Witness Lee's Last Word - "SACRIFICE"

[ACuriousFellow]

Originally Posted by Nell

Could we say that this alleged "last word of Lee" business is representative of blatant idol worship...idolatry?

Nell

Honestly, it would depend much on the hearts of men. If I was a close friend of a pastor or minister and worked closely with him in his ministry and he gave me his final word on his death bed, I might write it down or frame it somewhere on my desk at home or my office or something. I would not consider such a thing to be idolatry in and of itself. However, considering the pattern we've seen in The Lord's Recovery, both from the words of its current leadership and the teachings and words of Witness Lee, I know this is something quite a bit more concerning. To those who hold that idea that Lee's ideas must be followed lest one face 1000 years of darkness, to those who believe he is God's "deputy authority" on earth that can never be critiqued or questioned, to those who believe that being in Lee denomination and holding to his teachings (i.e. "The Lord's Recovery) is the only way to be an "overcomer" while all others are "deformed" and "degraded"...

It is those who are effectively committing idolatry in their hearts even if not with their lips. Just as how Jesus mentioned that some praise God with their lips but have their hearts far from him, there are many who do the opposite with Lee: they will not overtly hold him as their god or their christ or their pope or their master, but in their hearts they do and this manifests itself with the actions taken by the leaders of the ministry and the members who take part in or acquiesce to what has been going on.

It is these ones that are in danger of being judged for idolatry: for putting Lee's ministry before Christ and the words of a man before the Word of God. It is those who believe that the scriptures are accountable to Lee's writings rather than the other way around lest it be guilty of becoming a "dead letter." It is the ones who would silence those who speak up about abuse or negative experiences because it is seen as "death" and "poison" that the members should avoid listening to lest they somehow be cut off from the Spirit and "become death" themselves. It is these ones who are most likely to delight in framing Lee's final word and have no qualms about putting it up in every meeting hall they can because "life" or some nonsense like that. It is these ones who will demand much from the congregation, including obedience and submission, while they themselves refuse to answer to their fellow man or even our God who has spoken to us through his scriptures.

Such men are guilty of idolatry not always with their lips, but always with their hearts and their hands, regardless of whether or not they frame Lee's final words. They are, however, the ones most likely to want to do such a thing. Those who do not hold to Lee in such a way would likely not want to do such a thing or feel comfortable with it when they see others posting it in their meeting halls, but as we've all seen even such people are not very likely to protest and cause any substantial change without being labeled as a "contentious" brother/sister.