lord’s vision, without any intrinsic element of exalting any person or promoting any work. May the Lord be merciful and gracious to us, that this action would not be misunderstood or misapplied by anyone in a way that would give the enemy Satan ground for utilization, thus frustrating the Lord’s move today, but rather that this action could be properly used by the Lord to swallow up all the germs of discord which have been existing, even among us, for quite a time in the past. May the Lord remember your kind wishes for me and bless your labors in Him.
Your brother in Christ,
Witness Lee”
"This reply was written in the way of fellowship with a strong intention to impress the signing brothers with the proper definition of being one with the ministry. According to its expression, my reply indicated to the brothers that to be one with the ministry in the way that was expressed in their letter might be misunderstood and misapplied by some and might cause trouble. I said that the misunderstanding and misapplication could quite possibly be centered around the thinking of exalting a person. In anticipation of this, in my reply I reminded the signing brothers that the proper definition of being one with the ministry is to be one with the Lord’s move “without any intrinsic element of exalting any person.” Thus, what was expressed in my reply might be considered a warning. This was given probably because of the intuition I had within me at that time. At any rate, the present rebellious situation has become a real fulfillment of my warning. Our sovereign Lord knows everything and is sovereign over all things. Praise Him!
"The total significance of the letter signed by the 419 brothers is to assure me of their willingness and loyalty in keeping the one accord for the Lord’s recovery. Now the six mentioned above have fluctuated in their unstable understanding. Regardless of what their understanding might be, no one can deny that, according to the holy word, to be in one accord is not only right but also indispensable to work together for the Lord’s interest on this earth. No one among us should justify or promote discord or differences in the Lord’s move." (The Fermentation of the Present Rebellion, W. L., 1990)
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