Shepherding Words "From The Co-Workers In The Lord's Recovery"

[Trapped]

New articles up as of a few days ago.

Just the titles of the articles make me roll my eyes....honestly. The more they write defending themselves, the more they will be without excuse.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Trapped

New articles up as of a few days ago.

Just the titles of the articles make me roll my eyes....honestly. The more they write defending themselves, the more they will be without excuse.

Never is an author listed, rather the generic "coworkers."

I'm surprised they even date the articles, since these are such timeless "truths" which we all hold to be "self-evident."

[UntoHim]

To "The co-workers in the Lord’s recovery in North America"

Regarding the following public posting on ShepherdingWords.Com:

"To say that once a church is established the apostles, that is, the leading co-workers, should never 'interfere' in that church’s affairs"

#1 Please identify by name all "The co-workers in the Lord's recovery". Christian leaders and co-workers of any Christian ministry should not be anonymous. This is neither scriptural nor ethical. Even secular corporations list the names of the board of directors. How much more is expected of a Christian ministry? You say that you are "in the Lord's recovery". Well brothers, it is time for you to "recover" the biblical, New Testament principle of publicly naming "the Co-workers in the Lord's recovery". The apostles all named themselves. Many workers and local church leaders were publicly named. Even the evil spirits knew Paul's name! "But the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" Acts 19:15

#2 Please identify by name who are the current apostles in the Local Church movement/Lord's Recovery. Also list all the local church elders that have been appointed by these various apostles. None of the apostles in the New Testament expected to be anonymous, and neither should you brothers. You owe this to the brothers and sisters who contribute their hard-earned money and time to the various local churches, and to the Living Stream Ministry. You owe this to the Christian public, and to the Body of Christ at large.
-

[Curious]

It's called 'Shepherding Words' because that's all they are good at.... Wordsmithing words.

Its called 'Shepherding Words' because they don't have Shepherding Hearts. Just empty words that go round in circles pretending they are defending their nonsense.

The latest lot on their attitude to the rest of Christianity is so full of contradiction and hints at their judgement of the rest of the church clearly enough, that it's evident just by reading it! They might as well have been more forthright about their 'superior' position.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Curious

It's called 'Shepherding Words' because that's all they are good at.... Wordsmithing words.

Its called 'Shepherding Words' because they don't have Shepherding Hearts. Just empty words that go round in circles pretending they are defending their nonsense.

The latest lot on their attitude to the rest of Christianity is so full of contradiction and hints at their judgement of the rest of the church clearly enough, that it's evident just by reading it! They might as well have been more forthright about their 'superior' position.

I read the quote on the Forum front page from "Shepherding Words" and the last sentence said, "This crucial matter relates to God’s administration and therefore to the headship of Christ, so it is important to read both the Bible and the ministry carefully and thoroughly without bias, self-interest, or any other impure motive."

This crucial matter, acc to SW, needs the reader to be careful and thorough, not with bias or self interest or any other impurity. But how can they say that Witness Lee was careful, or thorough, or had no bias or self interest? After he put his son in charge of his business office, and left him alone with vulnerable women, who then had non-consensual sexual relations with him? I say non-consensual because of the power imbalance - Philip Lee preyed on them just as Harvey Weinstein did with his actresses under contract. Was Witness Lee careful when he put Philip Lee in charge?

Wasn't there self-interest when a minister puts his son on the payroll, when the son flouts all human decency not to mention Christian values, then railroads the witnesses? Wasn't there self-interest when he got the Church in Boston to hand over $100,000 to his son Timothy's Motor Home business? Or when WL called TC: "You just bought 1,000 chairs". No self-interest? Hardly.

When Sal Benoit called Witness Lee and wanted to know where the $$ went, Witness said, "Now, Sal, you know this is none of your business." Self-interest. Same with Dong Yu Lan - when a church member who had give up his career, and traveled around the world promoting DYL's church and ministry and vision, suddenly noticed that DYL's children were running the business, and got suspicious, and asked to see where the money was going, he was told, "DYL's money is a black box". This has all the appearances of self-interest.

For the wordsmiths of LSM to lecture others about selfishness and self-interest and bias is hypocrisy. If they want to correct others, they should be open to correction. If they say others lack care, and have bias, they should admit the same. There is only one Judge. ~James 4:12

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by aron

I read the quote on the Forum front page from "Shepherding Words" and the last sentence said, "This crucial matter relates to God’s administration and therefore to the headship of Christ, so it is important to read both the Bible and the ministry carefully and thoroughly without bias, self-interest, or any other impure motive."

Let me translate this ministry double-speak into plain Koine English:

Since none of you pissants are totally free from "bias, self-interest, or any other impure motive," none of you is the least bit qualified to question what we wrote.

And besides, none of you peons were there when WL instructed us how to lead the Recovery, so get in line and shut up.

[Trapped]

Originally Posted by aron

I read the quote on the Forum front page from "Shepherding Words" and the last sentence said, "This crucial matter relates to God’s administration and therefore to the headship of Christ, so it is important to read both the Bible and the ministry carefully and thoroughly without bias, self-interest, or any other impure motive."

Thus says the people who:

1. claim a non-pareil MOTA status that doesn't exist
2. claim a deputy authority that doesn't exist
3. claim to be the only true ("genuine") church and then lie about their own belief

Talk about bias, extreme self-interest, and impure motive on the part of the very people threatening others not to do that same thing!

BTW, if you google "God's governmental administration".......far and away the majority of the results of the first two pages are LSM/LC related. They usually threaten "God's government" and "God's administration" when they want to steamroller their readers into a state of fear and unquestioning reception.

This is a cult fear-tactic. Hopefully readers and lurkers will take note.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Trapped

Talk about bias, extreme self-interest, and impure motive on the part of the very people threatening others not to do that same thing!

Was Witness Lee being careful, or rather being cavalier, when he appointed his admittedly 'unspiritual' son into authority at the LSM office? And kept him there for years, even when it became plain what was happening? Was he pure in motive when he held onto his ministry with an iron grip while the churches were subsequently imploding with "storms" and "turmoils", and the faith of many was swamped?

And then, we're to suppose that this careless man became careful, and this impure-hearted man became pure, when he sat down in front of the Bible to interpret God's government? Especially, when he was selling this interpreted word via books, trainings cassettes, CDs, calendars, to the very people that he was telling, "You just bought 1,000 chairs"?!

We don't know how many millions this 'ministry' re-directed into the Lee family coffers, and into the hands of intimate cronies. (If one church yielded $100K, it was in the millions.) But we'll never know, because it was all Lee's personal business, as he told Sal Benoit. The Phosphorous and Overseas Christian Stewards shell companies were probably little more than money-laundering rackets for his guanxi network.

And then we're supposed to think that his scriptural interpretations, supporting and buttressing these predatory relations, were on the up-and-up? I think of the thread on this forum titled, "Was DayStar poor judgment or fraud?" It really doesn't matter if WL's biblical interpretations were poor judgment, or hasty, or careless, or impure, or ignorant, or biased, or what combination of all of the above. It really doesn't matter.

[Trapped]

Originally Posted by Curious

The latest lot on their attitude to the rest of Christianity is so full of contradiction and hints at their judgement of the rest of the church clearly enough, that it's evident just by reading it! They might as well have been more forthright about their 'superior' position.

I read a little bit on one of the "assailing" articles regarding the ground of locality......you are right, it is full of contradiction and "plot holes".

For example:

"Those who insist on a merely universal concept of oneness discount the need to practice that oneness with believers in their own locality."

Um.....if you have a universal concept of oneness, then that by definition produces a oneness with those locally too. Universal is universal and does not exclude any believer. This would easily cover the believers in your own city. The wordsmithing co-workers set up a false claim in order to give themselves something to blame other people for.

This kind of nonsense from them is all over the place.

Also this:

"Hence, the church of God and the churches of God (1 Cor. 1:2; 11:16) differ only in their extent. While the church of God is universal, the churches of God are local. And while the church of God comprises all regenerated believers in all places and at all times (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 10:32), the churches of God comprise only those regenerated believers in a particular city at a given time (Rom. 1:7; 1 Thes. 1:1)."

Verse references are nice and all, but let's take a look.

1 Cor. 1:2
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

1 Cor. 11:16
If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.

So, if we go along with what they are saying, clearly from these verses "the church of God" is local (in Corinth), and "the churches of God" are universal. Clearly.

But the co-workers claim the exact opposite. And it's not just a typo either, because their second sentence digs it in even further. "The church of God comprises all regenerated believers in all places and at all times"?? Nope. "The church of God" in the verses they provided are very specifically about only the church in Corinth at that particular time. And vice versa on the latter half of that last sentence.

They can't even keep their own convoluted doctrines straight.

Praise Him for His mercy! I'm so glad to not be trapped (hah) in their constant lies anymore.

Edit to add: I was reminded of some of the lyrics to "Glorious Day" by Passion:

You called my name
Then I ran out of that grave
Out of the darkness
Into Your glorious day

I know that is supposed to be a song about salvation, but boy, it sure feels like it applies to being saved from the LC too.